When to retake?

[sapientnarwhal]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I tested on 4/20 and I’m anticipating a sub 518 score. I haven’t decided on a specific total score, and it really may depend on my section scores. Nonetheless, I’m confident that I can score a 520+ if I address my weaknesses/deficiencies (i.e. practiced CARS incorrectly for 2.5 months and changed strategies the week before the test, didn’t review any ochem or biology (light biochem review), procrastinated on KA 100 pg document and ankid the last 50 pages 4 days before the exam, could have taken more practice tests). (I was scoring 513 avg on NS and 520 on AAMC).

My question is, is there a recommended period of time one should wait until retaking? Also I am pretty adamant about retaking a 515 and I know the risks.

 

[Zenabi90]

Not after 3+ weeks. Your cooldown period has passed, and you're going to start losing crammed knowledge soon. If you're applying this cycle, take a look for the next available date and plan accordingly because you're gonna be waiting yet another month beyond that for scores.

Just a reminder for OP (who already knows the risks) and other readers (who may not):
515 is 92nd percentile
520 is 98th percentile
Meaning per 100 people, the difference of 5 points is beating 6 people.
523 is 99th percentile, meaning to beat one more person, you have to gain 3 points, which is a ton at this end of the scaled scoring.
For a large majority of schools, anything above 90th percentile (514+) is a wash.
For the most selective of schools, anything above 95th percentile (2 standard deviations, 517+) is a wash, because more than anything, these scores are now nearly in outlier territory and cannot be compared directly.
In both cases, something like 517 vs 520 means far less than a 3.9 vs a 3.6 or other various parts of the application like LORs and ECs.

 

[mariposas905]

I tested on 4/20 and I’m anticipating a sub 518 score. I haven’t decided on a specific total score, and it really may depend on my section scores. Nonetheless, I’m confident that I can score a 520+ if I address my weaknesses/deficiencies (i.e. practiced CARS incorrectly for 2.5 months and changed strategies the week before the test, didn’t review any ochem or biology (light biochem review), procrastinated on KA 100 pg document and ankid the last 50 pages 4 days before the exam, could have taken more practice tests). (I was scoring 513 avg on NS and 520 on AAMC).

My question is, is there a recommended period of time one should wait until retaking? Also I am pretty adamant about retaking a 515 and I know the risks.

Are you applying this cycle?