would lower mcat retake decrease my chances

[pinay58]

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[0dee]

Let me get this straight, you're planning to retake the MCAT in about a month AND you haven't studied yet!! Why??!?!?
Of course a lower second attempt will not be in your favor.

 

[cassis_Cake]

currently have a 3.63 cgpa, 3.59 sgpa, and 501 mcat. i'm retaking the mcat on may 14 but haven't studied. should i not retake it? i mainly just want to take it to try and get a 505 so i can get an automatic select for the afhpsp.

What did I just read..? I mean, unless you're smart and comfortable trying to improve your MCAT by 4 points without studying then I wouldn't know what to say.. Bad idea if you're going to take it and bomb it, terrible! I would advise to reschedule and study your butt off.

 

[holdthemayo]

How long did you study for your last MCAT? What makes you believe you can score better this time?

To answer your question, yes, a lower score on your second attempt would hurt your chances.

 

[pinay58]

I guess what I'm trying to get at is if my 501 will get me anywhere this cycle. I don't want to take the MCAT again if I don't have to. Would I be able to get into DO school and receive an AFHPSP with my current stats? I only did 2 practice tests and the AAMC question bank for my first test. Content review was throughout a few months, but never serious.

 

[j4pac]

I guess what I'm trying to get at is if my 501 will get me anywhere this cycle. I don't want to take the MCAT again if I don't have to. Would I be able to get into DO school and receive an AFHPSP with my current stats? I only did 2 practice tests and the AAMC question bank for my first test. Content review was throughout a few months, but never serious.

this is really a two part question: 1) should I apply? and 2) should I retake the MCAT?

1) I think that you should apply wisely and see what happens.

2) Never take the MCAT without studying for it. There is no reason to believe you would do better than your first...and you could do worse.

 

[pinay58]

this is really a two part question: 1) should I apply? and 2) should I retake the MCAT?

1) I think that you should apply wisely and see what happens.

2) Never take the MCAT without studying for it. There is no reason to believe you would do better than your first...and you could do worse.

well i do plan to apply to almost every DO school. i was planning on studying more, however, working full time makes it difficult and i'd rather start focusing on my application than worrying about studying for another test.

 

[j4pac]

well i do plan to apply to almost every DO school. i was planning on studying more, however, working full time makes it difficult and i'd rather start focusing on my application than worrying about studying for another test.

I'm not judging you. I worked full time and didn't study for my first MCAT. I did well enough to get in...but quite frankly, I was lucky. It's not a good strategy. Take the test when you're ready. Your current score may be good enough.

 

[DrMikeP]

I studied for a month and made a 501. Not studying is stupid as you risk your future completely, a month is unlikely to help much unless just you need to focus on an area if weakness. A lower score than a 500 will highly likely eliminate you from many schools. So you are risking a lot with little likely return or prep.

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[pinay58]

I studied for a month and made a 501. Not studying is stupid as you risk your future completely, a month is unlikely to help much unless just you need to focus on an area if weakness. A lower score than a 500 will highly likely eliminate you from many schools. So you are risking a lot with little likely return or prep.

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did you get accepted with a 501? or did you retake to get a higher score?

 

[DrMikeP]

Accepted with a 501 applied early and had strong application.

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[memory tcells]

working full time makes it difficult and i'd rather start focusing on my application than worrying about studying for another test.

I wouldn't brush off the MCAT, it is a significant part of your overall application. Take the test only when you are ready, you don't want a lower score on your second attempt. Just because you plan to apply to many DO schools doesn't guarantee you admission.

 

[cassis_Cake]

I wouldn't brush off the MCAT, it is a significant part of your overall application. Take the test only when you are ready, you don't want a lower score on your second attempt. Just because you plan to apply to many DO schools doesn't guarantee you admission.

I agree with this as well. Just because others have gotten in with similar or lower mcat, doesn't mean it will apply to you as well. Give yourself the best chance to get in instead of trying for the bare minimum. I felt you could of study again after your first mcat and improve your score but its probably a little late to do that now. However, I don't know much about the rest of your application and all of this may be irrelevant. Applying early and broadly is probably your best option right now in any cases.

 

[W19]

The bottom line is that you will get somewhere if the other areas of your application are ok, so why risk your chance?

 

[DrMikeP]

The bottom line is that you will get somewhere if the other areas of your application are ok, so why risk your chance?

Especially with only 1 month of studying! If 3-6 months of studying then I'd say go for it.