High 3.7 cGPA + 33 MCAT?

[GGGSaint]

Hey guys,

 

I'm pretty newbie when it comes to American schools and am considering applying this upcoming cycle. Please bear with me.

 

My main question is regarding my 33 MCAT (12, 9, 12) [9 in verbal]:

 

Would you suggest a re-write considering it is unbalanced?

 

I know that getting a 33/34 will look bad -> would a 36/37 be a sufficient improvement?

 

When do schools generally start reviewing your application if you have been marked complete early (i.e. mid July or so) ? I ask because I am considering applying early with my current 33 score and not checking the box that I plan to re-write; is it possible for some schools to have given out invitations for interviews by mid/end August and if so would they pull back their invitations if I scored a 33 again?

 

Thanks for any input guys, just trying to figure out my options for Canada and the States for next year. Going to have to re-write my MCAT regardless for Canadian schools to improve verbal, just a matter of when would be best to do so regarding American schools.

[Hackintosh]

I don't think your 9 in verbal is a big issue. Of course, if you think you can do better then you should rewrite. But as it stands right now, your stats look like they're in good shape.

[GGGSaint]

I don't think your 9 in verbal is a big issue. Of course, if you think you can do better then you should rewrite. But as it stands right now, your stats look like they're in good shape.

 

Thanks for your input Hackintosh.

 

I'm worried because I know I should re-write the MCAT to achieve a balanced score for Canadian schools but don't want to jeopardize my AMCAS application by not improving enough on a re-write.

 

I suppose the way to go is study hard and hopefully there will be a sufficient increase in my overall score for the States.

 

Just one question to you or anyone else reading this:

 

From experience, what would you guys say is a sufficient improvement for US purposes? Would a 2-3 point jump be good enough? (not too sure I can go up into the 38 or more category).

[bona_verba]

i think what would help you much more than rewriting your mcat would be writing a solid AMCAS application and submitting broadly and early

[GGGSaint]

i think what would help you much more than rewriting your mcat would be writing a solid AMCAS application and submitting broadly and early

 

That I will do for sure. Thing is I *have* to re-write the MCAT this summer to improve on my verbal (want to meet the cutoffs at Queens/Western and become competitive as an OOP applicant at some out of province schools like McGill, Manitoba, and Calgary).

 

My dilemma is the timing of the re-write: I can write mid June after submitting my primary and before secondaries really hit or I can write early August (hence my scores will be released later on and maybe I would already have an interview or two in the States?...not exactly sure of the timeline for any of the schools in the US) as long as I can manage to study and go through any/all secondaries.

 

The worry here is one thing: AFAIK there needs to be a substantial increase in my MCAT score. Going up a point/staying the same won't be good enough even if I achieve a more balanced distribution right?

 

Thanks to you guys who have replied!

[bona_verba]

look at it this way.

you're only trying to improve your verbal score.

and youre only doing it for canadian schools

 

apply early to american schools. send them the mcat you already have. if your next mcat turns out to be atleast 2 pts higher, then update your american schools, otherwise, think of this next mcat as meant only for the canadian schools and your peace of mind.

 

applying early would make more of a difference, i feel, than an mcat thats 2 points higher.

 

but you have to make the final determination!

[bona_verba]

That I will do for sure. Thing is I *have* to re-write the MCAT this summer to improve on my verbal (want to meet the cutoffs at Queens/Western and become competitive as an OOP applicant at some out of province schools like McGill, Manitoba, and Calgary).

 

My dilemma is the timing of the re-write: I can write mid June after submitting my primary and before secondaries really hit or I can write early August (hence my scores will be released later on and maybe I would already have an interview or two in the States?...not exactly sure of the timeline for any of the schools in the US) as long as I can manage to study and go through any/all secondaries.

 

The worry here is one thing: AFAIK there needs to be a substantial increase in my MCAT score. Going up a point/staying the same won't be good enough even if I achieve a more balanced distribution right?

 

Thanks to you guys who have replied!

 

your secondaries will ''hit'' over a period of a month.

 

i'd suggest having worked on all your secondaries in the month of june. have them all out of the way or atleast ready to submit. and then do that mcat.

june july august whichever one works. there shouldn't really be a rush though because your 33 is a very decent score down in the states. i have a 34 and people around me (here in the states) are all ''ohh your mcat is sooo goood'' and as a canadian i always thought it was ****. but yea. submit asap in the states. and then prepare as much as you need to for getting it up to par for canadian schools balance and all.

 

also, to make sure you improve your verbal score, i highly recommend this book titled ''triple your reading speed''. its full of drills that help you improve your comprehension with an increased visual bite. helped me.

[GGGSaint]

look at it this way.

you're only trying to improve your verbal score.

and youre only doing it for canadian schools

 

apply early to american schools. send them the mcat you already have. if your next mcat turns out to be atleast 2 pts higher, then update your american schools, otherwise, think of this next mcat as meant only for the canadian schools and your peace of mind.

 

applying early would make more of a difference, i feel, than an mcat thats 2 points higher.

 

but you have to make the final determination!

 

This is awesome advice overall...just a question about the part in bold -> can I actually control whether the american schools will see my next MCAT? I thought it was released automatically to all of them! (If it isn't then I really can feel comfortable going into my next one).

 

 

your secondaries will ''hit'' over a period of a month.

 

i'd suggest having worked on all your secondaries in the month of june. have them all out of the way or atleast ready to submit. and then do that mcat.

june july august whichever one works. there shouldn't really be a rush though because your 33 is a very decent score down in the states. i have a 34 and people around me (here in the states) are all ''ohh your mcat is sooo goood'' and as a canadian i always thought it was ****. but yea. submit asap in the states. and then prepare as much as you need to for getting it up to par for canadian schools balance and all.

 

also, to make sure you improve your verbal score, i highly recommend this book titled ''triple your reading speed''. its full of drills that help you improve your comprehension with an increased visual bite. helped me.

 

I will definitely take a look into the book you mentioned, it's time to take full control of verbal so I don't have to worry about the MCAT ever again after my re-write.

 

Unfortunately have to go right now but wanted to reply to your posts when I saw them because they were really useful, thanks!

[bona_verba]

This is awesome advice overall...just a question about the part in bold -> can I actually control whether the american schools will see my next MCAT? I thought it was released automatically to all of them! (If it isn't then I really can feel comfortable going into my next one).

 

 

 

 

I will definitely take a look into the book you mentioned, it's time to take full control of verbal so I don't have to worry about the MCAT ever again after my re-write.

 

Unfortunately have to go right now but wanted to reply to your posts when I saw them because they were really useful, thanks!

 

 

actually when you submit your amcas it asks you if you're going to be updating with another mcat score. if you select yes then schools dont get to see your application until your mcat score is in. i was actually suggesting you select no, go ahead with early apps, and if by chance your mcat is uber amazing, send an unofficial update about it, but you don't have to.

 

i'm still going by its better to submit asap than wait around for an mcat. i've known way too many people who have regretted the delay that their rewrite brought them. and your 33 is quite good. not needing a rewrite for american schools. but go for it for canadian schools def, western and queens would care about that verbal.

 

thanks for the thanks! good luck with everything.

[keith_015]

actually when you submit your amcas it asks you if you're going to be updating with another mcat score. if you select yes then schools dont get to see your application until your mcat score is in. i was actually suggesting you select no, go ahead with early apps, and if by chance your mcat is uber amazing, send an unofficial update about it, but you don't have to.

 

i'm still going by its better to submit asap than wait around for an mcat. i've known way too many people who have regretted the delay that their rewrite brought them. and your 33 is quite good. not needing a rewrite for american schools. but go for it for canadian schools def, western and queens would care about that verbal.

 

thanks for the thanks! good luck with everything.

 

Withholding a MCAT mark would be grounds for dismissal. When you submit, you make a promissory that all information is true and accurate. If you write a new MCAT, I'm 100% sure that a red flag will pop up through AMCAS. Say bye bye to all your applications, and ultimately your personal character to US medical schools, and say welcome to the black list. Bottom line is that it WILL have to be reported regardless. You WILL have to update in AMCAS if you write a new one.

[bona_verba]

Withholding a MCAT mark would be grounds for dismissal. When you submit, you make a promissory that all information is true and accurate. If you write a new MCAT, I'm 100% sure that a red flag will pop up through AMCAS. Say bye bye to all your applications, and ultimately your personal character to US medical schools, and say welcome to the black list. Bottom line is that it WILL have to be reported regardless. You WILL have to update in AMCAS if you write a new one.

 

 

oh

sorry OP

i had no idea about this

[GGGSaint]

Withholding a MCAT mark would be grounds for dismissal. When you submit, you make a promissory that all information is true and accurate. If you write a new MCAT, I'm 100% sure that a red flag will pop up through AMCAS. Say bye bye to all your applications, and ultimately your personal character to US medical schools, and say welcome to the black list. Bottom line is that it WILL have to be reported regardless. You WILL have to update in AMCAS if you write a new one.

 

Makes sense, but it would it also be a flag to select 'no' so I can be complete early and then have the new MCAT mark be released a few months later?

 

That seems like a pretty legitimate thing to do -> otherwise does everybody who is re-writing their MCAT wait for their new scores before they can be complete at any given US school?

 

ps: bona_verba -> that's alright.

[keith_015]

Makes sense, but it would it also be a flag to select 'no' so I can be complete early and then have the new MCAT mark be released a few months later?

 

That seems like a pretty legitimate thing to do -> otherwise does everybody who is re-writing their MCAT wait for their new scores before they can be complete at any given US school?

 

ps: bona_verba -> that's alright.

 

Tough call. You can select no when you initially apply and change it later to yes; however, if you do that, schools may hold back your file or an interview upon seeing the change, or worst case, question you about it in an interview and find out that the US is by far not your first choice maybe leading to show that you aren't committed to that school. Ie that you are writing to get into Canada-your first choice. Schools in the US absolutely need to know that you would love being there and that the school is your top choice. You can only bull**** so much though, and having a fresh MCAT with an already decent score might hint something else.

 

IMO, its better to just say yes right from the start. You probably would be putting yourself in a very awkward situation if you don't. If you decide not to rewrite, you can always change it to no. Schools may understand trying to get from a 33 to a 36 before being invited for interviews "just in case", but potentially being offered an interview, then a new MCAT score...yikes (especially if it is lower). Even while waiting for your new score you should receive some secondaries. I received most of my secondaries before my new score was published. I'm sure with your current score that you should be able to as well.

[GGGSaint]

Tough call. You can select no when you initially apply and change it later to yes; however, if you do that, schools may hold back your file or an interview upon seeing the change, or worst case, question you about it in an interview and find out that the US is by far not your first choice maybe leading to show that you aren't committed to that school. Ie that you are writing to get into Canada-your first choice. Schools in the US absolutely need to know that you would love being there and that the school is your top choice. You can only bull**** so much though, and having a fresh MCAT with an already decent score might hint something else.

 

IMO, its better to just say yes right from the start. You probably would be putting yourself in a very awkward situation if you don't. If you decide not to rewrite, you can always change it to no. Schools may understand trying to get from a 33 to a 36 before being invited for interviews "just in case", but potentially being offered an interview, then a new MCAT score...yikes (especially if it is lower). Even while waiting for your new score you should receive some secondaries. I received most of my secondaries before my new score was published. I'm sure with your current score that you should be able to as well.

 

Just to understand you keith_015:

Did you disclose you were writing a new MCAT as well? And with that you still received some secondaries? (just not sure what you mean by my being able to receive secondaries with my current score...it seems like you're saying it's best to disclose from the get go and wait until new scores come in).

 

In the case I do disclose it means that the earlier I write the better of I am right? So with the disclosure it means I will have to write sooner rather than later (I was considering early August, but don't want to wait to be complete in early September when I would get those scores back).

 

This is as complicated as I thought it would be .

 

But thanks for the help, without it I would be in a more difficult situation.

 

Bottom line: if I do re-write -> disclose from the get go and write the MCAT as early as is possible in my case (mid June...meaning scores back mid July...which should be fine). Big drawback: score the same or lower and all the money/time that has gone into the US applications goes down the drain.

 

Would you say that's the cliffs notes version?

[keith_015]

My last MCAT was 2006 (31R). So it was still valid for some schools, as well as acceptable to get a secondary. I think out of the 11 schools I applied to at the time, 4 held back from secondaries (U Minn, Wayne, Vandy, Wake Forest), otherwise I got secondaries for everything else (Kentucky, EVMS, VCU, RFU, SUNY Upstate, & Dartmouth and Case which I didn't send the secondary in for). With my new score I heard from the 4 right away as to yes or no. Of course out of those, Dartmouth, Case, Upstate and RFU send to everyone. I'm sure there are A LOT more schools that send out secondaries without screening to grab the money.

 

I had to disclose that I was writing again, as my MCAT was stale for a lot of schools, because I wanted a better score to reflect my ability for my applications, and of course because of the rules of disclosure.

 

Write when you are comfortable if you will redo the test. There is no sense jeopardizing both the US and Canada. If you are prepared earlier, then do it by all means.

 

With the way things have gone, and by that I mean tracking through SDN and our own experiences here, some schools seem to be swamped with apps so being early is starting to get VERY important (especially for int'ls bc we are disadvantaged).

 

You are right in that writing in June would be perfect. Getting a score mid July isn't bad. At that point you could also consider whether or not applying will be a good idea. Completing secondaries takes a long time and requires a lot of work. But the good thing is that SDN posts the requirements for secondaries, so you can always prep based on what is posted there, and once you get the formal secondary, cut paste and submit right away and you will still be early.

[GGGSaint]

You are right in that writing in June would be perfect. Getting a score mid July isn't bad. At that point you could also consider whether or not applying will be a good idea. Completing secondaries takes a long time and requires a lot of work. But the good thing is that SDN posts the requirements for secondaries, so you can always prep based on what is posted there, and once you get the formal secondary, cut paste and submit right away and you will still be early.

 

Sounds good keith_015. If I do manage to be ready by mid June then I can get working on any secondaries I get sent + check out SDN for any other secondaries I will not yet receive at that point because I'm waiting on a new MCAT score.

 

If I'm not ready by mid June/have second thoughts about the MCAT then I can always switch back to saying I'm not writing the MCAT again right? (definitely don't want to push waiting for my new scores past mid July if I decide I need more time to get ready than by mid June).

 

Seems to be very all or none if I re-write regarding US schools -> but at least I won't lose more than the money submitting the primary + the time I put into the primary.

 

Anyways, thanks!

 

ps: One last question -> if I have to re-write to get a third set of scores (hopefully this won't happen, but there are never any guarantees with the MCAT) then would that matter for the US schools or would the previous re-write (that was a non-improvement) kill my chances? I'm thinking the answer is yes but wanted to double check.