The 4/4/09 MCAT Club

MCAT is Hard? Not with BeMo's 515 Score Guarantee.
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So, we've got the 3/28 and the 4/18, but no 4/4/08 yet. Anyone else taking it on this date?
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i am hungover beyond belief right now because i thought if i drank enough last night i'd wake up in time for scores to already be up, my plan ALMOST backfired because i woke up an hour ago and didn't think to check the forums until just now... i feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders...

AAMC avg:
VR:10
PS:13.2
BS:12.6

REAL:
VR: 9 (so happy becuase i thought i'd get a 6)
PS: 13 (love it)
BS: 14 (love it more)
Q (who really cares about writing)

36Q, i'm ecstatic, when i checked it i yelled so loud i almost threw up because of the hangover

good luck everyone
 
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Hi, Medmad,

Thanks for the reply. I think I did not make it clear earlier in my post. I was wondering whether I should retake the MCAT due to the verbal score of 7 for DO schools. I know my chance for MD schools is gone but I worry that I will be screened out by DO schools as well due the V score of 7. Any advice would be deeply appreciated.
 
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vegousc said:
Hi, Medmad,

Thanks for the reply. I think I did not make it clear earlier in my post. I was wondering whether I should retake the MCAT due to the verbal score of 7 for DO schools. I know my chance for MD schools is gone but I worry that I will be screened out by DO schools as well due the V score of 7. Any advice would be deeply appreciated.
Click to expand...

DO Schools would be lucky to have a student like you. You will get into any DO program that you want to with these scores. Good luck :thumbup:
 
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My scores:

Verbal Reasoning (VR): 11 Percentile Range: 84.6 - 95.5
Physical Sciences (PS): 10 Percentile Range: 70.8 - 81.9
Writing Sample (WS): P Percentile Range: 57.4 - 66.5
Biological Sciences (BS): 13 Percentile Range: 95.9 - 97.9
Total Score: 34P Percentile Range: 92.0 - 94.3

Considering I never broke a 30 on the practice tests and scored a 29 on a practice test two days before, I am pretty ecstatic. Crap, now I gotta finish writing up a histology paper for tomorrow.
 
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April 2009
V - 09
PS - 12
WS - S
BS- 14

35S Y

i wish the writing sample mattered...

just happy with the 35.
 
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Hi, MedMad and Stfk14,

Thank you both for your encouragement. I was very worried about the verbal score of 7 as a red flag even for DO schools. I live in LA and have western as my top choices(along with USC, where I got my Masters) even before I wrote the MCAT. I did notice that their average matriculated students have V scores above 9. That's why I was and am still anxious. Would you think of it as advisable for me to explain the low verbal score in my personal statement for DO schools? English is my third language and I did have a writing score of R (although no one cares). Or, would you feel it as OK for me to let it go and focus on my research and teaching experience, instead?

Again, thank you so much for your time and attention. Any advice that you would like to offer me would be highly appreciated. Also, I would like to wish you the best in your medical school applications.
 
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drdjd said:
Aug 2008 - 8,9,10,M 27

April 4 - 10,8,11,N 29

I have a 3.85 GPA and science GPA of 3.89. I knew I didn't do well on the verbal section of this test, but I was anticipating higher PS and BS scores. I have a lot of EC's, research, tutoring, and clinical experience.

I am from Pennsylvania and I would like to attend an MD school. Does anyone have any advise and where I should apply. I know I'll probably end up apply to PCOM also.
Click to expand...

Definitely apply to Penn state school of medicine.
 
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vegousc said:
Hi, MedMad and Stfk14,

Thank you both for your encouragement. I was very worried about the verbal score of 7 as a red flag even for DO schools. I live in LA and have western as my top choices(along with USC, where I got my Masters) even before I wrote the MCAT. I did notice that their average matriculated students have V scores above 9. That's why I was and am still anxious. Would you think of it as advisable for me to explain the low verbal score in my personal statement for DO schools? English is my third language and I did have a writing score of R (although no one cares). Or, would you feel it as OK for me to let it go and focus on my research and teaching experience, instead?

Again, thank you so much for your time and attention. Any advice that you would like to offer me would be highly appreciated. Also, I would like to wish you the best in your medical school applications.
Click to expand...

Don't let it go. Explain the reasoning in your personal statement and you should be good. :thumbup:
 
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AAMC Average: 32.5
PS: 12.6
VR: 8.3
BS: 11.6

Real MCAT: 31O
PS: 11
VR: 10
WS: O
BS: 10

Satisfied =)
 
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average practice test: 31
actual: 29 (9 PS, 10 VR, 10 BS)

pretty upset, but i'm retaking it in july... not really optimistic though.
 
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does the series mean anything? mines 98, is that like a code for the test date or something?
 
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AAMC Averages

PS: 10-11
VR: 9-10
BS: 11-12

Highest AAMC: 32 (made that score on about 4 practice AAMC)

Real Deal (4/4/09)
PS: 9 (i knew that i blew it and thought about having to retake)
VR: 10 (Exam Krackers 101 saved my VR life)
BS: 11

Composite: 30R

Don't know how I should feel right now. I desperately wanted to get a 32+. Anyone have any suggestions of what I should do now? I have an undergrad GPA of 3.8, and I only plan on applying in Texas. Should I even consider retaking (would do it in June), or should I just focus on my personal statement/rec letters and just apply early for TMDSAS.
 
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YAY:):):):)
AAMC average: 32.25

1st time: 29P (8P, 10V, 11B)

This time: 32N (10P, 11V, 11B)
I am pretty happy right now and honestly thought that I would have gotten 1 or 2 points lower (mostly because of how I felt about PS).
The only minor concern of mine is how ****ty I did on the writing (though to be honest I know I write well so this score is not indicative of my writing abilities), should I be worried about this?
 
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just curious....for you guys on your VR...did you feel good or bad about it right after your test and then how did your actual score turn out?

I felt bad after my VR 2 days ago...so I'm real worried ehhhh
 
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rocketbooster said:
just curious....for you guys on your VR...did you feel good or bad about it right after your test and then how did your actual score turn out?

I felt bad after my VR 2 days ago...so I'm real worried ehhhh
Click to expand...

i felt like i was raped twice after i walked out, but slowly as the days went on I felt much better about it becuase i started focusing on the questions i got right instead of those i knew i got wrong, but with verbal i didn't feel too hot on it coming out or during the wait, ended up with a 9, which isn't what i wanted but at least my score went up from the 1st time i took it (8)
 
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Kaplan Average- (PS:8.8, VS:8, BS:9.7) total 27

Kaplan Range- (PS: 7-11, VS: 7-10, BS: 7-13)

AAMC Average- (PS: 9, VS: 8.25, BS 10.1) total 27

AAMC Range- (PS: 7-11, VS: 6-10, BS: 9-11)

Predicted (PS: 8-9, VS: 8-9, BS: 10-12)

Actual- (PS: 12, VS: 9, BS, 10) Total 31!!!! beat my averages!!! yay!:)
 
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Medmad said:
Don't give up bro. I went from a 23O (August, 2008) to a 30N (April, 2009), so its doable. To improve in PS, you should do problems from your physics and chemistry text book because the MCAT PS does not test anything beyond that. This advice is from someone who got a 12 in PS two times. Believe in yourself. I know you can do it!:thumbup:
Click to expand...

I just don't get it ... I probably took 18 practice tests (all AAMC and Kaplan) and NEVER scored that low. If my PS would have just been on my normal average, I'd never have to think about this test again, but now I have to re-study everything again to retake. And there is also the possibility of my VR or BS going down on a retake, but I really don't have a choice with my PS score. I'm extremely frusturated and worried.
 
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vegousc said:
Hi, MedMad and Stfk14,

Thank you both for your encouragement. I was very worried about the verbal score of 7 as a red flag even for DO schools. I live in LA and have western as my top choices(along with USC, where I got my Masters) even before I wrote the MCAT. I did notice that their average matriculated students have V scores above 9. That's why I was and am still anxious. Would you think of it as advisable for me to explain the low verbal score in my personal statement for DO schools? English is my third language and I did have a writing score of R (although no one cares). Or, would you feel it as OK for me to let it go and focus on my research and teaching experience, instead?

Again, thank you so much for your time and attention. Any advice that you would like to offer me would be highly appreciated. Also, I would like to wish you the best in your medical school applications.
Click to expand...

I think you should still consider applying to MD schools. Yeah your verbal is a little low, but if you spin it in your personal statement by saying English is your third language and stating that you scored a R in your writing sample, then I think you would have a very good shot at a bunch of MD schools. If you do that you should apply broadly, not just in California. Some schools to look at might be West Virginia and Marshall or any of your state schools out there in California. If you can afford it, look at some private schools like Tulane and Creighton. Good luck whatever your decision!
 
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Hi, UGA2010 and everyone,

I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness and taking the time to respond to my incessant enquiries, when celebrating your own magnificent performances would be time much better and worthily spent.

I have taken heed to your kind suggestions, and added some explanation of the dismal MCAT verbal score in my personal statement. It also came to me that I scored in the 92% percentile in GRE VR twice( first abroad and later here in the U.S.). If AAMC reports MCAT scores along with other self-reported test scores such as GRE, then I might still have a slim shot at MD schools. Would you happen to know whether the AAMC application has a line for "other test scores" and/or they would report the other test scores?

Yes, I will apply to all the CA state schools, USC, and other out-of-state private ones. I really hope that they do not have an automatic rejection system for below-8 section scores. Incidentally, when we turn in secondaries, are we required to send in our transcripts to the individual schools as well?

Once more, thank you so much for your time and support.
 
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vegousc said:
Hi, UGA2010 and everyone,

I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness and taking the time to respond to my incessant enquiries, when celebrating your own magnificent performances would be time much better and worthily spent.

I have taken heed to your kind suggestions, and added some explanation of the dismal MCAT verbal score in my personal statement. It also came to me that I scored in the 92% percentile in GRE VR twice( first abroad and later here in the U.S.). If AAMC reports MCAT scores along with other self-reported test scores such as GRE, then I might still have a slim shot at MD schools. Would you happen to know whether the AAMC application has a line for "other test scores" and/or they would report the other test scores?

Yes, I will apply to all the CA state schools, USC, and other out-of-state private ones. I really hope that they do not have an automatic rejection system for below-8 section scores. Incidentally, when we turn in secondaries, are we required to send in our transcripts to the individual schools as well?

Once more, thank you so much for your time and support.
Click to expand...


I do not think that there is an line for other test scores but I am not sure of that at all. However, I would say something about your GRE scores in your Personal Statement. The thing about the Personal Statement is that you can highlight the good qualities about your application and spin the negative into a positive. That looks good to adcoms. Also, I do not know if it is like this in California, but adcoms look at the entire file for in-state students in Georgia so they might see your verbal and say well its low but look at grades in English or humanities courses. Don't dwell on your negatives in your personal statement but touch on them and spin them into positive light. It will go a long way.
 
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I was looking through the AMCAS 2009 to get a feel for it and I did notice a tab where you could report scores for other exams like the GRE for example. Definitely check it out (you can start looking at the 2010 one tomorrow). It was one of the last tabs/prompts
 
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Thank you so much UGA2010 and Lacasta. I shall take a look at the AAMC application when it opens up tomorrow. It really saddens me to see that I will probably not have the honor to be your classmates in an M.D. school, but it was great getting to know you and other supportive individually virtually here at SDN. I shall post on my experience in the application process, be it positive or negative. Thank you, again.
 
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LAS10886 said:
Kaplan Average- (PS:8.8, VS:8, BS:9.7) total 27

Kaplan Range- (PS: 7-11, VS: 7-10, BS: 7-13)

AAMC Average- (PS: 9, VS: 8.25, BS 10.1) total 27

AAMC Range- (PS: 7-11, VS: 6-10, BS: 9-11)

Predicted (PS: 8-9, VS: 8-9, BS: 10-12)

Actual- (PS: 12, VS: 9, BS, 10) Total 31!!!! beat my averages!!! yay!:)
Click to expand...

Very solid showing! :)
 
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Hi Guys..
Got some good news yestedday and I've been partying a bit. Anyways, here it is:
41 R
14 PS, 13 V, 14 BS

Kaplan Avg.
11.28 PS, 8 V, 12.6 BS

Aamc
13 PS, 11 V, 12 BS

I was worried just like everyone else and things obviously turned out oK. So hang in there all you people that are worried.
 
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Karloff said:
Hi Guys..
Got some good news yestedday and I've been partying a bit. Anyways, here it is:
41 R
14 PS, 13 V, 14 BS

Kaplan Avg.
11.28 PS, 8 V, 12.6 BS

Aamc
13 PS, 11 V, 12 BS

I was worried just like everyone else and things obviously turned out oK. So hang in there all you people that are worried.
Click to expand...

congrats man, that's beastly.
 
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Thanks guys. I don't take much credit for this. I Probobly had the best guessing day of my life! I am serious. I expected anything from a 27-37 but a 41 is beyond me.???
For all you who did not do as well as you wanted, don't get discouraged. Persistence will pay off. I am sure medschools look favorably on applicants who simply dont give up and keep trying. Medicine is not a one shot get it right sort of a field. Its based on trial and error. As for me, I am lucky in that I'm done with the test but I am sure the journey is just beginning....
I am sure I will encounter many more hardships and will continue to deal with my own demons. So a 41 is not an end-all answer to anything but just a foot in to an interview hopefully. Allright then guys, its been nice chatting with you all.
 
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I'm a little jealous... seeing so many high scores and me with a 31... but I've been on the other side with a 28, so whatever. Plus, there's no way you guys are representative of the majority of people who took this one right?
 
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Well, I'm back from my finals to find this horror, confirming my instinct to void. I let my head get out of the game after PS, after guessing that last passage.

June 2007 (PS/VR/BS): 7/10/10 27Q
4/4/09: 9/9/10 28R
AAMC avg: 33.6 (range 31-36)
Kaplan avg: 33 (range 30-37)

Unbelievable.. I hadn't gotten anything below an 11 on bio or anything below 10 on verbal on practice tests.. typically going 11-14 on one or the other. I'm happy with the 9 in PS.. my goal was a 10 but I told myself I'd be happy with 9 or better. But this is just ridiculous. Now I have to study for this again, I don't have the money to get Kaplan's online material again - and why would I after this performance? I put in so much effort this time around its just shocking.

Did I burn out? Did I have too much going on the few weeks before that? Maybe.

But what is there to do now? They're not poor enough to give up, and I don't give up easily anyway, but my GPA isn't the best so I really needed 31+. Do I continue to apply early and broad like I planned, and then retake in June/July/August, or would I get denied before I even sit down for the retake? What should I study with now? BR? Or the other option - retake sometime this year, do a lot of volunteering and such over the next year and apply early in the next cycle?

I'm completely bummed now.

edit: The earliest open dates for now I can find are either 7/30 or 8/6... either way grades wouldn't come until September. I feel like I'm getting more and more trapped behind the eight ball.
edit 2: registered for 8/6
 
Last edited:
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Longshanks said:
Well, I'm back from my finals to find this horror, confirming my instinct to void. I let my head get out of the game after PS, after guessing that last passage.

June 2007 (PS/VR/BS): 7/10/10 27Q
4/4/09: 9/9/10 28R
AAMC avg: 33.6 (range 31-36)
Kaplan avg: 33 (range 30-37)

Unbelievable.. I hadn't gotten anything below an 11 on bio or anything below 10 on verbal on practice tests.. typically going 11-14 on one or the other. I'm happy with the 9 in PS.. my goal was a 10 but I told myself I'd be happy with 9 or better. But this is just ridiculous. Now I have to study for this again, I don't have the money to get Kaplan's online material again - and why would I after this performance? I put in so much effort this time around its just shocking.

Did I burn out? Did I have too much going on the few weeks before that? Maybe.

But what is there to do now? They're not poor enough to give up, and I don't give up easily anyway, but my GPA isn't the best so I really needed 31+. Do I continue to apply early and broad like I planned, and then retake in June/July/August, or would I get denied before I even sit down for the retake? What should I study with now? BR? Or the other option - retake sometime this year, do a lot of volunteering and such over the next year and apply early in the next cycle?

I'm completely bummed now.

edit: The earliest open dates for now I can find are either 7/30 or 8/6... either way grades wouldn't come until September. I feel like I'm getting more and more trapped behind the eight ball.
edit 2: registered for 8/6
Click to expand...

I'm in the exact same boat ... PM me if you want to talk about it. May help.
 
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Longshanks, I feel bad for you. Hope everything goes well in your third try.

How many actual questions on PS did you have straight guess on? I would try to pace myself a little better the next time, and also, you don't always have to read through the entire PS passage to answer most of the questions.

Best of luck,
SDN friend.
 
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chudat said:
Longshanks, I feel bad for you. Hope everything goes well in your third try.

How many actual questions on PS did you have straight guess on? I would try to pace myself a little better the next time, and also, you don't always have to read through the entire PS passage to answer most of the questions.

Best of luck,
SDN friend.
Click to expand...

Straight up the last passage, so 6 q's then?. Pacing wasn't the problem on practice tests with PS, it was normally dumb errors, and on the 4/4 PS I felt like I grasped the concepts rather well I was like "wow I can make a huge jump here" and spent too much time making sure I did everything right, and not forget anything, rather than just going with instinct. I noticed on these PS passages there was a lot of extra junk, so I felt ok, just moved too slow on the questions.

I should have listened to my gut and voided. That's all I could think about the rest of the test, how I blew a great opportunity, but then I calmed down after VR and BS since those are my two strongest sections normally, scoring 11-14 on each practice test for those sections, and I said ehh... one time on a Kaplan I thought I did terrible, and went 9/13/14 so I decided not to void.

I'm not mad about the 9 in PS, its an improvement over 7 and PS isn't my strong suit. I'm disappointed that I couldn't score in my range or avg for BS and VR and break 30. Even if it was a 30 or 31 I would be grateful for what I got and not retake.
 
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Don't even trip Longshanks. Be proud of yourself. You will get into medschool even if it takes 5 mcats. Its all up to you. I believe that in your next mcat, you will walk in there like a mad gladiator and kick some ass. Sometimes you perform better when you are a little mad. You can do this. There is not much difference between someone who does well and who does not. look at me, I thought about voiding. I ended up ok. So you never know. In the end its al going to work out. Hell, you may get into medschool after 4 mcats and end up acing the boards and getting top residency. So 3-4 attempts on mcats will not affect your chance at a good performance on the boards. Come one man, lets face it: MCAT Sucks!!
It has not much to do with medicine. If you truly love medicine, you will do great in med school!!
Believe in yourself brother and others will start to believe in you. Its easy for me to be this confident but honestly I've been saying the same **** for years: "If I want to go to medschool, then no one can stop me. Not even I can stop me."
Same for you and everyone else.
You are obviously a determined person. We already established that. Just regroup and fight this damn beast one more time.
Good luck to you and don't listen to anyone but yourself !
 
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Longshanks, I definitely hear what you're saying...my point is that even you skipped all six (who knows, you might have guess one or two questions right), you should have ended up better than a 9 on the PS.
 
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Thanks, everyone. I know, I complain too much. Now is just the journey again to slay the beast. Need to find new FL's though.
 
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vegousc said:
Hi, UGA2010 and everyone,

I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness and taking the time to respond to my incessant enquiries, when celebrating your own magnificent performances would be time much better and worthily spent.

I have taken heed to your kind suggestions, and added some explanation of the dismal MCAT verbal score in my personal statement. It also came to me that I scored in the 92% percentile in GRE VR twice( first abroad and later here in the U.S.). If AAMC reports MCAT scores along with other self-reported test scores such as GRE, then I might still have a slim shot at MD schools. Would you happen to know whether the AAMC application has a line for "other test scores" and/or they would report the other test scores?

Yes, I will apply to all the CA state schools, USC, and other out-of-state private ones. I really hope that they do not have an automatic rejection system for below-8 section scores. Incidentally, when we turn in secondaries, are we required to send in our transcripts to the individual schools as well?

Once more, thank you so much for your time and support.
Click to expand...

UGA2010 said:
I do not think that there is an line for other test scores but I am not sure of that at all. However, I would say something about your GRE scores in your Personal Statement. The thing about the Personal Statement is that you can highlight the good qualities about your application and spin the negative into a positive. That looks good to adcoms. Also, I do not know if it is like this in California, but adcoms look at the entire file for in-state students in Georgia so they might see your verbal and say well its low but look at grades in English or humanities courses. Don't dwell on your negatives in your personal statement but touch on them and spin them into positive light. It will go a long way.
Click to expand...

Whooooa I just came across these posts and had to say something.

DO NOT, and I mean DO NOT under ANY circumstances talk about things like GPA or MCAT or GRE on your PS. Absolutely not. Your PS is there for you to emphasize the non-numerical, the stuff about you they can't get from your basic AMCAS app. You never want to talk about your numbers, and you never want to actually TALK about your weaknesses. If they find them to be weaknesses and can't figure out why, oh well. Do not point them out. Do not draw attention to them and try to explain them away. Do talk about your background extensively, maybe even how hard it was to learn english or how much you appreciate speaking 3 languages, or whatever. That you should embrace. But please do not write about your verbal score or your GRE. UGA is incorrect to note that PS is about spinning your negatives. It's not. It's about explaining why you want to go into medicine and how you came about making that decision. Please PM me if you have any other questions.
 
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