need advice! mcat score of 8M!

[wanderer]

isn't that almost as difficult as getting every question correct?

It might be impressive on the SATs where one would have to get several questions wrong (and none or only a few right) to get the minimum score because you start off with around a 450-500 if you don't answer a single question.

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[austinap]

isn't that almost as difficult as getting every question correct?

No.

one imagines it is 3 times easier.

No.

through statistical analysis and applied econometric models taking in the test takers' bias towards certain answer choices and the psyche of the pre-medical test taker I've also come to the conclusion:

p~3x greater +/- .0001% with statistical significance.

No.



It's exponential, so by chance alone, if you assume 4 choices and ~180 total questions, the chance of getting everything correct by guessing is:

(1/4)^180.

and the chance of getting everything incorrect:

(3/4)^180.

Now, the ratio of these:

(3/4)^180 / (1/4)^180 ~= 10^86.

It's way easier to get everything wrong by a pretty significant factor

 

[austinap]

I hope you're not a troll. But in case anyone searches these forums, I'd like to answer seriously.

8M as you know, is not a great score. I'm guessing you must have freaked out?

I did not do as well as I had hoped the first time I took it. But if you're willing to work for it, I believe a lot of things are attainable. Obstacles are what you see when you lose sight of your goal. So, create a plan.

Some suggestions:

I have heard of some Caribbean schools starting in the spring. Take a breather and re-evaluate.

Is there an area that you truly don't understand? If you're having trouble teaching yourself, have you considered taking a mcat prep course?
Since you have a low gpa, have you thought about going back and retaking the courses? Getting a low grade in a prereq class may mean you haven't full understood the material - which in turn could affect your ability to do well on the mcat. Going offshore is expensive, and a lot of students don't pull through. It's a huge financial investment with many more obstacles than going to a school in the US. I know you want to start as soon as possible, but the cost of pushing yourself too quickly can greatly outweigh the benefits.

A year isn't as long as you imagine it to be. Take the year to become a better applicant. Maybe you should also consider a SMP? Do things that you won't be able to do for a long time. The year will pass quickly and you'll be better prepared for med school.

I'm sorry, but I can't condone this kind of encouragement. There are limits. If the OP actually is serious and got a total score of 8, the sooner he realizes that medicine isn't the right career the better. This score is soo low that it's almost impossible that he got it due to just messing something up. He'd have had to fill in the wrong bubbles on THREE sections to do that horribly.

Even if he had a balanced score, which is TERRIBLE in this case, his average section was just over 2. He needs an 8-point improvement (his TOTAL score) in each section before he's acceptable. That's four standard deviations. If his score was unbalanced, his worst sections are going to be even harder.

And forget the post-bac. Don't tell him to waste more money. With a score of 8, nobody will care what his GPA was in the slightest. Even if he TRIPLES his score, they won't care.

OP, unless something EXCEPTIONAL happened during your testing (e.g., you were so drunk from the night before that you didn't show up, you got your pencil stuck in your eye and couldn't read, etc) then you should rethink your plans. It hurts, but you simply won't get into medical school. Don't waste a bunch more money on test prep classes and special masters programs before you figure this out. Use that money and go do something fun with your life for a few years, then figure out what else makes you happy.

 

[Contrarian]

that's the last time I make an off-the-cuff remark on SDN...

 

[marele86]

that's the last time I make an off-the-cuff remark on SDN...

Haha, but it was funny!

I once made a careless mistake with the half-life of caffeine in a thread. I was away from my computer for like 2 hours, and there were like 5 responses about how I didn't know what a half-life was.

And to the OP, really Austinap is right. Even if you're just bad with standardized tests, lots of schools have rules on how many times you can fail the USMLE before they drop you - leaving you $100,000+ in debt and with no job prospects. Find another field, and your life will be happier and easier.

 

[austinap]

that's the last time I make an off-the-cuff remark on SDN...

Haha, I really shouldn't have quoted you. I meant to reply to the other responses as it actually seemed like they thought that. My bad, keep making off the cuff remarks, they're the best kind.

 

[jawrigh1]

Good luck with your decision!

 

[marele86]

What kind of prep did you use when you received your highest (Kaplan, Princeton, etc.)? I'll began studying to retake MCAT soon.

He would have had to have used C++, a screwdriver, and a soldering iron.

The MCAT only goes up to 45.

 

[KingstonPre]

I heard they took it again and got a 50Z

 

[bannie22]

yay i finally maanged to change my avatar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!no more randomly

sized down pic!!

 

[schrizto]

yay i finally maanged to change my avatar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!no more randomly

sized down pic!!

i've never seen a guy with an avatar like that. i effing hate sailor moon, or whatever show that character's from.

 

[austinap]

i've never seen a guy with an avatar like that. i effing hate sailor moon, or whatever show that character's from.

I liked YOUR old avatar better. The cute bunny looking thing was way better than a rabid gizmo.

 

[marele86]

The spinning bunny was adorable.

 

[orthomyxo]

I liked YOUR old avatar better. The cute bunny looking thing was way better than a rabid gizmo.

I agree. Bunny > Rabid Furby

 

[bannie22]

i've never seen a guy with an avatar like that. i effing hate sailor moon, or whatever show that character's from.

lol its not sailormoon my dear little girl

its koromo from saki.. =)

and yea i liked ur old avatar better too
that furby kinda reminds me of a TA....

 

[aggie08]

lol its not sailormoon my dear little girl

its koromo from saki.. =)

and yea i liked ur old avatar better too
that furby kinda reminds me of a TA....

Your new avatar is not helping your case about being the owner of a Y chromosome.

 

[schrizto]

lol its not sailormoon my dear little girl

its koromo from saki.. =)

and yea i liked ur old avatar better too
that furby kinda reminds me of a TA....

Um, please don't talk to me like that. I'm beginning to think you have quite a feminine side considering in addition to your avatar you chose a female profile image for your MDApps.

 

[bannie22]

^ lol always the one to jump to hasty conclusions and stereotypes huh?

 

[bannie22]

Your new avatar is not helping your case about being the owner of a Y chromosome.

i dont know when i started trying to prove i was the owner of the y chromosome
its clearly stated on my mdapps. and i see no need to go around proving it to a bunch of sdners :S:S


koromo, "nonokaaaaa. watashi to asonderuka??? "

 

[b2sun]

Honestly you don't belong in medschool with an 8M. I wouldnt trust you with a patient.

 

[schrizto]

^ lol always the one to jump to hasty conclusions and stereotypes huh?

On the contrary, I think you're the one who does.

 

[austinap]

Honestly you don't belong in medschool with an 8M. I wouldnt trust you with a fork.

Fixed that for you.

 

[apumic]

i dont know when i started trying to prove i was the owner of the y chromosome
its clearly stated on my mdapps. and i see no need to go around proving it to a bunch of sdners :S:S


koromo, "nonokaaaaa. watashi to asonderuka??? "

Wait a sec., so Aggie & Bannie are not the proud owners of double-X's?

 

[aggie08]

i dont know when i started trying to prove i was the owner of the y chromosome
its clearly stated on my mdapps. and i see no need to go around proving it to a bunch of sdners :S:S


koromo, "nonokaaaaa. watashi to asonderuka??? "

I was joking. Sheesh.

Fixed that for you.

hahahaha

I feel bad for OP, though. This thread is obviously no longer helpful and should probably be closed.

Wait a sec., so Aggie & Bannie are not the proud owners of double-X's?

i am female. bannie is not.

 

[apumic]

I was joking. Sheesh.



hahahaha

I feel bad for OP, though. This thread is obviously no longer helpful and should probably be closed.

Oh...but this is such a good thread....

i am female. bannie is not.

haha... was kidding but thanks for the clarification

 

[aggie08]

Oh...but this is such a good thread....




haha... was kidding but thanks for the clarification

With all the gender confusion in here I wasn't sure.

 

[bannie22]

^ sorry aggie didnt sense the humour there. =/

On the contrary, I think you're the one who does.

nobody really cares what you "think"

 

[schrizto]

nobody really cares what you "think"

There's nothing wrong with stating my opinion. If I can't say what I think, then you should shut up about your opinions of me.

 

[bannie22]

LOL...

alright girl, lets not bicker over such insignificant things anymore.

 

[schrizto]

I would prefer not to be called "girl" or "little girl", thanks.

 

[bannie22]

There's nothing wrong with stating my opinion. If I can't say what I think, then you should shut up about your opinions of me.

^that

 

[chelschuy236]

for those not cracking jokes, thanks for the advice i will retake the mcat and study my ass off.

 

[Perrotfish]

for those not cracking jokes, thanks for the advice i will retake the mcat and study my ass off

I don't think you're really listening to the people here. The consensus opinion is not 'retake the MCAT'. The consensus opinion is 'look into other careers'.

This is a profession that, for whatever reason, evaluates and licenses everyone based on scantron tests. You are obviously TERRIBLE at those tests. Do you have any reason to think that MCAT was a one time fluke? That you will be able to score the equivalent of a 30 on the MCAT when it comes time to take the USMLE?

There is a Caribbean school out there that is willing to take your money. They will steal two years worth of tuition from you, then boot you when you can't pass Step 1. And then you will have a mortgage and no house, and will be well and truly screwed. There are other careers you can pursue without taking that kind of risk, some in healthcare and some not. Isn't there anything else you'd consider doing with your life?

 

[indianjatt]

I don't think you're really listening to the people here. The consensus opinion is not 'retake the MCAT'. The consensus opinion is 'look into other careers'.

This is a profession that, for whatever reason, evaluates and licenses everyone based on scantron tests. You are obviously TERRIBLE at those tests. Do you have any reason to think that MCAT was a one time fluke? That you will be able to score the equivalent of a 30 on the MCAT when it comes time to take the USMLE?

There is a Caribbean school out there that is willing to take your money. They will steal two years worth of tuition from you, then boot you when you can't pass Step 1. And then you will have a mortgage and no house, and will be well and truly screwed. There are other careers you can pursue without taking that kind of risk, some in healthcare and some not. Isn't there anything else you'd consider doing with your life?

Although I definitely agree with most of what you said, if the test was indeed a fluke, he should retake. (I do not know how an 8 could be a fluke, but still.) If the OP does take a 180 turn and studies like a no life 24/7 doing 1000s of practice problems and manages to pull off a 30 MCAT, I think he could become a physician. (Maybe DO, but still).

To OP, if you really want to become a doctor and that test was a fluke, study very long hours for this one.

 

[orthomyxo]

Honestly you don't belong in medschool with an 8M. I wouldnt trust you with a patient.

I'm usually not one to crush dreams, but seriously man...an eight?? I realize that MCAT scores probably don't correlate to one's success as a physician, but we're talking about people's lives here. Would you trust yours with someone that scored an 8/45? Unless your score was a complete fluke, improving by a margin of 22 points to get at least a 30 is gonna be one hell of a time. I think you should seek out a new career path, my confused friend.

 

[Perrotfish]

Although I definitely agree with most of what you said, if the test was indeed a fluke, he should retake. (I do not know how an 8 could be a fluke, but still.) If the OP does take a 180 turn and studies like a no life 24/7 doing 1000s of practice problems and manages to pull off a 30 MCAT, I think he could become a physician. (Maybe DO, but still).

Well, the other thing that no one's mentioned are his grades. They're not the equivalent of an 8M, but they're pretty bad. Now even if the OP somehow figures out how to take tests, he'd still have at least a year and probably 2-3 years of application rehab before he could actually go anywhere. Anywhere other than the kind of Caribbean medical school that everyone gets into, anyway. And no one gets a residency from that kind of Caribbean school.

I mean, maybe it can be done, but I can't imagine this being worth the opportunity cost.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Although I definitely agree with most of what you said, if the test was indeed a fluke, he should retake. (I do not know how an 8 could be a fluke, but still.) If the OP does take a 180 turn and studies like a no life 24/7 doing 1000s of practice problems and manages to pull off a 30 MCAT, I think he could become a physician. (Maybe DO, but still).

To OP, if you really want to become a doctor and that test was a fluke, study very long hours for this one.

Yeah..."study more" isn't really very good advice. Yes, there are some people who just need to put in more effort, but there are also plenty of people aren't cut out for medicine. The OP mentioned his practice MCAT average was a 17, and even though that's 9 points higher than he scored, it is absolutely abysmal. Personally, I wouldn't have even considered taking the MCAT if that was where I was hitting. In short, OP, I agree with the crowd: find a different career path. This one isn't going to work out.

 

[austinap]

Yeah, he really shouldn't retake. I honestly don't see much hope. I mean really, there are schools that now have AVERAGE accepted MCAT scores of 38... that's almost FIVE TIMES the OP's score, and 15 standard deviations more.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Actually, someone pointed out to me awhile ago that the 2-ish standard deviation is for matriculants. It's around 6 or something for all test takers. Still, 5 standard deviations is pretty absurd.

 

[bannie22]

8 or no 8. if its ur dream. give it another shot