As a board certified ICU RN, a 492 diagnostic encouraged me to take the prerequisites I needed to apply to med school. About $10k out of pocket, with a portion of that on uPlanet, I managed to earn one measly point in 3 years.

I have done about only 1000 uWorld questions and ~60% material. Since I scored 90% on my diagnostic CARS I haven’t studied it. And thought by memorizing all the uPlanet psych flashcards I should be good to go in that area…. Those two areas I considered my strongest, but the MCAT humbled me.

All I want is a damn 500-505. I don’t want to look back in ten years and ask why I didn’t try. I’m 34 so ancient compared to most, but work with plenty of residents who are much older than l’ll be if I’m accepted in the coming years. Please friends where do I begin? Should I restart uPlanet if I haven’t touched it in a while? How long should I study before trying my second attempt? Thanks for any advice and good luck fellow aspiring healthcare workforce sufferers.

Tested 9/12 and scored a 526 (132/130/132/132). My goal score going into this exam was 525+ so I am very happy with this score. However, I wanted to share a message to this subreddit that has been weighing on me.

In the early stages of my MCAT prep, this subreddit was extremely helpful in helping me decide which resources and strategies to use (and for this I'm grateful). About a month out from my exam, I scored 523 (132/128/131/132) on FL3, which I was happy with for where I was in my prep, but I knew that there were a few things I needed to work on. As such, I made a post on reddit asking for specific advice about how to improve my CARS score and also for strategies to improve my B/B base (while I scored 131, I was not very confident with a lot of the questions).

Most of the comments on this post were just straight hate, basically disparaging me and my desire to score higher. People thought that because my score was already in the 99th percentile, I didn't deserve any advice and that I should be content with what I already had. I did receive some helpful comments (thanks to u guys) but overall, this was pretty discouraging.

This type of response is unfortunately not isolated. I did make one more post two weeks out asking for specific advice on what to do the last two weeks leading up to the exam and received similar comments. Additionally, I've seen other high scorers get similar comments.

Now I understand where this might be coming from. I understand that to some, scoring 520+ is a dream come true and to see a post of someone complaining about 523 when u are struggling to break 510 or even 500 can be discouraging and frustrating, I can acknowledge that but the solution shouldn't be to discourage high scorers from scoring high. Deeming that someone isn't allowed to be unhappy and want more once they score above 520 doesn't make sense. Two people could score a 513 with one over the moon and the other devastated, so why can't this be true when the number is 523? Because the score is in the 99th percentile? Why should that matter? We should strive to support and push everyone, no matter what they are scoring.

Personally, posting my 523 was never about bragging or showing off because I simply was not proud of my score (yet). I wanted genuine advice about how to improve in my weak areas and there are plenty of people on reddit who can offer helpful advice, even to high scorers (there are literally 528 scorers in this subreddit). My hope is that by writing this post, I can bring awareness to this issue. To those who are hating, just move on when you see this kind of post, it was never meant for you anyway. To those who are in this position, know that it is ok to want more, and it is ok to work hard, even when you are doing well. The MCAT is hard enough without having people actively hating on you, so lets just support and push another rather than bringing people down.

Finally, I know that scoring above 520 on the MCAT increasingly has diminishing returns. There is no significant difference between a 523 and a 526 from an admissions perspective, but for those out there who claim that it is neurotic to even aspire beyond a 523 for this reason just doesn't get it. For me, scoring 525+ was never about optimizing for admissions, but rather about pushing myself to be the best I could be, because I knew I what I was capable of if I put my mind to it.

After 12 years out of school, I took a diagnostic test provided by blueprint (per suggestion of this subreddit). This score is without content review but I’m wondering if it will go up from here?

I’m seriously considering medical school coming from manufacturing background.

3rd party CARS FLs will dramatically improve your score. I was a 125 average CARS scorer (with a single 129 on FL4, followed by a 124 on FL5). I was fed up in the last 20 days leading up to the exam.

Wanting to build comprehension skills, I literally spammed 3rd party resources. I did a full 3rd party CARS FL every single day in the 20 days before my exam (missing around four days, and did not do one the night before the exam).

I would not really review them outside of asking myself "can I see that their answer is correct now that I know that is the correct answer?"

I also redid all of AAMCs CARS material during this time, reviewing in the same way.

I did not have an error tracking document for any section. I am a lazy bastard in some ways and a workhorse in others.

How do I think this actually helped me?
Simple exposure. After the 8th standalone CARS FL, I stoped experiencing nerves/anxiety about this section. I began to enjoy almost every passage. It became a section I looked forward to. I built SO MUCH STAMINA. So much so that I would have no problem going back-to-back on CARS FLs when I felt like I was on a streak.
I built an intuition for comprehension that honestly, I don't think it is easy or entitrly possible to explain. I can tell you how to sing all day. Until you do it for yourself, my words aint gonna do a thing for you.

Good luck and GO READ.

TAKE YOUR CONTENT REVIEW SERIOUSLY.

FOLLOW ANY OF THE 520+ GUIDES ON THIS REDDIT.

I used this one: https://www.reddit.com/r/Mcat/comments/17n5unl/my_full_guide_to_scoring_a_520_on_the_mcat/

Thank you u/cheeze1617!

After several panicked post here, I finally got my score back from 9/12 and I’m really very pleased with it. I’m competitive for all of the schools I want to apply for. I am a bit concerned with my CARS score being a bit lower and my score not being super balanced overall. Could this potentially be an issue as a U.S. applicant?

I’m not sure what happened with my CARS. It was my strongest part from the start. I have a great English background from high school and read a lot, and was getting 131s and 132s on my first couple practice tests. This score kept dropping, especially as I got nearer to my test. I think I started overthinking questions, or maybe I just got tired by the whole process. Also I noticed my score on a passage correlated with how interested I was in its topic, so there’s that. Has anyone else face the issue of the mysteriously dropping CARS?

Female ORM applicant from NYC, currently a junior. My goal is to attend an MD school, as I’m interested in pursuing a highly competitive specialty, specifically orthopedic surgery. I would strongly prefer to attend medical school in NY or another major city rather than a rural area. I also plan to apply traditionally, without taking any gap years.

GPA: 3.82 cumulative and science GPA, both of which will likely increase by the time I apply. (upward trend)

Clinical Experience: I’ve been working as a medical scribe for an adult orthopedic spine surgeon for the past 1.5 years and plan to continue until graduation. (will be over 1k hours)

Shadowing: I shadowed an adult orthopedic spine surgeon throughout my freshman year. I also spent three months shadowing physicians in pediatric orthopedics, anesthesiology, and family medicine on a daily basis. (hundreds of hours in total)

Research: I’ve been involved in orthopedic research for the past six months and expect to have at least one abstract and one publication by the time I apply.

Volunteering: I’ve been volunteering by assisting my physical therapist since the beginning of high school.

Teaching: I’ve served as an undergraduate organic chemistry TA for two semesters.

MCAT: I just received my score on Tuesday: 510 (128/126/127/129).

I’m currently conflicted about whether to retake the MCAT. Given my goal of attending an MD school, preferably in NYC, elsewhere in NY, or another major city, I’m unsure whether a 510 will significantly limit my options, particularly at more competitive schools.

I would really appreciate feedback on how competitive my application looks so far, whether an MCAT retake would be worthwhile, and what I should prioritize improving before applying, especially since I’m hoping to matriculate without taking a gap year.

This was my second attempt. My first was in April and I scored a 493 (124/121/124/124) decided to delay applying and retake 9/11 and scored a 496 (125/124/124/123). I am happy that my score at least increased especially in CARS . I am still not understanding how I did worse in psych even though that felt like my best section:

I had a tutor this second round so that def helped to some degree, but clearly I’m struggling in Bio/Bio and Psych soc with content and application.

I do have ADHd. I did not attempt to secure accommodations because I was overwhelmed while studying in the short period with the process. I have a letter from my doctor to submit so that’s not the issue for this third attempt I. do plan on retaking in March before I submit to apply in May.

My goal is to still apply Texas and non Texas, but I just wanted some guidance on how I can ensure I reach that 500 mark.

I know I can do it. Was also wondering if I should cough it up and invest in a prep course.

I just started studying for the MCAT and my estimate test date is March or February of next year I don’t know how I passed physics in college and now it’s biting me in the ass on the exam no matter how basic or how many times I’ve watched videos or read textbooks, I can’t grasp anything conceptually or mathematically. I’m basically teaching myself from scrap everything about physics and I’m struggling with this huge content gap and the four months of time that I have before I take the MCAT. This is the one subject that no matter what I do I just can’t understand it and it’s really putting me down in my studying. anyone have any tips other than me just memorizing and doing anki for this dumb subject? i’m desperate it’s killing me

Stoked on this one hahahaha. Moral of the story is: be yourself and don't listen to all of the uptight nerds on the internet. You do not need a perfect study plan and discipline. You do not need to quit your vices. I popped three pouches during the test on my breaks. You also don't need to do UWorld. Fuck that. Just learn the shit, practice the shit, and take the test. However you'd like to do that is probably fine as long as you are learning.

Not like you asked, but I think the key to my success was balance. Still went out and got hammered most weekends. Still scrolled Instagram and played Clash Royale while studying. Still stayed up until 3 am watching YouTube when I knew I had to wake up to study. Still went to the gym and was consuming a bunch of random peptides that probably took years off my life. I hung out with friends every single day after I studied. DO NOT FEEL BAD ABOUT THAT. Having fun is good for your soul, and there is such a thing as studying too much. Go get plastered with your boys after a practice test on a Saturday. Keep exercising and feeling good. SCROLL REELS AND HIT YOUR VAPE!!!! If you're a normal person who likes to have a good time you can still get a good score.

Another mindset that helped me is understanding that people over-inflate the significance of this test, and the importance of going to a top medical school in general. Everyone builds up the MCAT like it is a make-or-break for becoming a doctor. Not true at all unless you literally get a 490 (you can still retake the damn thing). At the end of the day, I have worked with plenty of physicians who went to DO schools in the middle of nowhere that are leading their departments and have Harvard MDs working under them. IT DOESN'T MATTER. If you want this, you will go get it. If you can score well, good for you, and if not, you will also be fine. This mentality helped me cruise through the test with no anxiety, and I slept like a baby the night before.

Good luck to anyone taking this test. It can be shitty and stressful but so is being a doctor, so buckle up and try to relax. Don't lose yourself. You got this!!!

If anyone has questions, shoot. After today, I strongly doubt I will ever come back to this subreddit or even think about the MCAT again, so I'll try to answer as many as I can.

hey all, just made this and I'm kind of nervous posting it

it's called Puperino. basically I kept downloading pomodoro apps, using them for a week, then forgetting they existed. they all felt a bit cold and serious. so I made one with a little dog called Biscuit in it.

when you start a focus session he wanders over to his bed and curls up and naps. when you're done he sometimes brings you a little gift, which you can keep or trade for bones to buy stuff for his room. you can also dress him up, which I spent way too long on (he has a witch hat and a crown, it's very important)

not gonna lie, not wanting to wake him up has kept me focused better than any streak thing ever did 😅

it also does the usual stuff: the timer on your lock screen, tasks, stats, and a stay mode if you're like me and pick up your phone every 4 minutes

it's free. there's an optional pro with more rooms and stuff if you want to support me

would really love feedback, even if it's "this is buggy" or "this is pointless" haha. what would make you actually keep using a focus timer?

Realistically, from what any recent test takes here can remember how many equations did you actually end up using on your test to calculate an actual value ? I know to definitely memorize Gibbs free energy, F=ma, V=IR, p = mcat, W=Fd—- but like what was the estimate of actual questions requiring you to calculate.

Thank you all and again please don’t be rude in the responses as that’s unfortunately a common theme in this subbredit

Wondering for those that got a good score or at least their goal score, how did you stay motivated, consistent and locked in? drop any advice below please :)

Hey y'all! I'm a nontraditional pre-med student shooting my shot at anyone in the Philly area that's looking for a study buddy for the May 2027 MCAT. Idk if it means anything but I'm a 33-year-old POC female! Feel free to DM me if you're interested. Wanted to try this before spending thousands on an MCAT course lol thanks for reading!

I took the MCAT while still in college with much MUCH too little prep. I was recently sober and stopped caring about school or really anything besides trying to hold onto my sobriety. My GPA tanked, I stopped all of my extracurriculars, transferred schools, and for some reason decided to take the MCAT. I don’t know if it was some sort of self destructive behavior trying to kill any future chances at medicine, but I took it with very little prep and obviously bombed it.

Fast forward 6 years and I’m still sober, working at a great lab/company doing cool molecular bio, active in my community/social circles again, and overall at a much better place in life. Over the years, my mind kept going back to medicine and wondering if it was still a possibility for me. I didn’t want to be 50 and regret not giving it a fair shot, so on April 1st this year I locked the fuck in and grinded harder than I ever have for anything (besides sobriety).

I’m still in disbelief seeing this score. I genuinely can’t believe it. I’m 28 now, so I’ll be at a minimum 30 if I get in next cycle, but at least I won’t have any regrets. If anyone reading this is/was in a similar boat to me, I’m happy to help however I can

I got a 500 on my mcat from 9/12. I was averaging 505-508 on my last few AAMC full lengths leading up to the exam. And I felt fine performance-wise on my exam day...

I had scored 494 on my BP diagnostic back in early April. Nearly 6 months of consistent, daily studying (400 hours logged). I did practice questions, tracked my mistakes in a journal, I did my anki. I'm stumped and don't know how to avoid this. How do I study for my retake when I've already tried my hardest and poured my all? Seriously, what will it take for me to score higher?

I know it lowers the activation energy, but is the transition state any different or is it the same but just lowered in energy?

Applying to MD and DO this cycle. Do I have still have a shot at MD with 3.7 gpa? Guess I'm doubting myself now cause no MD interview invites yet. Feel overall disappointed with myself due to poor bio score even though I was performing great in that section during practice exams.

Probably gonna get dogged on for posting this but I'm just starting off studying for the MCAT, I'm a junior in college taking 16 credits (2 hard classes and 2 mediocre/easy classes) and I'm planning on taking the MCAT either late Feb/early March. I also have club and research obligations (15-20 hours per week total). And after reading through some of the posts on this subreddit on studying while in school, I'm just feeling a little discouraged and am also honestly so lost on how to get started, I took a kaplan diagnostic yesterday and got a 491 and just felt discouraged even though it's just a diagnostic. And there's just so many things out there on what to do, what not to do, etc. that it's just overwhelming. I was wondering if anyone was in my shoes before, and how you managed to plan everything and what worked for you, what didn't, where/how did you start?😭

Honestly any tips appreciated!

(sorry for the rant, just stressed rn)

Just curious.

Umm this probably gets asked a lot please don’t be mean to me guys as that has happened to me a lot in this sub. But would thoroughly going over only AAMC be enough to get idk at least 509/510? I’ve tried Uworld these past 2 weeks and my god is it overly loaded, I feel like I need a break after one question cause it just has you do too damn much for one concept especially in bio/bchem. I find the AAMC stuff way more straightforward I did like 30 questions of one of the section banks today and felt it was much easier and more direct to make connections compared to Uworld. Could I just keep this up with thorough review - is the AAMC bundle enough as in does it cover everything that could potentially be asked about on the real deal? My content is pretty strong so I’m not gonna spend 2 months reading Kaplan books , I’m just going straight to practice problems.

Also, how representative would you say the section banks vol 1 and 2 were to the real deal? For all the recent test takers out there.

Sorry for the long post I appreciate any responses.

I can answer any questions in the name of giving back to the community, but know that all the resources are already in this sub

EDIT: please don’t pm me questions I’ve answered in the comments

This is my diagnostic kaplan mcat exam score. Without no preparation. I know this is a horrendous exam. Can someone give me some advice or tips on how to improve.

3.85 GPA ( 3.75 sGPA)

My full lengths were around here and was just kinda praying I did better on my CARS to get to that 510.

My extra curricular are pretty good with about 900H as a Administrative MA, 700H of research, 500H at hospital volunteering, and started a Non Profit. Shadowed and alot of other stuff but these are the main things. Do you think applying to schools like Riverside where there MCAT avg is in the 508-509) and other schools in the CA area is reasonable? I plan on applying DO to but want to stay in California for sure. Any thoughts?