Guest gonzo23 Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 Hey guys, This'll be a long one, but I need advice. Wrote the MCAT a second time. First time it was 6v/12p/11b/Ow. This time it was 7v/10p/11b/Qw (yay... a Q on writing!). Last year I was bombarded with verbal and in the real test didn't finish a whole passage and rushed through about 2 passages! I attributed my low score to that. This year I really worked hard to improve and thought I had aced it (at least by my standards which meant getting a 9). I didn't get below a 9 on the numerous practice tests I did beforehand and read the economist everyday to improve my reading skills. I finished on time and confident that I hadn't rushed and really did understand all the passages. So, don't know what I should do! My GPA is a 3.84 and I think I have a well-rounded non-academic profile. I need advice from those who have gone through med. and know people who may have encountered the problems I did. Should I write the MCAT a 3rd time? Is it worth it? What other professions have you guys seen that have been as immensely fulfilling as medicine? Is there anywhere in the world that will accept my credentials? I don't think I have a strong chance at Mac or Ottawa. Right now I can't see myself being happy in any other profession other than medicine and am trying to figure out how I'm either going to get there, or what I should pursue otherwise. As well, I don't know how to prepare for another writing if Kaplan and the AAMC do not seem to reflect what I can realistically do. I don't have problems with test anxiety. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dogeatdog12 Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 I am not a med student, but I think you should relax in the meantime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 007 Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 Maybe you could try applying to UofA or Manitoba. I think that their MCAT scores tend to be lower. UofT only uses your MCAT scores as a warning sign rather than a strict cutoff so you could try applying there too....although it is a bit late this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 Hi there, MCAT aside and just concentrating on your average, you may well beat the Ottawa academic cut-off. Have you tried calculating the Ottawa WGPA using the OMSAS scale? If you're above 3.80, (i.e., not living outside of Ottawa and not in a teeny Ontario town), then it's worth applying. As the above poster mentioned though, time is running short. Good luck, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gonzo23 Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 Hello, I was in the same scenario last year. Did apply to UT, Mac and Ottawa. Cut from all. Doing the same this year but added UBC and Calgary. I don't have the wGPA for Ottawa b/c they don't count my 3rd year (I'm in a co-op program). I'm just applying so I don't kick myself since I've already put all the effort into the rest of the general OMSAS application. I figured that options were bleak.... but just thought I'd still solicit some guidance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phil667 Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 I know how you feel. I had the same thing happen to me. The first time I wrote, I got a 6 in Verbal. The second time.... another 6 in Verbal. The third time I got an 11 in Verbal! So just stick with it. Try applying to med school this year, and if you don't get in, re-write the MCAT again. Most people aren't successful the first time they apply to Med school. The same is true with the MCAT. I know a handfull of people who had to take it more than once. It's not the end of the world. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gonzo23 Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 Hey Phil, Thank you for posting. At least I know there is someone there with me. I read of all these wonderful scores people are getting and after writing twice it just makes me wonder whether someone is sending me a sign!! Can I ask how you prepared for your 3rd writing? I feel like I've exhausted all of the available resources for practice tests at least. Are you in medical school now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phil667 Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Hey again gonzo, When I took the MCAT for the 3rd time, I basically ignored the sciences and writting until the week before. I concentrated all my time on improving my speed reading. I read almost every article in each day's newspaper, even if I wasn't interested in it (because, let's face it, the Verbal passages are sinfully boring!). I also read the Economist because those articles are written at a higher reading level. I did a lot of practice LSAT tests. And I went on the internet for speed reading tips. I think that the most important thing that I did was to change the way I actually write the Verbal MCAT. If a passage seemed that it was hard, or over my head, I would skip it and find an easier one to read. I left all the harder passages (2 or 3 of them) until the end. I actually only finished 8 out of the 9 passages. And for the hardest passage, I quickly bubbled in: CCCCCC. I figured that if I read it and attempted to answer it I would have been guessing anyways, so why waste the time. So that's about all. Oh, I am not a Med student yet. I got a few interviews last year but only got on the waitlists. This year.....<crossing fingers> Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gonzo23 Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Hehe... funny how I see the similarities. When I first wrote it... I died on verbal. Got flustered... ran out of time.... guessed on one passage and rushed the last 2 I was reading. Knew I had bombed. Last summer, spent the same time doing what you did. Read the Economist... and worked on verbal passages to improve my timing. I was getting solid 9s and 10s on every test I took. I almost always finished on time. In the real test I actually felt comfortable. I finished on time, and thought I understood enough of the questions to achieve at the same level as my practice tests. I guess not. I feel like maybe I just don't have the knack for understanding the questions. And reading the economist again is not going to help, since I've already beaten my timing issues... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phil667 Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Mmmmm...sorry I couldn't help you with your strategies gonzo. I guess that the only thing that one could say is to just keep practicing and write the MCAT again. Just don't give up. Maybe you won't have to re-write it again. With your GPA, I'm sure that you can get an interview at Ottawa or Mac. And if I were you I would also apply to U of A and U of C. You meet U of A's cut off's, and U of C doesn't have any cut-off's! Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest drews97 Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Hey Gonzo. I wouldn't be worried about some of the high scores that people post on here. When you actually look at the percentile breakdowns of the MCAT scores you realise that the VAST majority of people don't get 13, 14 or 15 on any section. I actually wrote my MCAT twice, applied to med school once and got in my first time (Queen's). Although I though writing it again was a big hardship now that I'm in that extra summer of studying seems absolutely meaningless!! Trust me, once you get in (and you seem to have a good shot with your solid GPA) you'll be happy you kept on trying. So my advice would be to apply to anywhere you won't automatically get cut from (ie://Western) and rewrite the MCAT one more time!! Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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