Hi! I was an NCAA D2 track athlete at a top ranked school. I just received my MCAT score back and I earned a 485. I studied as hard as I could but I had to balance being an athlete with practice once or sometimes twice a day, my classes, as well as my research. I presented my research at ABRCMS in California, as well as shadowed a doctor whenever I could. I plan to retake my MCAT to show schools that I am a capable student and I believe without a doubt I can do this. I have a 3.2 GPA as well. My GPA during the fall was always better then my GPA during the spring year since I traveled every Thursday or Friday for track meets and would spend most my time on a bus or in the airport. My last fall semester was a 3.5 and the one before that was a 3.5 as well. Due to corona virus my season was ended and my spring semester looks like it will be either a 4.0 or 3.7 ( I am taking 3 upper level science classes - one of them is a 400 level). I was wondering if there is any advice on how to improve my MCAT score? I also am looking at taking a Post-Baccalaureate route so that I can boost my GPA and show schools that I am capable of completing medical school.
Student Athlete - 485 First MCAT
- Thread starter Jo.dock
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Your score indicates that your content knowledge was extremely lacking. My advice is to buckle down and hit the content hard. Use prep books and watch every Khan Academy MCAT prep video. Watch them multiple times for any topic you're just not holding onto. Consistently use practice questions to test your knowledge, but don't waste AAMC materials yet. If you like flash cards, there's plenty of MCAT Anki decks out there.
Once you're sure you have a solid content foundation, start doing UWorld. It's worth every penny. When you're getting better with UWorld (don't be surprised when you're missing a lot of questions at first), take a practice full length. Personally, I only used AAMC full lengths because I find 3rd party FLs to be of questionable value. Use the FL to identify your weaknesses and spend a lot of time figuring out what you got wrong and why, then come up with a plan to improve. Continue to hit UWorld and do content review as needed. When you feel ready, hit the AAMC section banks. They'll help fine tune your reasoning skills, but make sure your content foundation is solid before starting them.
As you get closer to your test date, take AAMC full length practice exams under testing conditions once a week. If they identify significant weaknesses, make sure to address those weaknesses (as in, completely fix them) before moving on to the next full length.
I never studied "full time" as I had a full time job and was still in classes, but I still studied for hundreds of hours over a 4 month period. If you're going to be busy with school and sports, make sure you're blocking enough time at least 5 days a week for dedicated prep.
Once you're sure you have a solid content foundation, start doing UWorld. It's worth every penny. When you're getting better with UWorld (don't be surprised when you're missing a lot of questions at first), take a practice full length. Personally, I only used AAMC full lengths because I find 3rd party FLs to be of questionable value. Use the FL to identify your weaknesses and spend a lot of time figuring out what you got wrong and why, then come up with a plan to improve. Continue to hit UWorld and do content review as needed. When you feel ready, hit the AAMC section banks. They'll help fine tune your reasoning skills, but make sure your content foundation is solid before starting them.
As you get closer to your test date, take AAMC full length practice exams under testing conditions once a week. If they identify significant weaknesses, make sure to address those weaknesses (as in, completely fix them) before moving on to the next full length.
I never studied "full time" as I had a full time job and was still in classes, but I still studied for hundreds of hours over a 4 month period. If you're going to be busy with school and sports, make sure you're blocking enough time at least 5 days a week for dedicated prep.
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Do some research on what people think about prep courses. Most people find them to be a waste of money and they cost A LOT.
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One month is not enough to bring up a 485, as others have pointed out that indicates a profound content gap. Have you finished all of the relevant prerequisites yet (bio I/II, gen chem I/II, orgo I, physics I/II, biochem)?
This is actually one case where I would recommend reddit--the premed reddit isn't particularly helpful unless you're looking for support and memes, but the MCAT reddit is incredibly focused and was my most important resource for planning and improvement. I would strongly recommend posting your question there.
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I also used r/MCAT extensively and highly recommend it.
Hey, I went from about a 495 on my first practice exam to a 516 on the real test. I didn't want to pay for an MCAT prep course and I came across a website that helped my organize my studying leading up to the exam. It's completely free, the only thing is you have to sit through an infomerical where they try to sell you a bunch of products (insert rolling eyes emoji here). Seriously, you don't need to buy anything.
It doesn't provide study materials (ie you will need to buy your own set of books) but it outlines a study plan very nicely. The website matches the Princeton Review/Kaplan Review chapters with Khan Academy videos which I found really helpful because there was a lot of content I didn't cover in college, especially because I didn't take a ton of basic bio anatomy classes. Anyways, here's the link if you want to check it out:
mcatselfprep.com
Good luck from one former NCAA track athlete to another!
It doesn't provide study materials (ie you will need to buy your own set of books) but it outlines a study plan very nicely. The website matches the Princeton Review/Kaplan Review chapters with Khan Academy videos which I found really helpful because there was a lot of content I didn't cover in college, especially because I didn't take a ton of basic bio anatomy classes. Anyways, here's the link if you want to check it out:
MCAT Self Prep
The Free MCAT Prep Course. Try our Free MCAT Prep Course before spending thousands on another MCAT course. Structured based on the AAMC.
mcatselfprep.com
Good luck from one former NCAA track athlete to another!
Last edited:
Thanks! I’m going to study all summer then evaluate if I should take it in October.Hey, I went from about a 495 on my first practice exam to a 516 on the real test. I didn't want to pay for an MCAT prep course and I came across a website that helped my organize my studying leading up to the exam. It's completely free, the only thing is you have to sit through an infomerical where they try to sell you a bunch of products (insert rolling eyes emoji here). Seriously, you don't need to buy anything. The website matches the Princeton Review/Kaplan Review chapters with Khan Academy videos which I found really helpful because there was a lot of content I didn't cover in college, especially because I didn't take a ton of basic bio anatomy classes. Anyways, here's the link if you want to check it out:
MCAT Self Prep
The Free MCAT Prep Course. Try our Free MCAT Prep Course before spending thousands on another MCAT course. Structured based on the AAMC.
Good luck from one former NCAA track athlete to another!
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Make sure you're doing enough practice problems if you really want to raise your score. And take the AAMC FL a month before your exam date to see if you are within range of your target score. DO NOT take the exam again unless you are close to your goal score.
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I’m going with what everyone here is saying for the most part and reiterate that there is a significant content gap that is preventing you from getting your ideal scores. I too was a D2 track athlete, and I’m sure you know that between indoor and outdoor track we go year round with training and competition. This, combined with a heavy pre med schedule, makes it that much harder to study not only for classes but also the MCAT. This is why o opted to wait til the summer to study and take the exam. Of course this is significantly altered with everything going on, but I recommend reflecting on study habits, how you’re going about learning/relearning the content, approach to passages and questions, etc. I can recommend some resources that definitely helped me, PM me if you have any questions
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You have massive defecits in knowledge. I mean a 485 is going through the test guessing on each question.
You need a 4+ months of content review (1 month per section) + 1 months of questions/practice exams.
If you are serious about this, this is the way.
Good luck.
You need a 4+ months of content review (1 month per section) + 1 months of questions/practice exams.
If you are serious about this, this is the way.
Good luck.
@Jo.dock
What was the score breakdown for your 485?
That might impact how you should best prepare.
Have you taken any psychology/sociology courses? Have you tried using the 300 page P/S outline that summarizes all the Khan Academy Psychology/Sociology videos? It’s available for free download on the Reddit MCAT.
Which MCAT study materials did you use the first time around?
You will need to spend many months getting ready for a retake.
What was the score breakdown for your 485?
That might impact how you should best prepare.
Have you taken any psychology/sociology courses? Have you tried using the 300 page P/S outline that summarizes all the Khan Academy Psychology/Sociology videos? It’s available for free download on the Reddit MCAT.
Which MCAT study materials did you use the first time around?
You will need to spend many months getting ready for a retake.
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I will not try to be rude.. but you took the actual MCAT with a practice score of 485. That's some serious lack of judgement and not sure if you're one of those people who says "they're serious" but really are not. This score is def gonna raise some eyebrows on admissions committees about your capability to do med school. Do the post-bacc and study extremely hard with 100% effort into this exam and aim for 500+ for DO schools. You still have a chance to redeem yourself.
