The Official June 2015 MCAT Thread

[Abraxas305]

So we can talk about all things MCAT 2015.
Just registered too!

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[kitty994]

first official practice test
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems 73% (43/59)
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills 89% (47/53)
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems 71% (42/59)
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior 81% (48/59)

Prelims
Chem 74-89%
Cars 82-97%
Bio 82-97%
Psych 81-96%
Total 82-92%

Official test scores
C/P 127 (79)
CARS 128 (87)
B/B 128 (87)
P/S 128 (86)
Total 511 (85)

 

[libertyyne]

To get a 131+ you just have to have a gift in CARS.

I would disagree. I took the mcat twice before scoring 10's both time. 131 now. Dumb luck helps.

 

[Tommyguns89]

first official practice test
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems 73% (43/59)
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills 89% (47/53)
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems 71% (42/59)
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior 81% (48/59)

Prelims
Chem 74-89%
Cars 82-97%
Bio 82-97%
Psych 81-96%
Total 82-92%

Official test scores
C/P 127 (79)
CARS 128 (87)
B/B 128 (87)
P/S 128 (86)
Total 511 (85)

Nice balanced score, I wish I didnt poo the bed on physics.

 

[libertyyne]

Nice balanced score, I wish I didnt poo the bed on physics.

same here. I did have to pee really badly during it though.

 

[Xenith]

I would disagree. I took the mcat twice before scoring 10's both time. 131 now. Dumb luck helps.

CARS is not the same as verbal. The AAMC has repeatedly said that the two exams cannot be equated. Makes sense because all of the sections are significantly different in length, format, and presentation of content.

 

[Mr. Beefy Lion]

For anyone who got above a 518, what materials did you use?

Got a 519. I studied for 4.5 weeks with khan academy and kaplans 7 book set. I also read princeton review psych/soc section. Hope this helpps

 

[Sir.SavaLottaLife]

Also got a 519, used one big book from TPR "complete MCAT 2015" to review concepts. Supplemented with Kahn Academy videos, did some of their passages here and there. Practiced the heck out of verbal ( my weakness) by burning through TPRH verbal workbook and about half of EK 101. Also practiced with some TBR bio passages that my friend gave to me. Practiced all of the AAMC materials (question packs, Official guide, sample test) most of which I saved for the last couple of weeks to get used to the AAMC testing style (I believe it really helped), but I did the official guide questions to get a feel for the new test (also helped to a lot know what you're dealing with).

As you can figure, the key is practice; yes we are talking about practice. And use whatever resources you can get your hands on.

In all, I studied about 5 months, starting towards the beginning of the spring semester. I was also taking biochem and physics II, both of which were huge. Did like 2 practice tests from TPR then the sample test from AAMC.

 

[exodian1]

Congrats to everybody who got the scores that they wanted! I got a 508(126/128/126/128). Not bad but not amazing either. At least I don't have to take this dang test again!

 

[Serelyn]

Hi guys, I got a 504 (127/124/126/127), which seems to be about a 28 for the old test. It seems I haven't improved much at all since I got a 28 in 2014 too. Do you guys think I have a shot at med school at all? My GPA is a 3.68 because I took too much on my plate last year and got a C in O-Chem 2, which looks really bad... I am double-majoring in Molecular Cell Biology and Psychology...so the heavy course load + job + research has really done me in... As for extracurriculars, I've worked as a Nurse Aide at a care home and did Drosophila research for 3 years each. I will be writing my Senior Honors thesis this Fall. Other than that, I've only volunteered here and there for school pre-health organizations and am getting my CNA license next month. I will try to volunteer at a hospital this year to get more experience. However, it seems like I haven't gotten much to prove myself for...especially compared to everyone here...Should I reconsider applying to medical school? I still want to work in the healthcare field. What other paths can I take? Advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[piii]

I got 2 wrong on CARS for the AAMC FL. For the real thing I felt pretty good about it but it was definitely harder than the AAMC FL. Not in length but the questions were harder imo and less straight forward. I feel like you had to put more thought into them. But I may be selectively remembering the hard ones.

Dude, no one knows. I marked 15 questionable in Chem and got a 131 and I marked 10 questionable in Bio, and was sure I only got 4 wrong, and I got a 130. I guessed on half of psych and still managed a 127. No one knows because its all relative to how others did. I could have really only gotten 4 wrong on Bio and maybe 10 wrong on chem. But even if I got a better percentage in bio, it may not have been better than other testers relatively.

 

[Favour517]

Welp I guess I'll be the first one with the guts to post a low score lol

CP:127
CARS:125
BB:126
PS:125
Tot:503

Good thing I took the July test lol congrats to all you guys who did great though. You inspire me

oh, i did lower than that. not even gonna post it lol. you should be happy, you did better than 71% of people that took it.

 

[pmpgnv326]

I think Khan Academy videos should be people's go to. I watched every single one at 1.5X speed in 4 weeks. Anytime a subject seemed confusing, I would crack open the princeton review book and read the corresponding section and answer the questions. This was much more efficient than reading entire review books and lets you really skip to the things you need work on quickly.

I also think that AAMC made Khan a priority because it is a free online resource that anyone can use. So this levels the playing field for grad students like me who cannot afford expensive prep courses.

How'd you do on the exam? My friend starting doing the exact same thing as her study method (shes registered for the Aug 6 date, but is changing it to the Aug 22 date)

 

[Faii]

Wow there are so many strong scores in this thread! Congrats to everyone!
AAMC Practice test scores: (Taken with about 3-4 chapters of each subject's content review left, a month before the real test)
CP: 83
CARS: 95
BB: 80
PS: 81

Kaplan FL scores:
#1 502
#2 503
Taken a week apart, second one was one week before the test. I work full time so I could only fit in practice tests on weekends and didn't have a chance to take more unfortunately.

MCAT Scores (Prelim range):
CP: 132 (85-100)
CARS: 128 (82-97)
BB: 130 (85-100)
PS: 130 (85-100)
Total: 520 (90-100)
Edit: Forgot the most important part! Lunch on test day consisted of nature valley granola bars and applesauce. Oh and I used only the Kaplan 7 book set with Khan Academy!

 

[hexane19]

Is 505 okay for US MD schools ? How about DO schools ?

 

[a_borgia]

Is 606 okay for US MD schools ? How about DO schools ?

You mean 506? It's toeing the line for MD, but you should be fine for DO. It really depends on the rest of your application.

 

[Tommyguns89]

Is 606 okay for US MD schools ? How about DO schools ?

606 means that you are literally God.

 

[jj14]

I need your thoughts on my score.
I got...
MCAT SCORE (PERCENTILE)
CP: 128 (87%)
CARS: 124 (44%)
BB: 127 (77%)
P/S: 132 (100%)
Total: 511 (85%)

I am okay with my total MCAT score, but my section scores are not balanced at all. I dont know how I got 100% on Psych and Soci and get 44% on the CARS.

I have been reading that many schools screen application based on total mcat score and section scores. Im afraid if I will get screened because of my low CARS score.
But then its too late to taker another MCAT to apply this cycle. Should I just give it a shot and apply, and if i dont get in, take again in January? Im jealous of everyone who had a balanced score.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[AvrgPreMedKid]

I need your thoughts on my score.
I got...
MCAT SCORE (PERCENTILE)
CP: 128 (87%)
CARS: 124 (44%)
BB: 127 (77%)
P/S: 132 (100%)
Total: 511 (85%)

I am okay with my total MCAT score, but my section scores are not balanced at all. I dont know how I got 100% on Psych and Soci and get 44% on the CARS.

I have been reading that many schools screen application based on total mcat score and section scores. Im afraid if I will get screened because of my low CARS score.
But then its too late to taker another MCAT to apply this cycle. Should I just give it a shot and apply, and if i dont get in, take again in January? Im jealous of everyone who had a balanced score.

Thanks for your thoughts!

You should definitely apply this cycle. Your CARS is a little low, but your overall percentile is solid enough to make up for it, I'd say.

 

[drrao88]

Hey all!

Here are my practice and actual scores:

AAMC FL:
CPS - 76%
CARS: 87%
BIO/BC: 73%
PSY/SOC: 83%
OVERALL: 79%

Prelim/Actual scores:
CPS - 82-97 %ile, Actual: 128
CARS - 65-80%ile, Actual: 126
BIO - 85-100 %ile, Actual: 129
PSY/SOC - 85-100 %ile, Actual: 129

Overall: 512, 87th percentile.

Just so you all know, I last took the MCAT in August and I got a 26. This score puts me at the equivalent of a 32-33, so dont ever give up on making big improvements.

I was hoping for higher, but I think this should suffice!

Good luck everyone!

 

[Dreamstoo]

I need your thoughts on my score.
I got...
MCAT SCORE (PERCENTILE)
CP: 128 (87%)
CARS: 124 (44%)
BB: 127 (77%)
P/S: 132 (100%)
Total: 511 (85%)

I am okay with my total MCAT score, but my section scores are not balanced at all. I dont know how I got 100% on Psych and Soci and get 44% on the CARS.

I have been reading that many schools screen application based on total mcat score and section scores. Im afraid if I will get screened because of my low CARS score.
But then its too late to taker another MCAT to apply this cycle. Should I just give it a shot and apply, and if i dont get in, take again in January? Im jealous of everyone who had a balanced score.

Thanks for your thoughts!

I think you got a decent chance at MD schools with that score. Your C/P and BB are solid, P/S is outstanding, and your CARS are decent.

 

[Caffein3]

Wazzzup homies. Late to the party. Score came back as expected.

C/P: 128 (87%)
CARS: 125 (58%)
B/B: 127 (77%)
Psych: 127 (75%)
Overall: 507 (74%)

Shoutout to all the peeps that killed it. See you all on the interview trail

I want to hear where everyone get's their IIs!

 

[libertyyne]

CARS is not the same as verbal. The AAMC has repeatedly said that the two exams cannot be equated. Makes sense because all of the sections are significantly different in length, format, and presentation of content.

I am thoroughly confused what is different besides no science passages. It's a reading comprehension skill test.

 

[mcatjelly]

CARS is not the same as verbal. The AAMC has repeatedly said that the two exams cannot be equated. Makes sense because all of the sections are significantly different in length, format, and presentation of content.

I'm going to have to disagree with you here...CARS is very, very similar to verbal. I started to study for the old exam last year and performed just as well on old verbal passages as I have on the new CARS passages/don't really see a major difference between the two. I think the renaming is more to emphasize that this is a new exam vs. an actual restructuring of the foundation of this section.

 

[Xenith]

Really? In my experience the verbal was much harder. CARS felt a bit more intuitive. I may be thinking that because I must have practiced hard verbals haha.

 

[exodian1]

I thought both were basically the same thing. I got very similar percentile scores on the verbal section from the January MCAT and the CARS section on the June one despite barely doing any additional practice(84%ile January vs. 87%ile June)

 

[Moon Dog]

Really? In my experience the verbal was much harder. CARS felt a bit more intuitive. I may be thinking that because I must have practiced hard verbals haha.

I agree - CARS prompts feel less subjective to me than verbal prompts were. I scored a 10 on the verbal section in 2013. I may have been freaking out a bit when I took that first test, but my approach to the section this time was pretty much the same.

 

[libertyyne]

Really? In my experience the verbal was much harder. CARS felt a bit more intuitive. I may be thinking that because I must have practiced hard verbals haha.

This is the cause of your feelings

If you compare verbal and CARS you quickly realize that the scale is more forgiving. 13-15 is all 100% . I scored 11.5 average on all my verbals practice tests. That equates to roughly 12 or 98th percentile. On the new test 98th percentile is a higher score 13-14 vs the 12. I scored 131 which is 99th percentile. So in my humble opinion there is little to no difference between cars and verbal except the exclusion of science passages and the scale modification which makes it easier to get 13-15. 14 on the old was almost impossible. but look at the frequency on the chart you are compiling.

 

[Xenith]

I don't doubt your word at all because my exposure to old verbal was not comprehensive.

 

[jordan222]

Congrats everyone! Scored a 519 (127/132/129/131) which I am pumped about. I really appreciate all the help and support on this thread over the past few months. As for the CARS debate, I very much agree with liberty. I got a 12 (97%) on VR last august, and now a similar 132 (100%) on CARS this round. I found the CARS section much like the VR section, only scored a bit more leniently on the high end. Even the claim that they took out the sciencey passages didn't totally hold up in my case, as my test had some passages with a little flair of science.

 

[Caffein3]

Anyone wanna donate a great CARS score to a good charity ?

You can put it in your AMCAS as volunteer service.

 

[Thorium90]

July taker here- I felt really good at psych/soci maybe getting a max of 3-4 wrong. will this put me 130+ in the section? I felt really bad about bio/biochem had to guess on so many questions...should I expect a 125? CARS I felt good and got 85 on the FL should I expect a 129? Chem I felt alright in, 127?

Striker, you just finished taking the hardest exam of an undergraduate. Relax and enjoy your break until scores come in. The section I thought I did the worst in ended up being one of my higher scores, and it was the opposite for the section that I thought I did well in. Just sharing this in effort to say that thinking/analyzing your possible results won't help at all! Just enjoy your new found freedom, and start thinking about secondaries

 

[piii]

Hey all!

Here are my practice and actual scores:

AAMC FL:
CPS - 76%
CARS: 87%
BIO/BC: 73%
PSY/SOC: 83%
OVERALL: 79%

Prelim/Actual scores:
CPS - 82-97 %ile, Actual: 128
CARS - 65-80%ile, Actual: 126
BIO - 85-100 %ile, Actual: 129
PSY/SOC - 85-100 %ile, Actual: 129

Overall: 512, 87th percentile.

Just so you all know, I last took the MCAT in August and I got a 26. This score puts me at the equivalent of a 32-33, so dont ever give up on making big improvements.

I was hoping for higher, but I think this should suffice!

Good luck everyone!

good job man, glad you got a great score

 

[piii]

July taker here- I felt really good at psych/soci maybe getting a max of 3-4 wrong. will this put me 130+ in the section? I felt really bad about bio/biochem had to guess on so many questions...should I expect a 125? CARS I felt good and got 85 on the FL should I expect a 129? Chem I felt alright in, 127?

Why ask even ask these questions and freak out over something no one can answer? There is no way to know. I thought Verbal was a BREEZE for me during my test in 2012, maybe got a few wrong... Got a 6 (27th%)!!! I thought chem was hard and marked a bunch wrong and got 99th% on the new exam. So calm down and go outside and have some fun or something.

 

[OJ_Was_Framed]

Thought I'd get this out there before this whole thread goes dead. I just wanted to say that it's been excellent chatting with you guys on here the last few months. It's been a long road since February, but we made it! For those of you who are retaking, don't ever give up; I have confidence in you, and I know you will rock it the next time around.

So thanks again for keeping me sane during this whole process. Hopefully, I'll see you guys in the medical field!

 

[missm3l]

Scored in the lower areas of all my percentiles . Retake is in my future.

Best of luck to all of you who are in the same boat as me. WE CAN DO THIS. Keep your head up.

Yep same boat..

 

[missm3l]

still kinda high on the drugs but a 524 put me just a little bit higher

How did you study? my scores were horrible!

 

[drrao88]

good job man, glad you got a great score

Same to you, bro!

 

[Boggle2019]

How did you study? my scores were horrible!

Hey @missm3l , I went through the Kaplan books in a lot of detail.. Probably why I got a 132 on physical sciences. I did the same for the other sections, and Kaplan was very helpful for biology/biochem, but not as much for a comprehensive review of behavioral sciences. Used Khan academy to supplement and felt relatively prepared, but what I've gathered (and from my experience) there are always going to be questions you will have to make educated guesses on in the behavioral section. I did not like Kaplan's CARS method, so instead I used EK verbal book which really upped my CARS score (I believe I only got 85% right on the AAMC FL but got a 132 on the actually test). PM me if you have any other questions!

 

[missm3l]

I

Hey @missm3l , I went through the Kaplan books in a lot of detail.. Probably why I got a 132 on physical sciences. I did the same for the other sections, and Kaplan was very helpful for biology/biochem, but not as much for a comprehensive review of behavioral sciences. Used Khan academy to supplement and felt relatively prepared, but what I've gathered (and from my experience) there are always going to be questions you will have to make educated guesses on in the behavioral section. I did not like Kaplan's CARS method, so instead I used EK verbal book which really upped my CARS score (I believe I only got 85% right on the AAMC FL but got a 132 on the actually test). PM me if you have any other questions!

I'm new here. How do I PM?

 

[hexane19]

Will a 505 be okay for US MD schools ?

 

[jj14]

You should definitely apply this cycle. Your CARS is a little low, but your overall percentile is solid enough to make up for it, I'd say.

I think you got a decent chance at MD schools with that score. Your C/P and BB are solid, P/S is outstanding, and your CARS are decent.

Thank you for your input. Makes me feel better I do have a great GPA (CUM: 3.98 and Sci: 4.00) and lots of research. I am just praying that they dont screen based on the CARS score.

Would they ask you about your mcat score in interviews, tho? Like if I get an interview, would they ask why i did so poorly on CARS, or is that not part of the discussion?

 

[AvrgPreMedKid]

Thank you for your input. Makes me feel better I do have a great GPA (CUM: 3.98 and Sci: 4.00) and lots of research. I am just praying that they dont screen based on the CARS score.

Would they ask you about your mcat score in interviews, tho? Like if I get an interview, would they ask why i did so poorly on CARS, or is that not part of the discussion?

I have had people call me out on my MCAT. Honestly, though, with this new MCAT, I think they will cut you some slack. They'll probably be like, "Chemistry & physics, good.. verbal, hmm, what happened there? Bio, good.. Psychology - wow, are you a psychologist?"

 

[Sunny 073]

Chem: 129-132
CARS: 128
Bio: 126-127
Psych: 128
Overall: 511-515, or 31-34 on the old scale.

Don't worry, your bio score isn't low enough to be an issue.



Chem: 127
CARS: 125
Bio: 126-127
Psych: 125
Overall: 503-504, or 27-28.

People with your stats who are URM have an acceptance rate of 67.7% according to AAMC.

I have
Chem:126
CARs:128
Bio:127
Psych:125
cGPa:3.72
sGpa:3.58
I am Florida redident and ORM what are my chances for M.D

 

[mcat_taker]

Congrats on june scores guys, How did you all do relative to TPR exams. I'm a july test taker and obviously this will be a tough wait for me for the next month. I scored 499, 498, 499, 503, 503 on TPR exams and 49%, 83%, 61%, 80% on the AAMC full length...Did you guys do substantially better compared to TPR exams?

I need to break 500 for the program I am interested in.

 

[nicoleb12]

521 total! (99%)
C/P- 132 (100%)
CARS- 130 (97%)
B/B- 128 (87%)
P/S- 131 (98%)
I'm not applying this cycle, just graduated with a terrible gpa from a great school (~2.5) due to lack of motivation and study skills, recently set my mind on med school and worked my ass off for this test and think I proved I can do it! starting a pre-health masters program in the fall.
Will this MCAT score and an awesome grad gpa get me into some schools? I know I can succeed in med school I just need to convince the schools...

 

[drrao88]

521 total! (99%)
C/P- 132 (100%)
CARS- 130 (97%)
B/B- 128 (87%)
P/S- 131 (98%)
I'm not applying this cycle, just graduated with a terrible gpa from a great school (~2.5) due to lack of motivation and career goals, recently set my mind on med school and worked my ass off for this test and think I proved I can do it! starting a pre-health masters program in the fall.
Will this MCAT score and an awesome grad gpa get me into some schools? I know I can succeed in med school I just need to convince the schools...

PM me. I have a good story for you

 

[andyrayy]

Does anyone know approximately how long it should take before schools and/or aacomas start receiving the scores?

Has anyone received any confirmations from schools receiving the scores that were released in July 21?

 

[Caffein3]

Does anyone know approximately how long it should take before schools and/or aacomas start receiving the scores?

Has anyone received any confirmations from schools receiving the scores that were released in July 21?

Wondering this also..submitted a few secondaries before my score was released. I emailed a few schools but haven't heard back yet. I called AMCAS and they said that each school individually "checks" and updates from AMCAS for scores on an individual basis...

 

[piii]

Does anyone know approximately how long it should take before schools and/or aacomas start receiving the scores?

Has anyone received any confirmations from schools receiving the scores that were released in July 21?

BU updated my score on their secondary the next day.

 

[Caffein3]

BU still hasn't updated mine...