Taking the MCAT a 3rd time??

[Pursuing MD]

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Are there any problems with taking the MCAT a 3rd time, after voiding it once and scoring it twice?? I am contemplating taking (& scoring) the damn test a 3rd time...should I not??

I've heard med schools will not look favorably upon taking the MCAT a 3rd time.

 

[none]

Of course there are major things wrong with it. The MCAT is designed to be taken once and only once. Schools will definitely be suspect of your apptitude regardless of what you get on this third (fourth!) attempt. What have been your scores to make you consider such an action?

 

[Pursuing MD]

I received a 21 both times...3rd times a charm??

 

[relatively prime]

Wait... so you want to take it a 4th time?! If you voided one and scored 2, that means you've actually taken it 3 times already, right?

 

[detm78]

Hi,

I did it. Nobody cared. I improved each time, and the 3rd time was the charm for me. Go for it, if you have to. 🙂 But drop everything, and REALLY study for the third time (scoring).

 

[Wahoo07]

Yeah, I think it'll actually count as the fourth time. And I agree with none that the schools will definitely be suspicious of you. You definitely have to study really hard and nail it this time. Check out the MCAT forum for suggestions on studying, etc. How are your other credentials? Good GPA and ECs?

 

[none]

There's a record of the voiding. This'll be the 4th time. You may even have to send in those special "I actually want to go to medical school and am not trying to learn the test for Kaplan" forms.

 

[detm78]

one more thing, nobody will know of the time you voided it. So as far as anyone is concerned, you've only taken it twice.

Did you give it your all when you studied for the other times you've taken it?

If you want to go to med school, you can do this, and there's nothing wrong with taking the test again. It's a hard test, and one you really have to prepare for and psych yourself up for.

[A TA that I had has taken the exam 5 times. I really admire her as a person though, and she's smart, and was a great TA. She just has problems taking exams, and has a disease called fibromyalgia which she said made it difficult for her to sit for extended periods.--but this isn't to encourage you to keep on taking the test without really giving it the weight it deserves.]

Make the 4th time the last time. Was there a particular section that was really difficult for you? What's the breakdown of your 2 21's?

 

[relatively prime]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by none:
•There's a record of the voiding. This'll be the 4th time. You may even have to send in those special "I actually want to go to medical school and am not trying to learn the test for Kaplan" forms.•••••LOL! Are you serious? They actually have such things?

 

[detm78]

OH, nevermind. My friend voided it once, I thought nobody would know b/c it was never scored or even really submitted.

Oh well, it's still doable. Just like Wahoo07 said, nail it this time, and then just explain it in your interviews.

Good luck!

 

[none]

Here's the quote from the AAMC site:

I have taken the MCAT three times already. Do I need special permission to take the test again?

You must apply for special permission to take the MCAT if you have attended three or more MCAT administrations since 1977 (whether or not the test was completed and/or answer documents were voided). Individuals who sit for the MCAT should be preparing to apply to a health professions school.

Your request should include evidence of intent to apply to a health professions school (e.g., a completed application, letter of rejection, or letter from a medical school or advisor), which must accompany the registration materials. This documentation is required each time you wish to retest. Such requests will be reviewed and permission confirmed in writing prior to the test date.

 

[BushBaby]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Pursuing MD:
•I received a 21 both times...3rd times a charm??•••••Ahh Purusing MD...I've seen this before. You are suffering from the curse of the 21's. There are numerous ways to TREAT this but only one has been medically and scientifically proven to work. Here's what the doctor ordered, you need a daily dose of:

Drink a glass of Orgo, Physics and Gen. Chem study juice 7 days a week. (21 is a very serious disease, not to be taken lightly and you will need to do this 7 days a week to TREAT it).

Every day other suck on some Verbal Section drops (sold at your local drug store).

I will also prescribe you with 50mg of full Orgo, verbal, physics and Gen Chem practice exams daily or at least 3x a week.

If you feel still weak I suggested you up the dosage and starting drinking study juice EIGHT days a week.

WARNING: THERE IS NO CURE FOR 21 DISEASE AND EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE ON TREATMENT/SUPPRESSIVE THERAPY IT IS STILL POSSIBLE TO RELAPSE BACK INTO 21 DISEASE.

Good luck!

 

[Pursuing MD]

When you VOID it...medical schools will not know. Only the MCAT people will know since you need to ask for permission to take the exam a 4th time. So, for me to take it again, I would need permission since technically this would be my 4th time taking it. However, med schools will think that I took the exam a total of 3 times.

The last time around, I sort of changed my verbal technique a week before the exam with
"EXAMKRAKERS"...& got a 4; the first time I got a 6 on the verbal. My bio score of 7 did not change; my physical went up the 2nd time around from an 8 to a 10.

Overall, when I was studying for it this last time, I really studied hard (while taking few practice exams)...I just think I have a hard time transforming what seems to be a difficult problem into a seemingly easy question/concept, especially when I am rushing for time. It may be that I am not a very good test taker, which then makes me wonder if studying for it again will make any difference?!

 

[BushBaby]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Pursuing MD:
•When you VOID it...medical schools will not know. Only the MCAT people will know since you need to ask for permission to take the exam a 4th time. So, for me to take it again, I would need permission since technically this would be my 4th time taking it. However, med schools will think that I took the exam a total of 3 times.
•••••I thought medical schools see everytime you "sat" for the mcat (void or not). My tutor told me they know you sat and voided or whatever...that's why he advised me to NOT SHOW UP AT ALL or take it and finish it. I guess it looks bad when you void it.

 

[detm78]

Hi PursuingMD,

I think you're right about who will know how many times you've taken the MCAT... medschools will not know what you've voided, and it doesn't matter what the MCAT people know, so long as you give them the proof you need to take it again.

I think it is a plus that your Physics went up 2 points, b/c it shows you can improve, and will probably improve again. I think it's fine if your bio didn't change, you can change it this next time. And with your verbal, changing your technique right before the exam probably did it.

The next time around, finish studying EVERYTHING early, and leave yourself 3 weeks to just practice. I think it makes a huge difference. My score went up 6 points btwn the 2nd and 3rd time just bc i practiced so much more. That's what I needed. Even down to the last week of the exam, i took 2/3 of an exam every day before the actual test. Then i'd go back and see what i missed and why, and review those topics. I also sat down 2 saturdays before the exam, at the location I was assigned to, to take full length exams (though not the same room). This helped a lot, b/c by the time I took it, I was kind of in the mode---it was just another test. Removing the fear for me was a big deal.

If this helps, these were my scores for all three times.
5V, 9P, 9B, R = 23R
6V, 11P, 9B, R = 26R
10V, 12P, 12B, Q = 32Q

Verbal was my problem as well, and I think with the sciences, my problem for the first two times was i never went through all the material b/c I was trying to study everything in too much detail. The third time, I relied heavily on Flowers and Silver, fleshing it out with Princeton Review, and the MCAT physics book, and I at least got through all subjects.

Definitely practice this time around though. From what you've mentioned, it seems perhaps that's all you were lacking--to learn how to apply everything in your head that you studied, to answering the MCAT questions.

 

[detm78]

oops,

3rd time: 10V, 12P, 10B, Q = 32Q

*heehee*

 

[FunkDoc]

sneezy, you are so encouraging.

pursuing MD, regardless of whether or not med schools can see your 'void', you have to take the test again. trust me, they'll look more negatively on your 21, than a 3rd or 4th sitting of the mcat. and if you bust a 30+ on it, then they'll forget the amount of times youve taken it.

like sneezy, i also took the bad boy 3 times, and my 3rd score was the best, too, so give it a shot!

 

[knish]

i took the exam 4 times improving to 31 last year. good luck on your 4th attempt 😀

knish

 

[Kermie]

WOW sneezy - that is such an awsome jump in verbal!!! Can you share with us what you did differently to prepare for the verbal? I am having such a hard time getting my verbal score up.

 

[relatively prime]

I said this in another thread but I have a friend who took it 3 times and finally got in this year to 3 schools!! including U. of Minnosota (sp?)! The first time she had a score in the mid to low 20s the third time she got a 30!

 

[detm78]

Hi Kermie,

I think the biggest thing I conquered for the third exam regarding verbal, was fear. You can't concentrate when you're afraid. And this was through more preparation, which I really didn't do for the first 2 exams.

I read books over the summer (I took the August exam)--any books--just to get myself reading and used to reading. I think I read all the Harry Potter books 🙂 , and some other books that I wanted to read, like Robin McKinley's Spindle's End (which had irritating long-winded paragraph-sentences), and then the LA Times every now and then.

The only other thing I did was force myself to do 3-7 passages every day for a few weeks, just to do them. I also forced myself to finish under time. I must've worked out some kind of timing system or consistent method of working through the verbal exam. I took full length Princeton Review tests 2 Saturdays in a row at my testing center, prior to the exam, scored them, did some crying, then the week of the exam, took more practice tests, and kept trying to be confident.

That's all I did. I think it helped that I liked the passages in the actual MCAT exam. Some of them were interesting. And the passages are never as bad as Princeton Review's. 🙂

Good luck. 🙂