Should I take the MCAT again..HELP

[chocolate85]

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Hey!

I took the MCAT for the first time Aug 2005

11VR 10PS 09BS (30Q)

I am really disappointed at my BS because I thought i did well. Very surprised at my verbal..went from 9 in practice tests to a 11....


I am a CA resident...so far 3.9 GPA (UC berkeley)
I really want to go a UC medical school (or a private california school) ... I have decent EC..nothing that great.... What is my chance of getting in with a 30MCAT....Will my chances drastically improve if I raise my score to about 33 ish.... I really need help deciding if I should take it in April again or not!

Thanks!

 

[uvapremed]

I personally wouldn't retake if I were you unless you did worse than what you were scoring on your practice exams. However, I don't know the score averages for the UC's as I'm an east coast guy. If you think you scored well below what you could have done, then I would suggest to retake. Otherwise, I think that's a solid score. My two cents.

 

[markboonya]

3.9 from berkeley and a 30 will definitely get u in somewhere, but i dont know if its a sure shot for UC schools. i think if u can get it up to a 33, u can breathe easlier if u are all out for a UC med. let me repeat that 30/3.9 looks good for a UC med, but add 3 more points to your mcat score and u will be sitting pretty.

now u gotta ask yourself how much harder are u gonna have to work for those few points. if you were already scoring that on practices tests then i say go for it. if not, then just concentrate on keeping up your ECs. Do FSI or something. then TA for it. goodluck.

 

[Machination]

Are you applying right now? If you're a senior and are applying now, then wait until after your interviews (or rejections) to make a decision.

Hey!

I took the MCAT for the first time Aug 2005

11VR 10PS 09BS (30Q)

I am really disappointed at my BS because I thought i did well. Very surprised at my verbal..went from 9 in practice tests to a 11....


I am a CA resident...so far 3.9 GPA (UC berkeley)
I really want to go a UC medical school (or a private california school) ... I have decent EC..nothing that great.... What is my chance of getting in with a 30MCAT....Will my chances drastically improve if I raise my score to about 33 ish.... I really need help deciding if I should take it in April again or not!

Thanks!

 

[speedyIs]

Well, 3.9 from Berkeley definitely looks good. 🙂 I wish I had that GPA... Few MCB upper divs screwed up my gpa... For MCAT, I'm in similar position. I scored better than expected on verbal, but scored badly on PS. I'm probably not gonna retake it because there's a fat chance my VR score will go down... If you feel the same way for your VR score, I'm not sure what to tell you... Why don't you go talk to an advisor? Perhaps they can give you a better advice. I'm thinking about meeting an advisor also. Perhaps I'll run into you. 😉

 

[chocolate85]

thanks for all the feedback!!!! The only reason why I am considering taking this again is because of my 9 in bio....This score is worse than my practice..my bio was either 10, 11 or 12....i was scoring 32 33ish overall on the AAMC practice tests. I just want to try to be competitive for UCs and I dont mind taking it again if it means i ll have a better chance.

I am a junior right now and I want to apply next june. I took it in the summer so i would have another chance in april.

Also, has anyone taken the early start course for TPR? Is it helpful to start that early?

 

[SearsTower]

u should eat as much chocolate as u can and become a fat bastard.

 

[MoosePilot]

I wouldn't. Your GPA is proof that you're good and your MCAT isn't bad enough to invalidate it (in my opinion).

 

[Turkeyman]

u should eat as much chocolate as u can and become a fat bastard.

LOL

Haha anyways back on topic...your GPA is amazing. It really says a lot for you and at the least you can definitely pull an interview at some of the UC schools. Go all out, I say!

 

[Mister Pie]

I personally think it's far too risky with that VR score. A jump from 9 to 11 is HUGE and I think that you need to weigh the risk of going down in VR at the expense of going up in BS. I'm sure pulling up BS would not be a problem for you, but VR is the most poorly curved section on the test which leaves very little room for careless mistakes.

 

[chicklett1]

I was in your situation in April, and my premed advisor (whose opinion I hold in great esteem) said that with a 30, you should only retake the test if you can GUARANTEE that you will improve by four or more points. His opinion was that any less improvement and it would be better to devote your time to something else, like clinical experience or research. He said that with a high gpa, a 30 is not a death sentence, even at some of the best schools in the country. Hope that's helpful.

 

[beanbean]

Rather than risk going down in your verbal score and having to put yourself through that awful test again, I would recommend working on improving your EC's which you say are just OK but nothing great. Take the time you would spend preparing for the MCAT again and really do something great as a volunteer. Be creative and find something you will enjoy. Not only will this help make your application stand out, you can give something of your self to help others. Everyone wins.

 

[RayhanS1282]

To the OP:

Umm....HELL NO!!!

Your composite score is competitive and even in terms of breakdown, it is relatively even and you got a near perfect GPA. And last I heard Berkley was a pretty good college. Speaking purely in terms of numbers, you are a competitive applicant. A lot of people would love to have your score. My advice would be to get your AMCAS out ASAP (if you haven't done so already) and if your LORs are not ready yet, visit the writers in a disheaveled state while carrying a baseball bat. And a lot of schools have secondaries on their websites, so instead of waiting for them to send you a link, go ahead and send those suckers in. Also, apply to a wide array of schools. Good luck.

 

[olsontf]

What do you all think about my chances to an allopathic med school with a 3.86 GPA, 28M (10PS, 9VB, 9BS) and some EC's? I appreciate it...

 

[silas2642]

What do you all think about my chances to an allopathic med school with a 3.86 GPA, 28M (10PS, 9VB, 9BS) and some EC's? I appreciate it...

Well, it depends on where you're applying and what the rest of your application looks like. Your MCAT is okay, nothing spectacular, but you're in the ballpark of an acceptable range. Plus, you've good a great GPA which helps make up for scores that are slightly low. Your numbers are nice and rounded, so that helps too.

I'd say if you have strong clinical experience, a good personal statement, and good letters of recommendation, your chances are pretty good. You might want to apply to a few more schools than most (but everyone who posts here seems to apply to AT LEAST 20+ anyway), and you should be fine, especially at state schools.

If you were a little late hopping on the application train, you might have to wait for interviews, though. I had a friend who ended up at Dartmouth with your exact same mcat score and a very similar gpa. He also got into UVM. So it is DEFINITELY possible

 

[McGillGrad]

Your verbal score will take you further than a 14 on the BS.

Verbal is often seen to have a high correlation to USLME scores due to the reading comprehension and critical thinking invloved.

Unless you KNOW that you will score a 33+ with the same verbal then go through the process one time and see what happens.

 

[Gonzo12164]

I would like to know what's the best way to decide which tier schools to apply to. I got a 33M(vr=7,bs=12,ps=14) 3.75 cum electrical engineering(3.8 science) from UC Irvine. EC's and LORs should be really good. I've looked in MSAR and know schools accept applicants with a range of verbal scores. However, how should I decide which schools I have a chance of getting into? Should I just contact the schools directly? I'm a 1st generation with parents who do not speak english. Appreciate any advice. Thanks!

 

[olsontf]

Well, it depends on where you're applying and what the rest of your application looks like. Your MCAT is okay, nothing spectacular, but you're in the ballpark of an acceptable range. Plus, you've good a great GPA which helps make up for scores that are slightly low. Your numbers are nice and rounded, so that helps too.

I'd say if you have strong clinical experience, a good personal statement, and good letters of recommendation, your chances are pretty good. You might want to apply to a few more schools than most (but everyone who posts here seems to apply to AT LEAST 20+ anyway), and you should be fine, especially at state schools.

If you were a little late hopping on the application train, you might have to wait for interviews, though. I had a friend who ended up at Dartmouth with your exact same mcat score and a very similar gpa. He also got into UVM. So it is DEFINITELY possible

Thanks for the help, everyone seems to keep posting scores that are at least 33 up to 37, so it was nice to hear this...