Should I or NoT?

[dsherida]

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Hey guys, I am trying to decide about the MCAT. I have a 3.7 GPA, 27R MCAT, and A LOT of research and volunteer experience with almost 4 years of clinical experience. Do you think I should take the MCAT again. IF so, do you have an rec's about how to approach it. The 27R was on the second try, so do you think the third will go up even higher(23R 1st shot at it, but know I studied wrong and corrected it the 2nd time). Those prep courses are a little spendy for me right now, so any advice is much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[CaptainJack02]

Hey guys, I am trying to decide about the MCAT. I have a 3.7 GPA, 27R MCAT, and A LOT of research and volunteer experience with almost 4 years of clinical experience. Do you think I should take the MCAT again. IF so, do you have an rec's about how to approach it. The 27R was on the second try, so do you think the third will go up even higher(23R 1st shot at it, but know I studied wrong and corrected it the 2nd time). Those prep courses are a little spendy for me right now, so any advice is much appreciated. Thanks!

depends on where you want to go. most ppl would say you have a good shot of getting into a top 20ish school if you could get your mcat up. but i really think you're goign to be fine, as long as your scores are pretty even(9,9,9). just pick a good selection of mid and low tier schools and you'll get in with your other credentials.

but if you will take it a 3rd time, be very sure that your score will increase. cuz i think if you take it a 3rd time and still score a 27 you will actually have hurt your chances. if you're a bad test taker, i think med schools will understand. so its up to you.
good luck!
captjack

 

[sg4runner]

I guess you have to ask yourself if you think you can get a higher score the third time around. Do you think there's something more you can do in your studying to boost your score, or do you feel you put in your all and are not sure if you can do any better? You have a high GPA, so there is currently a discrepancy there, but if you took the MCAT for the third time and did worse, I think that would reflect more negatively than that discrepancy. Just the fact that you improved the second time is a good thing for med schools to see, and the other aspects of your app seem great.

Also, when do you want to apply to med school? It would be preferable to take the April MCAT instead of the August one, so if you retake it this year and want to apply for 2005, it could delay your app.

I took the MCAT twice and went from a 26Q to a 31Q. I took a prep course the first time, but the second time I used the books from the course and went through all the material on my own, made flash cards, took a couple practice tests, and focused on the areas I needed to improve.

It's really your call, but I hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[SurgeryRA]

I think it depends on what you have been getting on your practice tests. If you have been scoring consistantly higher, then I think you should definitely take it again. If not, then I would just apply with the same score, and turn in everything as early as possible to a wide range of schools that your numbers are competitive at. Good luck.

 

[ih8biochem]

How are you going the answer the question, "Why weren't you accepted?" when you interview? If you say "Low MCAT," but then cannot show that you've retaken it, you'd be crazy if you expect a different result. Sure it's risky, but hey, you jumped 4 points since the last time. Another 4 would put you in the 30s. For your information, I scored a 30 and I'm still retaking this aug. Hope this helps.