Should I retake my 511 MCAT (132/125/130/124)?

[Allfreeclear14]

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[Kingsmen2018]

Retaking your MCAT too soon will make you look bad to the ADCOM, and will kill your app if you get a score lower or the same as last time. You need to improve a lot in order to justify an mcat retake.

511 will get you in somewhere in the U.S. just cast a lot of lines and few will bite..




GL

 

[djtallahassee]

To do a proper what are my chances, we need some stats. Those are dirty high C/P and Bio, I would be concerned those would drop on a different test day even if the others go up. I think the general advice is don't retake >510 without a good solid reason. For those reasons, I vote no. Did you apply with the 35?

 

[Allfreeclear14]

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[fldoctorgirl]

The only troubling score is the 124-- some schools will automatically screen out applicants who score below 125 on any section.

However, considering 1) your fantastic C/P and B/B scores, and the fact that you said they were higher than you had been performing on practice exams, 2) your overall score of 511, which is good enough for both MD and DO programs in the U.S., and 3) the fact that the 124 was in P/S, I would personally advise against a retake unless you don't get in anywhere this cycle.

 

[DameJulie]

The only troubling score is the 124-- some schools will automatically screen out applicants who score below 125 on any section.

However, considering 1) your fantastic C/P and B/B scores, and the fact that you said they were higher than you had been performing on practice exams, 2) your overall score of 511, which is good enough for both MD and DO programs in the U.S., and 3) the fact that the 124 was in P/S, I would personally advise against a retake unless you don't get in anywhere this cycle.

To add on that, would OP's 125 in CARS get any attention?

 

[djtallahassee]

I did but I shot too high and my application was not as strong as I wanted it to be. I just finished a SMP to cover for my lower undergraduate gpa

Now we are learning more. What are the GPAs? I wouldn't worry about a 124 unless you are only applying to only high-high mid tiers. Your 132 in CP and 130 b/b will be above 90 percentiles for most.


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[bornunderatree]

Just avoid the Stanfords, Columbia's, UCSD's, U Chicagos.
Apply broadly, read schools mission statements, apply at places you think you can make a good argument you are compatible with.
Best of luck!

 

[XxThaDoggxX]

511 should be good enough considering the rest of your application is very solid. I got in with lower. Apply BROADLY and more importantly SMARTLY-- reaches should be limited to 1-2

And yes unfortunately I would say barring an act of God himself you can all but count all the CA schools out.

 

[MetabolismASE]

No need to retake you already took the OLD MCATS and the 12/11/12 was good and your new score on the new MCAT is good. Go ahead and apply.

 

[DrDwayneJohnson]

Unpopular opinion: I think you should probably retake. If you retake and get the exact same score or a tad higher, then I think that will look way better if everything is >/= 125. I'd like to think AdComms would be reasonable enough to see that the 100th and 97th percentiles in C/P and B/B are very unlikely to replicate. MSAR shows that schools are pretty forgiving for CARS, but not as much for P/S. The list of schools accepting people with anything < 125 is not very long.

E.g. I think a 130/126/129/126 would open some doors for you even if it's the same score. Especially for an ORM.

Note: I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong many more times lol. Also, I'm not necessarily advocating for a retake 3-4 weeks into the future. That's probably not very wise.

 

[rolliespring]

Do not retake this cycle. Apply broadly and see what happens.

I hear UCLA views applicants more holistically now based on a post I've seen on SDN a while ago. Correct me if I'm wrong but I've read that their matriculating average this year/last year was a 508/509?

EDIT: Found the link
Is UCLA being serious?
New MSAR says UCLA MCAT is 508?

 

[jcorpsmanMD]

Do not retake this cycle. Apply broadly and see what happens.

I hear UCLA views applicants more holistically now based on a post I've seen on SDN a while ago. Correct me if I'm wrong but I've read that their matriculating average this year/last year was a 508/509?

EDIT: Found the link
Is UCLA being serious?
New MSAR says UCLA MCAT is 508?

 

[fldoctorgirl]

To add on that, would OP's 125 in CARS get any attention?

Unlikely. Schools are known to accept lower CARS scores than on any other section. A 125 shouldn't be focused on too much.
If anything, OP's scores show that they are strong in the sciences-- necessary for med school. CARS definitely won't hold them back. P/S score is low, but again, not the most important section and not worth a retake unless OP fails to get in this cycle.

I would apply broadly with the current score, and only retake in spring of 2018 if OP doesn't have any success.

 

[wanderingorion]

To add on that, would OP's 125 in CARS get any attention?

I got a 125 in CARS, and got plenty of attention. My psych/soc was higher though.
I think OP will be fine as long as he has the right school list and a solid app otherwise.

 

[Tchotchke]

Unlikely. Schools are known to accept lower CARS scores than on any other section. A 125 shouldn't be focused on too much.
If anything, OP's scores show that they are strong in the sciences-- necessary for med school. CARS definitely won't hold them back. P/S score is low, but again, not the most important section and not worth a retake unless OP fails to get in this cycle.

I would apply broadly with the current score, and only retake in spring of 2018 if OP doesn't have any success.

I can personally attest that a low CARS is not a death sentence. I had exactly 125 as well. I heard that some schools do not take the psych section into much consideration.

Keep in mind that schools see all of your old scores and it is also a red flag to have taken the mcat multiple times. I took it three times. apply broadly and smartly, as @XxThaDoggxX said. Pay attention to MSAR. Definitely apply to Drexel (They love Cali folks). See how the cycle pans out for you. Come November, consider taking it again if you don't get any interviews.

 

[DameJulie]

Schools are known to accept lower CARS scores than on any other section.

Interesting. I have heard otherwise before with the old MCAT. Most schools' strictest screen is on Verbal. A verbal lower than a 7 is usually screened out.

 

[DameJulie]

I heard that some schools do not take the psych section into much consideration.

For heaven's sake, why are we still tested on P/S if schools don't care much about our score? 🙁

 

[Tchotchke]

For heaven's sake, why are we still tested on P/S if schools don't care much about our score? 🙁

Because some do! I only said some don't. Important to learn about things like discrimination and bias regardless of if we get tested

 

[JohnWill30]

just here to say that i got accepted to a state MD school with a 124 in CARS, however i had a pretty decent Psych Soc
128/124/128/129

 

[DameJulie]

just here to say that i got accepted to a state MD school with a 124 in CARS, however i had a pretty decent Psych Soc
128/124/128/129

Thanks for giving us more confidence!

This really changes my perception of "below 125 CARS = auto screen out". Of course, the other sections need to be stellar.

 

[Allfreeclear14]

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[Tchotchke]

Thanks everyone for your honest opinions!
As of now, I think I am going to proceed with what I have for this cycle. In case you guys were curious, here are the list of my schools.
Obviously, I won't be applying to all of them (total 37) but feel free to comment on these as well. I am applying to all Cali schools regardless btw.

*Keck USC
*Stanford
*UC Irvine
*UC San Diego
*UC San Francisco
*California Northstate (Elk Grove)
*UC Davis
*UCLA
*UC Riverside
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
Northwestern
Pritzker
USF (Tampa)
Sidney Kimmel; Jefferson
Temple
Indiana
suny upstate
Hofstra, NY
Albany (Albany, NY)
UIC
Geisel (New Hampshire)
NYMC
george town
george washington
oakland beaument
virg common
east virginia
virg tech
st louis
penn state
tufts
univ central flori
rochester
u of wisconsin
west virginia
wright state (ohio)

i was going to say add Drexel...now that i see Jeff and Temple, definitely add Drexel. I would look in to Wisconsin more on MSAR as to their instate vs out-of-state stats.