Should I bother with the application process after the horrendous MCAT on Saturday??

[Psycho Doctor]

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So i haven't even done the aamc primary app. I was waiting until after the MCAT so i could devote all the time needed for that and then do a good and thorough job on my apps. I feel so discouraged and disillusioned now since i know i did absolutely awful on Saturday. Should i bother since i won't get the dreaded results until the apps are already due or shoud i just wait and retake in April?

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

If you truly believe that you bombed the test and will not have a competitive MCAT, then I would wait until next season to apply after a retake. You are already running behind the regular applicant pool, and a weak MCAT will definitely hurt your acceptance chances. You have to do what is right for you regarding timing (what will you do if you wait an extra year), finances, and all that other good stuff, but if you can hold off, I suggest doing so. BUT... I doubt that you did as badly as you think you did. Just a hunch 😉

 

[(Dirty Version)]

nope.

 

[uclabruin2003]

i say apply....i know a couple of ppl who thought they did so bad but it turned out to be very very good. if youre not comfortable i would just hold off on applying to harvard but apply to other schools. if you definitely want to reach a higher and better med school...then wait.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

nope.

huh? what's that in reference to?

 

[Psycho Doctor]

right now i feel like i did awful. I don't know what's going to make me change my mind...why the heck do they make us wait 2 months to get the scores?

I knew i was late in the process and therefore needed a VERY high MCAT to remain competitive...ugh...now what?

And i'm not sure what i'd do with a year off...i went thru that thought process and then thought i'd end up applying so i haven't gotten very far in it. I'd need something really unique..i thought Americorps or something along that line but lots of people do that. ..maybe some ministry in a foreign country????

 

[thewzdoc]

I?d still apply?most people I know think they did horribly on the April but they got 29?s and low 30?s?..

The score is recorded whether you apply or not?.you might as well spend the money and try rather than wait?all they can say is no.

 

[Amy B]

I would say to go ahead and apply now. You won't know for sure until the scores come back and by that time it would be very late to apply. Do it now, hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and see what you got. If it is bad, then you will know you have to start preparing for the April test, you will be out the money you paid to apply, and you will get rejection letter, maybe. Or it will be ok and you will get in.

Apply and keep your fingers crossed. Good luck.

 

[jhrugger]

OP,

i'll go with conventional wisdom on this post and say go ahead and apply. i'm one of those people who was actually going to void the mcat on test day cause i thought i did so poorly, but ended up doing alright. only reason i didn't void it was because you had to go up infront of the room and say you wanted it voided.. if it was a bubble on scantron i would have filled it in. got a 31 though, and i wasn't expecting anything above a 28.

good luck

 

[thewzdoc]

i'm one of those people who was actually going to void the mcat on test day cause i thought i did so poorly, but ended up doing alright. only reason i didn't void it was because you had to go up infront of the room and say you wanted it voided.. if it was a bubble on scantron i would have filled it in. got a 31 though, and i wasn't expecting anything above a 28.

You are one of many like this that I?ve heard of?.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

congrats! i wanted to void my score desperately; at lunch time my psychiatrist talked me out of it. 🙁

 

[leechy]

congrats! i wanted to void my score desperately

I also felt very bummed after the test, but turned out doing much better than I thought (even better than I had done on any practice exams). I say, stick to it and apply. If you've got everything else ready and have already put down the bucks, might as well try. 👍

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

So i haven't even done the aamc primary app. I was waiting until after the MCAT so i could devote all the time needed for that and then do a good and thorough job on my apps. I feel so discouraged and disillusioned now since i know i did absolutely awful on Saturday. Should i bother since i won't get the dreaded results until the apps are already due or shoud i just wait and retake in April?

In general, I think most people think they didn't do as well as they wanted to. But you have to remember what I am sure you already know: this is no regular test. To get a competetive score you don't have to get 90% of the questions right. Thats one of the good things, its standardized...so the question you should be thinking is how well you think you did compared to others.

I say you should go ahead and apply. If you are that worried, maybe limit your list of schools. Or, worst case, get your amcas in and then withdraw presecondary if you don't like your MCAT. But don't eliminate yourself so early in the running.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

thanks, for some reason your post made me feel a little better.

the thing is i generally do very well on standardized tests but i think i totally blew this one...i was certainly not at my best performance level. It seems many people thought this test was really bad but it's hard to gauge how i compared to others..right now i still think MUCH worse..or at least compared to people here. Even though i know it's not true, i was thinking i had to get 90%of the quetions right..a goal i know i fell very short.

The thing is i think some deadlines are right around when we get the scores back..so if i want to be considered i do have to apply. If i get rejected one year due to a poor score, will they hold it against me if i reapply next year?

edit: wow that was my 1000th post..so do i win something? even a ribbon for being the most pathetic poster or something?

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

And i'm not sure what i'd do with a year off...i went thru that thought process and then thought i'd end up applying so i haven't gotten very far in it. I'd need something really unique..i thought Americorps or something along that line but lots of people do that. ..maybe some ministry in a foreign country????

That sounds an awful lot like something you think you should do because it looks good on a resume, rather than doing it because you want to. Things like that don't help an application nearly as much as most people assume, so I wouldnt go the foreign ministry route unless you find that prospect interesting and rewarding.

 

[gotigers]

go ahead and apply!!!! i thought i did terribly as well and ended up scoring well, you never really know. at least give it a few days and let the shock of taking such a huge test wear off. good luck!

 

[fourthyearmed]

I'm a 4th year med student. My advice is to definitely go ahead and apply. It may turn out that you did fine. In med school you get used to not knowing how a test went. Everyone leaves their USMLE Step 1 thinking they've failed then find out later they did fine. These kind of tests are made for passing to be only 50-60% of questions correct. It's hard at first for people who are used to making 90-100% on a test but you get used to it.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

That sounds an awful lot like something you think you should do because it looks good on a resume, rather than doing it because you want to. Things like that don't help an application nearly as much as most people assume, so I wouldnt go the foreign ministry route unless you find that prospect interesting and rewarding.

never!! i have never even done an EC b/c i thought it "looked good"..only if it was something i was truly interested in...as far as missions, i'm very active in my church and have done mission work before, just not in a foreign country and i'd be very much be interested in doing something like that....

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I'm a 4th year med student. My advice is to definitely go ahead and apply. It may turn out that you did fine. In med school you get used to not knowing how a test went. Everyone leaves their USMLE Step 1 thinking they've failed then find out later they did fine. These kind of tests are made for passing to be only 50-60% of questions correct. It's hard at first for people who are used to making 90-100% on a test but you get used to it.

that makes sense....the not knowing is killing me b/c i can see it going any way..and it makes so much of a difference what my next step would be...

 

[Uegis]

I don't think u should just give up altogether for this year. When I took it, i thought i did so bad. I was depressed for two months, moping over it. But I actually did okay. Not great, but good enough to apply. But my point is, just start on your apps and apply to a few schools you want to go to and some safety schools.

WHat you do now can be practice for later if you REALLY didn't do well 🙂

 

[Freakingzooming]

I think you should judge yourself based on your practice AAMC tests... how did you do, what range. Was this like at the bottom of your range. Is your bottom range competitive?

Keep in mind as people said before you'll be applying late so you gotta think about it. This process is going to be a long one so don't commit yourself half ass (pardon my french) but either do it or don't. Best of luck. I had the whillies too about my august score but I guess I did alright. Ended up not applying that year tho.

 

[uclakid]

This makes a lot of sense.

 

[Assembler]

I'm in the same boat as you, dude.

I guess I'm still going to apply though. Hopefully any, even just one school, will take me. Right now, I actually don't care what the name of the school is, or even where it is.

I don't know what I would do with a year off my time as well.

Well, I guess it's better to apply and find out what happens rather than never knowing the possibilities at all.

 

[bigbassinbob]

I've posted this a few times, but I'll mention it again. Definately apply! I thought I did awful on test day - thinking low 20's - because I could hardly think the entire day. It was thunderstorming the entire time, and I could hear nothing but rain pounding on the roof. For over 2 months, I was so depressed, but when my scores came back, I found out I made a decent 30. So you really never know what you're going to get - I mean some people who think they did awesome end up getting 24 or something. Just apply now, I have a feeling you'll be glad you did when the scores come in.

 

[SlopinMunkyDude]

I think you've got the gist of what people are saying. Chin up, dude. If at first you don't succeed, try again. You know you've got it in you. You've got the drive. You're going to make an awesome doctor, right?

 

[Psycho Doctor]

well i thought the practice tests were easier than the real thing nd i was in pretty bad shape on saturday...i was sick and walked out severl times..lost 15 minutes on each of the morning sessions. ugh, yea i know...i didn't finish..left out 4 in PS and 3 in VR. My AAMC tests ranged from 30-36..by the time i redid them i was hoping for higher than that...but yea, what's the chance of that?...nothing now. 🙁

I realiuze i'm really late in applying so i was counbting on a really good MCAT score; i generally do surpsingly well on standardized tests, but not this time....so i'm sort of torn what to do. I want to do a good job if i apply so i need to decide to either do it or not.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

most of you seem to say i should go ahead with it, that most of you got amazingly higher scores than you anticipated..i honestly don't expect a miracle but i'm also not one to give up without a fight...and right now i don't have any amazing plans for a gap year.

 

[uclakid]

i'm in the same situation. go ahead and apply

 

[IndyZX]

well i thought the practice tests were easier than the real thing nd i was in pretty bad shape on saturday...i was sick and walked out severl times..lost 15 minutes on each of the morning sessions. ugh, yea i know...i didn't finish..left out 4 in PS and 3 in VR. My AAMC tests ranged from 30-36..by the time i redid them i was hoping for higher than that...but yea, what's the chance of that?...nothing now. 🙁

I realiuze i'm really late in applying so i was counbting on a really good MCAT score; i generally do surpsingly well on standardized tests, but not this time....so i'm sort of torn what to do. I want to do a good job if i apply so i need to decide to either do it or not.

i dont understand. do you need a 35+ or something? if you scored between 30-36 on your AAMC tests, you're probably going to get a 30+ on the real thing.

i mean, if you totally f'ed up (left two or three passages totally blank on each section, and felt terrible about the rest) then your reaction is reasonable. otherwise, expect a 30+ and forget about the mcat for now. apply this year.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I think you've got the gist of what people are saying. Chin up, dude. If at first you don't succeed, try again. You know you've got it in you. You've got the drive. You're going to make an awesome doctor, right?

i think that sums it up...count me in...yikes! but hey yea!! 😎 👍

 

[Psycho Doctor]

no, i don't need a 35+ except that i'm applying sooo late, so it certainly would have helped.. A LOT!

the point is i know i did much worse than my practice tests!

 

[IndyZX]

no, i don't need a 35+ except that i'm applying sooo late, so it certainly would have helped.. A LOT!

the point is i know i did much worse than my practice tests!

how do you know that?

did you leave multiple passages totally blank? did you misbubble?

im going to enjoy laughing when you end up with a 34. 🙂

 

[Medikit]

If you got 30-36 on practice tests there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't apply. Make sure you have a good personal statement.

 

[rgporter]

So i haven't even done the aamc primary app. I was waiting until after the MCAT so i could devote all the time needed for that and then do a good and thorough job on my apps. I feel so discouraged and disillusioned now since i know i did absolutely awful on Saturday. Should i bother since i won't get the dreaded results until the apps are already due or shoud i just wait and retake in April?

I'm not sure what to say. If you don't apply then line something up for your year off. Research, a paying job in a reference lab, etc. These things look good on your app and you will have a year to prepare for the MCAT retake. On the other hand you may not have done as poorly as you thought, though you are right. It is now very late and it is increasingly difficult to get favorable responses from schools the longer you wait to begin the process. If it were me, knowing now how expensive the app process is, I would wait a year. Then you'll know how you did and you can plan your strategy with better effect.
Just my $0.02

 

[Psycho Doctor]

how do you know that?

did you leave multiple passages totally blank? did you misbubble?

im going to enjoy laughing when you end up with a 34. 🙂

i didn't leave anythihng blank, but i was rushed for the whole thing, didn't check anything over and randomly filled in 4 on PS and 3 on VR. I may have misbubbled but i wouldn't know that now...just the nightmares tell me that...

and are you going to laugh at me when i end up with a 24? 😡