Take new MCAT or stand?

[Labkid]

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Hey guys so I'm back here after a while. Have completely turned around my education consistently getting dean's list, have a research position, shadowing, and finally got some volunteer opportunities ahead of me. I've also held a job the past year. I have a great research position that I will be staying in for a year after I graduate to get something more on my resume for med school as I believe it's something I desperately need. Most people I've talked to agree on this.

Right now I am about a week away from the MCAT and I am not getting the score on the practice I was hoping.

Here is a simple list of the scores and my other stats (These are PRACTICE scores, not real MCATs):

1. 30 (12VR/8PS/10BS)
2. 24 (10VR/6PS/8BS)
3. 26 (9VR/7PS/10BS)
4. 26 (9VR/7PS/10BS)

Biology Major with Business Administration Minor (Graduating May)
cGPA 3.3 (up from 3.0), sGPA 3.65 (haven't made sure calculations are right)

250+ hours worth of shadowing (Emergency, Cardiovascular, Gastro, Peds)
Research - Started this semester (Will continue for a year after graduation, full-time lab tech)
Volunteering - Also starting this semester
LORs - Have plenty of people in mind, a few who have even asked me to tell them when I need one, haven't asked for them yet as I am not applying for another 5 months at least.

Other Things:

VP & Dance Instructor of a dance club on campus
VP of a fraternity on campus


I know the research and volunteering are dismal but I am not applying until early decision which I have seen is between June-August for most places. By then I should have more than good enough numbers.

Problem is I have not had 2nd semester Physics or any Physiology. Essentially I've taught myself most of the subject-matter in there but that's only been over the past 5 weeks (I did my best to study during classes but my workload became way too much). The questions I tend to miss are not conceptual but rather calculations as they require doing problems over and over to memorize and like I said I have not had the most time possible so I have tried my best to focus my study efforts on what I needed most.

I don't know where the 30 came from I guess it was luck. On the other hand some of my answers are silly mistakes from getting burned out from studying all through holidays. I expected this to be tough but I was hoping I could at least manage a 30 given my first score. Realistically now I am expecting a 26-28, which isn't bad for DO from what I understand but is quite low for MD schools.

My big question is whether I should post my scores and whether I should take the new MCAT which I will have much more time to study for even though there is new material on it. I know I can learn the material if I am given enough time I just want to know if it's worth trying to go to a MD school. From what I've heard the new one is much more conceptual than this one so I feel it will be my strong suite especially since I do have interest in psychology and sociology as well.

So far my main reason for MD is cash as I've heard DO tends to be much more expensive than MD. The school in my state for MD is something I could handle financially, I haven't checked completely on the DO school but if it's anything more expensive then I would consider joining military to pay it, but if I can avoid that I would rather do so. I don't care about letters I care about being a physician so whatever way I get there does not bother me.

Sorry if this is a bit long I tried to condense it as much as possible so it's an easy read. If there is any more information you would like please let me know.

 

[AlteredScale]

If your at or above a 29 then you could probably still apply MD. 30 is ideal of course but 29 won't kill you if you apply smartly (no Columbia or Northwestern as part of your school lost sir of thing)

Starting volunteer:clinical experience and research will be stressful as you may have a hard time incorporating these experiences into your PS in such a way that it doesn't look like you checked a box.

 

[mimelim]

If you are aiming for US MD, taking the MCAT with an average of 26.5 practice scores is asking for a retake, ESPECIALLY with a sub-par GPA. If in practice you make silly mistakes, you are going to make silly mistakes on your real MCAT. You will also get lucky and unlucky based on the questions that you get. Your best gauge of future performance are those practice tests. You should not be taking the MCAT now based on your stated goals. Also, given this, it is worth re-considering your long term plans and looking long and hard at DO programs.

 

[Labkid]

If you are aiming for US MD, taking the MCAT with an average of 26.5 practice scores is asking for a retake, ESPECIALLY with a sub-par GPA. If in practice you make silly mistakes, you are going to make silly mistakes on your real MCAT. You will also get lucky and unlucky based on the questions that you get. Your best gauge of future performance are those practice tests. You should not be taking the MCAT now based on your stated goals. Also, given this, it is worth re-considering your long term plans and looking long and hard at DO programs.

I agree but do you think I should still take the MCAT and just go for DO schools and not worry about the new one or still worry about the new one even though I will be shooting for DO?

 

[625233]

Don't take a career deciding exam with any uncertainty, @Goro has a better way with words, but it's something like that haha. Anyway, I would suggest putting off the MCAT until you're ready, whether that be a semester, or a year+.

 

[mehc012]

I agree but do you think I should still take the MCAT and just go for DO schools and not worry about the new one or still worry about the new one even though I will be shooting for DO?

You have to be prepared going into the MCAT for scoring anywhere ∓2 of your average practice score.
So ask yourself, if you pull the wrong cards and hit a 24, how do you see your chances for MD? For DO?
Are you prepared to take that risk?

Personally, if I thought there was any possibility that I would improve, I would not take a standardized exam while expecting to score ~50th percentile. If you have the time to do it right, take it.

 

[mimelim]

I agree but do you think I should still take the MCAT and just go for DO schools and not worry about the new one or still worry about the new one even though I will be shooting for DO?

I am not a good person to get advice on this from as I have little experience with DO schools in general. I think @Goro is probably who you want to get advice from directly.

In general, and as always, it depends. Goro often says that a lot of schools out there value reinvention and improvement and I would agree. These are the schools that would look at your application with interest based on your description of your application. As for DO, you need to figure out what your future plans are. Not set in stone, but plans. Does going DO limit your future plans? For the vast majority of students, it won't and they will be perfectly happy and do well. But, other than the generic and fuzzy stuff, I defer to people that know more about this than I do.

 

[mimelim]

Oh and as for the MCAT, I agree with @mehc012. You should aim to take the MCAT once. If you have studied to the best of your ability, then yes you should take it sooner than later. If you think that you would benefit from better (not more, but BETTER) studying, then you should do that first.

 

[mehc012]

Oh and as for the MCAT, I agree with @mehc012. You should aim to take the MCAT once. If you have studied to the best of your ability, then yes you should take it sooner than later. If you think that you would benefit from better (not more, but BETTER) studying, then you should do that first.

On that note, it seems hard to claim that you've studied to the best of your abilities if you haven't finished the prerequisite coursework. It may be best to take a step back and wait at least long enough to finish the material before resigning yourself to a lower score.

 

[Labkid]

On that note, it seems hard to claim that you've studied to the best of your abilities if you haven't finished the prerequisite coursework. It may be best to take a step back and wait at least long enough to finish the material before resigning yourself to a lower score.

Thank you all for the great advice and yes I have studied the best I can for the very short time I've had but it is certainly not the "best of my ability" by any stretch and I didn't mean to give that impression. It is simply the best I could muster given the time I had. I wanted to at least give it a shot.

I think it is best for me to put it back and give myself real time to learn the material I need to learn (much more possible this semester than last).

I can for sure say with confidence I could easily get above 30 if I had the time to learn the material, I was however hoping for a 30-32 on practice tests but since it hasn't gotten there I agree with the majority and think it's best to push it back.

However if anyone has any advice on what to look for in terms of finding good fits for DO schools I still want to explore that option just to make sure I am situated for the future, it's always good to prepare. I've been told they all "generally accept lower scores" but that doesn't exactly narrow down which ones are best for me the way I've been able to for MD schools.

Thanks once again.

 

[Goro]

You've reached your plateau and it would be foolish to retake. The multiple retakes and poorer scores poison the well for MD schools. Your best bet will be to apply broadly to DO schools, especially the newer ones. Some schools take the best composite score, which = your 30 score.

Hey guys so I'm back here after a while. Have completely turned around my education consistently getting dean's list, have a research position, shadowing, and finally got some volunteer opportunities ahead of me. I've also held a job the past year. I have a great research position that I will be staying in for a year after I graduate to get something more on my resume for med school as I believe it's something I desperately need. Most people I've talked to agree on this.

Right now I am about a week away from the MCAT and I am not getting the score on the practice I was hoping.

Here is a simple list of the scores and my other stats:

1. 30 (12VR/8PS/10BS)
2. 24 (10VR/6PS/8BS)
3. 26 (9VR/7PS/10BS)
4. 26 (9VR/7PS/10BS)

Biology Major with Business Administration Minor (Graduating May)
cGPA 3.3 (up from 3.0), sGPA 3.65 (haven't made sure calculations are right)

250+ hours worth of shadowing (Emergency, Cardiovascular, Gastro, Peds)
Research - Started this semester (Will continue for a year after graduation, full-time lab tech)
Volunteering - Also starting this semester
LORs - Have plenty of people in mind, a few who have even asked me to tell them when I need one, haven't asked for them yet as I am not applying for another 5 months at least.

Other Things:

VP & Dance Instructor of a dance club on campus
VP of a fraternity on campus


I know the research and volunteering are dismal but I am not applying until early decision which I have seen is between June-August for most places. By then I should have more than good enough numbers.

Problem is I have not had 2nd semester Physics or any Physiology. Essentially I've taught myself most of the subject-matter in there but that's only been over the past 5 weeks (I did my best to study during classes but my workload became way too much). The questions I tend to miss are not conceptual but rather calculations as they require doing problems over and over to memorize and like I said I have not had the most time possible so I have tried my best to focus my study efforts on what I needed most.

I don't know where the 30 came from I guess it was luck. On the other hand some of my answers are silly mistakes from getting burned out from studying all through holidays. I expected this to be tough but I was hoping I could at least manage a 30 given my first score. Realistically now I am expecting a 26-28, which isn't bad for DO from what I understand but is quite low for MD schools.

My big question is whether I should post my scores and whether I should take the new MCAT which I will have much more time to study for even though there is new material on it. I know I can learn the material if I am given enough time I just want to know if it's worth trying to go to a MD school. From what I've heard the new one is much more conceptual than this one so I feel it will be my strong suite especially since I do have interest in psychology and sociology as well.

So far my main reason for MD is cash as I've heard DO tends to be much more expensive than MD. The school in my state for MD is something I could handle financially, I haven't checked completely on the DO school but if it's anything more expensive then I would consider joining military to pay it, but if I can avoid that I would rather do so. I don't care about letters I care about being a physician so whatever way I get there does not bother me.

Sorry if this is a bit long I tried to condense it as much as possible so it's an easy read. If there is any more information you would like please let me know.

 

[Labkid]

You've reached your plateau and it would be foolish to retake. The multiple retakes and poorer scores poison the well for MD schools. Your best bet will be to apply broadly to DO schools, especially the newer ones. Some schools take the best composite score, which = your 30 score.

I'm not sure if maybe you misunderstood but those scores are practice tests, I have not yet actually taken the full MCAT. Sorry if the way I wrote it was confusing.

 

[mehc012]

I'm not sure if maybe you misunderstood but those scores are practice tests, I have not yet actually taken the full MCAT. Sorry if the way I wrote it was confusing.

Yeah, it took me a couple of reads to catch that.

 

[Goro]

OK, come back when you get your score.

I'm not sure if maybe you misunderstood but those scores are practice tests, I have not yet actually taken the full MCAT. Sorry if the way I wrote it was confusing.

 

[LizzyM]

Stop. Do not take the MCAT until you've taken physics II and physiology. At this point you'll also need to take sociology, psychology and biochemistry (informal post-bac if you can't fit them in before graduation).

Better to wait and apply in 2016 as a slightly non-traditional student with a year of research experience and some longevity in the volunteering department than to apply hurriedly in 2015, be strung along by schools who will not give you the time of day until late Spring and be in a position requiring that you reapply in early Summer 2016 after a demoralizing and expensive application cycle.

 

[Labkid]

Stop. Do not take the MCAT until you've taken physics II and physiology. At this point you'll also need to take sociology, psychology and biochemistry (informal post-bac if you can't fit them in before graduation).

Better to wait and apply in 2016 as a slightly non-traditional student with a year of research experience and some longevity in the volunteering department than to apply hurriedly in 2015, be strung along by schools who will not give you the time of day until late Spring and be in a position requiring that you reapply in early Summer 2016 after a demoralizing and expensive application cycle.

I cannot fit any of those in before graduating except for Biochemistry.

The subjects aren't hard for me to understand, the problem was the time I had to learn most of them (and pretty much relearn a lot of general chemistry) was at the most 6 weeks.

Now that I have much more time on my hands I know I can do much better.

Hopefully I can properly prep by this July (what my tutor advised me to do) and be able to apply for 2016.

Once again thank you all for the advice very helpful I'll come back here once I have my scores and probably ask for some more advice on a school list.