Should I quit?

[DoctorAJ]

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Hey all,

new to forum, lemme describe my problem....
(I posted this in pre-md also, only cuz I want maximum amount of input...)

In 2004 I took the MCAT and got a 12, yea thats right, a 12, dont ask me how, but its true, I got a 12....well my undergrad GPA for my bacholers degree is a 3.4, so pretty much I concluded that I have no chance in hell for gettin in any medical school in north america, is the Caribbian and international schools my only option? If I retake the MCAT this august and get a 27, will schools even look at me? Is it even worth retaking the MCAT with a first score a 12? Is there any score I can get that can make the schools even glance at me? Any input at all is greatly appreciated...

AJ - sleepless in Seattle

 

[Mike MacKinnon]

Hey there

From my perspective you just need to retake the MCAT and study better. Do all the practice tests form their web site. Did you prepare for the first one? Typically most people here study 3-5 months before taking it.

As far as should you quit? The question is really "How much do you want it?"

 

[ezal36]

Hey there

From my perspective you just need to retake the MCAT and study better. Do all the practice tests form their web site. Did you prepare for the first one? Typically most people here study 3-5 months before taking it.

As far as should you quit? The question is really "How much do you want it?"

a 24 on the mcat will get you in to osteopathic school,as the great Winston Churchill said: NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP!

 

[JohnnyOU]

I'd retake the mcat...if that doesn't help then I believe there are
schools that don't require the mcat (caribb).

Good luck

 

[llort]

a 12? I read that you get a 13 just for showing up.

 

[SOUNDMAN]

retake the MCAT

 

[jtorres]

I read that you get a 13 just for showing up.

you are kidding right?

 

[Dorkus Maximus]

As Dori would say on Finding Nemo - Keep on Swimming! Study, study, study - retake the MCAT and get a decent score. This will show the admissions committees that you are dedicated and don't give up easily. Turn your situation to your advantage. 🙂

 

[Amy B]

I would highly suggest taking the MCAT again. Had you taken any practice tests before you took the real one? If so, what were you getting on them?

I hope that maybe you had a bad day or maybe if your scores were lower in one area, maybe you penciled in the bubbles incorrectly. Who knows, but you owe it to your self to study and take it again.

Good luck

 

[crys20]

yes you need to retake the mcat...a 12 is so low that you adcom's will believe you if you tell them you were sick as hell/just comign off someone's death/etc when you took it. but you need to do it completely different than you did the first time. that first of all means putting in the time to the point where you are taking the aamc 4-8 tests and getting above a 25 on them. do not take the real thing before then no matter what.

 

[dr.z]

Just re-take the MCAT and see what happens.

 

[OrthoFixation]

Never, never, never quit or give up.

When life knocks you down to the ground, roll onto your back and look up. If you can look up, you can get up.

I was thinking the same thing about claiming illness during your first exam. Take a MCAT review course and buy all AAMC exams. Then use them.

Keep after it. You'll make it if you are committed to the goal.

 

[Pewl]

Hey guys, this is the first time I've ever seen this site. Pretty cool stuff. This is kinda a long post, but if you could bear with me I'd really, really appreciate it.
So yeah, all this is new to me, and I'm applying to DO and MD schools right now. Could someone tell me what my "chances" are for MD and DO schools? Here are my numbers

UCLA undergrad (psychobio major) 3.4 gpa, 3.3 science
UCLA grad (biomedical physics) gpa 3.6
MCAT V11 P10 B9 Q

Experiences:
-hospital volunteering
-ridiculous amount of community service
-currently the chief medical physicist of ucla's veterinary radiation oncology
-3 clinical rotations, including stereotactic spinal radiosurgery
-IMRT, IGRT, immunoradiotherapy thesis research

I read somewhere on this forum that schools like to focus on undergrad gpa's because they don't know how "hard" grad classes are? Do they look at it on a program by program basis at least?? I mean the biomedical physics program at ucla was friggin' rough for me! It's one of 10 AAPM accredited programs in the entire nation and I thought I was gonna lose my mind my first year here haha.
But anyway, any feed back about my chances for med or do school would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!!!

 

[MoosePilot]

People on SDN are great! They're so positive! 🙂

Ok, time for some realism. What the hell happened that you got a 12?!

Answer that question first. Then do some preparation, take some AAMC exams under realistic conditions. If you don't improve into the 20s after some significant preparation, I would consider finding another career. What has convinced you that medicine is right for you?

 

[MoosePilot]

Here's a link to some MCAT data: http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/pubs.htm

A 12 is bottom 3 percentile. So it is possible and is about as rare as a 36 or 37 on the other end of the bell curve.

 

[dbth77]

ok, here's the deal, you should absolutely give up. I know you really want to be a doctor but everyone isn't cut out for it. It isn't everyone's right to be a doctor, no matter what people on here tell you. There are many other fulfilling careers in medicine that would much better fit your skill set. Become a chiropractor or physical therapist instead.

 

[Mike MacKinnon]

Ignore that idiot.(dbth77)

Never give up on your dream or you will regret it for the rest of your life.

 

[eccles1214]

ok, here's the deal, you should absolutely give up. I know you really want to be a doctor but everyone isn't cut out for it. It isn't everyone's right to be a doctor, no matter what people on here tell you. There are many other fulfilling careers in medicine that would much better fit your skill set. Become a chiropractor or physical therapist instead.

Why are people so negative on this site? Why is it that the typical premed is so immature and rude? Yuck! And these people aspire to become doctors? They're not the sort of doctor I would want caring for me!

My advice follows the majority opinion here: work to improve your study habits, take practice after practice test, and retake the friggin MCAT.

Too much effort? Not if you really want to get into medical school. Retaking a test isn't that hard. Look, there are premeds out there who are retaking all their science courses all over again -- that is how badly they want to be physicians.

 

[OmahaMX80]

Hey all,

new to forum, lemme describe my problem....
(I posted this in pre-md also, only cuz I want maximum amount of input...)

In 2004 I took the MCAT and got a 12, yea thats right, a 12, dont ask me how, but its true, I got a 12....well my undergrad GPA for my bacholers degree is a 3.4, so pretty much I concluded that I have no chance in hell for gettin in any medical school in north america, is the Caribbian and international schools my only option? If I retake the MCAT this august and get a 27, will schools even look at me? Is it even worth retaking the MCAT with a first score a 12? Is there any score I can get that can make the schools even glance at me? Any input at all is greatly appreciated...

AJ - sleepless in Seattle

Did you take any practice tests before taking the real thing? How were you scoring? Do you think your score is a fluke or do you think it's indicative of your abilities? I definitely agree with the rest of the responses as far as taking it again. But first, I would really think about why you scored the way you did... take a practice exam, see how the results come out. To score as you did makes me wonder if your numbering didn't get off somehow when you took it, or if you indicated the wrong test form and perhaps it was graded against the wrong answers. For a fee I think you can request a rescoring; AAMC keeps all of the test materials if I'm not mistaken, you could contact them and see if somehow you can find out if you miskeyed your answer sheet or if you keyed the wrong test number, not that it would probably matter because I doubt they'd rescore it appropriately. If I were you... for the sake of my confidence and sanity, I'd just figure it was a fluke, study my ass off and retake it as soon as possible.

 

[Shodddy18]

Why are people so negative on this site? Why is it that the typical premed is so immature and rude? Yuck! And these people aspire to become doctors? They're not the sort of doctor I would want caring for me!

My advice follows the majority opinion here: work to improve your study habits, take practice after practice test, and retake the friggin MCAT.

Too much effort? Not if you really want to get into medical school. Retaking a test isn't that hard. Look, there are premeds out there who are retaking all their science courses all over again -- that is how badly they want to be physicians.

He's a troll

 

[MoosePilot]

He is a troll

He's harsh, but he's making an important point!

If you want it badly enough, you'll do crazy things to get in. That's great. If you want it badly enough you won't listen to the nay sayers.

My job, having been asked for advice, is to give the most realistic advice possible. If you're committed enough, you'll ignore reality and grab your dream anyway.

Do you understand where I'm coming from?

Reality is that someone who makes a 12 without being extremely sick, misbubbling, or having some other misadventure probably would do better in another profession. I'm concerned with my chances for medical school admission and working my butt off to get in. If someone doesn't beat my highest section on the *entire friggin' test* then they should think seriously about whether this is a rational goal.

If he needs encouragement, encourage him. If he asks for advice, give him the best advice possible! Soften the blow perhaps, but don't blow smoke up his posterior!

 

[Shodddy18]

He's harsh, but he's making an important point!

If you want it badly enough, you'll do crazy things to get in. That's great. If you want it badly enough you won't listen to the nay sayers.

My job, having been asked for advice, is to give the most realistic advice possible. If you're committed enough, you'll ignore reality and grab your dream anyway.

Do you understand where I'm coming from?

Reality is that someone who makes a 12 without being extremely sick, misbubbling, or having some other misadventure probably would do better in another profession. I'm concerned with my chances for medical school admission and working my butt off to get in. If someone doesn't beat my highest section on the *entire friggin' test* then they should think seriously about whether this is a rational goal.

If he needs encouragement, encourage him. If he asks for advice, give him the best advice possible! Soften the blow perhaps, but don't blow smoke up his posterior!

Perhaps… but I stand by my previous statement….

 

[dbth77]

you people are unbelievable, he asked for my advice and I gave it to him. In my experience with admissions a 12 is way too low to get in anywhere and the chances that he will be able to raise it significantly are extremely low. Sorry if I don't want him to waste years of his life and thousands of dollars for something that I don't think he will be able to achieve. If it makes you feel better to give someone crappy advice just because it gives you the warm and fuzzies than it's fine by me. Just don't criticize what I have to say when I am the one who is right.

 

[JohnnyOU]

you people are unbelievable, he asked for my advice and I gave it to him. In my experience with admissions a 12 is way too low to get in anywhere and the chances that he will be able to raise it significantly are extremely low. Sorry if I don't want him to waste years of his life and thousands of dollars for something that I don't think he will be able to achieve. If it makes you feel better to give someone crappy advice just because it gives you the warm and fuzzies than it's fine by me. Just don't criticize what I have to say when I am the one who is right.

lol

 

[Lindyhopper]

A 12 is bottom 3 percentile.

Not to get too far off topic, but I'm not sure how one gets the total percentile. As a math method issue, I don't think one can just average the individual percentile scores. I think one has to know the covariance of the section scores. (Although, that might get you in the ballpark.) Any ideas?

 

[jintonic5]

Hey all,

new to forum, lemme describe my problem....
(I posted this in pre-md also, only cuz I want maximum amount of input...)

In 2004 I took the MCAT and got a 12, yea thats right, a 12, dont ask me how, but its true, I got a 12....well my undergrad GPA for my bacholers degree is a 3.4, so pretty much I concluded that I have no chance in hell for gettin in any medical school in north america, is the Caribbian and international schools my only option? If I retake the MCAT this august and get a 27, will schools even look at me? Is it even worth retaking the MCAT with a first score a 12? Is there any score I can get that can make the schools even glance at me? Any input at all is greatly appreciated...

AJ - sleepless in Seattle

i don't want to be a troll or anything, but how much did you study for the mcat? i think you need to really evaluate why you got a 12-- was it lack of preparation? distraction?

personally i didn't know that i had ADD until i restarted studying for hte mcat a few months ago... if you did study and are still scoring a 12, maybe you should get evaluated... just a thought, g'luck.

 

[ambernikel]

ok, here's the deal, you should absolutely give up. I know you really want to be a doctor but everyone isn't cut out for it. It isn't everyone's right to be a doctor, no matter what people on here tell you. There are many other fulfilling careers in medicine that would much better fit your skill set. Become a chiropractor or physical therapist instead.

Ok see I'd find this helpful because I'm especially motivated by those that don't believe in me. I'm all about being challenged.

Of course, I too need reassurance here and there. (I've found this site very supportive and it has helped me a lot!!)

Don't quit unless you want to.
If you want to, then yeah, quit.

Just retake your mcat, study your toosh off and if you want it you'll get it. Figure out what went wrong. Here's the thing, if you really did your best on the MCAT and 12 is representative of your skills then yeah, maybe think about being a PA or something instead. (GRE baby). If you really feel that you are talented enough to be the doc but can't hack it in the school then PA isn't a bad option.
But if this is really something you want and you know you can do it, then you'll put in the time and effort and money (practice costs) and you'll make it happen.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide.

 

[illiniindc]

Don't give up! You sound like an intelligent person that realizes what you need to do. Study hard for another shot at the MCAT. If you repeat a 12 for some reason or another, you may want to look into some causes other than just not knowing the material. Are you a bad test taker? Do you have test anxiety? All these are actually very valid reasons as to why people do poorly on standardized tests.

If you do well on your second MCAT, make sure you mention that in your AMCAS/AACOMAS. Don't try to hide it. Instead explain what happened and what you did to correct it. Granted some schools may not interview you if their admissions heavily weigh numbers and scores, but there are plent of schools that look at the entire application; GPA, clinical experience, extracurricular involvement and anything that would make you a unique applicant.

In the end, I suppose it does just come down to how bad do you want it and how hard you want to work for your goals. Just know that there are schools that will look at how much you work to better your application.

Good luck!

Andy
KCOM 2008