Life After the MCATs
by Mary Anne Feeney

Originally published June 16, 2000 on studentadvantage.com.

More than 55,000 students are expected to take the MCAT this year — and a lot of them are no doubt going to look at their scores and wonder why the heck they bothered.

With a typical 60-day wait until scores are released, that means D-Day has most likely arrived for many of you who took the test on April 15. If it hasn't yet, you're probably not even reading this article right now, because you're too busy hovering over your mailbox or camping in a tent outside your post office.

If you bombed the MCAT this time around (or just didn't do as well as you'd hoped), don't get too bummed. Many schools say they don't place much weight on the numerical results of one exam, even if it's one as important as the MCAT.

"We attempt to correlate an applicant's score with the college attended, the GPA earned, the major selected, and the timing of the examination [at what point in a student's academic career the exam is taken]," Dr. Joseph Pisano, Associate Dean for Admissions at the Tulane University School of Medicine, said.

According to Pisano, the average score on each multiple-choice section of the MCAT is an 8 out of 15, or 24 out of 45 total. A score of O for the essay portion of the exam — on a range from J to T — is considered about normal, he said.

Unless your score was way below average, you shouldn't rush to take the MCAT a second time, many professors say. "One important piece of advice is that, if you are disappointed in your score, there is no point in taking the test again unless you can score several points higher," said Dr. Eric J. Simon, a biology professor at Fordham University. "If you score only a few points higher [within one standard deviation of the results], the medical schools won't really count the difference."

Besides, Simon says, MCAT scores may be more important only to certain types of students. "The MCAT seems particularly important for nontraditional medical school applicants, those from non-science majors, and those applying to medical school several years after leaving college," he said. "It proves that they know the prerequisite material needed to succeed in medical school."

Pisano had a slightly different view of the importance of a solid MCAT score.

"If a 'bad' MCAT score is the major weak point in a student's application, then certainly the MCAT should be — in fact, must be — retaken," he said. "In my mind, a second taking of the MCAT is no reflection upon the applicant's capability."

However, Pisano went on to say that a school would frown upon a student who has taken the MCAT more than three times. At that point, a student might want to question his or her own academic prowess, he said.

One of the first things you should do after receiving your test scores is "discuss your results with your advisors and devise a strategy you feel best fits you," said Dr. Keat Sanford, Assistant Dean and Director of Student Services at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

Books and Web sites can play a key part in that strategy: If your MCAT score is low enough that you're considering a retake, there are plenty of resources out there you can use to help raise your score the next time around.

Matthew Geller, a junior premed at Fordham University, suggests reading Getting Into Medical School Today, a pleasant little paperback written by Scott H. Planz that retails for $14.95. "This book provides an excellent overview of how to get into medical school," Geller said, "as well as the grueling, yet rewarding work of becoming a doctor."

The Web site Studyworld.com has a useful area stocked with a list of MCAT study guides.

There are also plenty of Web sites out there to aid you through the med-school admissions process.

When you first receive your MCAT score — good or bad — one helpful site to visit is medicalschool.com, which includes a special section on "dealing with results."

The site also offers information about how the MCAT is scored. Other areas include an overview of the application process and tips on how to prepare yourself for the typical med-school interview.

Premeds looking for info about applying to med schools will also want to check out uspremeds.com. You can join a mailing list that sends out periodic tips on applying to med schools and puts you in touch with other med-school hopefuls who most likely are going through the same hell you are.

Interviewfeedback.com is another great stop on the Web. It's a huge repository of questionnaires filled out by other premeds who spill their guts about their interview experiences. It's an awesome way to get the lowdown on what to expect from an interview at almost any med school.

If you've decided to take the MCAT again, check out the Association of American Medical Colleges MCAT Web site for test dates and additional info — and visit our list of Web resources for more sites that can lend a helping hand.

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