sirpaulydy
Full Member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2025
- Messages
- 64
- Reaction score
- 83
Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice about whether or not to retake the MCAT this weekend. I applied to 30+ schools last cycle at age 20 and got 3 interviews (T20, T40, HBCU), but was waitlisted at all of them. I had a 504 MCAT, which was my highest score despite very limited prep time due to a hectic semester. Since then, I graduated college (Dec), gained ~300 more clinical hours, did another research internship in fall 2024, secured a congressional health policy internship for this fall, and started a nonprofit. I’ve also worked been working as a research assistant at a T5 med school with my mentors from my research fellowship at the school last summer (will continue working through the next year).
This cycle, I already submitted my primary and planned to retake the MCAT, but between my job, two family members being hospitalized (I'm their primary caretaker), and multiple research conferences, my prep has been inconsistent. My full-length scores this time have plateaued around 503–504. I’ve reviewed them deeply, but I haven’t finished UWorld or all AAMC materials. The emotional and mental stress of everything, especially the emotional toll of last cycle and this past week, has really affected me and I’m not confident that I’ll do significantly better on test day. Best-case scenario might be a 507, but I fear I might score the same or worse. *Note: Last cycle i scored 5 points above my highest fl score on the real mcat, I'm not confident this will happen again*
I’m torn: do I take the MCAT this Saturday anyway, or delay it to October/November and apply with my existing 504 score (while updating schools later)? I’ve expanded my school list and have stronger experiences now, so maybe casting a wider net would help. But I’m not sure if submitting with the old MCAT score hurts my chances too much. I would really appreciate your advice.
TLDR:
Applied last cycle at age 20 with a 504 MCAT, got 3 interviews but waitlisted at all. Since then, gained a lot of new experiences and submitted my primary for this cycle. Planned to retake the MCAT this weekend, but between work, family health issues, and emotional stress, I haven’t prepped as much as needed. My practice scores haven’t improved and I’m not confident in a better outcome. Should I take the MCAT anyway or delay and apply with the old score while updating schools later?
This cycle, I already submitted my primary and planned to retake the MCAT, but between my job, two family members being hospitalized (I'm their primary caretaker), and multiple research conferences, my prep has been inconsistent. My full-length scores this time have plateaued around 503–504. I’ve reviewed them deeply, but I haven’t finished UWorld or all AAMC materials. The emotional and mental stress of everything, especially the emotional toll of last cycle and this past week, has really affected me and I’m not confident that I’ll do significantly better on test day. Best-case scenario might be a 507, but I fear I might score the same or worse. *Note: Last cycle i scored 5 points above my highest fl score on the real mcat, I'm not confident this will happen again*
I’m torn: do I take the MCAT this Saturday anyway, or delay it to October/November and apply with my existing 504 score (while updating schools later)? I’ve expanded my school list and have stronger experiences now, so maybe casting a wider net would help. But I’m not sure if submitting with the old MCAT score hurts my chances too much. I would really appreciate your advice.
TLDR:
Applied last cycle at age 20 with a 504 MCAT, got 3 interviews but waitlisted at all. Since then, gained a lot of new experiences and submitted my primary for this cycle. Planned to retake the MCAT this weekend, but between work, family health issues, and emotional stress, I haven’t prepped as much as needed. My practice scores haven’t improved and I’m not confident in a better outcome. Should I take the MCAT anyway or delay and apply with the old score while updating schools later?
