Taking the Mcat Again Before Scores

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Session 297

If you button your MCAT back to June or July but you lot withal want to utilize early on in the bike, you may cease upward submitting your application earlier getting your MCAT score. In this example, you may be in for a rude enkindling when your MCAT score comes in.

What should you do if you get an MCAT score you're not happy with and y'all've already applied? This recently happened to 2 students I'm working with. They got scores they didn't desire or expect, and they already applied for this cycle. What should they practice now?

Heed to this podcast episode with the player above, or proceed reading for the highlights and takeaway points.

[02:ten] Applying to Merely One Medical School

There is a strategy some students employ where you only utilise to one medical school when you don't have your MCAT score back all the same. I used to be against this. But at present, I'one thousand starting to come up effectually to it a bit. I can understand why students capeesh the safety information technology gives you. But I'm still non 100% sold on it.

If you've followed my communication from the beginning, you would have taken the MCAT in March or April of the year you're applying at the latest. That means y'all would accept your score back by the time y'all submit your application. Y'all would know your score and, hopefully, take the confidence to utilize to more than one school.

But if you lot're non taking the MCAT until you lot submit your application, then you may lack confidence in your score. Just you know yous have to use early. So you end up only applying to one school. Information technology'due south a way to minimize the costs if your MCAT scores comes back low, because you only paid fees to submit to one school, but it also allows you to nonetheless apply (early) for that twelvemonth and gives you some chance.

[Related episode: How This Nontrad Beat a Bad MCAT Score and Low GPA.]

[04:forty] How Accurately Do Practice Tests Predict Your Real MCAT Score?

One of the students I was working with got a 495 as her existent MCAT score. The highest score from her practice tests was 500, and her other AAMC full-length practice tests were 494s. And so 495 was around the score she was supposed to get—it was close to her practice tests.

I always talk most how practice tests are the best fashion to practice for the MCAT. And what y'all're scoring on the practice exam should be most equivalent to what you will score on the real thing. But that doesn't take into account the obvious fact that stress happens. Existent examination day jitters can become to y'all.

Walking into the library to do an MCAT practice examination doesn't affect y'all the same manner that the real MCAT will. Hence, it'south not unusual to score lower on your existent MCAT than you did on your practice tests. So don't exist surprised and think it's a glitch in the system. It just happens. Sometimes, students score much better on the real test. But you can't wait a miracle on test day.

Your anxiety levels are going to be different during the real MCAT compared to your practice tests. Click To Tweet

[Related episode: How Many MCAT Practice Tests Should I Take?]

[06:35] Should I Play the URM Carte?

And so this student had a mediocre undergrad GPA with great extracurricular activities, great background, and swell story. She's a URM (underrepresented in medicine), and that adds to her application. So what do you exercise with a 495? Do you apply and hope at that place's something in your awarding that medical schools will like? Are you a URM? Do yous play that card?

There'south a reason nosotros consider race in admissions. We need diverseness in medical schools. We need diversity amidst our practicing physicians. Click To Tweet

Data shows, unfortunately, that because of the biases built into our system, African Americans accept scored significantly lower on the MCAT compared to Caucasians and Asians. But this doesn't mean they should be punished for it. So med schools will await at if you are a URM in the admissions process.

[Related episode: How Does Affirmative Action Affect Medical School Admissions?]

And so what do y'all practice in this situation where you applied early on and and so got back a lower MCAT score than y'all expected?

[08:40] Pick #one: Apply

One thing I e'er tell students I propose and students in the Premed Hangout Facebook Group is to enquire the admission committees of the schools you're interested in applying to. Lay out your cards. Tell them your story and that yous're an URM. Enquire whether they have minimum cutoffs for URM students. They may consider a 495, or they may say no.

Inquire the medical schools themselves. Go to them. Don't ask your premed advisor. Don't inquire Reddit. Don't inquire SDN. Ask the schools. Click To Tweet

Ask the school what to exercise next and where to get from here. They may tell you lot to get ahead and utilise. They may tell you to utilise and retake the MCAT. Hence, the first option is to employ. "Spray and pray."

Spray and pray: Spray your application to as many schools as possible and hope that one looks at information technology and decides to have a take a chance on you lot. Click To Tweet

[10:55] Option #2: Retake the MCAT

Since you've already applied and pushed frontward, the other selection is to retake the MCAT during this cycle. This depends on when y'all took the MCAT, when you got your score back, and when you can retake the MCAT. Yous would demand time to report and practice before your retake. If you're going to get the aforementioned score again, there'southward no point in retaking the MCAT.

If you're going to get the same score again, in that location'southward no point in retaking the MCAT. Click To Tweet

If yous're scoring higher in your practise test and then you took the existent MCAT and got lower, then something went wrong on test solar day. Go and retake the test equally soon as possible.

Refresh your memory if information technology'southward been a month since you lot've taken it. Become have some more practice tests. Then retake the real MCAT as soon as you can. Keep your applications going, as well as your secondaries.

[Related episode: Can I Score Higher on My MCAT Retake?]

[12:00] Option #3: Withdraw Your Applications

The third option is to call it quits for this wheel. And information technology'southward simply this cycle, so it's not a failed attempt. This doesn't mean your dream of becoming a doctor is over. It only means it's going to be delayed for another yr. And that'due south okay.

This may give you fourth dimension to save upwards some money for the next awarding cycle and for some MCAT tutoring. Yous can salve upward some coin so you can reduce your piece of work hours and focus more on the MCAT, volunteer activities, shadowing, and clinical feel. You have more than fourth dimension to bolster your whole application in the next year.

Scoring low on your first MCAT attempt doesn't mean you can't be a md. Information technology just ways yous scored low on your first MCAT attempt. Click To Tweet

That said, fifty-fifty though you may accept time to eternalize your whole awarding, think your focus should be the MCAT if that'due south why you're withdrawing this year. Don't distract yourself by thinking that since you lot're taking a year off to study for the MCAT anyway, you lot might as well practise a Primary's. The MCAT is your kryptonite, at least right now. And so get study for the MCAT.

[xiii:41] Be Cocky-Aware and Get a Tutor

If studying on your own didn't piece of work for you, then get a tutor. Have a tutor look at yous, at your study habits, your techniques, your test-taking abilities, and have them offer you advice on how to motility forrard.

You can cheque out Blueprint MCAT (formerly Adjacent Footstep Test Prep) and get a tutor. Use the promo code "MSHQ" to salvage some money. Ask them to aid you figure out where you lot went incorrect with your practice tests. Not all of you are going to need a tutor to become all over the content or the practice tests. Some of you demand that, and others don't.

So if you think you've got the content nether control, maybe it's worth a phone call to Next Stride. Tell them y'all need a tutor to become over a practise exam or 2 with yous. They tin can help yous effigy out where you're going wrong, break down the questions, and run into where your thought process is leading you astray. Otherwise, you're just scratching your head wondering why yous're scoring low and if this is meant for you.

Look at the study habits and test-taking arroyo that led to your low MCAT score, and change those. Click To Tweet

[17:00] The MCAT Is Preparation for the Boards

Keep in mind that once you're in medical school and yous're taking the boards, there's no retaking them unless you fail. You get the score you lot get.

So you need to showtime practicing to practise really well on these kinds of big standardized tests. That starts today.

[17:50] Why Information technology'due south Neat to Delay Your Application for a Year

If you only practical to one school, then maybe that'southward great, because when you apply to schools next year, you're non a reapplicant to them and they oasis't seen your personal argument, so you don't have to change that much. If you're prewritten your secondaries while waiting for the MCAT score, all that stuff is already washed, so great! And you've already asked for letters of recommendation. So if you lot're going to reapply next year, most of your work is done. And so you lot're stress-free. Yous only have to focus on the MCAT.

Empathise that this is not the end of the line for your medical career. This is just a hiccup in the road. Click To Tweet

But and so once more, yous have to look at why you failed in the outset place. Do non go running to forums and strangers. They might tell you to go utilise to a Caribbean area school. There are so many premed myths out there. Exist conscientious taking advice. (Carribean medical schools should simply exist a final resort.)

Unless you lot're hearing it from an admissions commission member at a school you desire to apply to, ignore information technology. It's just noise. Click To Tweet

Lastly, if you're taking some time off, continue to be consistent with your shadowing and with your extracurricular activities. You still need to maintain consistency with those activities. Information technology'south important to demonstrate that you're committed to medicine—that you're not simply getting a sure number of hours and then quitting.

Links and Other Resource

• Check out my Premed Playbook series of books (available on Amazon), with installments on the personal argument, the medical schoolhouse interview, and the MCAT.
• Related episode: What Is a Competitive MCAT Score?
• Related episode: How Will an Unbalanced MCAT Score Bear upon Me?
• Need MCAT Prep? Relieve on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code "MSHQ" for 10% off Next Step full-length practice tests or "MSHQTOC" for $fifty off MCAT tutoring or the Next Step MCAT Class at Blueprint MCAT (formerly Side by side Stride Test Prep)!

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Source: https://medicalschoolhq.net/pmy-297-what-if-youve-applied-and-your-mcat-score-is-not-good/