MCAT question

[Coolguy23]

Hi everyone,

I have a bit of a strange case regarding the MCAT. Two years ago I scheduled to take the MCAT. My studying was very weak. I think I scanned through some kaplan books for about a month and maybe flipped through some anki cards here and there, but I was distracted and didn't put my all into it. I ended up getting a 503 (breakdown C/P: 125 CARS: 128 B/B: 125 P/S: 125). I stupidly didn't research what it meant to take the MCAT and didn't know that adcoms can see every score, but I have been preparing for a retake for the past month and a half and am scheduled to take my first full length on May 4th with a test date scheduled for June 1st.

I'm very nervous to take this full length because I've had this benchmark score of 503 in my head and I'm worried that I'll score near it or lower even though I have been studying. Is it possible I got just lucky not to completely bomb the mcat when it took it two years ago? I'm trying to not get in my head too much so I can perform well on my full length. If I'm lucky enough to get an interview and they ask about my first attempt do I tell them I was just an idiot and didn't study?

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[karaya]

Bit of clichéd advice: the past is past, don't worry about it. Worry about what you can control here and now. For example, why May 4th, why not this week? The more time you give yourself for review, the better. You should aim to take, at the minimum, all 6 of the AAMC practice exams, as they are the closest to the real thing.

 

[thaidakar]

Yeah just tell them you didn’t properly understand what was expected of you but you’re more mature and organized now etc. etc. If you do really well a poor score from a couple years ago will likely be over looked (though some schools average scores). Whatever you do, don’t take the real thing until you are crushing the practice exams. You can always push back your test date. I really regret not pushing mine back (did not give myself enough time to study and dropped 7 points from my last FL). Also I would recommend doing one practice exam a week for at least 6-8 weeks)

 

[AJS59]

Anything can be possible, but odds are (with sufficient content review and a serious plan) your score should go up. That being said, things can happen on exam day to lower your score (you have car troubles, emotionally stressful night before, etc.). For now, just focus on going out and crushing it. As long as you do well, I doubt it'll become a point of friction in interviews. Just make sure this attempt is your last and best one.

 

[Coolguy23]

Bit of clichéd advice: the past is past, don't worry about it. Worry about what you can control here and now. For example, why May 4th, why not this week? The more time you give yourself for review, the better. You should aim to take, at the minimum, all 6 of the AAMC practice exams, as they are the closest to the real thing.

I'm finishing up content review + Uworld in the next two weeks. I wanted to get that done before I use the AAMC materials so I can save that for the last month.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Scour the MCAT subforum and prepare the right way.

 

[LikeableDolphin]

CARS is the hardest section to improve and arguably the most predictive of your potential in other sections. 128 is good, you will be fine with good prep. Go into the test confident in your preparation and abilities, there is no reason not to believe in yourself. It's really easy to fall into the pitfalls of anxiety and neuroticism especially with the perceived pressure that comes with taking the MCAT. At the end of the day, it's a test: study for it to the best of your abilities and try your best, things will work out. Also, no reason to worry about your score when you haven't even done FLs recently, the AAMC FLs will be indicative of how you'll fare.