Retook a 513 and got a 519, AMA

[Harambe]

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I know the general consensus here is not to retake anything higher than ~510, so I just wanted to provide another perspective.

I got a 513 (129 / 129 / 128 / 127) on the MCAT in May 2016 and applied to med school (admittedly either too top heavy or too low yield) and didn't get in. I was convinced I could do much better, so I retook in August 2017 and got a 519 (130 / 129 / 130 / 130). I studied only two months full time for my retake.

I had really bad test anxiety both times (~1 hour of sleep before both tests), but the second time around I knew that I needed to just trust my prep and all the hard work I put into studying, and I knew I'd be fine. Re-applying to med school this summer to largely the same school list as the first time, with a few new schools to cast a wider net.

Ask me anything!

 

[JustDoMed]

Congrats and the score bump and Good Luck applying!
How did you study the second time around?

 

[Harambe]

Congrats and the score bump and Good Luck applying!
How did you study the second time around?

Thanks!

First time, I focused too much on content (Kaplan books and KA only) and didn't really learn how to reason through MCAT style passages. I only used the AAMC material and didn't review it as thoroughly as I should have.

Second time, I took ~10 practice exams (TPR, 3 Kaplan, 3 NS, retook AAMC Sample and FL 1, and newly took FL 2). I strongly recommend taking third party practice tests (especially NS) because their reasoning is way more nuanced than that of the AAMC. After 7 third party exams, AAMC material felt like a cakewalk. By my test date, I felt confident that I could handle anything the real MCAT threw at me, as opposed to the first time when I was hoping that certain concepts or types of problems (e.g., convoluted experiments, long calculations) wouldn't show up. I also used Anki flashcards (did not do this the first time) to consolidate fundamental concepts. It's really easy to be overwhelmed by how much content you've studied, and to feel like you don't know any of it. I found that Anki flashcards were really helpful in ensuring that I at least knew the fundamentals, which is very important for the MCAT.

 

[PopeKnope23]

Congrats! That’s fantastic! I’m planning on the May 19 MCAT, and I’ve been reading Kaplan books since January. What I’ve been doing is using UWorld Qbank passages after I read a Kaplan chapter to test my understanding of the content when applied to actual MCAT-style questions. How much longer do you recommend I do this? When should I take my first FL? Is it okay to take a FL without finishing all my Kaplan chapters? Side note, I’m currently enrolled in physics II, organic II, biochem, and physiology, so I’m in the process of learning those. That means I won’t know everything until the semester ends, which is way too close to my test date. How do you think I should go about that? Maybe study ahead?

 

[BBBallIsLife]

If only you were given a second chance at life, harambe...

 

[Harambe]

Congrats! That’s fantastic! I’m planning on the May 19 MCAT, and I’ve been reading Kaplan books since January. What I’ve been doing is using UWorld Qbank passages after I read a Kaplan chapter to test my understanding of the content when applied to actual MCAT-style questions. How much longer do you recommend I do this? When should I take my first FL? Is it okay to take a FL without finishing all my Kaplan chapters? Side note, I’m currently enrolled in physics II, organic II, biochem, and physiology, so I’m in the process of learning those. That means I won’t know everything until the semester ends, which is way too close to my test date. How do you think I should go about that? Maybe study ahead?

I haven't used UWorld but people tend to say it's a good resource. I think you should take your first FL now just to get your feet wet, and to start building endurance for the real MCAT. You probably won't score that well, as you definitely still have gaps in content, but you've gotta start somewhere. What kind of score are you trying to get and when do you plan to apply? If you haven't finished the pre-requisites, I'd probably recommend postponing your test until you've finished those classes. Physiology and biochem are huge on this new MCAT.

 

[Harambe]

If only you were given a second chance at life, harambe...

I was given a second chance on my MCAT, which is all I could ask for.

 

[dj-Roomba]

How big are your cajones? Retaking a 513. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn

 

[Harambe]

I got in this cycle with a 500. Getting into med school is more than your MCAT score or GPA. Yes it matters but they want someone who is well-rounded with a good personality.

Congratulations! Yeah, of course there are more to admissions than MCAT and GPA. But if you're targeting certain schools and your MCAT is several points below the median at those schools, it would make sense to retake it if you were confident you could score much higher. These were my circumstances, and I just wanted to provide another perspective. Good luck in medical school!

 

[theonlytycrane]

to readers: there's no need to retake a 513 (balanced) like OP did.

The fact that OP got 513 makes it no surprise he/she got 519 on a re-take (he/she already did well and just fine tuned a bit for a test that's meant to be taken only once).

Not trying to bash on OP (he/she is bright), just warning future readers that they should not re-take 513+ (balanced). OP will get in this cycle, but it won't be because a school sees 513 -> 519, though it might seem so if you just look at the end of application cycle results.

There's really no need for an AMA here.

 

[Harambe]

to readers: there's no need to retake a 513 (balanced) like OP did.

The fact that OP got 513 makes it no surprise he/she got 519 on a re-take (he/she already did well and just fine tuned a bit for a test that's meant to be taken only once).

Not trying to bash on OP (he/she is bright), just warning future readers that they should not re-take 513+ (balanced). OP will get in this cycle, but it won't be because a school sees 513 -> 519, though it might seem so if you just look at the end of application cycle results.

There's really no need for an AMA here.

I agree, in the sense that I could have definitely gotten into a U.S. medical school last cycle if I had a better school list. Again, I just wanted to provide another perspective for someone who might be in a similar situation (i.e., re-applicant who feels like it might be worth retaking a perfectly fine score to have more security going into a second application cycle). Also, I feel that answering questions about my experience could help people who are unsure how to go about studying for a retake. @theonlytycrane is right in that you should take the MCAT only once, when you're as prepared as you could possibly be.

As for me, I figured that an MCAT retake was the best, most objective way to improve my application between cycles (along with increasing shadowing, volunteering, research, etc.), and I'm glad I scored significantly higher to justify the decision. Of course, had I done the same or only slightly better, I'd be in a pretty tough situation right now. When you take risks, you assume responsibility for the consequences of those risks.

 

[ellia]

How did you "thoroughly review" the second time around? Congrats, btw - that's an amazing jump!

 

[Harambe]

How did you "thoroughly review" the second time around? Congrats, btw - that's an amazing jump!

First time, I would just review practice tests once and not really revisit them from there. I also only did the two AAMC full length exams. I'd fall into the trap of thinking "oh, I got that wrong, but it was a stupid mistake and I won't make it again on test day." Every mistake you make during MCAT practice, you make for a reason. It's helpful to be honest with yourself and dissect why exactly you chose an incorrect answer, so you can really make sure you don't make a similar mistake in the future.

Second time around, I made sure to spend time reviewing every single question on every single practice exam I took (with the exception of third party CARS content, as the logic isn't really similar to that of AAMC CARS), including even the questions I got right. I also made an Anki deck of "practice test mistakes" so that I would constantly be revisiting and refreshing myself on content that tended to trip me up. I also did 8 new practice exams the second time (along with redoing the two AAMC ones I had already done), so that helped to improve my stamina for when I took the real thing a second time.

 

[SteyrFWB]

Did not apply this cycle with that August 519? Not willing to chance it this year; waiting out another year?

Your aim must be not just getting into a medical school, but getting into a really high scoring medical school (Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Mt. Sinai, Hopkins, Duke, Chicago, UPenn, Pittsburg, Vanderbilt, Wash U, Brown, Dartmouth, UCSF, Stanford + 5-10 others).

For a lot of mere mortals, that is insane. But for determined ones, that is time worth bartering.

 

[Harambe]

Did not apply this cycle with that August 519? Waiting out another year?

Your aim must be not just getting into a medical school, but getting into a really high scoring medical school.

I wanted to make sure I did everything to the best of my ability before preparing to re-apply. If I had applied with my August MCAT, my app would not have been complete until September, which would not have done me any favors. I’m fortunate enough to be in a position where I have a job I really enjoy and don’t face any pressure (e.g., familial, financial) to enter medical school ASAP, so I was more than happy to take another two years off and make sure I had beefed my app up as much as possible before re-applying. You are correct in that I am aiming to attend a top research medical school, as I am interested in pursuing academic medicine in my career.

 

[theonlytycrane]

I wanted to make sure I did everything to the best of my ability before preparing to re-apply. If I had applied with my August MCAT, my app would not have been complete until September, which would not have done me any favors. I’m fortunate enough to be in a position where I have a job I really enjoy and don’t face any pressure (e.g., familial, financial) to enter medical school ASAP, so I was more than happy to take another two years off and make sure I had beefed my app up as much as possible before re-applying. You are correct in that I am aiming to attend a top research medical school, as I am interested in pursuing academic medicine in my career.

Check your service EC boxes and write your PS + start on secondaries now (pre-writing). Apply on day 1 and you'll be interviewing in August with acceptances on the first release date.