So confused...

[dr.pinky]

Well, where do I start?

Basically, I applied to medical school previously and received several interviews. Post-interview....I was rejected from some and waitlisted by others. In the end, I was not offered admission. I sought advise from an experienced person at a medical school where I was waitlisted and followed this person's advice. At this point, I've taken more courses to boost the GPA and recover from bad grades during my undergrad years (I'm a post-bacc). My plan was to take the MCAT again, but now I'm not so sure. It would be the third time I'm taking the exam. Although I was able to improve between the first and second time I took the exam, I'm worried about the chance of decreasing on the third try. In addition, my pre-med advisor is warning that it might not be a great idea because statistics show most people have gone down on the third try. She stated this even though my second score is slightly below the score I was aiming for. So, the question is: Do I take the MCAT again and take the chance OR do I try to re-apply with a less than stellar score? If you've got any advice, please feel free to share it! Thanks!

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[Tired Pigeon]

What is the best MCAT score you have achieved thus far?

 

[Wrigleyville]

What is the score you are aiming for and please tell us about the rest of your application. If you are going to solicit advice from total strangers you at least have to provide us some specific info.

 

[dr.pinky]

Sorry for being vague...

The higher of the two scores on the MCAT has been 23. I have received as much as a 29 on previous practice exams. I am aiming for at least a 25 or higher. In terms of the rest of my application, my BCPM was 3.01 between undergrad. and post-bacc years. Specifically, I received a 3.42 in my post-bacc years so far. I have done many hours of volunteer work and a couple of research projects. As far as my personal statement, I felt that it was a good essay.

 

[dr.pinky]

Sorry for being vague...

The higher of the two scores on the MCAT has been 23. I have received as much as a 29 on previous practice exams. I am aiming for at least a 25 or higher. In terms of the rest of my application, my BCPM was 3.01 between undergrad. and post-bacc years. Specifically, I received a 3.42 in my post-bacc years so far. I have done many hours of volunteer work and a couple of research projects. As far as my personal statement, I felt that it was a good essay. If there's any more information that is needed, please let me know.

 

[Sanriokilljoy]

Take the MCAT again only if you believe you can improve. Honestly, improvement from a 23 is a realistic goal, especially by taking a review course (kaplan, princeton, exam krackers). Just don't limit yourself because of some statistic. And look at it this way, your premed advisor will still have a job whether or not you get in medical school; the question is whether or not you did everthing you could to get in.

 

[Tired Pigeon]

You absolutely need to get that MCAT score up. By the way, what was your score breakdown? Definitely consider one of the prep courses. Also consider what's going on that causes you to do so much worse on the actual test compared with your practice scores. Are you running out of time on the actual test? Are you experiencing test anxiety? If you can get a 29 on practice tests, you should be able to get pretty close to that on the actual exam -- since this is not happening, you need to think about what else is going on.

Your GPA is also marginal -- consider taking more post-bacc courses in the areas that are covered on the MCAT (thus killing two birds with one stone). With regard to your PS, have you had a number of people look at it? Find someone who you consider a really good writer (perhaps a professor??) and ask them for their honest feedback. Sometimes friends are not the best PS editors -- either they're not such great writers themselves, or they feel bad being critical. You have to ask PS reviewers to please "not hold back" in giving you their evaluation of your writing.

Good luck to you!

 

[Tired Pigeon]

And PLEASE don't put too much weight on what your pre-med advisor tells you. They often dispense "one size fits all" advice that may not be the best for your particular situation. It sounds like your gut is telling you to take the MCAT again ... trust your instincts, not your advisor.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

You absolutely need to get that MCAT score up.

This is true, but I hate prep courses. Usually the person teaching them has a level of comprehension for the material far less than your college professors which are much much cheaper. Use the books, but don't pay for their teachers.

Most people on SDN will say that at least a 27 is necessary before schools will take you even a little bit seriously. If you are in a rural state, you can probably draw a little bit of attention at 26. Either way, a 23 may not even be the national average. That's your first problem.

The MCAT score during the admissions process is a lot like establishing your weight class in boxing. Sugar Ray Leonard was great for his class, but he never would have stood a chance against Larry Holmes. Adcoms want the heavyweights.

 

[ngc76]

I applied to medical school previously and received several interviews. Post-interview....I was rejected from some and waitlisted by others.

Take the MCAT again only if you believe you can improve

I say definately retake the MCAT. And I would highly recommend a prep course. I just finished a Kaplan In-Class course and raised my MCAT from 27 to 29. Not earth shattering by any means, but should put me into a more competetive range.

I, like you, applied, was interviewed, waitlisted, and rejected.

I think the effort put in to trying again will also show your motivation.

 

[dr.pinky]

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for the insightful feedback! i'm sorry I haven't replied before, but I have had computer issues. At this point, I have signed up to take the MCAT again. In regards to a previous posting, I do experience test taking anxiety on test day and deal with timing problems, which I am currently trying to get control of. (My breakdown on the second MCAT was PS 8, VR 7, BS 8; WS P by the way.) I have found a prof. that I've known for years who is offering his help and being very honest with his criticism of my personal statement. I am looking to get advising for my application from elsewhere since my school advisor is not really being all that helpful. I'll be sure to keep you all updated on my progress!

 

[jsnuka]

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for the insightful feedback! i'm sorry I haven't replied before, but I have had computer issues. At this point, I have signed up to take the MCAT again. In regards to a previous posting, I do experience test taking anxiety on test day and deal with timing problems, which I am currently trying to get control of. (My breakdown on the second MCAT was PS 8, VR 7, BS 8; WS P by the way.) I have found a prof. that I've known for years who is offering his help and being very honest with his criticism of my personal statement. I am looking to get advising for my application from elsewhere since my school advisor is not really being all that helpful. I'll be sure to keep you all updated on my progress!

Yes, you should definitely take the MCAT again.

What are you doing and what have you done in the past to prepare for the test?

A commercial review course may be of some help to you, if you have not gone that route previously. It will give you some focus and help to relieve some of the test anxiety.

I can understand why your advisor says students who take the test repeatedly fair a bit worse. Some times peopel get overconfident and do not dedicate the time and effort needed to STUDY/REVIEW EVERYTHING taht is covered on the test b/c s/he feels comfortable with it given previous experiences.

Yoyu cannot look at the test that way and need to forget about your previous performances and study techniques and COMPLETELY do something different, new and improved to acquire the success you are attempting to achieve.

If you are working, cut down on your hours to get in the study/review time that you need. If you are taking classes, consider reducing your courseload to get the study time you need.

Make sure that you are TOTALLY prpepared to do what is necessary to achieve the level of success that you expect to have.

Good luck!!!!

 

[kuangwchang]

Yes, MCAT again. Now since it's computerized it's alot more convient and less stressful. 5 hours compared to the paper and pen 8 hours, maybe that will help with your testing problems?

 

[RollWave11]

And PLEASE don't put too much weight on what your pre-med advisor tells you. They often dispense "one size fits all" advice that may not be the best for your particular situation. It sounds like your gut is telling you to take the MCAT again ... trust your instincts, not your advisor.

Advisors suck. They discourage so many people from even TRYING. I know they told me I didnt have a shot...

I say take kraplan, do every single online test thing in every subtopic possible and print off the explanations. Go through each one. One by one. Like its your job. You'll hit 28-30 no problem if you go through it all.