Should I retake MCAT?

[premed13]

I received a 25M MCAT (9/8/8) my first time. I studied for 4 months and retoke it in April and voided it because I did not feel confident that I would get a higher score than my 25M.
GPA: 3.95

I want to apply to as many DO schools as I can afford and would my 25M and gpa be okay for me to not retake the MCAT because I am extremely burnt out and cannnot concentrate for another retake.

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[torshi]

with your gpa and mcat I'm sure you can get into a D.O school assuming the rest of your app is decent. Good luck! I'm sure you will get an acceptance, apply to the majority of D.O. Also your breakdown is pretty balanced

 

[tide11189]

You should be fine for most DO schools. APPLY EARLY!

 

[NeuroLAX]

OP, I think you'll be fine if you listen to the advice already offered: apply early and broadly!

Should you choose to retake the MCAT, I would do it sooner than later. I found EK Verbal to be particularly useful as it helped bring my verbal score up 4 points.

 

[premed13]

^
I already used EK verbal and TPR verbal. I studied with TBR both times and averaged a 29 on 7 TBR FL's, but the recent MCAT had a killer PS which threw me off for the rest of the exam.

Also, I am trying to get an osteopathic LOR so I can apply to VCOM and LECOM. I plan on submitting AACOMAS as soon as it opens. Since the LOR's are sent with secondaries when do I need to have the osteopathic LOR? The rest of my LOR's will be sent by my schools review committee.

 

[NeuroLAX]

Also, I am trying to get an osteopathic LOR so I can apply to VCOM and LECOM. I plan on submitting AACOMAS as soon as it opens. Since the LOR's are sent with secondaries when do I need to have the osteopathic LOR? The rest of my LOR's will be sent by my schools review committee.

Get your letter ASAP. LECOM is unique in that they didn't require LORs for an interview invitation (at least when I applied last cycle). However, they need your LORs for a final decision to be made. Since they are extremely quick about giving you a decision post-interview, it is in your best interest to have your LORs in before you interview. Not having them will delay your decision, which depending on when in the cycle you interview, could be the difference between outright acceptance vs. wait list.

 

[poopyhead]

I received a 25M MCAT (9/8/8) my first time. I studied for 4 months and retoke it in April and voided it because I did not feel confident that I would get a higher score than my 25M.
GPA: 3.95

I want to apply to as many DO schools as I can afford and would my 25M and gpa be okay for me to not retake the MCAT because I am extremely burnt out and cannnot concentrate for another retake.

I have to ask...how does a 3.95 GPA translate into a 25M, followed by a voided MCAT? I assume you were pretty good at taking tests to get a near perfect GPA.

What is your science vs. cumulative GPA? Any retakes? If so, which courses and what were the previous grades? Which undergrad institution you went to?

 

[NeuroLAX]

OP, have you taken any AAMC practice tests? If so, what were you averaging?

 

[premed13]

I have to ask...how does a 3.95 GPA translate into a 25M, followed by a voided MCAT? I assume you were pretty good at taking tests to get a near perfect GPA.

What is your science vs. cumulative GPA? Any retakes? If so, which courses and what were the previous grades? Which undergrad institution you went to?

I go to a North Carolina public institution, trying to keep anonymity. sGPA 3.92 cGPA 3.94. No Course retakes. Also, the MCAT is a whole different test than university exams in my opinion. My verbal comprehension is also not my best, surprised I pulled off an 8.

Heres my practice MCAT information from first time taking and April retake.
Practice tests from first MCAT:
PS/VR/BS
AAMC 3: 8/9/9 (26)
AAMC 4: 10/8/9 (27)
AAMC 5: 9/8/10 (27)
AAMC 7: 7/7/10 (24)
AAMC 8: 11/11/9 (31)
AAMC 9: 11/9/11 (31)
AAMC 10: 8/7/9 (24)
AAMC 11: 9/9/10 (28)

AVG: 27.25

Practice Test from this year

AAMC 3: 10/9/11 (30)
AAMC 4: 11/7/11 (29)
AAMC 5: 11/9/11 (31)
AAMC 7: 10/11/10 (31)
AAMC 8: 10/10/11 (31)

AVG: 30.4

TBR1: 9/8/10 (27)
TBR2: 12/6/10 (28)
TBR3: 12/9/8 (31)
TBR4: 11/9/8 (28)
TBR5: 6/7/8 (21)
TBR6: 13/13/9 (35)
TBR7: 9/9/12 (30)

AVG: 28.57

 

[michow87]

You keep taking all these practice tests yet your scores are barely improving. I think that you should retake your MCAT, but this time really put a lot of time into figuring out why you aren't breaking 10s across the board. Clearly you're doing something wrong.

With a 30+ MCAT and your good GPA, you have a good chance of getting into both allopathic and osteopathic schools.

 

[user3]

I don't understand why the AAMC can't release better practice tests. The current ones are a lot easier than the real mcat and lots of people score well below their averages on the real deal. They have dozens of tests each year, they need to retire some of the recent ones so people have a better idea of what the real MCAT is like.

Hopefully on the new MCAT in 2015 there won't be any crazy test to test score variation like there is now.

 

[premed13]

Yea I agree with you 100% on new tests. People say AAMC 11 is the closest exam to the real deal but in my opinion it is very different from the exam I took in April. The practice tests and practice passages did not prepare me for the physical sciences section on the real deal.

 

[poopyhead]

Yea I agree with you 100% on new tests. People say AAMC 11 is the closest exam to the real deal but in my opinion it is very different from the exam I took in April. The practice tests and practice passages did not prepare me for the physical sciences section on the real deal.

try the Kaplan practice tests (online ones). IMO, they were significantly harder than the real exam.

 

[milosavljevic]

I have to ask...how does a 3.95 GPA translate into a 25M, followed by a voided MCAT? I assume you were pretty good at taking tests to get a near perfect GPA.

This boggles my mind too. All the people I know with 3.9+ GPAs are either (1) geniuses, (2) work their butts off, or (3) both. I would like to know how one can do so well in school but then not have a similarly amazing performance on the MCAT. Then again, I've never taken the MCAT so I shouldn't be quick to judge.