low CARS score, English second language - thinking of postponing the MCAT exam

[chrhom1]

I moved from Syria to the U.S. when I was 13 years old. I found it hard to acclimate to the culture and language for the first few years but eventually I started to feel comfortable conversing with people and getting involved. In 8th grade I was recommended to take honor classes since I did well in the sciences, and as soon as I was moved up to those classes I realized it wasn't for me as I was intimidated by the American students (well dressed, good posture, etc.). I went back to my ESL class for 8th grade. I was in ESL for 2 more years in high school. Surprisingly, though, during High School I was a tri-athlete (football (captain), wrestling, and track) for 4 years (more involved in society). I almost never studied in High School since I thought the material was easy to understand, and that I didn't really need to practice.. Once college came through, the first year hit me. I had a 3.1 GPA as I did not anticipate the level of difficulty in the sciences. I was able to fix that for my Sophomore year where I got a 4.0 GPA (I learned to start putting in work, rather than sit back like during High School).

The environment I was involved in never really pushed me to read. I only read books that were assigned during English classes. If I ever read a book, it was for skimming and grabbing information, and not for enjoyment and analysis of author's intentions. After taking my few MCAT tests, where I get a mediocre 127-128 in all subsections except for CARS (121-122). I often find myself unfocused when reading and I believe it's because of the history of my character, I really wish I had been reading all my life.

I am asking for an advice, my exam is scheduled on 8/13 and I've been thinking about postponing it to January so that I can give myself some time to catch up with reading and get better at English overall. I am currently a rising Junior (so I have time..?)

I've been feeling like I don't deserve to go into medicine due to my English, it has been affecting my mental health and I would really appreciate an advice.

TL;DR - should I postpone my MCAT 4 months to allow myself to read more often and get used to CARS , or should I rely on 2 weeks of practice to increase my score (121-122)?

Why do I want to be a doctor? I believe I am extremely lucky to have made it out of Syria. My friends back home used to be extremely competitive in academics and I feel obligated to do well as I am extremely lucky to live in the U.S. I want to become a doctor and eventually move back when it's reasonably safe, so that I can give back to those who didn't have the opportunity that I had.

Upcoming semester classes: Genetics, Organic I, Physics II, Spanish. I believe that I could slip in MCAT studying during this time but please tell me your thoughts!



Experience:

2000 hours - Pharmacy Technician

1000 hours - EMT

300 hours - volunteering

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[GreenDuck12]

I cannot recommend moving forward with taking the mcat while your cars score on practice tests is below a 125. I’ve worked with a lot of folks who have English as a second language specifically on cars and it takes a different type of preparation and practice to adapt to the test. The only way to really get there is through a lot of practice and finding some strategies that work for you. A two week dedicated practice period may seem like a lot but it can take months to really see improvement in cars, especially to get above the 125 sub score minimum.

If you were my student, I would recommend continuing to practice and wait to take the mcat till you are scoring in a consistently higher range. As you wrote above, you are a junior and have time. The downside of taking the test when you aren’t ready is that the score will be part of your application forever.

Best of luck to you.

 

[chrhom1]

I cannot recommend moving forward with taking the mcat while your cars score on practice tests is below a 125. I’ve worked with a lot of folks who have English as a second language specifically on cars and it takes a different type of preparation and practice to adapt to the test. The only way to really get there is through a lot of practice and finding some strategies that work for you. A two week dedicated practice period may seem like a lot but it can take months to really see improvement in cars, especially to get above the 125 sub score minimum.

If you were my student, I would recommend continuing to practice and wait to take the mcat till you are scoring in a consistently higher range. As you wrote above, you are a junior and have time. The downside of taking the test when you aren’t ready is that the score will be part of your application forever.

Best of luck to you.

Hi! I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to my post. I also did think taking the exam would leave a mark on my application and I shouldn't take it when I'm not ready. If I plan to take the exam in January, should I be only doing CARS passages or should I emphasize reading books in general and increase amount of CARS passages as the test date approaches?

Again, thank you for your insight!

 

[GreenDuck12]

Hi! I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to my post. I also did think taking the exam would leave a mark on my application and I shouldn't take it when I'm not ready. If I plan to take the exam in January, should I be only doing CARS passages or should I emphasize reading books in general and increase amount of CARS passages as the test date approaches?

Again, thank you for your insight!

It really depends on what are the factors that are influencing your score. Reading is always helpful but I’ve found that just reading more isn’t very efficient. What are the challenges you encounter when going through cars: timing, comprehension of the passsage, comprehension of the question, word choice/vocabulary? Feel free to send me a PM

 

[Blueprint Med School]

Below a 125 in CARS will severely hurt your chances at getting into medical school, especially if you're shooting for MD- there are schools that will screen applicants out if they have less than a 125 in any section- I'd definitely postpone applying until you're doing a bit better in CARS.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[med901]

I moved from Syria to the U.S. when I was 13 years old. I found it hard to acclimate to the culture and language for the first few years but eventually I started to feel comfortable conversing with people and getting involved. In 8th grade I was recommended to take honor classes since I did well in the sciences, and as soon as I was moved up to those classes I realized it wasn't for me as I was intimidated by the American students (well dressed, good posture, etc.). I went back to my ESL class for 8th grade. I was in ESL for 2 more years in high school. Surprisingly, though, during High School I was a tri-athlete (football (captain), wrestling, and track) for 4 years (more involved in society). I almost never studied in High School since I thought the material was easy to understand, and that I didn't really need to practice.. Once college came through, the first year hit me. I had a 3.1 GPA as I did not anticipate the level of difficulty in the sciences. I was able to fix that for my Sophomore year where I got a 4.0 GPA (I learned to start putting in work, rather than sit back like during High School).

The environment I was involved in never really pushed me to read. I only read books that were assigned during English classes. If I ever read a book, it was for skimming and grabbing information, and not for enjoyment and analysis of author's intentions. After taking my few MCAT tests, where I get a mediocre 127-128 in all subsections except for CARS (121-122). I often find myself unfocused when reading and I believe it's because of the history of my character, I really wish I had been reading all my life.

I am asking for an advice, my exam is scheduled on 8/13 and I've been thinking about postponing it to January so that I can give myself some time to catch up with reading and get better at English overall. I am currently a rising Junior (so I have time..?)

I've been feeling like I don't deserve to go into medicine due to my English, it has been affecting my mental health and I would really appreciate an advice.

TL;DR - should I postpone my MCAT 4 months to allow myself to read more often and get used to CARS , or should I rely on 2 weeks of practice to increase my score (121-122)?

Why do I want to be a doctor? I believe I am extremely lucky to have made it out of Syria. My friends back home used to be extremely competitive in academics and I feel obligated to do well as I am extremely lucky to live in the U.S. I want to become a doctor and eventually move back when it's reasonably safe, so that I can give back to those who didn't have the opportunity that I had.

Upcoming semester classes: Genetics, Organic I, Physics II, Spanish. I believe that I could slip in MCAT studying during this time but please tell me your thoughts!



Experience:

2000 hours - Pharmacy Technician

1000 hours - EMT

300 hours - volunteering

Hello, I am so sorry if this is late, but I'm here to tell you that don't let your CARS score bring you down. I am kind of in a similar situation. I moved from Lebanon to the US in 2017 and I can understand the struggle with this section. I actually scored a 123 on my actual MCAT. However, I went ahead and applied and so far have received two interviews one from an MD and one from a DO, keeping in mind I applied late and also both of these schools are good schools. So unless you are planning on getting into Harvard or something, take your chances. Also, you have great experiences and much more clinical hours than me. I think you will be fine and will be a great applicant. Overall don't worry too much about the MCAT it is just one part of your application. Just apply broadly and you will be fine. I don't know if this will also make you feel better, but I have a friend with a 499 who so far has 4 interviews. Also you will rarely find schools who screen your secondary based on CARS, they do screen based on overall score. I have gotten secondary's from all 30 schools I applied to with a 123 in CARS. Word of advice don't take one student's word for it, do your research, ask for advice from a lot of people. Good luck!