Take and void vs don't show up?

[Life2dmax]

Alright so I'm currently registered for the 1/23 spot and it's too late to cancel and I couldn't have gotten anything refunded if I canceled before. I'm planning on taking the early April one. Should I sit in and take it or should I skip it. Listed the pro/cons of each to help me decide lemme know if you have input. Not sure if it takes one of the 3 attempts but that's not really even in my mind as an issue.

Pros of going
Already paid of it
Might as well get experience

Cons of not showing up
Even if I take it I won't get the score (biggest barrier for me at the moment)
Using up a Saturday that I could use for studying
What if I take it and feel like I actually did well?

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[orangeblue]

I do believe that it counts as a third attempt.

For myself, taking the test even if it is going to be a void was helpful b.c it allowed me to sit in the test center blah blah and might as well get the real deal experience as I paid for it already.

Regarding Con List # 3 point, personally I will decide whether I will score or not BEFORE walking into the test. You have to have 100% resolve to take this beast in order to focus that long . If I had any doubts whether I'll score or not, on top of looking through questions, having to evaluate /decide this during the test is an addition thing you have to worry about, which can impact performance/focus.

 

[Dr. Trenb]

Take and void.

 

[doctorold]

Take and void.

If you take and void, will schools see that?

 

[mw18]

If you take and void, will schools see that?

If a test is voided, it never happened at all to schools. Your next attempt will be your first attempt as far as med schools are concerned (assuming you haven't taken it a different time).

 

[mw18]

Hey I just read (from reliable sources) that the score reporting is different now and that schools have started seeing that tests were voided this year. Sorry to have misled you.

 

[sbook2]

Hey I just read (from reliable sources) that the score reporting is different now and that schools have started seeing that tests were voided this year. Sorry to have misled you.

The following is a quote from the most recent AAMC MCAT Essentials guide: "Information from voided exams is not included on any score reports that are sent to medical schools". I am not sure where you got the info. that med schools see voided exams.

 

[mw18]

Some of the adcoms on here said so. They don't see info, just that there was an exam voided.

 

[mw18]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/voiding-mcat-for-practice.1182497/

 

[sbook2]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/voiding-mcat-for-practice.1182497/

This got me really curious so I e-mailed AAMC and got this response: "The AAMC will not report your participation in the test to AMCAS or to non-AMCAS schools if you void your scores."

 

[mw18]

They don't report it but schools can still access it.

 

[sbook2]

They don't report it but schools can still access it.

Well that's annoying

 

[Ad2b]

Popping in here to confirm:

AAMC does not "push" the void notification to med schools. HOWEVER, via the online portal, med schools CAN and WILL see that voided score. That voided score DOES count as one of your attempts and is also, most likely viewed not so favorably by the adcoms.

I was set to take mine on 9/12/15 and was ready for beast mode. Dad's heart attack 10 days prior, death in family 7 days prior (not my dad), I asked a few adcoms on here and in RL their thoughts.

Verbatim:

"Don't sit for it, and don't void."

In the good ole days, the adcoms would not have known and one could use the voided exam as a practice test before taking the test for real. The new portal kind of stops that... unless one wants to explain why they sat for the test and then voided. Obviously, getting sick would be a valid excuse.

IF the reasons for a void are outside of the test taker's scope of responsibility, the void is noted as a center void or some other such notification... meaning, it is seen differently because the test center voided the exam, not the individual.

 

[Life2dmax]

Popping in here to confirm:

AAMC does not "push" the void notification to med schools. HOWEVER, via the online portal, med schools CAN and WILL see that voided score. That voided score DOES count as one of your attempts and is also, most likely viewed not so favorably by the adcoms.

I was set to take mine on 9/12/15 and was ready for beast mode. Dad's heart attack 10 days prior, death in family 7 days prior (not my dad), I asked a few adcoms on here and in RL their thoughts.

Verbatim:

"Don't sit for it, and don't void."

In the good ole days, the adcoms would not have known and one could use the voided exam as a practice test before taking the test for real. The new portal kind of stops that... unless one wants to explain why they sat for the test and then voided. Obviously, getting sick would be a valid excuse.

IF the reasons for a void are outside of the test taker's scope of responsibility, the void is noted as a center void or some other such notification... meaning, it is seen differently because the test center voided the exam, not the individual.

Wow I didn't know this. Where did you find this info about the portal? I just called the AAMC and they said that voiding doesn't score the exam at all. Also, the med schools will not see it being voided.

I'm confused...because I thought if I voided it then I do see the score? How can they see the score?

Also, if this is true...more people need to know about this. If it honestly factors into adcom decisions then it completely erases the purpose of voiding an exam and impacts the decision of people voiding their score.

 

[Lawpy]

Hey I just read (from reliable sources) that the score reporting is different now and that schools have started seeing that tests were voided this year. Sorry to have misled you.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/voiding-mcat-for-practice.1182497/

To clarify, the new MCAT report will show an MCAT attempt was made with no score. Since voided exams are NEVER scored, there is nothing to report. Schools will not know if the student selected the void but certainly the majority will assume that.

I would never recommend any student do this.

A void is never scored and no report is ever created or sent to a medical school saying there has been a void by a student.

If a school wants to dig and look, it may be able to see that "an attempt" was made (scheduled but no report). It wont say why nor will there be any report available, nor will it show up automatically in any medical school's admissions system

That is the difference here. So as I said previously, it is highly unlikely any school will ever dig down, note a scheduled attempt, and use it in any admissions decision.

A void will not have any impact on admissions

Wow I didn't know this. Where did you find this info about the portal? I just called the AAMC and they said that voiding doesn't score the exam at all. Also, the med schools will not see it being voided.

I'm confused...because I thought if I voided it then I do see the score? How can they see the score?

Also, if this is true...more people need to know about this. If it honestly factors into adcom decisions then it completely erases the purpose of voiding an exam and impacts the decision of people voiding their score.

Please read gonnif's posts slowly and carefully. There is unnecessary panic here.

 

[Ad2b]

^^^ exactly ^^^ AAMC does not PUSH the voided information to the schools but IF the schools want to see the full MCAT attempts/responses/etc, they can through the portal.

I no-showed based on the information given to me here and by my own family who are adcoms. I trust them (and the adcoms here) over any premed (I am a premed)

 

[mw18]

Please read gonnif's posts slowly and carefully. There is unnecessary panic here.

When did I say anything untrue? I said that adcoms have started finding out about voids. I guess you can take issue with "score reporting," but basically I had said prior to this that there was no way someone would know if you voided. Then I saw that other thread so I wanted the people I had accidentally misled to have all the info. And then later clarified the info wasn't pushed to them, just that they had the opportunity to access it.

 

[Ad2b]

@mw18 - you're fine; some people split atoms, some people split hairs.

 

[Lawpy]

When did I say anything untrue? I said that adcoms have started finding out about voids. I guess you can take issue with "score reporting," but basically I had said prior to this that there was no way someone would know if you voided. Then I saw that other thread so I wanted the people I had accidentally misled to have all the info. And then later clarified the info wasn't pushed to them, just that they had the opportunity to access it.

@mw18 - you're fine; some people split atoms, some people split hairs.

to clarify, panic had erupted with the updated info that people misunderstood what you meant. i responded in confusion because of random chaos and provided the gonnif posts. so we aren't in disagreement