"what happens if you fail your mcat?"

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MyInitialsAreJC said:
isnt it fun trying to explain to your friends how the scoring works

My dad, "So what's a good score?"

Me, "Well, usually its something like 30.. but I'm aiming for at least 35."

My dad "What's it out of?"

Me, "45.."

My dad, "What?! 35 isn't even 80%!"

Me, "....."
 
I like the people who think the MCAT is how you get into medical school.

Example: "So how did you do on your MCATs" (and yes, I did the plural on purpose, hehe."

me: "Very well ... "

person: "So does that mean you are accepted to medical school?"

me: "I wish!" Then I go on and explain how it's just one piece of the application process. 🙂
 
My favorite is the people who just don't understand anything about the test....

them: "Why have you been studying so long? The MCAT's easy, isn't it?"

me: "Um, no...."

them: "But it's just like the LSAT, right?"

me: "No...."

them: "Oh....well I have a cousin/aunt/sister-in-law/friend of a friend of a friend who took it without studying and got a 45, so I don't see why you're saying it's difficult."

(pause)

them: "But they were, like, smart. Ya know?"

me: "Can I smack you now?"
 
lol these are fun

Friend: so how's the studying going

Me: Well, but I'm concerned about verbal....

Friend: Verbal?

Me: yah the MCAT is composed of 4 diff..... you wanna get some lunch?

Friend: Sure..
 
ssquared said:
My favorite is the people who just don't understand anything about the test....

them: "Why have you been studying so long? The MCAT's easy, isn't it?"

me: "Um, no...."

them: "But it's just like the LSAT, right?"

me: "No...."

them: "Oh....well I have a cousin/aunt/sister-in-law/friend of a friend of a friend who took it without studying and got a 45, so I don't see why you're saying it's difficult."

(pause)

them: "But they were, like, smart. Ya know?"

me: "Can I smack you now?"

oooh... I don't even remember the last time I talked to someone about the MCAT who hasn't been through this with me blow by blow, or took it in the past... I hate non-pre-meds in this process 😛

My favorite was:
so how's the studying? What do you think you'll get?
I'll do well...
Better than so and so who got in to Columbia/Michigan, etc. ?
Hopefully...
So you'll go to like Harvard right?
I'll be lucky to get in anywhere with a 3.05 GPA...
then I go off on a tangent that would only be understood by veteran SDN'ers and watch eyes glaze over... Things are even more complicated when you have a weird application like me....
 
ssquared said:
My favorite is the people who just don't understand anything about the test....

them: "Why have you been studying so long? The MCAT's easy, isn't it?"

me: "Um, no...."

them: "But it's just like the LSAT, right?"

me: "No...."

them: "Oh....well I have a cousin/aunt/sister-in-law/friend of a friend of a friend who took it without studying and got a 45, so I don't see why you're saying it's difficult."

(pause)

them: "But they were, like, smart. Ya know?"

me: "Can I smack you now?"

-------------
I vote for this post 👍 It's funny b/c it is true to life (unfortunately).
 
My favorite is trying to talk to my fiance about how I'm worried about this part or that part of the MCAT... and he does the whole, Uh-huh thing....

Or last night:

Him: "So, do they just ask the same questions, only re-worded or something from year to year?"

Me: "Well, they have a list of possible subjects that will be on the MCAT, like waves, electromagnetics, blah, blah, blah...."

Him: "So, you should know all of the answers, since you took it last year, right?"

I'm pretty sure he was joking.... but still. I wanted to hit him (since we were on the phone, that would have been difficult). It's frustrating b/c really the only thing on my mind these days is the MCAT and no one I really talk to is in the same ship as me. 🙁

Grrrrrrr........

Oh, and I was telling my boss about studying for the MCAT, and gave the "It's the medical college admissions test which blah, blah, blah" deal and he was like, "You honestly think I don't know what the MCAT is?" Me: "Umm well, most people don't..." Him: "I'm paying someone's way through medical school right now." Me: "Cool.... you want to pay mine?" Him: "No."

haha worth a shot, right? 😛
 
I totally agree! it gets really frusterating trying to explain the scoring...and i'm pretty sure I had a conversation with my dad exactly like that one before. I can't wait having to explain our scores once we get them...
 
A good way for your significant other (or a friend/family member) to really understand what the MCAT is all about is to make them take a portion of a practice test. That's exactly what I did and it was actually nice to hear these words "Oh damn, now I get it." No more questions on what the MCAT was about after that. 😀 :meanie:
 
RAD11 said:
A good way for your significant other (or a friend/family member) to really understand what the MCAT is all about is to make them take a portion of a practice test. That's exactly what I did and it was actually nice to hear these words "Oh damn, now I get it." No more questions on what the MCAT was about after that. 😀 :meanie:


heh... make them take an EK mini-mcat...
 
Also, I find it helpful to tell my family members what the average MCAT scores are for different kinds of schools. They understand the difference between state schools and say Harvard. Then, I tell them what I should get in order to even have a shot in hell at getting in this year and where I'm at.
;-) Fortunately my boyfriend's a med student so he's all too familiar with this process and my premed neuroses.
 
i also find it helpful to throw in to LSAT terms for some people:

24=150
30=160
36=170

some people get that a little bit... at least how competetive your score is
 
RAD11 said:
A good way for your significant other (or a friend/family member) to really understand what the MCAT is all about is to make them take a portion of a practice test. That's exactly what I did and it was actually nice to hear these words "Oh damn, now I get it." No more questions on what the MCAT was about after that. 😀 :meanie:

oh that's just evil
 
mycurlyearly said:
I totally agree! it gets really frusterating trying to explain the scoring...and i'm pretty sure I had a conversation with my dad exactly like that one before. I can't wait having to explain our scores once we get them...

I just tell people how I did in terms of percentile when people who don't know about the MCAT ask. 😉
 
The worst experience of this for me was when I was talking to my research professor who had no clue about the mcat. All he knew was that it was a medical school thing and I explain it had different sections and so on, and then he asked me if I think I'll do well. So I just tell him that on the practice tests I've been scoring low thirties. He didn't say a word. I didn't even stop to realize that he had no idea if that was out of a hundred or what, then we went our separate ways shortly after and I realized why it was so quiet after that. He probably thought I was an idiot.
 
It's frustrating talking with parents who don't know that much about the med school admission process yet know of other people's amazingly smart children that are at the top med schools and thus have unrealistic expectations about what it takes to do well on the MCAT and gain admission to med schools.

"Oh so and so did research last summer and taught the SAT course at Kaplan and just sat in on the MCAT courses, so he didn't even have to pay for the MCAT classes like you and he got a 40 and now has a scholarship to WashU Medical School. You did better than him on the SATs in high school so that means you'll probably be able to get a 42 or 44, right?"

"And, your cousin's at Harvard Medical School right now and your uncle said that she also got into Johns Hopkins. Well, she was a history major at Yale and the liberal arts are all easy so since you're in engineering which is harder, you should be able to do just as well as her."

Arggghhh.
 
UMP said:
heh... make them take an EK mini-mcat...

I would make them sit through a full length practice test with me. With a shortened version, they don't get the feeling of how damn long your brain has to keep working!
 
xx216xx said:
The worst experience of this for me was when I was talking to my research professor who had no clue about the mcat. All he knew was that it was a medical school thing and I explain it had different sections and so on, and then he asked me if I think I'll do well. So I just tell him that on the practice tests I've been scoring low thirties. He didn't say a word. I didn't even stop to realize that he had no idea if that was out of a hundred or what, then we went our separate ways shortly after and I realized why it was so quiet after that. He probably thought I was an idiot.

You should clarify that with him soon if you want him to write you a LOR. :laugh:
 
i worked with a professor who has to be in his late 40's. his basic attitude was "You're going to study for that?"

"uh.. yeah."

"What is out of again?"

"45."

"Yeah, I remember taking it while I was in college. I got a 45. It was not difficult to me, but I chose to pursue my PhD."



...and i dont work with him anymore
 
go lakers said:
i worked with a professor who has to be in his late 40's. his basic attitude was "You're going to study for that?"

"uh.. yeah."

"What is out of again?"

"45."

"Yeah, I remember taking it while I was in college. I got a 45. It was not difficult to me, but I chose to pursue my PhD."



...and i dont work with him anymore


Yeah, I get a similar response from my Dad: "Why are you wasting your summer studying for this test? I never even thought about studying for this thing, and I got into medical school just fine."

Me, flustered: "uhhh, admissions is more competitive 35 years later?"
 
Guys ...the worst feeling ever
I told my pastors I was taking the MCAT...

Pastor: So how is studying going?
Me: Pretty good I think I'm going to do well.
Pastor: what score are you shooting for?
Me: 30-33
Pastor: WHat is it out of?
Me: 45
Pastor: ??? You are more than a conqerer...you have to have faith....if a 45 is possible than why would you aim so low....and so on 😱

🙄 Basically a mini sermon about how I wasnt beleiving God enough for a great score. Honestly guys If I got a 33....it could be no one but God!! 😉
 
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