very Low MCAT but very high GPA

[jessycorner]

I have a GPA of 3.91 and I got a 16 on the MCAT. I am definitely retaking it since it does not reflect my capabilities. I guess the nerves got the best of me and did not have enough time to finish many of the questions,

My question is, are 3 weeks of intense studying enough before presenting the next MCAT?

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[ronaldo23]

absolutely not. 3 weeks is probably not even enough time to review for someone who has a great grasp of all the content. Regardless of nerves, a 16 shows definite lack of content understanding or some major test-taking errors. Take a solid 3-4 months of concentrated studying (like full days), and then retake. You clearly have what it takes to do well in med school as your gpa indicates, so why rush something that counts as much as 50% of your overall application?

 

[LostInStudy]

Maybe your bad score has to do with your lack of knowledge about the test. It is not a walk in the park. It takes serious studying. Even students who know EVERYTHING well take 6 weeks minimum because that is the time required to master the test-taking skills to do well on this test.

There is WAY too much to say about this test so I'm going to let someone else say it because I have to go back to doing preparation for my own MCAT.

But in short, no 3 weeks in not enough. 4 weeks is the bare minimum for the smartest and most talented students but even that isn't ever suggested. I would suggest visiting the 30+ thread that is a sticky and going through BloodlySurgeons official guide. After reading those two threads you should have a good idea of what is required and need for this test. Seeing as you have a good GPA you probably didn't study at all for this test and need some guidance. The 2 thread sticky's mentioned above should do the trick.

Hope this helped,

-LIS

 

[RogueUnicorn]

3 weeks? maybe if you're an amazing sponge you might bring it up to a 24... maybe. don't do it, it will be a waste of money and more importantly a waste of your very precious second MCAT score.

 

[TurkSurg]

yup at least 6 weeks IMO

 

[Bernoull]

If you can pull off a >12 point jump in a week, since registration ends 2 wks prior if i recall correctly.. Is it possible? Yes.. Is it probable? No.......

 

[LostInStudy]

If you can pull off a >12 point jump in a week, since registration ends 2 wks prior if i recall correctly.. Is it possible? Yes.. Is it probable? No.......

Okay so maybe we should be honest about his/her "possible" chance of doing it. In the 499 posts on the 30+ thread there is no one who has gone from a 16 to a 30+ in 3 weeks (or even 6 weeks for that matter) EVER. However, there have been PLENTY of people who have done it in 3-4 months.

-LIS

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Okay so maybe we should be honest about his/her "possible" chance of doing it. In the 499 posts on the 30+ thread there is no one who has gone from a 16 to a 30+ in 3 weeks (or even 6 weeks for that matter) EVER. However, there have been PLENTY of people who have done it in 3-4 months.

-LIS

chance is essentially zero in 3 weeks. there is simply not enough time in the 3 weeks to read all the review notes and do some practice Qs and a couple FL practice tests.

 

[LostInStudy]

chance is essentially zero in 3 weeks. there is simply not enough time in the 3 weeks to read all the review notes and do some practice Qs and a couple FL practice tests.

I don't think anyone could go over the review even if they knew it well faster than 3 weeks tops considering that they were practicing. That is just content review. This test is so much more than that.

I hope this is helping original poster,

-LIS

 

[RogueUnicorn]

agreed