To retake or not to retake?

[chewy88]

Hey everyone,

I'm contemplating whether or not to retake again. I just took it on 8/5 and feel really uneasy about how it went. I've been averaging about a 32 (anywhere from 30-35) on all the AAMC practice tests. The last three I took were 9,10, and 11, and I got a 30 on each one. During the real deal, I feel like i got flustered with a few questions and it really threw off my timing. I had to nearly guess on about the last 3-4 questions in each section because I ended up running out of time. There were also several questions I had to guess on and didn't know. I feel like i did worse than usual, but a lot of people say that's normal. I'm just trying to figure out if I should retake now instead of waiting to get my score in sept and then it might be too late at that point. Thanks guys.

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[gutcheckmcat]

^^^ Damn dude, it seems like you are applying this cycle. Why don't you wait a year and then apply?

I am in the same position as you, I have taken 4 AAMC tests and I am averaging 32s on them ((range is 31-34). My original goal for the MCAT was a 33+ but right now I am unsure if I can get that. I plan on taking the test on August 18th.

Usually after ever AAMC practice exam I feel uneasy about it, and my scores fluctuate like crazy, so I am guessing the real thing may be like that.

What threw you off on the test, was it seeing a passage on material that you didn't really cover? That is my biggest fear on the MCATs. When I see a passage that I didn't really cover, my timing goes off and I end up wiht like a 9 on that section. Other than that I can manage to get mostly 10+ on the science sections.

 

[chewy88]

well i applied last year and was waitlisted at my state school and was told if brought my mcat up by just 1 point that i would be fine the following year. I'm pretty confident i went up a point, but i'm not so confident that i scored as well as i was doing on the practice exams. As far as what threw me off, there were just a few passages that asked the questions very strangely and it made me really frustrated because i knew the information, but it was just a pain trying the answer the questions the way they had them worded.

 

[SN2ed]

well i applied last year and was waitlisted at my state school and was told if brought my mcat up by just 1 point that i would be fine the following year. I'm pretty confident i went up a point, but i'm not so confident that i scored as well as i was doing on the practice exams. As far as what threw me off, there were just a few passages that asked the questions very strangely and it made me really frustrated because i knew the information, but it was just a pain trying the answer the questions the way they had them worded.

Unless that one point was in verbal, it's highly unlikely 1 point would make a difference. Schools typically want to see a major, statistically significant improvement (+3). In any case, it's pointless to dwell on retaking until you actually have your score. People generally feel poorly after taking their test regardless of what their final score ends up.

 

[chewy88]

I was thinking about registering for a test in sept that is after the date I'd get my scores back. I'm thinking about studying for it until then, and then depending on what my score is, decide if I will take the sept test date or not. It's just gonna be hard staying focused and motivated for another month...

 

[SN2ed]

You'll probably be wasting your time since you're most likely burned out.