Forum Members Should I Retake the MCAT?

[Lee]

This is the Official "Should I Retake"" Thread Part 2
​

This is an updated from: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/official-should-i-retake-thread.412739/ (created on June 14, 2007 and retired on December 20, 2018) in favor of a post that is catered for Retake advice for the New Post-2015 MCAT!

For those of you who are trying to figure out whether you should re-take, this is the thread for you. Post your dilemma here if you want advice from other SDN folks. Please note that you should take the opinions you get from SDN as one source of advice; you would be wise to also consult your premed advisor before making this decision.

Template:

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown):
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA)
3. State/Country of residence (optional):
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?):
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal):
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like:
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time:
8. Do you know/think you can do better?

Definitely Retake:

• Scores <495
• Scores with a subsection of 120 or lower
• if you scored substantially below your practice Full-length examinations and think you can do better.
• if your current score does not allow you to reach your target medical school goal (both your GPA and MCAT are below your goal score and your ECs are not spectacular).
• if you know you could do better and have the time/money to prep for a retake
• if you had some kind of major problem during the test that affected your performance (ex. you started puking or running a 102 degree temperature)
• if you took performed poorly on a section you did not take a pre-req class for: (one year each of biology, chemistry, physics, and organic, one semester of biochemistry and psychology) and/or took the exam without studying for it.
• if you know what went wrong in your prep the first time and can fix the issue when prepping for a retake.
• if you left large numbers of questions blank/ran out of time.

Retake only in some circumstances depending on your goal:

• if you scored a 512 or better, especially if all of your individual section scores were a 125 or better
• if your section subscores (the numerical ones) are all good, but you didn't perform well on the CARS section.
• if you scored well overall but with one section below a 123.
• if you had some minor nuisances (ex. a noisy test room) during the test and you're not sure if it affected your performance
• if you studied thoroughly for the test and you scored within the range of your practice exams, but your score is in the middle range 500-510.

Thanks to @MCATKINGS for updating this thread.

Previous Discussions on Should I Retake can be found here:
Forum Members - Official "Should I Retake?" Thread

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[ATGC17]

Hi there - really tough dilemma here. I've received mixed messages of advice from adcoms and faculty alike about my MCAT score and GPA. Looking for some SDN wisdom...

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 124 C/P, 128 CARS, 131 B/B, 129 P/S (512 total)

1. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA) uGPA 3.65
2. State/Country of residence (optional): CA
3. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): neither
4. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): MD only, not concerned about tier w/ my GPA, I'm 24 and don't want to take 3 yrs for a Masters prior to med school, nor do I have the cash for a post-bacc.
5. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: 4-year student-athlete (team capt.) = not much clinical exp during UG except behavior interventionist summer work (always had to work manual labor to pay for my years worth of rent). After graduation, I've obtained 2 years full-time research experience in academia and biotech, 200 hours shadowing 4 disciplines, patient advocacy work, 250 hours clinical experience and ambulatory care, 2 weeks clinical aid in Africa, and underserved free clinic volunteering for a few hours every weekend for one year.
6. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: Was consistently scoring 127 on C/P practice tests, but lower on other sections, so my total would be between a 509-514, but often more balanced. On the actual test I know I screwed up on the electrostatics questions...
7. Do you know/think you can do better? I think I could do better on C/P by sheer grinding through some practice questions, however, I don't think I could do better on the other subsections, especially bio.

Will I be screened out of all schools with the 124? Is it worth taking again, or focusing on clinical experience? I don't want to take the test again as I fear my cumulative may drop, but what's more important?

 

[Lawpy]

Getting more clinical experience will help. Retaking a 512 is tricky for reasons you have stated. I think you should get the MSAR and look for schools where the 124 C/P doesn't fall below the 10th percentile (for accepted students), but it'd be okay to apply to schools with 10th percentile C/P at 125.

Retaking a 512 is only suggested if you can get your new score to be significantly higher (so 516+) and it's more balanced. Getting a lower score on retake is a huge red flag. A 124 is a tricky situation that will likely have to be explained if asked on interviews.

 

[locklearjojo]

I was in a similar situation. I applied to schools using the MSAR tool and it worked to my advantage. I would recommend applying to schools based not only on your MCAT, but also on their missions. That goes a long ways...

 

[Pantherx263]

First time mcat score was a 512 (Chem/phys= 131, CARS= 126, Bio= 129, Psych= 126). I'm torn because my advisor told me I should go for a retake because I have a high GPA and solid extracurriculars to get into top programs if I improve my mcat. I think I could do better and would be interested in going to a top program but the risk of actually doing worse before applying in June also is a possibility. I am also considering applying md/phd to some schools, so I thought I might want a higher score for that. I do have a lot of research experience though. Any advice? Here is some info from me:

-GPA= 3.923

-Neuroscience major

-All four years worked in a research lab, with a thesis paper written and sent for publication. Also defending my thesis for an honors distinction

-Member of club sports team with leadership role, mentor to a fellow premed student, leadership role in service club

-over 250 hours of clinical volunteering with around 50 hours for non clinical

-over 30 hours of shadowing

-plan to work as an EMT in my gap year

-PA resident

-white

 

[janbyeseith]

Hi I am very unsure whether I should consider retaking a 514 MCAT (130/127/129/128) and a 3.48 overall GPA, 3.3 sGPA from a CA public school as an ORM. I have 3000+ hours of non-clinical volunteering, 100 hours of clinical volunteering in a hospital, 1000 hours of research (no publications), and currently no shadowing. Because I am currently in the Peace Corps and will not be able to go home until August 2019, I am deciding whether to apply this cycle while in my country of service (my last year to apply before my MCAT expires since I took it June 2017 before leaving for the Peace Corps), or to do a post-bacc program 2019-2020 to increase my GPA and get more clinical hours and shadowing done during that time, and have to retake the MCAT, then apply 2020.

 

[TheRealCookieMonster]

Hi I am very unsure whether I should consider retaking a 514 MCAT (130/127/129/128) and a 3.48 overall GPA, 3.3 sGPA from a CA public school as an ORM. I have 3000+ hours of non-clinical volunteering, 100 hours of clinical volunteering in a hospital, 1000 hours of research (no publications), and currently no shadowing. Because I am currently in the Peace Corps and will not be able to go home until August 2019, I am deciding whether to apply this cycle while in my country of service (my last year to apply before my MCAT expires since I took it June 2017 before leaving for the Peace Corps), or to do a post-bacc program 2019-2020 to increase my GPA and get more clinical hours and shadowing done during that time, and have to retake the MCAT, then apply 2020.

I'm thinking this is a big no on the MCAT retake. Unless you think you can score like 520+. My biased advice would be do the SMP program dude... Just fork over the cash and ACE the classes and I feel like your app would be awesome. Might take a little longer, but it beats having to reapply, trust me.

 

[Lawpy]

First time mcat score was a 512 (Chem/phys= 131, CARS= 126, Bio= 129, Psych= 126). I'm torn because my advisor told me I should go for a retake because I have a high GPA and solid extracurriculars to get into top programs if I improve my mcat. I think I could do better and would be interested in going to a top program but the risk of actually doing worse before applying in June also is a possibility. I am also considering applying md/phd to some schools, so I thought I might want a higher score for that. I do have a lot of research experience though. Any advice? Here is some info from me:

-GPA= 3.923

-Neuroscience major

-All four years worked in a research lab, with a thesis paper written and sent for publication. Also defending my thesis for an honors distinction

-Member of club sports team with leadership role, mentor to a fellow premed student, leadership role in service club

-over 250 hours of clinical volunteering with around 50 hours for non clinical

-over 30 hours of shadowing

-plan to work as an EMT in my gap year

-PA resident

-white

I merged this into the stickied retake thread to help you out as the answers in the first post are comprehensive.

You are fine and i wouldn’t retake. Consider applying to lower tier MD/PhD programs if interested. If you are aiming for top tiers, you can only retake if you are scoring above 520 on practice tests and can confidently get a 520 or higher on real deal. But this carries a lot of risks (and very difficult to achieve) and retaking a 512 which is already a good score isn’t advised.

 

[janbyeseith]

I'm thinking this is a big no on the MCAT retake. Unless you think you can score like 520+. My biased advice would be do the SMP program dude... Just fork over the cash and ACE the classes and I feel like your app would be awesome. Might take a little longer, but it beats having to reapply, trust me.

So do you think I should do a SMP or a normal post-bacc ? Considering the post-bacc would affect my college GPA , but the SMP wouldn't.

 

[TheRealCookieMonster]

So do you think I should do a SMP or a normal post-bacc ? Considering the post-bacc would affect my college GPA , but the SMP wouldn't.

Never done one so I can’t really comment, but I’ve heard that SMP programs basically give you an acceptance if you can really prove your metal in them. I’m sure there is a forum comparing the two.

 

[DocKoozmin]

3.99, 514, 124 cars...
white
decent research (tho no pubs) but really good LOR
lots of clinical/nonclinical volunteering with underserved
do i retake? (MD)

 

[notthrowingawaymyshot]

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) 1st take: 506 126/127/123/130 >>> 2nd take: 509 127/128/125/129, mainly just wondering if that 125 in Bio will tank my whole application especially since my GPA's are on the lower end already.
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA): On the lower end here with a 3.61 and a sGPA of 3.48
3. State/Country of residence (optional): California.....
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): I'm pretty sure I'm considered ORM
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): anywhere that would accept me! I would love to stay somewhere on the west coast but I understand the chances of that happening are quite low.
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: I have been working in research for over 3 years with multiple posters and at least one publication so far, I have plenty of meaningful clinical and nonclinical volunteering especially with the underserved. Also am a first gen college student/immigrant.
7. Other Facts regarding your studying: I took time off work to study full time and my practice exams the second time around were ranging at: 510, 513, and 512 with never going below a 127 in any section, so I'm really disappointed in my low Bio score for the second time.
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I'm honestly not sure...especially since my actual score ended up being lower than my practice FL score average

 

[HopefulErDr]

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 508 (129/127/128/124)
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: 3.59 or 3.63 depending on this semester, sgpa either 3.72 or 3.79 trend 3.4/3.3, 3.5/3.6, 4.0/should be another 4.0
3. State/Country of residence (optional):NC

4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): White
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): any MD possibly DO
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: lab assistant for 3 years, ~300 scribe hours (increasing) ~150 clinical volunteering, about to start non clinical volunteering
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: Haven't taken biochem, orgo 2, or physics yet
8. Do you know/think you can do better?
Honestly not sure, got the perfect test with minimal physics for me

 

[Lawpy]

3.99, 514, 124 cars...
white
decent research (tho no pubs) but really good LOR
lots of clinical/nonclinical volunteering with underserved
do i retake? (MD)

I think CARS gets the most slack according to SDN adcoms here so i wouldn't retake

 

[Lawpy]

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) 1st take: 506 126/127/123/130 >>> 2nd take: 509 127/128/125/129, mainly just wondering if that 125 in Bio will tank my whole application especially since my GPA's are on the lower end already.
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA): On the lower end here with a 3.61 and a sGPA of 3.48
3. State/Country of residence (optional): California.....
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): I'm pretty sure I'm considered ORM
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): anywhere that would accept me! I would love to stay somewhere on the west coast but I understand the chances of that happening are quite low.
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: I have been working in research for over 3 years with multiple posters and at least one publication so far, I have plenty of meaningful clinical and nonclinical volunteering especially with the underserved. Also am a first gen college student/immigrant.
7. Other Facts regarding your studying: I took time off work to study full time and my practice exams the second time around were ranging at: 510, 513, and 512 with never going below a 127 in any section, so I'm really disappointed in my low Bio score for the second time.
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I'm honestly not sure...especially since my actual score ended up being lower than my practice FL score average

It's a problem and something you may need to explain if asked in interviews. A low science GPA doesn't help either. What your application is showing is you're weak in the sciences, so schools would be concerned on how you'll be able to handle the curriculum. I'm not sure if retaking again would be a good idea since your application is good for DO schools.

I suggest posting a thread in What Are My Chances? forum and getting input from Goro and Faha.

 

[Lawpy]

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 508 (129/127/128/124)
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: 3.59 or 3.63 depending on this semester, sgpa either 3.72 or 3.79 trend 3.4/3.3, 3.5/3.6, 4.0/should be another 4.0
3. State/Country of residence (optional):NC

4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): White
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): any MD possibly DO
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: lab assistant for 3 years, ~300 scribe hours (increasing) ~150 clinical volunteering, about to start non clinical volunteering
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: Haven't taken biochem, orgo 2, or physics yet
8. Do you know/think you can do better?
Honestly not sure, got the perfect test with minimal physics for me

The 124 in P/S is a problem but it's better than a 123 (where that'd be a red flag that warrants a retake). I think you could be good for low tier MD, state schools (maybe not UNC), and DO schools.

I suggest posting a thread in What Are My Chances? forum and getting input from Goro and Faha.

 

[notthrowingawaymyshot]

It's a problem and something you may need to explain if asked in interviews. A low science GPA doesn't help either. What your application is showing is you're weak in the sciences, so schools would be concerned on how you'll be able to handle the curriculum. I'm not sure if retaking again would be a good idea since your application is good for DO schools.

I suggest posting a thread in What Are My Chances? forum and getting input from Goro and Faha.

Yes this was exactly my worry because my sGPA is lower and the low Bio section score doesn’t help at all...

My sGPA was sort of tanked (not a Biology major so dont have many classes contributing to the sGPA) after receiving a D in O Chem 1 but I got an A- when I retook and an A in O Chem 2 and even got a LOR from the professor, which I was hoping would ease some concerns about my sGPA as none of my other science grades were below a B+.

Will definitely post a WAMC and get some more opinions too. Thanks!

 

[HopefulErDr]

Will do, I was hoping chem being in the 92nd would offset it for me. We will have to see

The 124 in P/S is a problem but it's better than a 123 (where that'd be a red flag that warrants a retake). I think you could be good for low tier MD, state schools (maybe not UNC), and DO schools.

I suggest posting a thread in What Are My Chances? forum and getting input from Goro and Faha.

 

[Ad2b]

3.99, 514, 124 cars... do i retake? (MD)

Unless Canadian apping Canadian schools, no.

 

[fogo]

Hi, I go to a top-ranked UC, and am a junior. I just received a 515 on my MCAT (130/127/129/129). I have decent EC's and research -- may be able to get a pub before applying. If I really want to go to a top 10/20 med school, then should I retake?

 

[notthrowingawaymyshot]

Hi, I go to a top-ranked UC, and am a junior. I just received a 515 on my MCAT (130/127/129/129). I have decent EC's and research -- may be able to get a pub before applying. If I really want to go to a top 10/20 med school, then should I retake?

Do not retake a 515....That’s an amazing score, you’ll get in somewhere great as long as your GPA is good, essays are well written, and have good LORs! Just keep up with the EC’s before you apply too

 

[fogo]

My GPA is a 3.9+ for cGPA and sGPA. Also Asian ORM. My AAMC FL avgs were 511,515,517 and I knew CARS and P/S were always weak links bc i didn't spend as much time on those

 

[notthrowingawaymyshot]

My GPA is a 3.9+ for cGPA and sGPA. Also Asian ORM. My AAMC FL avgs were 511,515,517 and I knew CARS and P/S were always weak links bc i didn't spend as much time on those

I honestly would not risk the retake. Just focus on the rest of your app now! Such as your personal statement and preparing for secondaries, those will make you stand out.

 

[arjusmc]

Good evening all, I'm a non traditional student with a tough decision. I received my score today, my overall score and cars score was low. 504 126/124/127/127. I took all of the AAMC practice. FL1 501, FL2 504, FL3 507. I understand that 504 is within my range of practice tests, however cars was my strong point, averaging 128 on my practice tests. I'm not sure what happened but I dropped the ball. I'm considering retaking to try to improve cars. I don't know if it will be a red flag in my instance.

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): First time taking it
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) overall cGpa 3.3 sGPA 3.47, post bacc gpa 3.9, post bacc sGpa 3.88 post bacc included all relevant science course as my undergrad was in finance. Post bacc work was completed at both a community college and a university.
3. State/Country of residence (optional): Florida
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): Caucasian male
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): DO primarily, Low/midlevel MD
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like:Undergrad in Finance, 3.0 gpa, Marine Corps veteran(9 years), Leadership experience(infantry squad leader stateside and in Iraq), Completed many schools while enlisted. After getting out I was lost for a little while and didn't transition well. Lost purpose and drive. I regained purpose when I decided to serve my community as an EMT, and since then I started this path. I went back to school and completed all the prerequisites, as well as some upper division coursework. In the middle of completing prerequisites I went to paramedic school and currently practice as a paramedic while taking classes. I've completed a total of 78 hours with all As except for 1 B(gen chem 2). 40 hours of those classes have been hard sciences, the remainder are EMT/paramedic courses. I am also a paramedic student preceptor at work.
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: I used Princeton review self paced and took a semester off from school, however I still worked. I work 12 hour shifts, 3 days a week so the 4 days I was off were spent studying 8 hours per day, I review material while at work when I could.
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I'm concerned that if I retook it I would drop in other areas. My C/P was always weak on practice tests and in prep. I'm worried I'd trade a better cars score for a lower C/P.

 

[j15459]

Hi everyone, I got my MCAT scores back and I'm still trying to figure out if I should retake. I made a 508 (124/132/125/127). I have always struggled a bit with C/P and I'm worried that will hurt my applications. I know my score is ultimately what it is, because of the perfect score in CARS with average scores in everything else. I have a strong GPA but will that be enough to balance it out?

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 1st time taking it
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA): cGPA: 3.84, sGPA: 3.5, pretty consistent with a slight upward trend
3. State/Country of residence: TX
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): Caucasian female
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): any Texas medical school, but my ultimate goal would be McGovern
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: medical scribe (300+ hours), served in executive leadership positions, second job in addition to scribing, around 100ish volunteer hours
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: self-paced study, haven't taken physics II or cell biology yet
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I'm not sure if I could do better. The highest C/P score I got on a practice FL was only a 125, so I'm not sure it's worth taking the chance

 

[Deltasidearm]

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 513: 131/127/129/126
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA): 4.0
3. State/Country of residence (optional): Texas
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): White
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): Mayo, University of Michigan--Ann Arbor (these are my first two choices and the only schools on my list which I feel my MCAT could potentially hinder me)
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: I have worked as a PCA around the hospital (mainly in ICU units) for the past 2.75 years, I have ~50 hours of physician shadowing (did not feel anymore was necessary from exposure due to my job), I have ~100 hours of volunteering with my student organization, I have been elected president twice and secretary of my student organization, I also have a job TA'ing labs, tutoring, and grading for my department at my university (chemistry), and I have extensive experience in biochemistry research with over a dozen presentations at various conferences spanning from the university level to the national level with a couple potential papers before I graduate.
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: I dedicated my winter break to studying but I got sick and ended up studying <30 hours, got about 2 hours of sleep test day because of a harsh storm, and the testing center had loud construction on the same floor during the exam. I used books from 2015 to study and was woefully unprepared for the psych section because my exam had a vast majority of sociology, but my book covered psych almost exclusively and I have not taken a sociology course.
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I know I could bring up my psych score, but am skeptical that I could maintain the 131 on physical sciences (although that is my strongest section, clearly). I am not unhappy with my score in the least, the only thing that concerns me is the broad range of subtest scores. Currently, I do not feel like I should retake the exam but I would appreciate an outside wisdom check.

 

[Lawpy]

Good evening all, I'm a non traditional student with a tough decision. I received my score today, my overall score and cars score was low. 504 126/124/127/127. I took all of the AAMC practice. FL1 501, FL2 504, FL3 507. I understand that 504 is within my range of practice tests, however cars was my strong point, averaging 128 on my practice tests. I'm not sure what happened but I dropped the ball. I'm considering retaking to try to improve cars. I don't know if it will be a red flag in my instance.

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): First time taking it
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) overall cGpa 3.3 sGPA 3.47, post bacc gpa 3.9, post bacc sGpa 3.88 post bacc included all relevant science course as my undergrad was in finance. Post bacc work was completed at both a community college and a university.
3. State/Country of residence (optional): Florida
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): Caucasian male
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): DO primarily, Low/midlevel MD
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like:Undergrad in Finance, 3.0 gpa, Marine Corps veteran(9 years), Leadership experience(infantry squad leader stateside and in Iraq), Completed many schools while enlisted. After getting out I was lost for a little while and didn't transition well. Lost purpose and drive. I regained purpose when I decided to serve my community as an EMT, and since then I started this path. I went back to school and completed all the prerequisites, as well as some upper division coursework. In the middle of completing prerequisites I went to paramedic school and currently practice as a paramedic while taking classes. I've completed a total of 78 hours with all As except for 1 B(gen chem 2). 40 hours of those classes have been hard sciences, the remainder are EMT/paramedic courses. I am also a paramedic student preceptor at work.
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: I used Princeton review self paced and took a semester off from school, however I still worked. I work 12 hour shifts, 3 days a week so the 4 days I was off were spent studying 8 hours per day, I review material while at work when I could.
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I'm concerned that if I retook it I would drop in other areas. My C/P was always weak on practice tests and in prep. I'm worried I'd trade a better cars score for a lower C/P.

Many thanks for your service. I don't think you need to retake as long as you're primarily applying to DO schools. You should retake if you're interested in MD to get your scores in the 510+ and better CARS.

Consider posting a thread in What Are My Chances? forum and getting input from Goro and Faha for school list and DO-specific suggestions.

 

[Lawpy]

Hi everyone, I got my MCAT scores back and I'm still trying to figure out if I should retake. I made a 508 (124/132/125/127). I have always struggled a bit with C/P and I'm worried that will hurt my applications. I know my score is ultimately what it is, because of the perfect score in CARS with average scores in everything else. I have a strong GPA but will that be enough to balance it out?

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 1st time taking it
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA): cGPA: 3.84, sGPA: 3.5, pretty consistent with a slight upward trend
3. State/Country of residence: TX
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): Caucasian female
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): any Texas medical school, but my ultimate goal would be McGovern
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: medical scribe (300+ hours), served in executive leadership positions, second job in addition to scribing, around 100ish volunteer hours
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: self-paced study, haven't taken physics II or cell biology yet
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I'm not sure if I could do better. The highest C/P score I got on a practice FL was only a 125, so I'm not sure it's worth taking the chance

I don't think you need to retake and should be fine for TX schools.

 

[Lawpy]

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 513: 131/127/129/126
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA): 4.0
3. State/Country of residence (optional): Texas
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): White
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): Mayo, University of Michigan--Ann Arbor (these are my first two choices and the only schools on my list which I feel my MCAT could potentially hinder me)
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: I have worked as a PCA around the hospital (mainly in ICU units) for the past 2.75 years, I have ~50 hours of physician shadowing (did not feel anymore was necessary from exposure due to my job), I have ~100 hours of volunteering with my student organization, I have been elected president twice and secretary of my student organization, I also have a job TA'ing labs, tutoring, and grading for my department at my university (chemistry), and I have extensive experience in biochemistry research with over a dozen presentations at various conferences spanning from the university level to the national level with a couple potential papers before I graduate.
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: I dedicated my winter break to studying but I got sick and ended up studying <30 hours, got about 2 hours of sleep test day because of a harsh storm, and the testing center had loud construction on the same floor during the exam. I used books from 2015 to study and was woefully unprepared for the psych section because my exam had a vast majority of sociology, but my book covered psych almost exclusively and I have not taken a sociology course.
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I know I could bring up my psych score, but am skeptical that I could maintain the 131 on physical sciences (although that is my strongest section, clearly). I am not unhappy with my score in the least, the only thing that concerns me is the broad range of subtest scores. Currently, I do not feel like I should retake the exam but I would appreciate an outside wisdom check.

Your subsection scores don't vary significantly. A significant variation would be something like 132 in one section and a 124 in another section. Anything 126-127 and above is good. Since you're a TX resident, you should apply to all TX schools. I would not retake a balanced 513 score.

 

[arjusmc]

Many thanks for your service. I don't think you need to retake as long as you're primarily applying to DO schools. You should retake if you're interested in MD to get your scores in the 510+ and better CARS.

Consider posting a thread in What Are My Chances? forum and getting input from Goro and Faha for school list and DO-specific suggestions.

Thank you, I think I will.

 

[FutureDPM123]

Hi everyone, I got my MCAT scores back and I'm still trying to figure out if I should retake. I made a 508 (124/132/125/127). I have always struggled a bit with C/P and I'm worried that will hurt my applications. I know my score is ultimately what it is, because of the perfect score in CARS with average scores in everything else. I have a strong GPA but will that be enough to balance it out?

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 1st time taking it
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA): cGPA: 3.84, sGPA: 3.5, pretty consistent with a slight upward trend
3. State/Country of residence: TX
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): Caucasian female
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): any Texas medical school, but my ultimate goal would be McGovern
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: medical scribe (300+ hours), served in executive leadership positions, second job in addition to scribing, around 100ish volunteer hours
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: self-paced study, haven't taken physics II or cell biology yet
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I'm not sure if I could do better. The highest C/P score I got on a practice FL was only a 125, so I'm not sure it's worth taking the chance

Don't retake it. You'll get in to a medical school, just not top 20.

 

[FutureDPM123]

Good evening all, I'm a non traditional student with a tough decision. I received my score today, my overall score and cars score was low. 504 126/124/127/127. I took all of the AAMC practice. FL1 501, FL2 504, FL3 507. I understand that 504 is within my range of practice tests, however cars was my strong point, averaging 128 on my practice tests. I'm not sure what happened but I dropped the ball. I'm considering retaking to try to improve cars. I don't know if it will be a red flag in my instance.

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): First time taking it
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) overall cGpa 3.3 sGPA 3.47, post bacc gpa 3.9, post bacc sGpa 3.88 post bacc included all relevant science course as my undergrad was in finance. Post bacc work was completed at both a community college and a university.
3. State/Country of residence (optional): Florida
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): Caucasian male
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): DO primarily, Low/midlevel MD
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like:Undergrad in Finance, 3.0 gpa, Marine Corps veteran(9 years), Leadership experience(infantry squad leader stateside and in Iraq), Completed many schools while enlisted. After getting out I was lost for a little while and didn't transition well. Lost purpose and drive. I regained purpose when I decided to serve my community as an EMT, and since then I started this path. I went back to school and completed all the prerequisites, as well as some upper division coursework. In the middle of completing prerequisites I went to paramedic school and currently practice as a paramedic while taking classes. I've completed a total of 78 hours with all As except for 1 B(gen chem 2). 40 hours of those classes have been hard sciences, the remainder are EMT/paramedic courses. I am also a paramedic student preceptor at work.
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: I used Princeton review self paced and took a semester off from school, however I still worked. I work 12 hour shifts, 3 days a week so the 4 days I was off were spent studying 8 hours per day, I review material while at work when I could.
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I'm concerned that if I retook it I would drop in other areas. My C/P was always weak on practice tests and in prep. I'm worried I'd trade a better cars score for a lower C/P.

Probably won't get into any allopathic. But good enough score for DO. Schools always look at cars lineantly. No need to retake.

 

[FutureDPM123]

3.99, 514, 124 cars...
white
decent research (tho no pubs) but really good LOR
lots of clinical/nonclinical volunteering with underserved
do i retake? (MD)

No you should not. Schools are lenient with CARS.

 

[FutureDPM123]

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 508 (129/127/128/124)
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: 3.59 or 3.63 depending on this semester, sgpa either 3.72 or 3.79 trend 3.4/3.3, 3.5/3.6, 4.0/should be another 4.0
3. State/Country of residence (optional):NC

4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): White
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): any MD possibly DO
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: lab assistant for 3 years, ~300 scribe hours (increasing) ~150 clinical volunteering, about to start non clinical volunteering
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: Haven't taken biochem, orgo 2, or physics yet
8. Do you know/think you can do better?
Honestly not sure, got the perfect test with minimal physics for me

Your GPA is really good and your MCAT is competitive enough. 124 in psychology isn't terrible, so do not retake.

 

[FutureDPM123]

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 513: 131/127/129/126
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA): 4.0

Don't risk it. Your such a strong candidate right now. If you retake and do worse, that's going to be a problem.

 

[FutureDPM123]

Hi everyone, I got my MCAT scores back and I'm still trying to figure out if I should retake. I made a 508 (124/132/125/127). I have always struggled a bit with C/P and I'm worried that will hurt my applications. I know my score is ultimately what it is, because of the perfect score in CARS with average scores in everything else. I have a strong GPA but will that be enough to balance it out?

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 1st time taking it
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA): cGPA: 3.84, sGPA: 3.5, pretty consistent with a slight upward trend
3. State/Country of residence: TX
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): Caucasian female
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): any Texas medical school, but my ultimate goal would be McGovern
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: medical scribe (300+ hours), served in executive leadership positions, second job in addition to scribing, around 100ish volunteer hours
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: self-paced study, haven't taken physics II or cell biology yet
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I'm not sure if I could do better. The highest C/P score I got on a practice FL was only a 125, so I'm not sure it's worth taking the chance

Most schools aren't going to like the 124 in the C/P section, especially McGovern. But as you said, your highest practice was a 125 so it might not raise to much. And CARS is probably going the drop during the retake cause it's so random. I'd say don't retake, but look for schools on MSAR that accept C/P of 124.

 

[dwarfplanet]

Hi, I just took my MCAT and I'm not thrilled with my score. I plan to apply this cycle, so I need to decide quickly if I'm going to retake it. The advice I've received so far is not to retake, but I'm paranoid considering my uGPA and sGPA aren't extremely high. There was an upward trend from freshman year and then last year was a bad year.

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 508 (126/130/126/126)
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA): 3.65 uGPA, 3.52 sGPA
3. State/Country of residence (optional): Michigan
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): White female
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): I'd like to stay in-state if possible. Wayne State is where I would really like to attend. Open to MD and DO programs.
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: ~2000 hours paid clinical work in hospital/outpatient centers, ~150 hours clinical volunteer work at children's hospital in underprivileged area (I'm also a mentor here, so I train other volunteers under me) ~450 hours as kids theater coach, ~100 hours at soup kitchen/homeless shelter, ~100 hours at drug and alcohol rehab centers, ~25 hours tutoring adults for their GED in underprivileged area, ~100 hour research, NO publications/presentations (ongoing), 20 hours shadowing DO + strong LOR and I know my LOR from a non-science teacher is very strong as well
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: I definitely didn't get enough sleep the night before and was experiencing burnout midway through the test.
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I think I can definitely do better on bio/biochem and psych/soc. However, my worst section has always been C/P, so I'm worried there's a possibility it could dip below 126 on a second try. I think it's unlikely but possible.

 

[Lawpy]

Hi, I just took my MCAT and I'm not thrilled with my score. I plan to apply this cycle, so I need to decide quickly if I'm going to retake it. The advice I've received so far is not to retake, but I'm paranoid considering my uGPA and sGPA aren't extremely high. There was an upward trend from freshman year and then last year was a bad year.

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 508 (126/130/126/126)
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA): 3.65 uGPA, 3.52 sGPA
3. State/Country of residence (optional): Michigan
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): White female
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): I'd like to stay in-state if possible. Wayne State is where I would really like to attend. Open to MD and DO programs.
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: ~2000 hours paid clinical work in hospital/outpatient centers, ~150 hours clinical volunteer work at children's hospital in underprivileged area (I'm also a mentor here, so I train other volunteers under me) ~450 hours as kids theater coach, ~100 hours at soup kitchen/homeless shelter, ~100 hours at drug and alcohol rehab centers, ~25 hours tutoring adults for their GED in underprivileged area, ~100 hour research, NO publications/presentations (ongoing), 20 hours shadowing DO + strong LOR and I know my LOR from a non-science teacher is very strong as well
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: I definitely didn't get enough sleep the night before and was experiencing burnout midway through the test.
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I think I can definitely do better on bio/biochem and psych/soc. However, my worst section has always been C/P, so I'm worried there's a possibility it could dip below 126 on a second try. I think it's unlikely but possible.

I don't think you need to retake. It's a good score and a 126 is okay though not ideal. I think your current profile is competitive for MD and DO schools, and as a Michigan resident, you're probably competitive for your state schools (including Wayne State although maybe not UMich).

Retaking a 508 would only be reasonable if you can get something like 517+ and are aiming for top schools, which you aren't so there's no reason for it. I think you should make a thread in the What Are My Chances? forum and get input from Goro and Faha.

 

[meme_queen255]

Hi-- I just got my Jan 24 MCAT score back and I'm thinking about retaking. Any advice would be really helpful! Thanks

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 127 C/P, 128 CARS, 129 B/B, 129 P/S (513 total)
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA): uGPA 3.68 // Biophysics major with an econ minor so the lowish GPA is definitely because of those upper division physics classes. There's also been a really strong upward trend in my GPA.
3. State/Country of residence (optional): AZ
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): orm
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): MD - also interested in MD/MBA. Idk if it's realistic but my dream is to go to a top tier school like UCLA, Columbia, Baylor etc.
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: NIH post bacc program for 2 years, worked on 3 research projects during undergrad (no publications), 300 hours volunteering, 300 hours shadowing.
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: Was consistently scoring 130+ on CARS and a little higher on C/P-- which is why I'm slightly bummed by the score. I studied during a pretty hectic time and dealt with a lot of nerves and anxiety which would not be the case if I re-took.
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I can definitely definitely do better on CARS, P/S and I'm confident that if I really hit the books I could bring up C/P as well.

 

[Lawpy]

Hi-- I just got my Jan 24 MCAT score back and I'm thinking about retaking. Any advice would be really helpful! Thanks

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 127 C/P, 128 CARS, 129 B/B, 129 P/S (513 total)
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA): uGPA 3.68 // Biophysics major with an econ minor so the lowish GPA is definitely because of those upper division physics classes. There's also been a really strong upward trend in my GPA.
3. State/Country of residence (optional): AZ
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): orm
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): MD - also interested in MD/MBA. Idk if it's realistic but my dream is to go to a top tier school like UCLA, Columbia, Baylor etc.
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: NIH post bacc program for 2 years, worked on 3 research projects during undergrad (no publications), 300 hours volunteering, 300 hours shadowing.
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: Was consistently scoring 130+ on CARS and a little higher on C/P-- which is why I'm slightly bummed by the score. I studied during a pretty hectic time and dealt with a lot of nerves and anxiety which would not be the case if I re-took.
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I can definitely definitely do better on CARS, P/S and I'm confident that if I really hit the books I could bring up C/P as well.

I wouldn't retake a balanced 513. The only way a retake makes sense for what you want is if you're consistently scoring 520+ on practice tests, and even then, top schools get lots of applications from 520+ scorers who got that score the first time. Also depends on the rest of your application and how strong and unique it is.

I suggest posting a thread in What Are My Chances? forum and getting input from Goro and Faha.

 

[Lawpy]

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): (509) 127 C/P, 126 CARS, 124 BB, 132 P/S
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA) 3.67 sgpa, 3.55 cgpa strong upward trend
3. State/Country of residence (optional): NC
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): orm
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): MD
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: research experience, volunteer experience, shadowing, non clinical volunteer, and clinical employment
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: was scoring in the 510-515 range but BB was higher than 124
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I think its likely I can do better on BB but I am worried that the others would decrease

I'd probably retake to bump your bio score. That's the section that gets the least slack and a 124 bio could be a red flag. Just make sure you can get your retake to be >513 with at least a 127 bio (and avoid having any section drop below a 126).

 

[Ray_of_Sunshine_MD]

Hello everyone.

I took my exam on 1/24 and came out with a 508 (125/126/129/128). I had 1.5 months of true studying, but I was passively studying since October. I ran out of time during C/P and CARS and that has been reflected in my score. Then again, I always ranged around 126-127 in CARS, but I usually got 127-128 in C/P. My FL averages were 510, so I technically scored in my range. I'm super bummed, and was even more emotional when I saw the score and went ahead with scheduling a retake on 4/6, but now I'm wondering if I should cancel or reschedule it.


I know I'm making a lot of excuses, but I really feel like if I hadn't run out of time I could have at least reached a 127 on C/P.

Reflecting on this, this was quite brash of me as I haven't taken any FLs since then, and I don't even know if I will be hitting target points that I need to.

Would it be plausible to reach a 512 if I gave myself 2.5 months of studying; I was thinking of retaking in May. Then again, I see so many statistics that people don't do that much better, and I don't want to hurt my chances even more.

When I studied I bought the Kaplan self-prep and used all the resources they gave, even going over all the AAMC material twice. I also used premed95's Anki deck religiously.

I know that the AAMC material now will probably not be a good measure, so I got 4 NS exams and a U-World membership, but now I'm wondering if it was a mistake to reschedule and if I should just apply with what I got.

My stats:

I'm a 19y/o white female who was in a dual enrolled program, and graduated with my bachelor's in biology summa cum laude last summer.

GPA

Overall: 3.92 sGPA: 3.8

State: FL

Volunteering/ECs

Nonclinical: 200+ hours volunteering as a standardized patient, with a few LOR's from my UG medical school faculty, and I am still currently doing this

~150 hours working as a volunteer notetaker for my school's student disability program

~20 hours working as a mentor/tutor in my high school

~100 hours working for different events that fund-raise for individuals with different ailments

Clinical: ~200 hours volunteering abroad as an EMT-B in Israel (I'm fluent in Hebrew, and I know some very basic Spanish)

~50 hours volunteering in a hospice with true patient interaction (feeding them, helping the CNAs, etc), which I'm still currently doing

Shadowing: ~120 hours in different specialties (dermatology, plastic surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics)

Leadership: Have been tutoring for around 4 years, and last year I tutored large groups of college students as a job.

Research: Worked for 2 years on a case study that got published this February (yay!)

I have a connection with a professor in my UG's medical school and I plan on getting advice from him this coming Monday, but I wanted to get a few more perspectives as well.

I'm just worried that stress will get to me and I'll perform even more poorly if I tempted a retake, or not improve as much as I would need to.

I'm aiming for state schools and low/mid tier schools. I wouldn't even mind DO, but I'm just worried as I haven't shadowed any DO's (yet), and I know this will affect my chances. Would I have a shot at in state MDs if I applied as early as possible?

I'm torn because some people are telling me to go ahead with the retake, while others say it's a really bad idea. I just want to get in this cycle. I'm sorry for venting.

 

[btuck]

Hello everyone.

I took my exam on 1/24 and came out with a 508 (125/126/129/128). I had 1.5 months of true studying, but I was passively studying since October. I ran out of time during C/P and CARS and that has been reflected in my score. Then again, I always ranged around 126-127 in CARS, but I usually got 127-128 in C/P. My FL averages were 510, so I technically scored in my range. I'm super bummed, and was even more emotional when I saw the score and went ahead with scheduling a retake on 4/6, but now I'm wondering if I should cancel or reschedule it.


I know I'm making a lot of excuses, but I really feel like if I hadn't run out of time I could have at least reached a 127 on C/P.

Reflecting on this, this was quite brash of me as I haven't taken any FLs since then, and I don't even know if I will be hitting target points that I need to.

Would it be plausible to reach a 512 if I gave myself 2.5 months of studying; I was thinking of retaking in May. Then again, I see so many statistics that people don't do that much better, and I don't want to hurt my chances even more.

When I studied I bought the Kaplan self-prep and used all the resources they gave, even going over all the AAMC material twice. I also used premed95's Anki deck religiously.

I know that the AAMC material now will probably not be a good measure, so I got 4 NS exams and a U-World membership, but now I'm wondering if it was a mistake to reschedule and if I should just apply with what I got.

My stats:

I'm a 19y/o white female who was in a dual enrolled program, and graduated with my bachelor's in biology summa cum laude last summer.

GPA

Overall: 3.92 sGPA: 3.8

State: FL

Volunteering/ECs

Nonclinical: 200+ hours volunteering as a standardized patient, with a few LOR's from my UG medical school faculty, and I am still currently doing this

~150 hours working as a volunteer notetaker for my school's student disability program

~20 hours working as a mentor/tutor in my high school

~100 hours working for different events that fund-raise for individuals with different ailments

Clinical: ~200 hours volunteering abroad as an EMT-B in Israel (I'm fluent in Hebrew, and I know some very basic Spanish)

~50 hours volunteering in a hospice with true patient interaction (feeding them, helping the CNAs, etc), which I'm still currently doing

Shadowing: ~120 hours in different specialties (dermatology, plastic surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics)

Leadership: Have been tutoring for around 4 years, and last year I tutored large groups of college students as a job.

Research: Worked for 2 years on a case study that got published this February (yay!)

I have a connection with a professor in my UG's medical school and I plan on getting advice from him this coming Monday, but I wanted to get a few more perspectives as well.

I'm just worried that stress will get to me and I'll perform even more poorly if I tempted a retake, or not improve as much as I would need to.

I'm aiming for state schools and low/mid tier schools. I wouldn't even mind DO, but I'm just worried as I haven't shadowed any DO's (yet), and I know this will affect my chances. Would I have a shot at in state MDs if I applied as early as possible?

I'm torn because some people are telling me to go ahead with the retake, while others say it's a really bad idea. I just want to get in this cycle. I'm sorry for venting.

I would say no. You do not seem dedicated to retaking. You could try but you will have to start studying again like you were before and I would say unless you are consistently scoring above a 510 on practice exams, cancel the retake. You look competitive enough to get into one of the Florida schools.

 

[Lawpy]

Template:

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 506:CP125CARS127BB125PS129. Highest scores on practice were CP129CARS131BB125PS127. I have scored 128 biology since taking. Fortunately my drop in chemistry was improved by psych/soc improvement test. LOL,I thought "these are mine? As chemistry/physics is my strong suit)
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA) . Career changer here. BS from small school 2010. 3.83/3.79
3. State/Country of residence (optional): IL. S/O is moving to TN, also the state I attended undergrad
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): White. First generation college student, rural underserved area
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): Strong DO preference at I wish to learn OMM. Regional schools otherwise. Ultimately I want a collaborative institution as I don't thrive in competitive arenas
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: Scribes in ER--leadership including training, continuing education, quality review and improvement. Involved in mentorship. At a start up for a wellness plan for aging adults. Teach yoga. Medical advocate for survivors of sexual assault (and man the hotline). Demonstrator for local ballet school
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: I was working full time in a physically and emotionally draining non-medical role when preparing for the test. I improved in CARS starting at 122 and jumped really high on my last AAMC practice. My partner (who I started seeing a week after my MCAT in 2017 is molecular biologist and in my off time, he has taught and addressed my deficits there. We have done immunology coursera, and I still am confused there) with more and more work, I don't see why it would be implausible for me to improve to 128/129. Psych/soc may drop as I was very surprised to have overachieved on test day. I think that I could on a really great day have what it takes to get up to 516 with 129 across the board. I don't think I would retest until I am consistently scoring 6-7 points above my 506
8. Do you know/think you can do better?see above

No need to retake if you’re applying DO. I suggest making a thread in What Are My Chances? forum and getting input from Goro and Faha.

 

[Med.School.Hopeful]

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): Took the MCAT in January and got my score back. I got a 508 (126/124/126/132)
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA) - My cGPA is a 3.67 and sGPA a 3.68. I have a strong upward trend over the last 5 years since becoming a premed student. Nontraditional student with a 3.85 cGPA and 3.82 sGPA over the last 5 years since going back to school. GPAs are lower because my first round in college didn't have as good grades.
3. State/Country of residence (optional): I am a Florida resident.
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): ORM. White male.
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): I am going to apply to MD and DO schools. I prefer MD.
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: I will have 400 hours of clinical volunteering by June. I will have about 600 hours (maybe more, need to check) of nonclinical volunteering by June. I have been volunteering at these organizations since 2015. Volunteered at 3 different places for undersized populations. I've had 3 leadership positions in student organizations. I was a chemistry tutor. One year of research with 3 poster presentations. I've worked many jobs throughout college. Currently have a job in healthcare.
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: Used Altius, Next Step, and of course AAMC materials. I studied for 6 months.
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I was scoring 129 in C/P on AAMC FLs. On test day it was heavy conceptual physics and biochem which took away from my strengths which are general chemistry and organic chemistry. I am good with calculation physics and unit analysis but conceptual physics never has been a strong point of mine. I am fine with biochem but would prefer gen chem or orgo. I took a loss in C/P on test day. During practice 1 month out CARS was 124/125 and B/B was hovering at 127. I am not sure if I should retake. Even if I retake and get 128/129 on C/P I don't believe I can rely on getting 132 on P/S again. My practice scores were 129/130 on P/S. So if I retake I don't believe I would be improving my overall score much if at all. I am just worried since it is unbalanced. Just disappointed I got 126 in both C/P and B/B. A big risk I would be dealing with is the CARS section. I believe at best I could get a 125 on CARS but if I had a bad day I could risk getting sub 124 in that section and that would screen me out of most MD schools. I looked at schools in the MSAR and see most schools 10th percentile MCAT for matriculants is 124 CARS so most schools I do not believe I will be screened out including my state schools where I have the best shot at. I know FSU matriculant is 505, FIU 509, FAU 510, and don't see anything for Nova yet. I am not sure if I should retake for a more balanced score or if the risk isn't worth it. How much improvement from a 508 would I need to justify a retake? Thank you.

 

[Lawpy]

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): Took the MCAT in January and got my score back. I got a 508 (126/124/126/132)
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA) - My cGPA is a 3.67 and sGPA a 3.68. I have a strong upward trend over the last 5 years since becoming a premed student. Nontraditional student with a 3.85 cGPA and 3.82 sGPA over the last 5 years since going back to school. GPAs are lower because my first round in college didn't have as good grades.
3. State/Country of residence (optional): I am a Florida resident.
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): ORM. White male.
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): I am going to apply to MD and DO schools. I prefer MD.
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: I will have 400 hours of clinical volunteering by June. I will have about 600 hours (maybe more, need to check) of nonclinical volunteering by June. I have been volunteering at these organizations since 2015. Volunteered at 3 different places for undersized populations. I've had 3 leadership positions in student organizations. I was a chemistry tutor. One year of research with 3 poster presentations. I've worked many jobs throughout college. Currently have a job in healthcare.
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: Used ******, Next Step, and of course AAMC materials. I studied for 6 months.
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I was scoring 129 in C/P on AAMC FLs. On test day it was heavy conceptual physics and biochem which took away from my strengths which are general chemistry and organic chemistry. I am good with calculation physics and unit analysis but conceptual physics never has been a strong point of mine. I am fine with biochem but would prefer gen chem or orgo. I took a loss in C/P on test day. During practice 1 month out CARS was 124/125 and B/B was hovering at 127. I am not sure if I should retake. Even if I retake and get 128/129 on C/P I don't believe I can rely on getting 132 on P/S again. My practice scores were 129/130 on P/S. So if I retake I don't believe I would be improving my overall score much if at all. I am just worried since it is unbalanced. Just disappointed I got 126 in both C/P and B/B. A big risk I would be dealing with is the CARS section. I believe at best I could get a 125 on CARS but if I had a bad day I could risk getting sub 124 in that section and that would screen me out of most MD schools. I looked at schools in the MSAR and see most schools 10th percentile MCAT for matriculants is 124 CARS so most schools I do not believe I will be screened out including my state schools where I have the best shot at. I know FSU matriculant is 505, FIU 509, FAU 510, and don't see anything for Nova yet. I am not sure if I should retake for a more balanced score or if the risk isn't worth it. How much improvement from a 508 would I need to justify a retake? Thank you.

A retake would be justified if you could get a balanced 514 or higher, which is difficult. I think you should apply to a mix of your state MD schools, some low tiers and DO schools. I suggest posting a thread in What Are My Chances? forum and getting input from Goro and Faha.

 

[Hip_Hop_Doc]

3.99, 514, 124 cars...
white
decent research (tho no pubs) but really good LOR
lots of clinical/nonclinical volunteering with underserved
do i retake? (MD)

I'm a med student, had a 129/125/128/132 and got in to 2 schools. If you don't get in, it wouldn't b bc of your MCAT.

 

[Pillar Prep]

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): Took the MCAT in January and got my score back. I got a 508 (126/124/126/132)
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA) - My cGPA is a 3.67 and sGPA a 3.68. I have a strong upward trend over the last 5 years since becoming a premed student. Nontraditional student with a 3.85 cGPA and 3.82 sGPA over the last 5 years since going back to school. GPAs are lower because my first round in college didn't have as good grades.
3. State/Country of residence (optional): I am a Florida resident.
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): ORM. White male.
5. Goal Med school (Tier/goal): I am going to apply to MD and DO schools. I prefer MD.
6. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: I will have 400 hours of clinical volunteering by June. I will have about 600 hours (maybe more, need to check) of nonclinical volunteering by June. I have been volunteering at these organizations since 2015. Volunteered at 3 different places for undersized populations. I've had 3 leadership positions in student organizations. I was a chemistry tutor. One year of research with 3 poster presentations. I've worked many jobs throughout college. Currently have a job in healthcare.
7. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time: Used ******, Next Step, and of course AAMC materials. I studied for 6 months.
8. Do you know/think you can do better? I was scoring 129 in C/P on AAMC FLs. On test day it was heavy conceptual physics and biochem which took away from my strengths which are general chemistry and organic chemistry. I am good with calculation physics and unit analysis but conceptual physics never has been a strong point of mine. I am fine with biochem but would prefer gen chem or orgo. I took a loss in C/P on test day. During practice 1 month out CARS was 124/125 and B/B was hovering at 127. I am not sure if I should retake. Even if I retake and get 128/129 on C/P I don't believe I can rely on getting 132 on P/S again. My practice scores were 129/130 on P/S. So if I retake I don't believe I would be improving my overall score much if at all. I am just worried since it is unbalanced. Just disappointed I got 126 in both C/P and B/B. A big risk I would be dealing with is the CARS section. I believe at best I could get a 125 on CARS but if I had a bad day I could risk getting sub 124 in that section and that would screen me out of most MD schools. I looked at schools in the MSAR and see most schools 10th percentile MCAT for matriculants is 124 CARS so most schools I do not believe I will be screened out including my state schools where I have the best shot at. I know FSU matriculant is 505, FIU 509, FAU 510, and don't see anything for Nova yet. I am not sure if I should retake for a more balanced score or if the risk isn't worth it. How much improvement from a 508 would I need to justify a retake? Thank you.

We would not recommend a retake if you are comfortable with DO schools. The 124 in CARS is certainly a concern for most MD schools, that being said you may be able to get looked at by a few of them even with a 124. DO schools, on the other hand, seem as if they would be perfect given what else your application has to offer. At this point, it comes down to what you are really interested in - if DO is good for you, do not retake!

 

[Pillar Prep]

1. What are your previous MCAT Score(s) (with section wise breakdown): 513 (125/127/129/132)
2. What is your GPA (w/ Science GPA) (If relevant: trend, uGPA/grad GPA/postbacc GPA): 3.9 sGPA, 3.9 cGPA
3. State/Country of residence (optional): CA
   
4. Ethnicity (ORM/URM?): ORM, LGBT
5. Include ECs/Other Relevant Info if you would like: applied to 30 schools this cycle with 2 IIs -> 2 WLs with these stats/main ECs. New ECs since applying are italicized.
   1. MA- 2 years/3000+ hours
   2. Tutoring underprivileged students/VP of club - 4 years/500 hours
   3. Research - 6 months/250 hours
   4. International Research Conference assistant - 250 hours/2 years
   5. Paid non-clinical leadership - 2 years/2000 hours
   6. Paid private tutoring - 6 months/100 hours
   7. Volunteering with LGBT Center - 3 months/80 hours **will be continuing to volunteer 4 hrs/week
6. Other Facts regarding your studying the first time:
   1. Got a 125 in C/P on actual; however my AAMC practice tests for C/P were 129, 131 and 131 (4-6 point drop on actual)
   2. Studied for 3 weeks (while working 25 hour weeks) + 2 weeks (working 25 hour weeks and taking full-time classes); if i retook, I would live at home, NOT work, and solely focus on the MCAT.
   3. I'm having trouble identifying areas of my app to address for reapplication aside from essays (?), limited research, timing (complete late August) and MCAT. I don't want to reapply without significant changes, however I do think my LGBT volunteering significantly adds to my story as an applicant.
   4. I've also always been frustrated/disappoitned with my MCAT score and strongly believe I can do better if I dedicate myself solely to studying, so I would definitely have the motivation to do so.

Jordiji94, you scored phenomenally. Unfortunately, your 125 in C/P is definitely not what schools love to see; however, it certainly should not hold you back from medical school. Retaking your MCAT is an option, but a large risk that you probably should not take. Before you decide, I think you should consider the following:

1) Did you apply to schools that you met the criteria for? For example, it is not likely that you will get into Harvard, other top 5 schools, or many California state schools with a 513. That being said, there are amazing medical schools out there that would love a student with a 513, even if that student had a relatively low C/P score. If you reapply without retaking the MCAT, try to look for schools that accept students with median MCAT score between 508-516. Also, read threads to see if there are schools that are notorious for filtering students out based on section score - those schools are not a great option for you.

2) Was your personal statement & descriptions of ECs compelling & authentic? This is a tough question to answer because it requires a great amount of self-reflection and self-awareness. Consider sharing your new personal statement with others so that you may get more insight into how you can show your true and authentic self.

3) How did the interviews you attended go?

Long story short, retaking the MCAT probably is not the best way for you to improve your application. I know you are frustrated with your score, but it is a score many would kill for and many medical schools will be impressed by.

Also, keep up the volunteering, it sounds like you are doing great and important work 🙂

 

[Dhooy7]

I know i need to retake but looking for some feedback. I only applied DO and really need to improve CARs, CP, and BB. I'm going to use TBR passages for BB and CP, Anki, AAMC, lots of practice tests, and KA. In addition, I'm going to focus on my weak areas with KA and AK lectures. Any other advice? I've been out of school for 2 years now. Thanks!