mom2collegekids

My son will be taking the MCAT this Saturday. I spoke to him and he said that if he doesn't feel that he did well, he's going to cancel his test.

I'm not sure that's a great idea because ...

1) he may have done better than he thought he did (that's happened to him before..he thought he did lousy on a AP Euro exam and then got a 5 on it).

2) he'd then have to take the exam in July - which is too late.

3) I'm not sure that SOMs won't know that he cancelled an exam.

4) I think many people think they did lousy on the MCAT, but their scores were better than they expected.


What are your thoughts?

mom2collegekids

Ok....I just spoke with him again. His fear is that he'll take the test, and if he feels that he'll get about a 30, that he should cancel. I told him, NO, take the 30, that is fine. He can probably still get into a med school since he has a 4.0 BCMP and good ECs.

He has it in his head that he needs at least a 33, and yes, that would be great, too, but I think his thinking is wrong.

bigreddawgie

I wouldn't go into the test with the mindset that I can cancel the test. I scored way better than I thought I did. It's hard to predict your score

MiamiDAP

Many underestimate their score, he probably would do the same. What a shame if he cancels a 32, how about a 35? My D. was senserely surprized by her score when she got it.

MiamiDAP

OK, just remember something. Although it is not always true, there is a way to estimate the score. Often it is 2 points below the best practice score and within 2 points of ACT. Both of them were true for my D.

mom2collegekids

That's what I've been thinking.

I'm glad to hear that people often think they do worse than they actually did.

Both of my kids are the type that if they come across a few questions that stump them, they think they failed the test.


So...when you're taking the MCAT....is it typical that you're going to come across some questions that stump you or are super hard, but you end up with a fine score anyway?????

WayOutWestMom

The other consideration about cancelling a score is that he may not be able to schedule a re-take in time to get his application read early in the cycle.

He will not be able to reserve a seat for a re-take until after AMCAS as processed his cancellation (which could take several days), then he has to find a location with an available seat. This is not all that easy during high demand periods--like spring.

deb09

take the test- EVERYONE taking that test is anxious about it. it won't get any easier delaying it- go for it and then decide if it's really advantageous to do it a 2nd time.

kristin5792

Reasons to cancel your test:

1) you did not prepare for it--and by that I mean, you walked into it cold like you did for the SAT or ACT.

2) something catastrophic happens--your computer breaks and cannot be fixed

3) you become violently ill during the test and cannot return

4) you realize, with :30 left in the test, that you forgot to select answers for half the questions

Etc. Anxiety about your score is NOT a good reason for all of the reasons you already mentioned, but I'd like to highlight that 1) you're probably not estimating your score correctly and may have indeed done better than expected (ala bigreddawgie and miami's kid) and 2) EVERYONE walks out of the MCAT feeling like it sucked and like they need multiple stiff drinks ASAP. I swear it's just part of the game

He's studied diligently for this test, and he's done great in the classes that are preparing him for it. Going into the test with the mindset that he can cancel it is not the way to go; the way to go is to relax, realize you're prepared, know that you are capable of doing very well on this exam, and this is your chance to prove it to med schools that you should be admitted. Only in very rare and unforeseen circumstances should a score be cancelled!

mom2collegekids

I'm copy/pasting your responses and emailing them to him. I think he'll listen to the voices of those "in the trenches" rather than "good ole mom."


Kristin and others...

Does computer-testing allow for you to "go back" "skip" or change an answer? I know that when my older son took the old-style GRE, you couldn't skip questions or go back to previously answered questions.

eadad

Agree with Kristin.

Like others have said, my S thought he had done terribly (though he told us he thought he did fine) and ended up with a 39.

mom2collegekids

^^^

lol

oh my. So, a 39 MCAT person can take the exam, come upon some really hard questions, and think he did poorly? I'm definitely showing this to my son....not that I think he can get a 39 MCAT...lol....we'll be thrilled with anything with a 3 in the front.


What is the meaning behind the alpha score? What is a good alpha score? What is a bad alpha score? Do SOMs really look at that?

krug

My kid took the March MCAT. She didn't get a chance to study much (cracked the prep books open during the 5 days at home for Spring Break). After she took it, she was sure that she could have done much better with more prep (forgot a lot of the bio & phy but they looked very familiar). We registered for a retake right away and the first slot that's opened is June 21st. Got the scores back this week and it's a 31 (which is ok, not great) and we're glad that we didn't cancel even though she wanted to. We'll apply early (per Curm & Blue's suggestions) and update the scores when the result comes back in July (I think we could do this).

My suggestion is don't cancel and wait for the results. If he thinks he bombed the test, or can do better, register for an early summer exam so that he has time to study and improve.

mom2collegekids

krug....

We'd be happy with a 31...seriously. lol

So, how does that work with a retest coming up? Will AMCAS let you proceed with the current results and then do some kind of update with the new MCAT score? Does the new score delay anything?

krug

Mom2, We'll trade you mcat score for gpa, lol.
That's also my question, will schools look at your application if you check "the box" stating that you will have new scores coming in?