MCAT score- opinions/suggestions on course of action

[GGGSaint]

Hey guys,

 

Appreciate your responses ahead of time -> my Q is what you would do with this MCAT score:

 

(PS, V, BS, Writing) : 12, 9, 12, R (1st attempt)

 

I'm an ON resident and plan on applying to some Ontario schools and probably outside of province to McGill.

 

Top targets: UT, McGill

Other considerations: Western, Queens

 

The above score seems to be enough for my top targets but most likely will be cut off by Western/Queens (although there may be a slight chance verbal may drop to a 9 with the expansion of spots this year??)...I've also read up on people getting interviews at Queens with a verbal of 9 but very high science scores (but I'm assuming 12s won't cut it...more along the lines of 13/14s+)

 

My plan is to take whatever remaining time I have left this summer to finish my apps/personal statement(s) and relax instead of studying for the MCAT again this summer.

 

If my application this year is not successful I'll consider redoing the MCAT next summer and applying broadly in Canada and the States.

 

Logical way to go or should I just go ahead and re-write this summer?

[Dampy]

Hey guys,

 

Appreciate your responses ahead of time -> my Q is what you would do with this MCAT score:

 

(PS, V, BS, Writing) : 12, 9, 12, R (1st attempt)

 

I'm an ON resident and plan on applying to some Ontario schools and probably outside of province to McGill.

 

Top targets: UT, McGill

Other considerations: Western, Queens

 

The above score seems to be enough for my top targets but most likely will be cut off by Western/Queens (although there may be a slight chance verbal may drop to a 9 with the expansion of spots this year??)...I've also read up on people getting interviews at Queens with a verbal of 9 but very high science scores (but I'm assuming 12s won't cut it...more along the lines of 13/14s+)

 

My plan is to take whatever remaining time I have left this summer to finish my apps/personal statement(s) and relax instead of studying for the MCAT again this summer.

 

If my application this year is not successful I'll consider redoing the MCAT next summer and applying broadly in Canada and the States.

 

Logical way to go or should I just go ahead and re-write this summer?

 

you didn't say what year you were in, if your going into 4th year i'd say re-write the thing, your science is obviously fine....who wants to prolong the agony you've already I assume spent most of the summer studying anyways.

[GGGSaint]

you didn't say what year you were in, if your going into 4th year i'd say re-write the thing, your science is obviously fine....who wants to prolong the agony you've already I assume spent most of the summer studying anyways.

 

Going into 4th yup. Have spent a few weeks in May/June studying and haven't touched an MCAT book in 5/6 weeks now after having written.

[Gitanjali]

hey,

congrats on a great MCAT score. your sciences are pretty high . 13 plus is stellar but12 is no joke either.In my experience, even a 9 in verbal deserves an applause but unfortunately the bar is set too high for some schools. I still think that with a decent GPA and EC's u have a good shot at most Cdn schools.

PS - are u applying to the states?

[GGGSaint]

hey,

congrats on a great MCAT score. your sciences are pretty high . 13 plus is stellar but12 is no joke either.In my experience, even a 9 in verbal deserves an applause but unfortunately the bar is set too high for some schools. I still think that with a decent GPA and EC's u have a good shot at most Cdn schools.

PS - are u applying to the states?

 

Hey Gitanjali, thanks for your thoughts. I won't be applying to the States this year -> didn't know what my MCAT scores would be like (and they need to be high and balanced for US [35+] it seems) + didn't want to bother with primaries/secondaries and just focus on getting a strong application to some Canadian schools (CAN is #1 for family/money reasons).

 

My ECs are well rounded (I've always put emphasis on allocating time for everything I love to do -> athletics, theater, music) but that + course overloads probably came at a bit of a hit on the GPA (I don't regret it though)...overall I have decent grades with a few Bs here and there -> my most competitive GPA is at UT (3.84 weighted...which at least gives me a decent shot at an interview at my home university) and at other schools it is definitely lower (I meet Queens and Western GPA cutoffs as well so thus my mulling over whether I should just go ahead and re-write the MCAT) and at McGill it would be in the low 3.7 region.

 

So it seems to me that I'm on the lower end of the spectrum of average acceptance (even at UT where the average was 3.89 again this year) and thus need to make up some ground somewhere (my ECs and references may help give me a boost) but I suppose I should be at least at an average level on the MCAT (i.e. verbal of 10). Definitely tough to be borderline .

 

Either case I will definitely make this decision myself but input from you guys definitely helps.

[Murrae]

You only have two questions you need to ask:

 

1 - Can at least get 11s in the science scores

2 - Can you at least get a Q/R in the WS again

 

If yes, then definitely rewrite it and hope you can score a 10 in VR. My reasoning is that you need at least a 10 in VR to be comfortable to make cutoffs. Don't lose out on possibly three interviews (1/2- western + queen's have had 10 VR cutoffs before, and 3- Mac uses VR now) because of your VR score of 9. But, if you mess up the WS section on the rewrite, then you'll get cutoff from Queen's/Western anyways. Aim for an R, but Q should be okay too.