The Official 4/27/13 MCAT Thread

[brood910]

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This might be considered a bit early, but full-time college students need to prepare ahead of time, especially when they are doing a research and volunteering, which requires them to spend at least 30-40 hours per week...

Let's share plans, strategies, schedules, and so on to help each other to crack this exam.

 

[Belle Melodie]

35 🙂 🙂 🙂
PS 12 VR 10 BS 13

SOOOO HAPPY. Was definitely screaming/jumping up&down after I saw this. Just finished a big lobster dinner to celebrate. Applying in a week. Let's gooooooo!

congrats

 

[PistolPete123]

LOBSTER!? I took it April 4th and celebrated with fajitas....maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan I got jipped.

 

[Prion13]

Practice AAMC scores: 35-40 (35 on one exam, >=38 on others).
Typically 13-14 on PS, 11 on VR (pretty consistent), 13-14 on BS.

Actual MCAT: 15 PS 11 VR 15 BS

If any one has a quick question about PS or BS or studying for the MCAT in general, I'm not sure how much I can help, but I'll probably hang around this forum for the next couple of days and would be happy to give what advice I can.

 

[circulus vitios]

I like how most of the scores in this thread are >35.

 

[QrtrLifeCrisis]

I like how most of the scores in this thread are >35.

Yeah, seriously. What a lopsided distribution.

 

[burntorange]

I like how most of the scores in this thread are >35.

Either SDN is filled with ONLY geniuses or all the <30 people are crying themselves to sleep right now. (me included)

 

[DylanE]

got a 33 (10/13/10)!!!! 😱 average practice was a 30, I am so stoked I can't even believe it. Back from work and time to get into the whiskey!!

 

[thed0ctor]

WHAT AN AWESOME CURVE. I left the exam feeling the worst I've ever felt (this is my third time taking it and it was the hardest. cried for days afterward, thought I got a 28 max), yet did the best I've ever done! This was truly a miracle from God. So grateful for my score and so glad I gambled and didn't void 🙂

post-test prediction: 9/10/9 - 28 at best
actual: 10/11/11 - 32!

Congrats 🙂

 

[Redpancreas]

Out of curiosity, did any of you walk out of there feeling like you completely bombed it and end up doing better than you thought?

I took 3/23. I think a lot of people think this. I think the actual exams have harder stuff (and your nervousness plays a part) but the curves are better than the AAMCs.

 

[Roxas]

Either SDN is filled with ONLY geniuses or all the <30 people are crying themselves to sleep right now. (me included)

I'm willing to bet on the latter. I'm not ashamed of my 24, I got what I deserved.

 

[AureatEagle]

I took 3/23. I think a lot of people think this. I think the actual exams have harder stuff (and your nervousness plays a part) but the curves are better than the AAMCs.

Was definitely nervous as hell. People who have yet to take it, seriously just sit there at the starting screen and shake out all the nerves before actually starting it. I have a feeling this was one of the major factors in me running out of time a lot on the actual thing compared to in practice.

And yeah, the curve certainly felt a lot kinder than the AAMCs.

 

[circulus vitios]

I took 3/23. I think a lot of people think this. I think the actual exams have harder stuff (and your nervousness plays a part) but the curves are better than the AAMCs.

My pre-score and post-score assessments of the exam difficulty still remain the same. PS was weird. VR was longer and more dense. BS was almost entirely experimental and hard as hell. It was pretty much nothing like the AAMC full length materials.

 

[Redpancreas]

My pre-score and post-score assessments of the exam difficulty still remain the same. PS was weird. VR was longer and more dense. BS was almost entirely experimental and hard as hell. It was pretty much nothing like the AAMC full length materials.

I agree with your assessment on your situation. Seems like you are sick of this test. I am so pissed the Redwings lost!!!

 

[polyatomic]

LOBSTER!? I took it April 4th and celebrated with fajitas....maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan I got jipped.

Jealous? I even got sparkling grape juice. Gotta live it up.

got a 33 (10/13/10)!!!! 😱 average practice was a 30, I am so stoked I can't even believe it. Back from work and time to get into the whiskey!!

That's the spirit! Good surprises are nice to see 🙂

 

[wannabeadoc2]

This is my first post here, as I mostly just stalk some threads. I ended up with a 27: PS 7, V 10, BS 10. I was really frustrated coming out of the exam. First PS passage threw me off and I felt the passages and questions were longer (as far as amount of words) and "different" than the AAMC FL's. I averaged a 30.25 (30, 30, 30, 31) on my last four exams before the actual MCAT. I'm stuck in the boat of deciding whether to retake or not. It sucks when you spend four months of your life studying for this thing. Any advisers out there?

Anyway, congrats to everyone for getting done and waiting it out. For those of you who didn't get the score you wanted, don't let it deter you from going to medical school. You can do anything if you work hard enough, so don't be afraid to take it again. The first MCAT I took I got a 20 lol granted I didn't study and I had not learned the material in class the first time so I probably should not have taken it, but I didn't know better. Keep your heads up and keep going 😀

For those of you who got your scores or better, congrats and best of luck to you in the application process.

My MCAT stats almost exactly, actual 7, 10, 10. Average was 30.5 on last four.

I'm not sure about the other portions of your app or which schools you are applying to, but I'm not retaking. I called my #1 choice admissions department and they said with the rest of my application in mind, I will still be competitive, but should apply broadly. My plan all along has been to apply to some DO schools that accept Jan tests. So if it looks bleak by November, I will retake in January.

I would recommend you doing the same and call the admissions dept of some schools and seeing what they say. From my experience, these guys will tell you like it is and are on your side.

 

[Liirey]

I got 13/8/13. Not sure if I'm going to retake - leaning towards no, though, since my total is a 34. (I just hate physics. Worked my ass off for this test, too.)

 

[burntorange]

My MCAT stats almost exactly, actual 7, 10, 10. Average was 30.5 on last four.

I'm not sure about the other portions of your app or which schools you are applying to, but I'm not retaking. I called my #1 choice admissions department and they said with the rest of my application in mind, I will still be competitive, but should apply broadly. My plan all along has been to apply to some DO schools that accept Jan tests. So if it looks bleak by November, I will retake in January.

I would recommend you doing the same and call the admissions dept of some schools and seeing what they say. From my experience, these guys will tell you like it is and are on your side.

Was that an admissions dept for an MD school or DO?

 

[khrisskhoras]

I got 13/8/13. Not sure if I'm going to retake - leaning towards no, though, since my total is a 34. (I just hate physics. Worked my ass off for this test, too.)

Depends on your GPA. If its 3.6+ then don't retake

 

[repititionition]

.

 

[sbhav]

I ended up with a 28. 8PS/9 VR/11BS
Ugh..so frustrated and definitely retaking.

Congrats to everyone who reached their goal score!!

 

[parkins]

AAMC average: 29ish
Actual: 28 and feelin' great!
(10PS/ 9VR/ 9BS)

😀 Congrats to all of you who had very nice scores.

 

[wannabeadoc2]

Was that an admissions dept for an MD school or DO?

It was an MD school. I am confident about DO, so I didn't bother calling any of them.

 

[positivityrocks]

I'm a bit late to the thread, but still pretty excited about my score: 31 (10PS, 11VR, 10BS).

As for post-exam feelings, I felt pretty good after the exam initially and then absolutely horrible by that night. I looked up a few of the BS questions I could remember and knew I got at least a few of those wrong, so I was very worried I'd bombed that section. Plus, changed one answer in PS to the wrong answer, so that didn't feel great either.

I had a 28 from last July and am a reapplicant (naively only applied to one school last year). I'm aware a 31 probably isn't fantastic by SDN standards (there's some awesome scores in this thread!), but since it's balanced and score didn't drop in any of the subsections, I'm feeling good about it 😀 Selling my prep books tomorrow and hopefully never taking this exam again! 😎

 

[wannabeadoc2]

I'm a bit late to the thread, but still pretty excited about my score: 31 (10PS, 11VR, 10BS).

As for post-exam feelings, I felt pretty good after the exam initially and then absolutely horrible by that night. I looked up a few of the BS questions I could remember and knew I got at least a few of those wrong, so I was very worried I'd bombed that section. Plus, changed one answer in PS to the wrong answer, so that didn't feel great either.

I had a 28 from last July and am a reapplicant (naively only applied to one school last year). I'm aware a 31 probably isn't fantastic by SDN standards (there's some awesome scores in this thread!), but since it's balanced and score didn't drop in any of the subsections, I'm feeling good about it 😀 Selling my prep books tomorrow and hopefully never taking this exam again! 😎

A 31 is nothing to shake a stick at. Don't take my word for it, check out the 27-29 MCAT thread. It might give you a good idea of some other schools to add to your app. I was surprised to see how many people were getting in with <30. Good luck!!

 

[blockle]

Glad to see lot of you doing well.

Unfortunately for me I did horribly, and went against advice of some by retaking a 31. Scored much lower, but I plan to retake hopefully for better score.

 

[I liek to sing]

Kaplan Diagnostic: 29 (9PS/11VR/9BS)

Kaplan FL 1: 33 (10PS/12VR/11BS)

Kaplan FL 2: 33 (13PS/9VR/11BS)

Kaplan FL 3: 38 (11PS/13VR/14BS)

Kaplan FL 4: 38 (13PS/12VR/13BS)

Kaplan FL 5: 42 (14PS/13VR/15BS)

AAMC 8: 40 (14PS/12VR/14BS)

Final: 39 (14PS/12VR/13BS)

Totally thrilled! I came out of the test feeling just fine. I thought that the verbal wasn't nearly as difficult as I expected, and it was my lowest score. I was nervous about PS, I felt good about BS.

Oh, and I got a 44% on the trial section, plus the gift card. Lolz.

 

[mdclass]

I got a 31 also 9VR, 10PS, 12 BIO. 1 point lower than my AAMC average, but a bit more balanced. I was hoping for a higher verbal, but I'm glad those points went to PS instead.. thoughts?

 

[GreenMed]

Congratulations to everyone who is done waiting for their scores. Just making it through that month with your sanity intact was a success, no matter what the score itself was.

Here's my follow-up. I posted here about how odd I found the PS section and how doubtful I felt after the exam about my performance. In the days following the test, I figured out that I had definitely gotten five questions wrong, and I didn't know how many additional questions I might have erred on that I didn't remember well enough to check. Now, I don't know how many of those 5 questions were "experimental." It turns out that PS was my weakest score, but I am still very happy with my overall 39, (PS 12, V 13, BS 14).

A 39 was my average score from the nine AAMC/Kaplan practice tests I took before the real deal, so I was very happy to get my average - and actually have it count this time!

I was VERY nervous this month and thought I may have really botched PS and then allowed that to throw me for the rest of the test (to the extent that I re-registered), but everything turned out fine. I'm posting because I hope that gives some hope to those in the future waiting for their scores.

 

[jojo1215]

Hey all. I posted this in the 4/26 thread, but thought it wouldn't hurt to post here, too. Wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this weirdly unbalanced score.



I got a 32 which is nice, but it's a mixed bag:

7PS, 13VR, 12BS

The 13 in VR blew me away! I felt good about that section, but that doesn't mean much, so to see that 13 was beyond awesome. The 12 in BS is pleasing as well. I knew I messed up PS, but I was surprised with just how badly I did. Several things went wrong during that section that are not worth getting into, but I did not throw up my hands, or cry, or crumble. Clearly, I forged on and managed to do very well on the rest of the exam. So, I feel good about that fact. I am so unsure of whether or not to retake. My VR is great and my BS is competitive for the schools I want to apply to (MD schools). My sgpa is 3.9 cumgpa is 3.8 or higher (hard to say because of two schools to compute, but it's high). I also have great Letters (5 of them), lots of experience (shadowing, 200 hrs hospital volunteering, solid work history). That being said, I am very hesitant about retaking a 32 with strong VR and BS scores. The PS score is an anomaly, though I did find PS hard. I would say if certain things had gone "right" on the exam I could have gotten a 9 or maybe a 10 so it's not that I think I was in capable of a 12 on this PS or anything, but I certainly can do better than a 7! I just don't think I want to retake, though. If my VR was 7 the answer would be yes, but PS? Not so much actually. I think the rest of my application including a strong gpa might help me on this one. Any thoughts? Please be kind.

 

[Liirey]

Depends on your GPA. If its 3.6+ then don't retake

My GPA is 3.85. sGPA is 3.76.

 

[pyrrion89]

Practice test: 36 (only took 1, untimed, AAMC 3)
Impressions: Felt like I bombed PS, the first passage threw me off. VS felt like maybe I got a perfect score. The BS I felt like I guessed on 4 and almost ran out of time. Anticipated an uneven 29-31 score.

Actual score: 37 (PS 12 || VS 11 || BS 14)

WOW! Congratulations to those who got a score with which they are happy, and good luck to those who will be retaking.

 

[johnnyscans]

Hey all. I posted this in the 4/26 thread, but thought it wouldn't hurt to post here, too. Wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this weirdly unbalanced score.



I got a 32 which is nice, but it's a mixed bag:

7PS, 13VR, 12BS

The 13 in VR blew me away! I felt good about that section, but that doesn't mean much, so to see that 13 was beyond awesome. The 12 in BS is pleasing as well. I knew I messed up PS, but I was surprised with just how badly I did. Several things went wrong during that section that are not worth getting into, but I did not throw up my hands, or cry, or crumble. Clearly, I forged on and managed to do very well on the rest of the exam. So, I feel good about that fact. I am so unsure of whether or not to retake. My VR is great and my BS is competitive for the schools I want to apply to (MD schools). My sgpa is 3.9 cumgpa is 3.8 or higher (hard to say because of two schools to compute, but it's high). I also have great Letters (5 of them), lots of experience (shadowing, 200 hrs hospital volunteering, solid work history). That being said, I am very hesitant about retaking a 32 with strong VR and BS scores. The PS score is an anomaly, though I did find PS hard. I would say if certain things had gone "right" on the exam I could have gotten a 9 or maybe a 10 so it's not that I think I was in capable of a 12 on this PS or anything, but I certainly can do better than a 7! I just don't think I want to retake, though. If my VR was 7 the answer would be yes, but PS? Not so much actually. I think the rest of my application including a strong gpa might help me on this one. Any thoughts? Please be kind.

Your GPAs are great and your ECs sound good.

Retaking a 32 is scary. What was your FL average? An unbalanced 32 isn't a shot in the foot, but it may raise a small red flag.

Regardless, the retake can go one of three ways:
1. You get the same score but show a massive drop in a different section. That would be bad.
2. You score worse. That would be bad news bears.
3. You score better. That would be good. 32 is roughly 90th percentile. Think about that. 90% of the people who take the test DO NOT score as high as your. You're above average for MATRICULATING students.

 

[mdclass]

I kind of keep hoping I had gotten a 10 VR, 10 PS, 11 BIO, instead of my 9, 10, 12.. does it even matter when it's that close?

 

[wiloghby]

For those of you who ended up scoring relatively similar or higher to your AAMC averages...how did you feel immediately after you left the testing center? And how well would you say those feelings reflect your actual score?

Hi there! My AAMC average was a 39.5, and I scored a 39 on the real test. After I got out of the testing center, I thought I would be lucky to get 6 points below my AAMC average (33) -- but instead I got my average!

I think the anxiety and self-doubt on a test this difficult is pretty normal. It took me a couple weeks before I decided to adopt the perspective that "If it was harder than I expected, it was harder than everyone expected" and just figured it would all even out in the end. And it did.

 

[wiloghby]

My mom's response when I told her I scored 39: "Oh that's good. You sounded so excited I thought you were going to tell me you got a 40 or something like that. I would've been really blown away then." ... 😕

And my mom's not even Asian. I feel for children of Asian parents.

 

[Status Sciaticus]

My mom's response when I told her I scored 39: "Oh that's good. You sounded so excited I thought you were going to tell me you got a 40 or something like that. I would've been really blown away then." ... 😕

And my mom's not even Asian. I feel for children of Asian parents.

LOL I told my mom I got a 35 and she asked me
" out of what total?"
"45"
"Ah I guess you did ok then"
"Mom, I did better than 95% of the test takers"
😡😡

 

[khrisskhoras]

My mom's response when I told her I scored 39: "Oh that's good. You sounded so excited I thought you were going to tell me you got a 40 or something like that. I would've been really blown away then." ... 😕

And my mom's not even Asian. I feel for children of Asian parents.

"you geh fohty fohhh...WHY U NO GEH FOHTY FAHHHHYY?" *spanks kid with bamboo rod

 

[Postictal Raiden]

LOL I told my mom I got a 35 and she asked me
" out of what total?"
"45"
"Ah I guess you did ok then"
"Mom, I did better than 95% of the test takers"
😡😡

Haha. Same thing happened to me. I called my mom and told her I scored 28. She got excited thinking it was out of 30 🙁

 

[kopssa]

LOL I told my mom I got a 35 and she asked me
" out of what total?"
"45"
"Ah I guess you did ok then"
"Mom, I did better than 95% of the test takers"
😡😡

When I told my mom really excited about my good score she is just like "oh that is good hun... is that a percentage?..." I just wanted to be like yes mom I got a 31%.....

 

[pyrrion89]

When I told my mom really excited about my good score she is just like "oh that is good hun... is that a percentage?..." I just wanted to be like yes mom I got a 31%.....

lol! I told my mom I got a 37 and she said, "Oh, well are you sure they didn't mix up your score with someone else?" Thanks mom!

 

[Valkyrie927]

For those of you who ended up scoring relatively similar or higher to your AAMC averages...how did you feel immediately after you left the testing center? And how well would you say those feelings reflect your actual score?

Just trying to gauge because I'm not getting my score for another 3 weeks and I felt horrible (like I got <30) after my actual test even though I was averaging 33 on the AAMC tests.

My AAMC average for practice tests 8-11 was about PS 11 VR 11 BS 12

After the PS section of this test I wanted to cry. I really felt like I bombed it and the questions seemed very different than what I was used to from practice. I was pretty sure I got at least 8 of them wrong and that wasn't accounting for the silly mistakes. I trudged through verbal and had to keep kicking myself in the butt to stay focused. By BS I was debating whether to void bc I really thought I bombed PS.

I spent the last month figuring I got a 24, and trying to figure out what my backup plan would be if I didn't do well enough to apply (I've wanted to get into NYCOM or Touro in NY for so long and I figured there was zero chance) BUT I ended up with a 33!!! I kept rechecking and asked my boyfriend to look at it for me to make sure I wasn't hallucinating!! It really goes to show, the way you feel after the exam has NOTHING to do with how you actually perform. I got 11 PS 11VR 11 BS

 

[polyatomic]

lol! I told my mom I got a 37 and she said, "Oh, well are you sure they didn't mix up your score with someone else?" Thanks mom!

Hahaha. Misinformed moms.

Love not feeling the urge to check this thread every 5 minutes. Finally doneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

 

[Wonton Soup]

Congratulations on your scores, guys! I took mine May 23rd, so I have at least another 3 weeks of agony ahead

 

[premdgal]

Congratulations to everyone who received all of these super high scores! That's awesome.

AAMC average: 28
Actual MCAT: 30! (10 VR, 10 PS, 10 BS)

Happy that the score is balanced, otherwise I would probably retake. But echoing some of the sentiments of other posters, I felt HORRIBLE after the test and predicted about a 24 so I am happy to say the least!
Now on to finishing the AMCAS!

 

[AndyB]

AAMC average: 34.5

Post test: I thought PS would be horrible and was just hoping for a 10. I thought VR and BS were pretty good.

Actual: 35

10/13/12

 

[pyrrion89]

My AAMC average for practice tests 8-11 was about PS 11 VR 11 BS 12

After the PS section of this test I wanted to cry.

Seriously. That first passage (y'all know which one I'm talking about) was killer and I nearly got a panic attack. I spent a good two minutes staring at question #1 and freezing. Nearly stormed out of the building and cried. It was a struggle to get through the rest of the test thinking that I was already done for because of the PS. Almost voided my score too, but I felt like I didn't have enough in me for a re-take so this was going to have to be my one shot.

And everything somehow turned out fine.

 

[Jr MD]

Hey all

Didnt do so hot :/ But its all good! I'm staying positive and planning my next attack. I have 3 options and wanted to get some advice from yall! I studied on my own during an OCHEM II and physics II semester.m ( not my best idea but I thought I could do it) so this time around I want to take a class. Here are my options:

1. Take a class starting on june 9 through august 22 and take the test again on august 22 or 28 and still turn in my application next week.
2. Wait till next year and start studying in may and take it in august after I graduate and apply in 2015
3. Study throughout the year now and take a class in december 2013 and take the test in January 2014 and apply in 2014.

Really dont know what to do. Been praying and I'm waiting on an answer but I'd really appreciate some input! Thanks!!!!!!🙂

 

[Jr MD]

Going DO is also an option!

 

[burntorange]

Hey all

Didnt do so hot :/ But its all good! I'm staying positive and planning my next attack. I have 3 options and wanted to get some advice from yall! I studied on my own during an OCHEM II and physics II semester.m ( not my best idea but I thought I could do it) so this time around I want to take a class. Here are my options:

1. Take a class starting on june 9 through august 22 and take the test again on august 22 or 28 and still turn in my application next week.
2. Wait till next year and start studying in may and take it in august after I graduate and apply in 2015
3. Study throughout the year now and take a class in december 2013 and take the test in January 2014 and apply in 2014.

Really dont know what to do. Been praying and I'm waiting on an answer but I'd really appreciate some input! Thanks!!!!!!🙂

I'd say it depends on whether you scored well below your practice exam avgs or relatively close to it on test day. Let's say you were averaging in the 30's and scored a 27. Then it would be best to retake this summer sometime and fix whatever issues that caused a lower score (nerves/no sleep/poor time management/bad day, etc).

But if you are well below your goal in terms of your recent score then perhaps it might be best to wait till next year. Again it all depends on your goals and what kinda score you want to achieve. Without much else information, I can't really say anything more.

 

[Platonic]

"you geh fohty fohhh...WHY U NO GEH FOHTY FAHHHHYY?" *spanks kid with bamboo rod