Would you retake a 32?

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[ChubbyChaser]

No because you said you studied very thoroughly, unless your score was way below practice

 

[chad5871]

No. I got a 31 (10PS, 9VR, 12BS, T), and I'm not retaking. Although I would have liked to get double digits in every section, I'm sure that my MCAT will not be a problem at most schools I'm applying to.

 

[BlueCow]

I have a 3.9 GPA (overall and science are both about the same, a little bit above 3.9) and a 32 on the MCAT (10PS, 9VR, 13BS, N writing). I didn't take a prep course but I did the Examkracers self-study very thoroughly. For what it's worth, I'm half black, please don't get on my case. I have average ECs, nothing special. I'm going to take a year off. I really want to get into a top 15. Should I retake?

Thank you!

By all mean, take it if you think 32 is not enough for you and think you can score a 37 or higher. It can be done and people have done it before. With a second score of MCAT it will show your consistency and your area of strength.

 

[hawk126]

It depends. How thoroughly is "thoroughly"? If you can ramp up the studying and you consistently scored 35+ in the AAMC's practice exams, then I would definitely retake. However, if 32 was within your practice score range, then I wouldn't.

 

[Quix]

(1) Beware of regression towards the mean - it is more likely that your scores will go down in the sections in which you scored above average.

(2) Don't base your decision to retake on practice exams - there is a categorical difference in taking a relatively scaled exam when you are competing against databases/historical populations (practice tests) versus real people (actual tests); doing well against an historical population does not necessarily mean that you will get similar scores against contemporaneous test takers.

 

[Phoenix.]

I would recommend against retaking. But it's really your call.

 

[BananaMonkey]

Now, please don't take any offense as to what I am saying, but I am naturally a sarcastic, cynical person (who wants to do medicine, yes).

To me, a 32 is a respectable scores. I myself got a 31S on this past august 20 retake (whereas my practice AAMCs were putting me at 34-37) but I'm glad I broke a 30.

I would say retake only if you took this MCAT under the following conditions:

1. Drunk.
2. Hungover.
3. Stoned.
4. with your toes instead of your fingers.
5. blindfolded and held at gunpoint.
6. Any combination thereof of the above.

Just my two, cynical, jaded yet hopefully comical cents.

 

[SpartanBlueJay2]

I wouldn't. A 32 is nothing to sneeze at and your subscores are balanced. My first MCAT was a 32 also, and if I had the same subscores you did, I would not have taken it again. Unfortunately, I had a pretty embarassing VR score, so I felt the risk was worth it. And just so you know, while the VR score increased 3 points on the retake, my overall score only increased by 1. It's ultimately your call, but it is risky.

 

[Tourterm]

As stated previously, you'll run the risk of scoring lower on those sections in which your originally scored above average. Check out the data for people who retake the test:

http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/tables.htm

A 32 is still very good, and you have an excellent GPA. I think retaking the MCAT would pose to much of a risk, for a comparatively weak reward. If you are going to take a year off, and you say you have average EC's, why not work on those? How is your clinical experience?

 

[drizzt3117]

There's a lot of factors. Most people are going to encourage you not to retake, and it's probably good advice. I would only advise retaking if you have concrete evidence that you would do better (much higher practice test average with n > 10 tests), issues during the test day, or a test that seems vastly disproportionate from the average MCAT. I personally decided after taking my exam that I would retake with a score < 35 but there were a number of factors involved in that decision including practice test scores that were consistently 40+ and an extremely strong and broad knowledge base, but I was certainly glad it wasn't necessary to retake.

 

[veaselhaufen]

just to provide some balance in this thread

Scored 33, retook after not studying and forgetting a whole lot of the material 1.5 months later. Retake=36

Against what other people have said, my advice is to have faith in your practice test scores. If you think you can do better, you probably can.

 

[CSnowFoxD]

I think it also depends on what state you're in...

 

[greg1184]

lol I love this board.

 

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