What to do??

[inaccensa]

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I took the MCAT now 4 times.
First time 18
Second 23
I didnt get the rest scored. I graduated college in 2008 with a GPA 3.8. I went to college always wanting to be a physician. Physiology was my favorite subject and I scored an A in that quite difficult class. A friend of mine who got into med school got a B in that class. I'm not tooting my own horn, but i love physiology and it is my passion. One of the reasons why I really want to go to med school to learn more about it. So after college, I messed up and went for my masters in biochem. I finish it this semester, but I still want to go to med school. I honestly feel like an epic failure. I sacrificed social life, friends and so much to study for mcat. Why cant I do well? Am I stupid? I really need clear perspective. I feel like Im wasting away my life- with no career in sight.
I do not want to go to DO or Caribbean school- this is my passion and I want to do it the right way. I always thought that if I cant do well on the mcat, I dont deserve to be a physician... I dont know what to do anymore. Really heartbroken...sorry if you this is just too much.. but med school means a lot to me....cant even stop crying..just took the mcat and the verbal just totally brought down my confidence, so just gave up and didnt get it scored. Now reading other's responses to the verbal, I feel like i shouldnt have voided that test, but too late. Even if I take jan 2012 mcat, I dont get in until august 2013..

 

[getright]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=623898

Follow a schedule similar to that the next time you take the test, or just enroll in a prep course. And what do you mean by the "right way" to become a doctor? DO physicians can do anything that an MD can do...

 

[NickNaylor]

I'm not sure how being a DO isn't "doing it right."

 

[ThirdEye]

i'm not sure how being a do isn't "doing it right."

+1

 

[inaccensa]

A lot of people consider that the easy way, no, especially the carribean

 

[salim271]

+1

+2, in another ten years I think the negative stigma that is associated with DO will be all but gone as more DOs enter the field and it becomes harder and harder to get into DO schools.

 

[ThirdEye]

I'm not sure how being a DO isn't "doing it right."

A lot of people consider that the easy way, no, especially the carribean

There is no easy way

 

[inaccensa]

i need a confidence booster...seriously.

 

[salim271]

i need a confidence booster...seriously.

lol but we're all pessimists, to do our best we see the worst that can happen and try desperately to prevent it from happening.

It honestly sounds to me like you dont test well, MCAT is more test than content. Buy the Berkeley Review books and do a lot of passage practice is really the only way to get used to passages.

 

[inaccensa]

lol but we're all pessimists, to do our best we see the worst that can happen and try desperately to prevent it from happening.

It honestly sounds to me like you dont test well, MCAT is more test than content. Buy the Berkeley Review books and do a lot of passage practice is really the only way to get used to passages.

Very true, I'm learning that too late. Its more about practice & learning the tricks and nuances. The MCAT verbal on 9/2 was horrid as indicated by many people. I wanted to cry when I got to the music & philo passage.. totally lost. One of the impediments is that I am not confident after so many failed attempts..

 

[SN2ed]

Going DO and going to the Caribbean are two very different things.

I have no idea why you'd retake 4 times without any sort of plan to succeed. That was a horrible mistake. At least schools will only see two attempts. You need to analyze what' you're doing wrong and not blindly rush into retaking. You have some huge weaknesses that need to be addressed before taking the MCAT again.

Here are some more general tips for retaking: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=754682

 

[KindofBlue]

Agree with SN2ed. Analyze yourself, and if you already have, let us know what you've figured out, that way people can give you more specific advice.
Also going to Caribbean or DO shouldn't be something to avoid. Yes you will have a bit of a harder time finding a residency, but in the end, if you really want something, you'll get it. Is your dream to practice medicine in whatever specialty you may be interested, or is it to just have a diploma that says MD of such and such school of US? Think about that.

 

[ModernAlchemist]

A lot of people consider that the easy way, no, especially the carribean

So, what you're saying is that your primary determinant for career/life decision making is what other people think? I think that's a bigger problem than a low MCAT.

In terms of your question, you obviously are going about it the wrong way so re-evaluate the way you think about studying and this test. "If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got." Change the materials. Watch some wikipremed or Khan academy videos. Take a class. Try to create your own questions for topics that involve critical analysis. There are many things that can be wrong. With scores that low, at least you know you're heading in the wrong direction. Now you can be sure that it's the right thing to do when you completely change your methods.

 

[mightymoose02]

So, what you're saying is that your primary determinant for career/life decision making is what other people think? I think that's a bigger problem than a low MCAT.

In terms of your question, you obviously are going about it the wrong way so re-evaluate the way you think about studying and this test. "If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got." Change the materials. Watch some wikipremed or Khan academy videos. Take a class. Try to create your own questions for topics that involve critical analysis. There are many things that can be wrong. With scores that low, at least you know you're heading in the wrong direction. Now you can be sure that it's the right thing to do when you completely change your methods.

Listen to this guy. 👍

He took NZTs

thallanylzirconio-methyl-tetrahydro-triazatriphenylene

if you don't know what it is... go rent LIMITLESS


In all seriousness, he has good advice.

 

[inaccensa]

I need major help with verbal. I get what you guys are saying and I'm beginning to realize my mistakes. I should focus more taking practice than doing a through content review. I will retake it in Jan and I hoping this will be my last take.. I'm planning on taking as many practice q's as possible. I dont know what I scored last 2 times,i just voided them..I dont whether I really improved.

Listen to this guy. 👍

He took NZTs

thallanylzirconio-methyl-tetrahydro-triazatriphenylene

if you don't know what it is... go rent LIMITLESS


In all seriousness, he has good advice.

 

[inaccensa]

thank you all for your valuable input.

 

[hiyaman]

I need major help with verbal. I get what you guys are saying and I'm beginning to realize my mistakes. I should focus more taking practice than doing a through content review. I will retake it in Jan and I hoping this will be my last take.. I'm planning on taking as many practice q's as possible. I dont know what I scored last 2 times,i just voided them..I dont whether I really improved.

This is relative. If you are getting practice questions wrong because you don't understand the material then you need a content review.

I think it will be beneficial for you if you did do a content review mixed in with lots of practice a la SN2ed's study guide.

 

[centrigeugle]

Scores that low are indicative of major content gaps.

OP, what are your recent practice FL scores like?

 

[coyotelime]

Scores that low are indicative of major content gaps.

OP, what are your recent practice FL scores like?

+1

Follow SN2's schedule, and if you are scoring in the low 20s, then follow especially the content review section exactly(reading each TBR chapter twice per week) to really get the concepts down. Sure TBR is more detailed than necessary, but better safe than sorry. Afterwards follow his schedule and do the AAMC FLs. Also get your hands on as much verbal as you possibly can. EK 101, TPRH, TBR, old AAMC pdfs(longer versions, do the extra passages), TPR Elite 45, Kaplan 45(actually okay for Kaplan verbal), are your best sources for verbal practice. Try reading random articles from The Economist/Time/Any respectable magazine and when you are done with it ask yourself what is the point? Try to think critically every day in life. It sounds nerdy but if that's what physicians do on a daily basis you might as well start training yourself now. If you do this while you are preparing the skills you need to succeed on the mcat will become second nature to you.

What others think of you doesn't matter at all. The motivation and aspiration to become a physician should ultimately be something you decide. If you made an A in a difficult physiology course you should be scoring 10-12s on at least a few of the BS sections, so maybe it's verbal you are having the most trouble with. Good luck!

 

[apc]

try explaining what u did, how u preped and what u need help with in detail. that way people can suggest you different things.

 

[inaccensa]

try explaining what u did, how u preped and what u need help with in detail. that way people can suggest you different things.

I used to EK prep material. I occasionally referred to the kaplan, but I preferred the EK. Practice verbal exam was between 9-10 on verbal, but when I took the old verbal FL from kaplan, it went down to 8, 9,7..

 

[inaccensa]

Thanks. i will try to get on the TBR

+1

Follow SN2's schedule, and if you are scoring in the low 20s, then follow especially the content review section exactly(reading each TBR chapter twice per week) to really get the concepts down. Sure TBR is more detailed than necessary, but better safe than sorry. Afterwards follow his schedule and do the AAMC FLs. Also get your hands on as much verbal as you possibly can. EK 101, TPRH, TBR, old AAMC pdfs(longer versions, do the extra passages), TPR Elite 45, Kaplan 45(actually okay for Kaplan verbal), are your best sources for verbal practice. Try reading random articles from The Economist/Time/Any respectable magazine and when you are done with it ask yourself what is the point? Try to think critically every day in life. It sounds nerdy but if that's what physicians do on a daily basis you might as well start training yourself now. If you do this while you are preparing the skills you need to succeed on the mcat will become second nature to you.

What others think of you doesn't matter at all. The motivation and aspiration to become a physician should ultimately be something you decide. If you made an A in a difficult physiology course you should be scoring 10-12s on at least a few of the BS sections, so maybe it's verbal you are having the most trouble with. Good luck!

 

[inaccensa]

The breakdown for 23 is 9P, 4V, 10B,Q

 

[liveoak]

you have good science scores, so there is no reason to think you aren't capable.

I do not want to go to DO or Caribbean school- this is my passion and I want to do it the right way.

please don't say these things. seriously.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

If you are getting practice questions wrong because you don't understand the material then you need a content review.

How exactly are these different? Please forgive me for the impending rant, but every time I hear or read this comment (and it is often), I want to ask that question.

Doing questions in the right mindset is doing content review, but in a more active fashion. You learn so much more from detailed answer explanations than you do from reading text. I agree that content review is a good place to start, but the only way to perfect that is to do questions and keep a running journal of the material you don't know as well. By reading an answer explanation, it often fills in the gap in content (assuming you are using materials with thorough explanations).

For someone who has already taken the MCAT, they've no doubt done plenty of content review. Reading more content is not what they need. They need to change their mentality on what the purpose of passages is. The first wave of passages you do are a way of reviewing content in context. Don't worry about the scores; instead worry about what happened on each question. Keep a log of errors and see how many are content related versus test approach related. That is how you get better.

Treat most of your passages and their explanations as content review and you'll see improvement.