Risking it: Retaking a 515

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Helloiamapanda

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Edit: I did not expect this much of a response so quickly but given how unanimous they were against my retake, I have been convinced otherwise. However, I'll leave the original post up for others who may be in situations like mine so they can help guide their decisions too. Thank you all.

Hi all. I've seen many people on this forum discourage retakes above the 90th percentile for a variety of reasons: showing arrogance to adcoms, high risk of score dropping, questionable judgment. In spite of this all, I wanted to share my reasons for going forward with my retake anyway in order to give perspective for others who might be in my situation. I am also open to feedback.

So why do I feel the need to push for higher?

The main reason is I had a 2.6 GPA in undergrad due to some personal reasons, mostly abusive relationships that I at the time was just not strong enough to pull away from. I didn't know how badly I was hurting. I was put on academic probation and my way of coping was just to hide in fear... by the time I was able to separate myself in my senior year the damage was already done.

It has been 4 years since then. I've grown and matured a lot, and am continuing to grow. I was fortunate enough to find employment in research and complete an amazing clinical volunteering experience. For the last 2 years I have been completing postbac work: retook almost all my prereqs and several upper divs. My postbac GPA is 3.8, a far cry from before. Yet my GPA is now only 3.12 and 2.97 BCPM. I still have some classes I can take this fall and spring to lift my science GPA over 3.0, but overall it will not change much anymore. The one thing I do have the power to change is my MCAT.

I took it for the first time early May and scored a 515: 129/131/130/125. After seeing my score, for once I feel like I can reach for the stars and I want to go for it. I want to really prove to adcoms that I am not the same person from the past and that I have the capabilities to be a strong candidate. I want to go for the 520 and I'm confident I can do it.

I'm reassured because PS was my only low section and I'm confident with enough targeted practice between now and spring 2019 I can really improve my PS to 128+. I only used Khan Academy and AAMC materials before, but now I know about U-World and plenty other materials that I think can help me be more successful this time. I will also be mindful to continuously review my other sections so they do not drop.

I do know full well however that even if I did score a 520 there is no guarantee I will get accepted anywhere. Even after all I have done thus far, my GPA history is going to always hold me back. But, with a 520 maybe I will at least have a chance to stand out and have adcoms notice me.

Edit: I forgot to mention, I spoke with an NAAHP advisor and a couple schools. The schools (UCs) told me it was not uncommon for them to see students with decently high scores to retake, and it would not necessarily be seen detrimentally to the applicants character. The NAAHP advisor said it may improve my chances. So, given this, I wanted to believe that maybe it would be worth it to retake.

I am also not aiming for top schools, except for UCs mostly because I am hoping to stay near very ill/dying family. But I know that I can't bet on that so I do plan to apply broadly and even DO.
 
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https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fast...e533dbc25/retest_gain_2015_and_2016_total.pdf

121 people retook a 514-517. About 1/3 did worse. About 2/3 either did worse or did not do statistically better (ie stayed within 3 points of original score). 1/4 of people were able to improve to the degree you hope to achieve.
I personally would apply with the application you have. The significant chance of doing worse or the same would hurt way more than doing better would help. Schools that would screen you out for your GPA wouldn't suddenly invite you with a higher MCAT.
 
Helloiamapanda said:
Hi all. I've seen many people on this forum discourage retakes above the 90th percentile for a variety of reasons: showing arrogance to adcoms, high risk of score dropping, questionable judgment. In spite of this all, I wanted to share my reasons for going forward with my retake anyway in order to give perspective for others who might be in my situation. I am also open to feedback.

So why do I feel the need to push for higher?

The main reason is I had a 2.6 GPA in undergrad due to some personal reasons, mostly abusive relationships that I at the time was just not strong enough to pull away from. I didn't know how badly I was hurting. I was put on academic probation and my way of coping was just to hide in fear... by the time I was able to separate myself in my senior year the damage was already done.

It has been 4 years since then. I've grown and matured a lot, and am continuing to grow. I was fortunate enough to find employment in research and complete an amazing clinical volunteering experience. For the last 2 years I have been completing postbac work: retook almost all my prereqs and several upper divs. My postbac GPA is 3.8, a far cry from before. Yet my GPA is now only 3.12 and 2.97 BCPM. I still have some classes I can take this fall and spring to lift my science GPA over 3.0, but overall it will not change much anymore. The one thing I do have the power to change is my MCAT.

I took it for the first time early May and scored a 515: 129/131/130/125. After seeing my score, for once I feel like I can reach for the stars and I want to go for it. I want to really prove to adcoms that I am not the same person from the past and that I have the capabilities to be a strong candidate. I want to go for the 520 and I'm confident I can do it.

I'm reassured because PS was my only low section and I'm confident with enough targeted practice between now and spring 2019 I can really improve my PS to 128+. I only used Khan Academy and AAMC materials before, but now I know about U-World and plenty other materials that I think can help me be more successful this time. I will also be mindful to continuously review my other sections so they do not drop.

I do know full well however that even if I did score a 520 there is no guarantee I will get accepted anywhere. Even after all I have done thus far, my GPA history is going to always hold me back. But, with a 520 maybe I will at least have a chance to stand out and have adcoms notice me.
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Know your target audience. It is irrelevant what you think they want and focus on how they actually perceive things. The adcoms on this board have all pretty consistently said not to retake perfectly good scores for the exact reasons you outlined above. You've heard it directly from the horses mouth. Don't try to prove you're mature by doing this retake, show it by taking the advice of those involved in the process.
 
No school is going to deny you for a 515. U have to apply to the worst MD schools and DO schools to have a chance with your GPA. For them, there will he no difference between a 515 and 520 because you’ll already be among the highest mcat scores accepted at that school.
 
Mya&Me said:
Just as a surface level comment, in case you get no better advice:

For most of the schools that reward reinvention, a 515 is more than competitive.

For many of the schools that care about having a 520+, reinvention is not necessarily rewarded or sought after.

As oxymoronic as it sounds, you sound like a traditional reinvented non-trad. Just be aware of your target audience/applications. Are you trying to shoot for T20 schools? Several of these aren’t very well know for being non-trad friendly, though some are. I don’t think most of these don’t care much for reinvention unless you do some pretty bomb ****. And even without reinvention and a perfect application number wise, you still have to do some pretty bomb ****.
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No I'm not gunning for any top schools aside from the UC's mostly because I have a very ill family member who may pass soon, and I just want to be close to the rest of my immediate family if/when it happens because they will need a lot of help. But I understand that's a long shot so I am applying very broadly. Still, it's a huge motivating factor for me to try everything I can to stay in California... which unfortunately have much higher admissions stats.
 
I am sorry that you had been through abusive relationships. But at the same time I am happy to hear that you are resilient, and you have come a long way to reinvent yourself. You not only improved your GPAs, but also got a good score, which is already >90%. I agree with other people here, perhaps retaking MCAT may not necessarily help you. Rather, as a non-trad, you can show adcoms how you have matured over the past few years, healed, pull yourself together, and now ready to become a healer, in particular for those who may have experienced the similar situations - you know how bad it could be, because you had been through this. Moreover, you found your strengths, grew, and continue growing. I think we nontrads can offer our life experiences to the class, and stand out in the ocean of applications by demonstrating our life journeys.
 
getdown said:
Know your target audience. It is irrelevant what you think they want and focus on how they actually perceive things. The adcoms on this board have all pretty consistently said not to retake perfectly good scores for the exact reasons you outlined above. You've heard it directly from the horses mouth. Don't try to prove you're mature by doing this retake, show it by taking the advice of those involved in the process.
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Thank you for the advice. I do struggle a lot since verified adcoms here have said otherwise, but I also decided to call some UCs that I am hoping against hope to get into. 2 were willing to speak to me about this but the advice I got from them was a bit different than what I heard from here. Basically they told me it is up to the adcom and it was not uncommon for them to see students retake decent scores for higher ones. Some could view it as perfectionism, but it could also show how ambitious they are to attend, since they are competitive schools, and their propensity for improvement. I asked also an advisor via NAAHP and he said similar things and pointed out my chances may improve by some small percentage if I was able to score much higher. Hearing that is what has been motivating me to try for it, but I still do struggle with this decision since overall the opinions are mixed.
 
OneTwoThreeFour said:
121 people retook a 514-517. About 1/3 did worse. About 2/3 either did worse or did not do statistically better (ie stayed within 3 points of original score). 1/4 of people were able to improve to the degree you hope to achieve.
I personally would apply with the application you have. The significant chance of doing worse or the same would hurt way more than doing better would help. Schools that would screen you out for your GPA wouldn't suddenly invite you with a higher MCAT.
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I didnt know this chart existed, thank you. It does help put into perspective my odds. I did call some schools, only a few answered, and their answers to me were "maybe" it would help, but it would be notable at least. I want to be hopeful based off that but I suppose the real answer is they cant go into much specifics and just try to be as neutral as possible..
 
Cheenghee Koh said:
I am sorry that you had been through abusive relationships. But at the same time I am happy to hear that you are resilient, and you have come a long way to reinvent yourself. You not only improved your GPAs, but also got a good score, which is already >90%. I agree with other people here, perhaps retaking MCAT may not necessarily help you. Rather, as a non-trad, you can show adcoms how you have matured over the past few years, healed, pull yourself together, and now ready to become a healer, in particular for those who may have experienced the similar situations - you know how bad it could be, because you had been through this. Moreover, you found your strengths, grew, and continue growing. I think we nontrads can offer our life experiences to the class, and stand out in the ocean of applications by demonstrating our life journeys.
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Thank you so much. Really, it does mean a lot. After I cut myself from the relationship I also lost my "support" system, then it was me alone racing to keep up with the competition. A lot of people including advisors I spoke to discouraged me, and I dont blame them because the obstacles ahead were really monumental. And though I've done this much theres still so much left to do. But maybe I'm not really getting true perspective on where I stand and have gotten caught up with trying to compare myself to the "perfect" premed. Perhaps as you say I should play upon the strength I've gained more instead of seeing my past as a weakness.
 
When are you applying? Next year? I think, at the very least, you should go through a round of applications and see what happens as long as you have a well rounded app. If you don't get in anywhere then consider retaking the MCAT, although, most of us will agree that part of your app probably won't be the reason you didn't get in.

Congrats on your reinvention. You have shown dedication and grit. When you get your acceptance email don't forget to post your story to the under 3.0 support thread.
 
Mya&Me said:
Just as a surface level comment, in case you get no better advice:

For most of the schools that reward reinvention, a 515 is more than competitive.

For many of the schools that care about having a 520+, reinvention is not necessarily rewarded or sought after.
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1) I think this is a good perspective for you to consider. As many other posters have said, "consider your audience."

2) Great job on the continuous reinvention and growing from your adversities instead of using them as an excuse :]

3) I know you stated that you want to say in California (I'm from Cali too and I'm applying this year), but since you stated that a family member is very sick and may pass soon - I would suggest considering taking some time off to spend some time with them + strengthening your application. Med school will always be there to apply to but (you know the rest).

This might alleviate your desire to stay in California thereby opening up some more opportunities for applying. I'm not saying that you cannot get into a California school but even as an in-state, they are notoriously hard to get into.

I hope the best for you and don't give up!
 
@Helloiamapanda For clarification purposes, I want to highlight that you are attempting to justify a bad decision with the argument that you've made prior bad decisions in the past and a recent turn of good decisions justifies making another bad one. It doesn't.
 
The problem here is that how your decision is perceived is influenced by what the outcome is.

Score significantly better and at least some ADCOMs will regard it as a good decision which helped your app.

Score stays the same and you're a risk-taker. Potential for some negative attention from some ADCOMS, potential for it to not hurt your chances a whole lot at other schools.

Score less and you're potentially overconfident/arrogant.

If I were in your position, I'd probably try applying one cycle, and then reevaluate if necessary.
 
OneTwoThreeFour said:
https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fast...e533dbc25/retest_gain_2015_and_2016_total.pdf

121 people retook a 514-517. About 1/3 did worse. About 2/3 either did worse or did not do statistically better (ie stayed within 3 points of original score). 1/4 of people were able to improve to the degree you hope to achieve.
I personally would apply with the application you have. The significant chance of doing worse or the same would hurt way more than doing better would help. Schools that would screen you out for your GPA wouldn't suddenly invite you with a higher MCAT.
Click to expand...

I'm not advocating for this individual to retake the exam, however, it's doubtful that the average student retaking a 514-517 would have scored a 125 on the psych/soc question. That it to say, there is plenty of room to improve.
 
Helloiamapanda said:
Thank you for the advice. I do struggle a lot since verified adcoms here have said otherwise, but I also decided to call some UCs that I am hoping against hope to get into. 2 were willing to speak to me about this but the advice I got from them was a bit different than what I heard from here. Basically they told me it is up to the adcom and it was not uncommon for them to see students retake decent scores for higher ones. Some could view it as perfectionism, but it could also show how ambitious they are to attend, since they are competitive schools, and their propensity for improvement. I asked also an advisor via NAAHP and he said similar things and pointed out my chances may improve by some small percentage if I was able to score much higher. Hearing that is what has been motivating me to try for it, but I still do struggle with this decision since overall the opinions are mixed.
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I'm not surprised they would give you this answer. It's pretty much a hedging answer. "We see people retake and score higher ... it may benefit you if you retake and score improved ... etc etc" You can see there is nothing definitive in their answer and it's mostly focusing on the chance you did better. Obviously if you did better it's gonna be seen as a positive. Did they say how often they see retakes and the kids did worse? Or how they would view you given your already low GPA plus a lower MCAT retake? Right now your big pluses are that you're a first time MCAT taker that scored well as well as shown significant improvement in your post-bac relative to your poor undergrad GPA. Everything is trending up. Don't sabotage yourself by thinking a better MCAT score will help when 2/3 options (score same and score worse) is much more likely to happen significantly diminishing all the positive you've done in the past few years reinventing yourself. People are gonna fixate on why you retook a good score. Do a million things right and one small mistake and people will focus on the mistake. You know this from experience, it's human nature.

FYI: I'm sure you're aware that getting into a medical school in california is very competitive. I would not be relying/be too hopeful of this as even perfectly good candidates end up in outside medical schools. Apply and just hope for the best. Temper your expectations.
 
A 515 sounds good to me. I got slightly worse (a 32), but I was sick during the test and had to take an unscheduled break. I came home really upset thinking I bombed. I was stupid and didn't void the exam.

I registered for the next exam taking place 2 weeks later, since I knew I could do much better without taking a big break during the bio part. I retook it and felt good afterwards. When I got my first score back (the 32) I regretted retaking. 32 is what I was getting on my practice tests and was my goal (it was average/above average for most of the schools I was interested in back then).

Fortunately the retake came out better. Quite a bit. So that was a relief. But no adcoms really seemed to care all that much, despite the retake ing in the "wow" category to all my premed colleagues. As premeds we tend to put way too much stock in the numbers.

There are better ways to stand out in your application than boosting your MCAT a few points. If you have a very valid reason to think you can do better, then go for it, but most will not see a meaningful improvement even if they're in the small group of re-takers whose scores do go up.

Unless a 520 (which is a ridiculously high percentile, but seems to be the norm on SDN...) is required for your top choices and your practice tests consistently show you getting that, I do not think re-taking is worth the risk.

If you really want to go nuclear, instead of retaking, join the Peace Corps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, or military, etc. A couple years of service really show dedication to a cause and really prove maturity-that will impress adcoms more than a 520. In hindsight, I wish I had done one of those.
 
OP, the MCAT is not just a competency exam, it also assesses judgement. Retaking a 515 will get you rejected at @gyngyn 's school, and also telegraph all of the negatives you mentioned above.

Because you're a reinventor, Touro-CA and Western are your single two best chances of staying in CA. UCSF also rewards reinvention, and UCD and UCI will favor the home team.

Also keep in mind that that you didn't speak to the Admissions dean or any Adcom members, just staff. They don't know what goes on inside our heads.

Paging the wise @HomeSkool , @LizzyM, @Med Ed and @Pathdocmd to see if we can slap some sense into your head.
 
Goro said:
OP, the MCAT is not just a competency exam, it also assesses judgement. Retaking a 515 will get you rejected at @gyngyn 's school, and also telegraph all of the negatives you mentioned above.

Because you're a reinventor, Touro-CA and Western are your single two best chances of staying in CA. UCSF also rewards reinvention, and UCD and UCI will favor the home team.

Also keep in mind that that you didn't speak to the Admissions dean or any Adcom members, just staff. They don't know what goes on inside our heads.

Paging the wise @HomeSkool , @LizzyM, @Med Ed and @Pathdocmd to see if we can slap some sense into your head.
Click to expand...
Taking it again and doing worse will hurt you more than the benefit of getting a higher score. Your PB grades show that you can do the work. Save your precious time and energy and do something else than study for the MCAT.
 
Mya&Me said:
I’m not sure exactly what type of help you are referring to, but other than emotional support, med school won’t afford you much time to do anything substantial. Even with bereavement leave, you will be expected to get back on the horse quickly.

I would not recommend focusing your medical career around what may ultimately be a 1-2 week period of bereavement. If they are passing soon, you still have a year before you can apply (in a timely and early fashion) and another year before you would matriculate.
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I'd like to follow up on this with the caveat that medic students need ot be somewhat selfish. You simply can't keep running home every time there is a crisis. Wedding, birthdays and even funerals will have to be missed.
 
TracingFruits said:
I'm not advocating for this individual to retake the exam, however, it's doubtful that the average student retaking a 514-517 would have scored a 125 on the psych/soc question. That it to say, there is plenty of room to improve.
Click to expand...

I'd argue that thought processes like these often get people in trouble. Nobody is a special case without having more data; it is just as easy to make the argument that most people who retook a 514-517 had one bad subsection and believed they had plenty of room to improve. Without having those breakdowns we can't say anything about how the numbers relate to OP's situation.
 
I feel that luck factors enough into those 520+ scores that you cannot be certain through preparation that you will get that score. 515 is already fantastic. Don’t do it please!
 
515 is a very solid score. You dont need a higher one. Plenty of people are denied admission to Harvard with perfect SAT's. So make YOU, the best YOU possible with the rest of the app. Of course you need to explain your personal journey and development. Some schools might think you are a risk, so go to one that doesn't. That's why we interview applicants. To get to know them, and evaluate their thought process
 
I don't give advice on these types of threads because I am still in the midst of applying to medical school myself. But, I feel the need to share my thoughts. I am also a non-trad and dealt with a lot of emotional struggles throughout my undergrad. I understand what it's like to be on your own. I think you're focusing too much on the numbers and not enough on what medical schools are actually looking for. Medical schools want empathetic, comapssionate students, who will care for their prospective patients. While the MCAT is extremely important, it's not all about numbers. You need to make the rest of your app solid. Do community service, help your community, help the underserved, help anyone. Key word: help! Physicians help people and you need to show you have that ability. Changing your score from a 515 to a 520 will not show anything significant. I'm sure there are a lot of students who would be more than happy to apply with a 515. And lastly, you've overcome a lot in your life. I think you need to be kinder to yourself and not focus on "perfection". Make your app as unique as possible by engaging in experiences that you're passionate about and I'm sure you'll get into med school. Good luck!!
 
There is no scenario in which an MCAT retake would benefit you, no matter what score you came out of there with. Absolutely no one would look at an applicant with a 2.6 undergrad GPA and 3.8 post-bacc GPA with MCAT scores of 515 then 520 and be convinced by the 520. No one. It's totally irrelevant. The 520 says nothing about you that the 515 doesn't say.

Conersely, there are a lot of ways that a retake can hurt you.

Act accordingly.
 
Thanks everyone for your advice. I'm on my lunch break and don't have a lot of time to reply individually, but I'm surprised to have gotten this many responses.

Regarding my family, I know if it comes down to me having to leave them then I will have do it. I love them but I know my ill family member would not want me to stop my journey or forgo any other opportunity at med school, so I won't. I dont really want to get into details but my ill family member was responsible for supporting my other family in a variety of ways and if/when they pass I will need to take over some of those responsibilities. Staying in Southern California would help with that, but again if I have to leave then I will and try my best to support from afar. It will just have to be a long conversation I will have with my family going forward if it comes to it.

Many of you have outlined my main fault may be in struggling for perfectionism when it's unnecessary. I'm beginning to believe how warped my perspective was on how importantly adcoms viewed numbers. I felt like with such a low GPA I needed to somehow stand out further with my MCAT. Even with reinvention, i thought maybe schools would have expected better of me or wanted to see a more impressive score to offset the GPA. Though as many have pointed out, the risks are huge and any benefit would be akin splitting hairs at that point. I just worry constantly whether I've done enough, and if I can do more then I want to do more. But maybe that more can be something other than the MCAT.

Maybe the best choice after all is to proceed with my application as is in 2019 both MD and DO. And maybe after that if I'm unsuccessful, I will re-evaluate.
 
Helloiamapanda said:
Thanks everyone for your advice. I'm on my lunch break and don't have a lot of time to reply individually, but I'm surprised to have gotten this many responses.

Regarding my family, I know if it comes down to me having to leave them then I will have do it. I love them but I know my ill family member would not want me to stop my journey or forgo any other opportunity at med school, so I won't. I dont really want to get into details but my ill family member was responsible for supporting my other family in a variety of ways and if/when they pass I will need to take over some of those responsibilities. Staying in Southern California would help with that, but again if I have to leave then I will and try my best to support from afar. It will just have to be a long conversation I will have with my family going forward if it comes to it.

Many of you have outlined my main fault may be in struggling for perfectionism when it's unnecessary. I'm beginning to believe how warped my perspective was on how importantly adcoms viewed numbers. I felt like with such a low GPA I needed to somehow stand out further with my MCAT. Even with reinvention, i thought maybe schools would have expected better of me or wanted to see a more impressive score to offset the GPA. Though as many have pointed out, the risks are huge and any benefit would be akin splitting hairs at that point. I just worry constantly whether I've done enough, and if I can do more then I want to do more. But maybe that more can be something other than the MCAT.

Maybe the best choice after all is to proceed with my application as is in 2019 both MD and DO. And maybe after that if I'm unsuccessful, I will re-evaluate.
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Assuming you have good ECs, here are schools that reward reinvention:
Pitt
Mayo
Duke
BU
UCSF
UCD
UCI
UCR IF you're from the Inland Empire
U Miami
Case
Hofstra
Tufts
Tulane
Dartmouth
SLU
Drexel
Albany
NYMC
Wayne State
Netter
Gtown
GWU
EVMS
Wake
Any DO school. I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, Wm Carey, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide.
 
There is little legitimate reason to retake a 515 except ego.

Surely, there must be something else you can do with your time to bolster your application.
 
Premeds take note - there is a thin line between compensation and overcompensation, and OP’s gonna blow right past it.
 
IsleyOfTheNorth said:
There is little legitimate reason to retake a 515 except ego.

Surely, there must be something else you can do with your time to bolster your application.
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I think that there are three phenotypes tas to why people do this:
  1. perfectionists-these frequently claim "I know can can do better"
  2. overcompensators-those who have a great score but one mediocre subcategory score. They feel the need to have four near perfect scores.
  3. the starry eyed-those aiming only for the Really Top Schools. Our wise @LizzyM reports that at her Adcom meetings, people ask "who retakes a [great score]? Answer-"someone who wants to come here". But I don't recall if she has told us if those applicants are actually successful!
 
jonnythan said:
Gotta be honest, I thought this was going to be another
"Hey SDN should I do x?"
"Absolutely not."
"Cool Imma do X."
thread.
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Hah, well I've made plenty of mistakes in my past from not listening to the right people. I'm sure I still make stupid decisions but I hope I'm better at listening too these days. 99.9% of people in this thread have told me no and 90% of those included specific reasons why it should be a no. So reason dictates if I want to do what's best for me then I should probably listen.. lol
 
I don't mean to be a noobie but I am not familiar with MCAT testing scores.. If you take it twice, do they see that? Do they frown upon that or if you did worse would they see that? Can you submit your best or what happens? THANKS 🙂
 
MisterTO said:
I don't mean to be a noobie but I am not familiar with MCAT testing scores.. If you take it twice, do they see that? Do they frown upon that or if you did worse would they see that? Can you submit your best or what happens? THANKS 🙂
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Yes and yes. We see all scores.

Quoting the wise Homeskool: Taking the MCAT is like getting married: ideally you only do it once, and the more times you do it the worse you start looking to suitors with good judgment.
 
Helloiamapanda said:
Many of you have outlined my main fault may be in struggling for perfectionism when it's unnecessary. I'm beginning to believe how warped my perspective was on how importantly adcoms viewed numbers. I felt like with such a low GPA I needed to somehow stand out further with my MCAT. Even with reinvention, i thought maybe schools would have expected better of me or wanted to see a more impressive score to offset the GPA. Though as many have pointed out, the risks are huge and any benefit would be akin splitting hairs at that point. I just worry constantly whether I've done enough, and if I can do more then I want to do more. But maybe that more can be something other than the MCAT.
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You beat me to it. The armchair psychology of you pursuing a 520 has little to do with application strategy and everything to do with a desire to expunge your past.

You have a very good post-bacc GPA and a very good MCAT score. If everything else is lined up then you need to take a shot and see what happens. Good luck.
 
I agree with the wisdom shared by @Goro, @Pathdocmd, @Med Ed, and others: retaking a 515 is a bad move that will most likely hurt your application. We do know how many times you take the exam, and seeing you retake an excellent score is off-putting. If you don't get into med school, it most certainly won't be on account of your current MCAT score.
 
IsleyOfTheNorth said:
Here's my prediction... 😉

OP: "I'm thinking about doing this."
"No."
"Bad idea."
"No way."
OP:
Click to expand...

Apologies, perhaps I didnt make it clear in a previous post but I am going to hold off on a retake. With 99.9% of posts here are telling me no, many with specific reasons why and from verified faculty/physicians, I've made enough mistakes from not listening to people before. I hope I wasn't coming across as resistant to any advice because I am taking all this to heart. I am after all only a premed and have not yet gone through the application cycle so I could not hope to claim to know better than some of the users here. I posted for the purpose of receiving feedback and modifying my plan if need be, and it was needed here.

The only reason I entertained the notion was because I spoke to those UCs and that NAAHP advisor who happened to be an adcom and they told me otherwise, so I dared to hope. But as another user pointed out, those might have been hedging answers at best.

I've heard the feedback loud and clear. I will try my best to move forward in other ways.
 
Helloiamapanda said:
Apologies, perhaps I didnt make it clear in a previous post but I am going to hold off on a retake. With 99.9% of posts here are telling me no, many with specific reasons why and from verified faculty/physicians, I've made enough mistakes from not listening to people before. I hope I wasn't coming across as resistant to any advice because I am taking all this to heart. I am after all only a premed and have not yet gone through the application cycle so I could not hope to claim to know better than some of the users here. I posted for the purpose of receiving feedback and modifying my plan if need be, and it was needed here.

The only reason I entertained the notion was because I spoke to those UCs and that NAAHP advisor who happened to be an adcom and they told me otherwise, so I dared to hope. But as another user pointed out, those might have been hedging answers at best.

I've heard the feedback loud and clear. I will try my best to move forward in other ways.
Click to expand...
Just some background, you'd be surprised how common it is for people to come to SDN to look for affirmation of bad choices, rather than seeking actual advice. Those people then tend to lash out when they hear what they don't want to hear.
 
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