Should I retake the MCAT knowing I will not improve in CARS?

[futuredoc0307]

I took the MCAT while working ~55 hours a week and only studied for about 1-2 months for few hours a day. I didn't even open the biology book at all or look at anything physics related due to the time shortage. I knew everything in Bio 1 from leading an tutor session the semester before. But there was definitely gap in knowledge and I knew i was under prepared for the sciences.

I scored 127, 123, 127, 128. I know I can increase significantly in the sciences if I had adequate preparation and practice. for example the day before my exam I scored a 130 on AAMC bio section of the FL; but on the actual exam i was hit with several passages that had things about a topics i never brushed up on but were content based. So I know i lacked knowledge when i took it. for chem, i guessed on most of the physics questions cuz i never had time to touch physics. So i know i can increase significantly if i retake.

HOWEVER, i know i will not improve on reading at all, or very minimally. I have already applied and been accepted to my top DO choice, and waitlisted at my top 2 MD choices and waiting on a third to respond after interview that will probably waitlist me as well; but both MDs would allow me to send in new scores before april.

how would it look if i can increase on sciences and not on CARS?

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[pms_testosterone]

Are you still working 55 hours a week? How much time do you have to study?

To answer your question, though, if 123 was good enough to get interviews I wouldn't worry about it not improving. Just don't score worse on CARS than the first time, and don't retake unless your overall score is going to be 5+ points higher.

 

[931408]

how would it look if i can increase on sciences and not on CARS?

This is a tough one. Part of it depends on how much you want MD over DO. 505 is a little borderline for MD, so while we can't narrow down why you were waitlisted, I could imagine that a retake would help your chances.

I am sure you can improve in the sciences if you have adequate preparation. So, if you'd want to aim for those MDs to turn into acceptances, maximize your chances and retake. As long as those schools are confirmed to accept new scores, I think it could help your case. If you have any questions regarding retakes (I was in a similar situation in which my CARS did not improve after my retake), feel free to PM me. I'd be happy to help. Best of luck!

 

[Jack Westin]

Congratulations on the acceptance. To answer your question: yes retake the MCAT if you have time to prepare because you really have nothing to lose. Even if your score drops, you still have an acceptance to a DO. And if your score dramatically improves, you now have a better chance at the MDs you are waitlisted at.

However, I believe you and anyone can improve on CARS especially if you have 3-4 months to prepare. This comes down to two factors:

1. Are you willing to spend time preparing for the MCAT again? (including CARS)
2. Can you change your mentality and ultimately, your confidence when it comes to CARS?

CARS is all about preparation and confidence. Good preparation leads to improved confidence.

Good luck!

 

[TestingSolutions]

I took the MCAT while working ~55 hours a week and only studied for about 1-2 months for few hours a day. I didn't even open the biology book at all or look at anything physics related due to the time shortage. I knew everything in Bio 1 from leading an tutor session the semester before. But there was definitely gap in knowledge and I knew i was under prepared for the sciences.

I scored 127, 123, 127, 128. I know I can increase significantly in the sciences if I had adequate preparation and practice. for example the day before my exam I scored a 130 on AAMC bio section of the FL; but on the actual exam i was hit with several passages that had things about a topics i never brushed up on but were content based. So I know i lacked knowledge when i took it. for chem, i guessed on most of the physics questions cuz i never had time to touch physics. So i know i can increase significantly if i retake.

HOWEVER, i know i will not improve on reading at all, or very minimally. I have already applied and been accepted to my top DO choice, and waitlisted at my top 2 MD choices and waiting on a third to respond after interview that will probably waitlist me as well; but both MDs would allow me to send in new scores before april.

how would it look if i can increase on sciences and not on CARS?

@futuredoc0307 - Congrats on your 1st choice DO school! That's a great thing to have in your back pocket as everything from here is icing on the cake. I know a lot of great DOs and in the far majority of cases, there's no difference in what the day to day difference looks like in the practice of clinical medicine. My favorite doc in the ER I volunteered at in college was a DO. So, I think that's wonderful news.

Regarding your CARS score, since that's what I focus on, I really would encourage you to rethink your approach. The idea of "I will not improve on reading at all" really doesn't leave you much room for improvement i.e. self-fulfilling prophecy. The reality is that critical, engaged reading in general, and doing well on the CARS in the particular, are skills you can learn. I've worked with hundreds of students over the years who have started off exactly where you are and have rocked a solid CARS score. The difference between a 123 and a 128 is somewhere between 11-13 questions. That's roughly a 20% improvement on the section as a whole.

1) If you've been struggling to finish the section on time, using some good time management strategies on the CARS could net you 2 or 3 points pretty easily.
2) If you're stuck in the dreaded 50/50 situation frequently, some good question answering strategies could net you another 2 or 3 points there.
3) If you struggle making sense of some of the more complex passages, practicing your ability to read for the strutcure of the passage and identify all the central claims is easily another 3 or 4 questions.
4) If you have trouble identifying and dissecting the author's arguments, boom another 2 or 3 points.

It's hard for me to say exactly where I'd spend your time preparing for this next attempt without knowing more specific details, but as you can see above, just focusing on 3 or 4 skills and really honing your abilities around them could get you in striking range of a score I'm sure you'd be happy with.

I think my two biggest comments are 1) you need to make sure you give yourself the time to improve. Improvement on the CARS is not something that just happens over night and 2) you've just got to find a CARS resource that you trust that has consistnetly produced results for people. I don't think there's any reason to spend a crazy amount of money on the CARS. There are some great guides out there for cheap/free that could help you develop the above skills. If you have any questions in particular about how to improve on the CARS based on your particular situation, I'd be more than happy to help!

Wishing you the very best! You can do this

-Nick

 

[futuredoc0307]

thank you everyone for your comments. I agree that CARS requires plenty of time commitment and that was one reason for why I did not prep for it when i took it because of the time shortage. I would only have 2.5 months to study for a retake and, because I am in school, I figured it's better off to focus on the sections i know for sure i can improve on, specially because I have been continuously tutoring bio/chem so there are only few topics that I would need to brush up on to fill in gaps and then I can have plenty of time for practice, which is something i never had when i was originally preparing. I have read less than 5 books in my life and that really came back to bite me I guess since now I am accepted I have nothing to lose if i retake, so my main concern was for whether or not it would negatively impact me if i didn't improve on CARS.

 

[Peter Pan.]

@futuredoc0307 - Congrats on your 1st choice DO school! That's a great thing to have in your back pocket as everything from here is icing on the cake. I know a lot of great DOs and in the far majority of cases, there's no difference in what the day to day difference looks like in the practice of clinical medicine. My favorite doc in the ER I volunteered at in college was a DO. So, I think that's wonderful news.

Regarding your CARS score, since that's what I focus on, I really would encourage you to rethink your approach. The idea of "I will not improve on reading at all" really doesn't leave you much room for improvement i.e. self-fulfilling prophecy. The reality is that critical, engaged reading in general, and doing well on the CARS in the particular, are skills you can learn. I've worked with hundreds of students over the years who have started off exactly where you are and have rocked a solid CARS score. The difference between a 123 and a 128 is somewhere between 11-13 questions. That's roughly a 20% improvement on the section as a whole.

1) If you've been struggling to finish the section on time, using some good time management strategies on the CARS could net you 2 or 3 points pretty easily.
2) If you're stuck in the dreaded 50/50 situation frequently, some good question answering strategies could net you another 2 or 3 points there.
3) If you struggle making sense of some of the more complex passages, practicing your ability to read for the strutcure of the passage and identify all the central claims is easily another 3 or 4 questions.
4) If you have trouble identifying and dissecting the author's arguments, boom another 2 or 3 points.

It's hard for me to say exactly where I'd spend your time preparing for this next attempt without knowing more specific details, but as you can see above, just focusing on 3 or 4 skills and really honing your abilities around them could get you in striking range of a score I'm sure you'd be happy with.

I think my two biggest comments are 1) you need to make sure you give yourself the time to improve. Improvement on the CARS is not something that just happens over night and 2) you've just got to find a CARS resource that you trust that has consistnetly produced results for people. I don't think there's any reason to spend a crazy amount of money on the CARS. There are some great guides out there for cheap/free that could help you develop the above skills. If you have any questions in particular about how to improve on the CARS based on your particular situation, I'd be more than happy to help!

Wishing you the very best! You can do this

-Nick

What time management techniques would you suggest? Part of my problem is I only have about 3-6 minutes on the last passage. I already know I need to learn to move on. I spend too much time on a couple questions.

 

[PlsLetMeIn21]

Your thread inspires me and scares me so much. Please keep us up to date on what you choose. I have the most jaded MCAT score ever, and am so afraid they'll think I can't make a full sentence let alone be able to read in medical school. I got a 122 in CARS and will be applying in June. I just want to get some interviews but am scared the 122 will hold me back. I really don't want to take the MCAT again because I literally have nowhere to go but down in my other three scores. Kicking up CARS by 3 or 4 points would be nice, but I' afraid I'd drop my overall score. If I had an acceptance to somewhere I really wanted to go, then I'd want to take the MCAT again. But I know me, and studying this past summer drained me so much my tear ducts are still dry. I love how Jack Westin put it in two simple questions. That is exactly my worry, that I don't want to study again and that I will never be confident in CARS. Good luck!

 

[futuredoc0307]

Your thread inspires me and scares me so much. Please keep us up to date on what you choose. I have the most jaded MCAT score ever, and am so afraid they'll think I can't make a full sentence let alone be able to read in medical school. I got a 122 in CARS and will be applying in June. I just want to get some interviews but am scared the 122 will hold me back. I really don't want to take the MCAT again because I literally have nowhere to go but down in my other three scores. Kicking up CARS by 3 or 4 points would be nice, but I' afraid I'd drop my overall score. If I had an acceptance to somewhere I really wanted to go, then I'd want to take the MCAT again. But I know me, and studying this past summer drained me so much my tear ducts are still dry. I love how Jack Westin put it in two simple questions. That is exactly my worry, that I don't want to study again and that I will never be confident in CARS. Good luck!

What is your state of residence? MCAT? I happen to be lucky and be a Michigan resident so there are several schools here that are mostly in-state biased and have not so high of mcat standards. I got 3 MD interviews and 2 DO with a 505. But I must say, my application is really well rounded with extra curriculars (research, clinical, leadership etc). I will probably end up retaking bc why the heck not since I plan to enroll in the DO I got into if I don’t get anywhere else.

 

[TestingSolutions]

What time management techniques would you suggest? Part of my problem is I only have about 3-6 minutes on the last passage. I already know I need to learn to move on. I spend too much time on a couple questions.

I think there are a few things you can do. I break it down into two buckets: 1) Practicing Correctly and 2) What to do in the moment.

Regarding 1) practicing correctly, it's critical that you take EVERY single practice passage timed, under realistic timing conditions. The reason this is so critical is that if you take them untimed or give yourself more time than you will have on test day, you will be building bad habits that you'll eventually have to break anyways. It's not only a waste of time to take them untimed, but it actually hurts you. A second tip I have for practicing correctly is to make sure you're not spending too much time reading the passage. I recommend setting two timers, one overall time to time the passage and the questions and the second timer to time just reading the passage. You should shoot for around 4 minutes for the passage timer. Once it goes off, force yourself to move on to the questions. The easiest way to pick up time on the CARS is to not allow yourself to go back to the passage. A more moderate approach to this strategy is to only allow yourself to go back to the passage if you 1) know what you're looking for and 2) know where to look. Some of my students actually will put a piece of paper over the passage to prevent themselves from cheating. Another tip to moderate going back to the passage is to keep tally marks each time you go back. It just keeps you mindful of what you're doing and as the tally marks build up, it'll be like seeing all the empties at a party that might or might not remind you to be a little more moderate.

Regarding 2) what to do in the moment, once you realize you're stuck, take a look at the clock and jot down the time + 1 minute on your scratch paper. When that time passes, force yourself to guess and move on, no matter what. You should mark the question and reminder yourself you can always come back at the end. This strategy helps prevent the mindless 4 or 5-minute question that can really kill a CARS score if it happens more than once. Another in the moment strategy is to simply write down on your scratch piece of paper "Don't waste time" and then to read it right before you start a new passage. I know this sounds silly, but that simple reminder keeps you focused on moving swiftly through the passage. I also like to recommend that people think of going overtime on questions and passages as using a credit card. Don't assume you're going to be able to make up time. If you spend the time up front now, you know 100% that you're going to have to pay it back on the other side. Don't allow yourself to be convinced by the idea that you'll make it back up later. In all likelihood, you won't. Most people can't. It's much easier to stay disciplined throughout the test than to try and rush and makeup time at the end. I know it's easier said than done, but by using this mentality consistently, it will become habit over time. Wishing you the very best!

Warmest,
Nick