mcat

[shorti212]

I have a 4.0 gpa and a mcat score of 24Q. Should I retake the mcat or do I have a shot of getting in with what I have?

thanks

[y82benji]

The 24Q MCAT is pretty low. It’s not unheard of to get in with that score, especially with a 4.0 GPA, but the rest of your application (your personal experiences, essays, etc.) has to be very good. Admissions Committees may look at your coursework and your college to figure out if that 4.0 is an “inflated” GPA. If you apply to a lot of lower tier schools you should probably get into a couple, but your MCAT score is going to limit your options. Retaking the MCAT and scoring higher will give you more options in terms of where to go. On the flip side, if you retake it and get lower or even only improve by 1-3 points overall it’ll be a stronger point to go on than your GPA. Retaking the MCAT is probably a good idea for you – but you should plan to try and get at least a 28 or 29, if not higher. If you are weak on volunteer/clinical/extracurricular/research experience, you’ll definitely need to either apply to 30 schools or retake the MCAT.

[shorti212]

I will most probably retake the MCAT but im not very good at
standardized
testing. I have volunteer experience for two years at a hospital,
research
experience, and I have shadowed a doctor for about four mnths. In
addition
to this, I have about 7 other extracurriculars on my application. Would this improve my chances?

Thanks

[y82benji]

I would think that all that would help you a lot, especially if in those extracurriculars you took some leadership roles. My worry for you is that a lot of top 50 med schools are just going to be turned away by the 24 on the MCAT. With a 4.0, good clinical experience, and other good personal experiences, you can probably get into a couple lower tier schools, but if you can bring your MCAT up closer to 30 you’ll have so many more options at stronger schools. So, if you just want to go to med school anywhere, you probably have a shot of getting in if you make your application really nice and polished (especially essays), but since you’re going to be spending most of the next four years involved in your med school I would recommend trying to maximize your choices and opportunities.

[y82benji]

Also, how did you prepare for the MCAT the first time around? Let me know what you did and maybe I can offer some suggestions on what to change and what helped me.

[shorti212]

I am plannin to retake it..I enrolled in a prep course and basically
read
the books they provided in each subject and took practivce exams. I
made
index cards to help with the formulas and reactions. I would appreciate
any
suggestions and also, my application has been submitted but it I marked
No
for retaking the MCAT because at that time, the scores were not
released and
it said if unsure mark No. Should I contact all the schools I applied
to and
let them know I am retaking the exam?

Thank You

[y82benji]

Don’t just use one company’s materials. You don’t have to buy another book, but search for practice tests online from other groups. No one group is 100% thorough, so it helps to see other question banks to let you know if there’s something you need to look up in a textbook or online. One place you can go for a free practice test is this website: http://www.e-mcat.com

If you have already submitted your AMCAS application you should probably let the schools know because those fall scores won’t be coming out until October/November. AMCAS lets you make some changes to your information, so you should check there first and if there is no option for that then you should contact the schools individually.

Remember when you take the test that you can’t control your score. You can only focus on and answer the questions. Your score depends on two things: how everyone else does and how the company writing the test answers the questions – and until mass mind-control is invented you can’t do anything for either one. Focusing on that is key.

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