The road to medical school is littered with hurdles, with the MCAT frequently being the one students see as the most challenging of all. Unfortunately, even after weeks or months of preparation, some students do not meet their goal score.
As a rule of thumb, if your score is five or more points below your target result, you should consider retaking the MCAT. Though this situation is not ideal, honestly assessing the competitiveness of your score, as well as your test-day performance, is crucial when deciding whether to sit for the exam a second time.
Ultimately, there are several aspects to examine when deciding whether to retake the MCAT.
Follow these [three tips for retaking the MCAT.]
1. Is retaking the test in your best interest? Consider the data provided in the medical school admission requirements published by the Association of American Medical Colleges. This document outlines various admissions thresholds for each medical school in the country, including ranges for MCAT scores.
If your MCAT score is competitive for most of the schools you plan on applying to, then you most likely do not need to retake the exam. If your score is significantly below the average MCAT result for your prospective programs, you should consider retaking the exam or applying to less competitive institutions.
2. What was your test day like? Second, examining your test day experience is also important if you are considering retaking the MCAT. Anxiety is a common and powerful detriment to many students’ performance.
It is also more difficult to overcome than a computer malfunction, which is unlikely to occur in multiple exam sessions. If an issue like anxiety was a problem for you on your initial test date, honestly assess your ability to put it aside the second time. For instance, make sure you have the necessary weeks or months to be able to devote to learning new testing strategies.
Find ways to [build last-minute confidence for MCAT success.]
3. What are the MCAT policies at your target schools? As a general rule of thumb, it is not possible to void an MCAT result once you have taken the test and received a score report. Do note, however, that different schools have different policies on how they weigh multiple scores.
If you do decide to retake the MCAT, you should be sure to research how the programs you are applying to view multiple MCAT results when making admissions decisions. Some schools consider only the highest overall score, others average all scores and still others will only consider the most recent score.
Get [ advice on how to improve your MCAT score.]
You should visit admissions websites to locate this information. If you are unclear about the procedure, contact admissions offices to understand how each program’s admissions committee would handle multiple scores.
Determining whether to sit for the MCAT again is a very personal decision that requires honest and deep reflection. Overall, students should assess the competitiveness of their score and research how multiple MCAT results will affect their applications at different schools.
Finally, they should decide whether their performance was significantly affected on test day by factors that are within their control to change.
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Ask 3 Questions When Deciding Whether to Retake the MCAT originally appeared on usnews.com
