Smart choice, or stupid?

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moto_za

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Hi,

I am planning on taking the MCAT in April. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to sign up for the FEB date and take it as a practice and then void it. The reason I am interested in doing this is b/c: 1) I will be familiar w/ the atm and location which will lower my STRESS 2) get a "feel" of the actual MCAT
Please let me know what u think? THANKS A LOT!
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I think you can still be prepared adequately by taking the most recent practice tests (w/ other students to make it feel like a real MCAT) or past MCATs. The thing with taking it and then voiding is that I'm not sure if the schools you're applying to will be able to see that you took it or not, or count it as an MCAT try, nahmean? I forgot what was said about that when I took my MCAT
 
Ehhhh..... I'd probably say no to this. You could always do a practice exam and pretend it is the real thing. But i suppose if you're willing to spend the $$$ to take the real exam, i dunno, i don't see a reason why not. But i think the money and time would be better spent on practicing and buying practice material. You may even be able to take some practices through Princeton Review or Kaplan without taking the whole course. (Talk with your local rep, they may be able to work something out $ wise)
 
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thanks! Yea, I was thinking it would be worth the experience to spend some extra money.....
 
It just feels like a weird thing to do, but I guess I never really thought about it. It probably wouldn't help unless you were very well prepared, since having no clue for a several hour test won't help you any. But then if you do go in well prepared, you have the whole "should I or shouldn't I cancel my scores" debate in the back of your brain the whole time.

I took paper MCAT, and I found taking old AAMC tests in a classroom setting (hosted by pre-med club) very similar to the real thing. Also, Princeton Review where I am offers free practice tests.
 
i'm probably the only one that thinks this is a brilliant idea, one that i wish i had thought of. of course, you are out some money, but then again, if you're willing to drop $1500 on kaplan, what's an extra whatever the mcat costs. although i wouldn't do it if med schools have a way of seeing that you voided your scores.
 
finally, someone feels the same as I do.. Anyone know if med schools will know?
 
they have a test in feb?

IMO, it's a huge waste of money which could be spent on delicious food and cool drinks. I think practicing as much as possible with the aamc exams is sufficient.
 
On the plus side, in the paper exam when someone cancelled scores half way through, it freaked a lot of people out. Could be fun...
 
karmega5 said:
On the plus side, in the paper exam when someone cancelled scores half way through, it freaked a lot of people out. Could be fun...
Click to expand...

oh man, i remember at my mcat how about 60 people got up and cancelled their scores after the physical sciences section, a section in which i skipped a whole 2 page problem because it made no sense. it turned out ok though.
 
no don't take it as a practice unless your pratice scores are constantly in the range of what you want. you might be just wasting a chance otherwise
 
I guess if you have the money...

Seems to be way too neurotic.
 
The med schools may not know about it, but will AAMC count it as one of the three tries? I believe you have to petition to take it more than three times.
 
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IF this wouldn't count as 1 of your 3 tries and wouldn't show up for your med schools, go for it -- the best thing for me was to take practice tests, holding myself to the time limits -- i was lucky that our honors program has a *house* on campus with computer labs, so i secluded myself there all day on easter and took my last practice test before the real thing. practice was WAY more important for me to studying. oh, also -- i took the monday after MCAT OFF from school, even though it was the week before finals -- it was nice to be able to look forward to a day off after spending easter practicing. rewards like that are good incentives...
 
moto_za said:
Hi,

I am planning on taking the MCAT in April. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to sign up for the FEB date and take it as a practice and then void it. The reason I am interested in doing this is b/c: 1) I will be familiar w/ the atm and location which will lower my STRESS 2) get a "feel" of the actual MCAT
Please let me know what u think? THANKS A LOT!
Click to expand...

Go for it....but remember to come back and fill us in on your experience.
 
This is going to either motivate you to study harder because you are not familiar with a lot of the material and you will end up doing well when you take it for real, or it is going to freak you out and provide you with even more anxiety when taking it for real. Whatever the case, I am not sure if med schools can see it or not.

As far as taking it more than three times, I do know people who have had to do this and it was very easy. All you need to do is have an advising office verify that you are a student taking this test in an effort to gain acceptance into a medical school. This is to try and keep the number of test prep people taking the exam to a minimum (for obvious reasons).
 
I voided once and I was trying to take it for real. Even that felt like a waste of money. So no, don't do it. I knew one person who took the test and voided for the experience, and she was regarded as a total douche.
 
heathen said:
The med schools may not know about it, but will AAMC count it as one of the three tries? I believe you have to petition to take it more than three times.
Click to expand...

after switching to CBT I believe AAMC lifted the 3 time policy
 
Looks like you're in the clear if you void... if you feel it will help, go for it. Unless you get a crazy scholarship,etc., think of how much the average debt of a graduating med student is... the money you pay for this type of prep is just a few pennies compared to 100-200K of debt.

Check it out....

From Princeton Review: http://www.princetonreview.com/medical/testprep/testprep.asp?TPRPAGE=595&TYPE=MCAT-TAKING


Can I cancel my scores?


The only way you can keep your MCAT scores hidden is to VOID the test at the end of the exam. You must complete the testing session before you have the opportunity to void your scores. If you void your test, it will not be scored at all, and your participation in that administration of the MCAT will not be reported to AMCAS or to non-AMCAS schools. For more information, read The MCAT Score Release Option.
 
the only problem is that I am not sure if I can take the test a month after. For example, if I take one in march and void it,I am not sure if I will be allowed to register for a test in April?
 
thankss, so yea, i can just take the april one for void and then register a few days later for the may one. Sounds like a plan to me :smuggrin:
 
moto_za said:
Hi,

I am planning on taking the MCAT in April. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to sign up for the FEB date and take it as a practice and then void it. The reason I am interested in doing this is b/c: 1) I will be familiar w/ the atm and location which will lower my STRESS 2) get a "feel" of the actual MCAT
Please let me know what u think? THANKS A LOT!
Click to expand...
Stupid. If you want to get a feel for the MCAT, buy some practice AAMC tests and take those. That's what they're for. :idea:
 
I thought when you void your test, they don't score it! :confused:

If you want to know how well you did, and the above is true, then it's a HUGE waste of time and money!
 
Cheers to you!

If schools don't know that you took it and voided it...I say go for it!

Your idea was to experiene the administration of the exam. You won't gain this experience by taking practice exams at home in your underwear sipping a latte and eating Doritos.

You won't know your results (i.e. your score), but that's not your motive.

The MCAT is a monster. If you have the time and money, do it (and anything else that you can to prepare)!
 
Cheers to you!

If schools don't know that you took it and voided it...I say go for it!

Your idea was to experiene the administration of the exam. You won't gain this experience by taking practice exams at home in your underwear sipping a latte and eating Doritos.

You won't know your results (i.e. your score), but that's not your motive.

The MCAT is a monster. If you have the time and money, do it (and anything else that you can to prepare)!
 
Doctor~Detroit said:
Cheers to you!

If schools don't know that you took it and voided it...I say go for it!

Your idea was to experiene the administration of the exam. You won't gain this experience by taking practice exams at home in your underwear sipping a latte and eating Doritos.

You won't know your results (i.e. your score), but that's not your motive.

The MCAT is a monster. If you have the time and money, do it (and anything else that you can to prepare)!
Click to expand...

:)

Your advice is brilliant!
 
Dr.Detroit said:
I've never seen that movie. Is it good? Was it actually filmed in Detroit (or Chicago as are most films set in Detroit)?
Click to expand...

it's fantastic (-ally horrible and incomprehensible) !!!
 
moto_za said:
thankss, so yea, i can just take the april one for void and then register a few days later for the may one. Sounds like a plan to me :smuggrin:
Click to expand...

If the MCAT is filled up until April right now, I think that the May date will be filled up well before post-April MCAT.
 
moto_za said:
Hi,

I am planning on taking the MCAT in April. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to sign up for the FEB date and take it as a practice and then void it. The reason I am interested in doing this is b/c: 1) I will be familiar w/ the atm and location which will lower my STRESS 2) get a "feel" of the actual MCAT
Please let me know what u think? THANKS A LOT!
Click to expand...


This is a horrible idea. Just take some practice tests, they are just as good as taking the real thing. I did a Kaplan course and did extra practice tests, getting up to 1-2 a week and it really built up my stamina, which is most of what matters... since you can learn the types of questions from a book or class. Anyway, don't do anything that will officially show up anywhere, or could officially show up anywhere because it could possibly lead to future headaches and you don't always have an opportunity to explain yourself. Just do this right, practice practice practice UNOFFICIALLY and then take it once and rock it!

Good luck.
 
moto_za said:
Hi,

I am planning on taking the MCAT in April. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to sign up for the FEB date and take it as a practice and then void it. The reason I am interested in doing this is b/c: 1) I will be familiar w/ the atm and location which will lower my STRESS 2) get a "feel" of the actual MCAT
Please let me know what u think? THANKS A LOT!
Click to expand...

I think you should take timed practice tests in a test-like setting (like a library), or, if you can afford it, take a princeton review course where you get a bunch of these mock exams. They really helped me a lot - when the time came for the real thing I was nervous, but once I saw the test it was easy to concentrate.

I took the last paper and pencil version, though, so the CBT may be different...
 
I agree with those who say this would likely be a waste of money. I'd spend the extra $$$ on Kaplan Qbank or other test prep materials. Taking practice tests will work just as well, especially if you work hard to simulate test conditions. Do your practice tests at the same time that you would take the actual test, recruit a friend to "proctor" you, and take timed breaks to get pace of the day.

Also, Kaplan offers a free computer-based practice MCAT:
http://66.39.15.240/MCAT/TestDirections.htm

It's slightly shorter than the real thing, but not by much. It'll also give you a score analysis and allow you to review each question.
 
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