Taking MCAT for the 3rd time???

[Nirvana48]

Some background
Pepperdine graduate, Class of 2016.
Major: Biology Minor: Art
GPA: 3.55

Extracurriculars during undergrad: Volunteering, service club member/service trips, and research.
Post grad: ER scribe for 1 year and now currently working as a scribe/MA at an Immunologist's office. Doing some research with her right now (will most likely be published in a couple months).

MCAT 1 April 2017: 500 (126/123/125/126)
MCAT 2 April 2018: 503 (126/123/126/128)

I studied quite intensively before I retook my MCAT and was scoring within my goal range (508-510). I used almost all of the AAMC practice materials, watched Khan Academy videos, and reread my Kaplan books for content review.
AAMC FL #1: 507 (126, 125, 128, 128)
AAMC FL #2: 509 (128, 127, 126, 128)
AAMC FL #3: 512 (128, 127, 129, 128)

The day of my second MCAT I could feel I was NOT in the zone.. I couldn't concentrate and kept running out of time. After I finished my last section I debated for almost 10 minutes whether I should void my scores and now I regret not voiding because my second score is not good. I thought that I could at least get a 505 but ended up scoring exactly the same on my first two sections.

Does anyone have any advice on what I should do?
I have some friends who are telling me to just apply this year and maybe just to DO schools but I still feel that my GPA and MCAT scores aren't competitive enough... I do want to retake it but that means I'll probably just wait until the next cycle. How bad does it look that I will be taking it 3 times? I really do want to go to medical school and don't want to give up but I'm feeling pretty down about everything right now. Can anyone give me any advice or insight into a similar situation you possibility had or what route you took??

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[eggsbenny]

Some background
Pepperdine graduate, Class of 2016.
Major: Biology Minor: Art
GPA: 3.55

Extracurriculars during undergrad: Volunteering, service club member/service trips, and research.
Post grad: ER scribe for 1 year and now currently working as a scribe/MA at an Immunologist's office. Doing some research with her right now (will most likely be published in a couple months).

MCAT 1 April 2017: 500 (126/123/125/126)
MCAT 2 April 2018: 503 (126/123/126/128)

I studied quite intensively before I retook my MCAT and was scoring within my goal range (508-510). I used almost all of the AAMC practice materials, watched Khan Academy videos, and reread my Kaplan books for content review.
AAMC FL #1: 507 (126, 125, 128, 128)
AAMC FL #2: 509 (128, 127, 126, 128)
AAMC FL #3: 512 (128, 127, 129, 128)

The day of my second MCAT I could feel I was NOT in the zone.. I couldn't concentrate and kept running out of time. After I finished my last section I debated for almost 10 minutes whether I should void my scores and now I regret not voiding because my second score is not good. I thought that I could at least get a 505 but ended up scoring exactly the same on my first two sections.

Does anyone have any advice on what I should do?
I have some friends who are telling me to just apply this year and maybe just to DO schools but I still feel that my GPA and MCAT scores aren't competitive enough... I do want to retake it but that means I'll probably just wait until the next cycle. How bad does it look that I will be taking it 3 times? I really do want to go to medical school and don't want to give up but I'm feeling pretty down about everything right now. Can anyone give me any advice or insight into a similar situation you possibility had or what route you took??

Are those AAMC FL scores retakes or first time? If you were taking them for the first time and scoring that high, it sounds like you could do better. Especially that CARS score differential. Although working full time while studying for the MCAT is a bit brutal. If I were in your position, I would definitely retake. The only issue is that there aren't any AAMC FL's left to gauge your studying effectiveness. Perhaps end work a bit early next year in March-April and take the May MCAT so that AAMC FL#4 will be available to use (not really sure when the FL comes out). Hope that helps!

 

[bluella]

We have the same GPA. I took the MCAT 3 times with an upward trend and got 4 MD II with 1 acceptance. In your situation, I'd keep working/researching and give myself time to retake while focusing on reducing test anxiety. Then apply next cycle to both MD & DO.

Although expensive, programs like Princeton Review and Kaplan offer their own version of FLs and give access to AAMC materials if you want more testing materials. There are probably cheaper options, but that's what I used.

 

[Blanky]

Id apply wide to DOs.

 

[Wahkoon]

I am in favor of applying widely to DO only this cycle. DO matriculant mean MCAT was 503 and cGPA was 3.56 for 2017. You almost match these stats perfectly. I think you have a decent chance this year.

You can find more info here.

 

[Nirvana48]

Are those AAMC FL scores retakes or first time? If you were taking them for the first time and scoring that high, it sounds like you could do better. Especially that CARS score differential. Although working full time while studying for the MCAT is a bit brutal. If I were in your position, I would definitely retake. The only issue is that there aren't any AAMC FL's left to gauge your studying effectiveness. Perhaps end work a bit early next year in March-April and take the May MCAT so that AAMC FL#4 will be available to use (not really sure when the FL comes out). Hope that helps!

The AAMC FL scores I’ve listed were first time scores. I bought a Kaplan course before I took my first MCAT last year and I was mainly using Kaplan’s FL and only my AAMC sample test was a retake. But thank you for your advice, I think I will retake because I know I can do better

 

[Nirvana48]

We have the same GPA. I took the MCAT 3 times with an upward trend and got 4 MD II with 1 acceptance. In your situation, I'd keep working/researching and give myself time to retake while focusing on reducing test anxiety. Then apply next cycle to both MD & DO.

Although expensive, programs like Princeton Review and Kaplan offer their own version of FLs and give access to AAMC materials if you want more testing materials. There are probably cheaper options, but that's what I used.

I bought the Kaplan course when I took my first MCAT and mainly used their practice tests and question banks. My second time around I used everything the AAMC offered. I bought their whole package which is the same that’s included in the Kaplan course. Not sure what to try to use next..

If you don’t mind me asking, what were your 3 MCAT scores and how many schools did you apply to?
Did you have any major changes in your study tactics the 2nd and 3rd time around?

 

[bluella]

I bought the Kaplan course when I took my first MCAT and mainly used their practice tests and question banks. My second time around I used everything the AAMC offered. I bought their whole package which is the same that’s included in the Kaplan course. Not sure what to try to use next..

If you don’t mind me asking, what were your 3 MCAT scores and how many schools did you apply to?
Did you have any major changes in your study tactics the 2nd and 3rd time around?

I pm'ed you

 

[maplecookie]

I don't think it's worth the risk of taking a third MCAT when your first two scores already have such a small score increase. I would work on your ECs, and apply broadly to DOs+lower stat MDs

 

[Altius Premier Tutor]

A large score improvement is definitely possible, but only if you are willing to put in a serious effort and also make serious changes to your approach. All of the status quo books out there do one basic thing--overemphasize content and memorization. I would guess that even if you crammed content review for another 3-4 months you'd score within 1-2 points of the 503 on a retake. If you want to score 10+ points higher, then you need to focus almost entirely on improving your critical thinking, data analysis, etc. How many questions do you remember from your real exam that were answerable based solely on memorized information? Not many, right? On the other hand, you probably recall some fairly dense experimental passages and questions that asked you clearly NON-CONTENT questions such as "If the enzyme concentration in Trial 2 were doubled, the rate of reaction is expected to:" or "The researchers used a conjugated fluorescent antibody in Experiment 2 in order to..." Put simply, most students who take the status quo approach and rely on the big-box prep books literally end up preparing for the wrong exam. Don't make a judgement about your own score potential on the MCAT until you have prepared the right way.

As for DO vs. MD. Don't go the DO route unless that is your passion and preference (some students prefer DO). If you were originally targeting MD schools, you just need to figure out the MCAT first, and then your chances will increase significantly.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Some background
Pepperdine graduate, Class of 2016.
Major: Biology Minor: Art
GPA: 3.55

Pepperdine is one of the schools lucky enough to have a great premed advisor. You should start by logging off SDN and go in and see your advisor. Find out what others have done to pull their scores.

 

[Master Thinker]

If I were you, I would starting applying to all the DO schools and leave out the MD. You would have to do exceedingly well on your 3rd try (think 520+) for a chance at MD so I don't think retaking is worth the risk