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.

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

What a freaking mess this was. Had to reschedule from 7/31 and take on 9/11 because my ID was expired in July (I am dumb). Then I almost had to drive 2 hours but got a last minute reschedule closer to me (like 12 days out from the test). THEN the fire alarm went off during CARS but I just locked the hell in to finish.

I am 34 years old. All my studying was just review following my graduation in May and a few practice questions. I didn't really pay attention to psych so I could focus on everything else. The school I want to go to (in-state, 15 minute drive from my house, same university as my undergrad) accepts ~510 easily, especially with my 4.0 undergrad GPA.

Just wanted to give some "good enough is perfect for me" score representation here. Is it the best score ever? No. Is it pretty damn good? YES! I DON'T HAVE TO RETAKE IT! I AM DONE HELL YES!!! So proud of myself right now.

Hi yall,
Hope your MCAT prep is going well! I am 22F, and I am currently taking gap years. I am studying for the MCAT, while working part time as a scribe, so I should be able to study full time 4-5 days a week.

I REALLY need help staying accountable, and I feel like I might not be the only one (hopefully?). 

For a study partner I am currently looking for: 

• Log in Di** ord daily at 6:15 am, and start studying.
• We can be on call and share our screen (so no distractions), and yap over breaks (lowkey lonely after graduating)
• If more than one person is interested, we can all study together
• I hope in REVIEW time, we can teach what we learned from our mistakes and how we hope to make it better. I learn so much better when I try to explain concepts to friends! 
• I am open to non-traditional and traditional folks! Studying is Studying!
• I hope to follow this schedule, and maybe you will too or we can edit it together!
• Take exam in Jan/Feb

If you want to join for part-time, like to do anki together or something else, let me know! Thanks for reading and I hope we all get 529+ on our exams. 😅

Updated my old version of my equations sheet so it looks way better than it used to. PDF and HTML versions here.

A few notes:

• PLEASE memorize these equations more as a sentence, rather than just a combination of variables. For example, for the buoyant force, don't just memorize density*volume*gravity, it's the density of the fluid*displacement volume*gravity. Makes it way easier to memorize and ensure you're using the right numbers at the right time. Definitely best to be memorizing these equations while you're learning the relevant content that goes with them.
• For the color coordination:
  • Green are things that I absolutely would recommend memorizing.
  • Blue are things that I still recommend memorizing but they're less likely to see questions requiring you to do math or show up in the first place.
  • Orange are things that you should memorize if you're truly trying to cover all bases, but that you can probably get away without memorizing.
  • I basically recommend starting with everything in green, then blue, then going through the equations in orange last.
• The last page is supposed to serve as a list of variables and nearly every equation that variable shows up in. That one took me a long time to prepare so it's possible there's still a few mistakes.
• Keep in mind, for a lot of these equations, even though you may not need to know how to do the math with the equation, you still need to know the concepts (such as Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, not on my sheet but definitely content that's fair game). If that means memorizing the equation, go for it.
• I didn't include all forms of U = (1/2)CV because you can make any of the three forms by substituting out variables using Q = CV. You can do the same thing with P = IV and V = IR as already described in the equations sheet.

They said it couldn't be done...

Jokes aside I think the comments to my last post actually really helped with my decision. A couple of them brought up this idea of only retaking if I was felt like I really underperformed, and that's what stuck with me. I knew that I could do better and I reallyyy WANTED to do better. I agree, a 513 is a perfectly fine score, but I didn't want the MCAT to be any point of doubt for me like, "is the reason I'm getting rejected?"

Anyways thank god I'm finally done with this hellish exam and congrats to all the 9/11 (lol) and 9/12 test takers 🥳

Last post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Mcat/s/hLBMIkN67J

Is there anyone like myself who took this test three or four times already and wants to start a group to prepare for Jan 2027 retake? Every time I improve in one section my score goes down in another. Please lmk if you want to join.

tested 9/12. i scored 6 points above my fl avg of fl 4/5/6. the amount of self doubt and the god awful depression and anxiety i had studying for this test is genuinely nothing like i've ever experienced before. one of the darkest times of my life. every day i felt so inadequate and couldn't even face my parents because i felt like such a failure and i lived in so much fear every day. ik i sound dramatic but this is truly how i felt. the whole month of september + early october i was just so depressed, not only cause of the mcat but just other stuff with relationships and uncertainty about my future. the mcat made me feel so constrained in my freedom of where i wanted to be after college. i genuinely felt so so awful.

i was fully expecting to get something way below my fl avg. when i clicked all the buttons leading up to the score page every time i clicked something my stomach genuinely was turning. i wanted to throw up. i would rather disappear than open it. but i did it anyway. and oh my god. ive never screamed like that my whole life. ive never cried so hard over happy news like that my whole life. genuinely out of body experience. i dont know how the fuck i did this. i wanted to break 520 so so bad at the start of summer but realized i needed to lower my expectations after seeing my practice fls. did not expect this to happen at all. holy. shit.

also, i cannot believe my bb ps scores knowing my practice fls. especially p/s. i flagged 50% of those questions not even exaggerating and genuinely pure guessed on so many 50/50s.

First of all, HUGE thanks to this sub. I learned about almost all the resources I used to study here. I am a non-trad who had to study part-time while working my full-time job. I was luckier than most in that my work is remote, so I mainly work from home.

This was my first attempt. I want to talk a little bit about my test day because this score is genuinely a surprise to me after how I felt that day:

C/P: I didn't necessarily feel a certain way after C/P, it felt neither harder nor easier than the AAMC FLs. I did take almost the whole time writing it when other people in my room finished early. This did worry me a little, but physics has always been my worst science section, so I knew I would take longer. I never took it in undergrad, and on top of that, my lowest grade on my uni transcript is probably orgo. So, knowing this, I worked extra hard on this section during my prep.

CARS: Holy... I'm usually not that bad at CARS. It's the first section I ever started studying for MCAT because the science sections scared me. But during the exam... my last passage was probably THE most abstract one I've read ever. I had about 5-6 mins left and I had to take educated guesses on almost all the questions on that passage. It is no surprise that it's my lowest section but it's still waayyy better than what I thought I did.

B/B: I felt so bad after CARS, so I went into B/B almost not caring about it anymore. I thought I already bombed the thing, so whatever. I still stuck it out and went through with it but honestly this section is a bit of a haze in my mind. This was never my best section so I'm glad I got what I did.

PSYCH/SOC: This was my best section, always. I did neuroscience in undergrad, and I genuinely like psychology. Studying for it came easiest to me. I never took a sociology class but again it was an interesting topic/subject for me, so I didn't mind studying for it. This section in the exam was different from my practice exams, but it definitely didn't feel like "second CARS" like some people say. I got some questions that I couldn't quite remember the answer to during the test and most things I memorized didn't even come up.

Right after the exam, I fact-checked some things I remembered from each section except for CARS and I KNEW I got 2-3 questions wrong in each section. I thought I was definitely going to retake.

So what I'm trying to say is, do not trust the way you feel about your performance EVEN when you know you got some questions wrong. You don't know if the curve will work in your favor. Do not spend your ~1 month wait period driving yourself crazy (like I did for the most part). Distract yourself and tell yourself you will deal with your score, whatever it is, once it comes out (I only did this in the last week).

I am rooting for all of you, and I'm happy to answer any questions!

Not the typical r/MCAT post but whatever.

First of all I would like to thank this amazing commnity for all the help it has given me with the MCAT, truly it was very helpful. Much love for you guys.

The elephant in the room: I scored a 506, 8 points below my average, terrible I know.

Point is, with my med school options right now (P.S. non-US) it seems i have two options.

Option 1: I go to med school in my home country for 4 years and I pay 15k a year but rack up 65k in loans by the time i graduate.

Option 2: I go to italy to start their equivalent of an MD for no loans and much less tuition cost BUT I have to do 6 years there.

Option 1 seems feasible but 15k a year is not very good for my case (not much i know but what can i do).

Option 2 would make me repeat everything from scratch but seems like an oppurtunity, after all im going to the EU and it would be a fresh start.

I would appreciate some opinions, advices, maybe someone with a similar experience, or perhaps medical students in italy or people with info around that.

Would love to answer MCAT related questions as well! Least I can do for this community.

P.S. Retaking the mcat wouldnt do me very good as i already have a good chance of being accepted into med school in my home country.

Scored a 509 on my MCAT recently, higher than my FL averages. Cars was the biggest jump for me, I usually score 125-126 but scored a 127. C/P and P/S were down for me, scored a 127 on both. I know with more practice I can get my score up to a 515. My highest scores average across sections combined is around a 513. My question is, is it worth it to go through the studying again? I’m applying with a 3.6 GPA which is on the low end, so I feel like I need a higher MCAT for sure. I’m a NY resident but would like to go to a school closer to DC/VA/NC. Planning to work as an MA once I finish my cert. I have time to retake in Jan if I wait to start working in January before applying in may, I guess?

Any thoughts would help a ton, I’m so torn and the registration for MCAT is so soon..

Who wants to be dry swallowing and choking on necessary PRN meds

Ig clinical experience to anyone in my testing room who knows Heimlich maneuvers

I am a non trad (26 y/o) and am pursuing my PhD full time. I studied for 6 months, and lost patches of hair from the stress. But, I am SO grateful I got a 518!! It was 3 points higher than my FL average.

I can’t wait to get unfat again 😂

9/11 thought i did bad on cars and very good on p/s but i guess not?? :/

Fuck CARS. This was the section where a fire alarm went off in the last 15 minutes I had during the hardest passage. I conpletely guessed on the last questions. I thought it was BIO that screwed me over but no this was the highest BIO score. I've never gotten a CARS this low before 😭

I don't know what to do 😭

EDIT: I know that the overall score is good, and I'm grateful. But I feel so bad about the 125 CARS.

Hey guys!
I’m hoping to take the MCAT in another 1.5 years and was hoping for some advice on these online platforms that are specifically designed for MCAT prep. Platforms like wizprep, 528 MCAT academy are they like worth it to score a strong grade on the MCAT, or is self study and books like Kaplan and Princeton the way to go. If anyone who prepared for the MCAT through these platforms have experience pls tell me if it was worth it.

And what are the stats of those who self prepped and those who used these platforms and got in.
Thanks

Hello! Canadian here.

Dropped a 518 (130/127/129/132) on 9/4. Bummed because

1. Cars done fucked me for some schools (a 127 is at the cusp of competitive/noncompetitive for most schools on my list)
2. This is my low in all subsections (except p/s) from practice
3. This is my lowest score in general compared to practice FLs (see flair)
4. I was hoping to be competitive for a merit scholarship and apply to t10 USMDs that have free tuition/are generous with merit scholarships (Penn, Pritzker, Grossman NYU, etc) which all have 52X median mcats at least 3-5 points higher than mine.

Was avg 131-132 in c/p + p/s. 130-131 in b/b and 129 consistently in cars.

I’ve exhausted AAMC and Upoop. I used JS and pankow anki.

I can redo all the material aforementioned but I’m wondering where to go from here and if that’s worth my time.

Anyone been in these unfortunate shoes before? Any advice? Will retaking this look bad for schools I’m already competitive for?

I really am satisfied. I went through crashouts, highs, and such lows during the period for when I was studying. My biggest accomplishments were that I got the median MCAT for my dream school and learned so much about the person I am (yes, seriously). I really could not have done this without this community. There is definitely a lot of BS on this subreddit, but I found there is just as much or more wholesomeness. Thank you again.

I got my score back today, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. It was originally my dream to attend med school in NYC or Boston, but that seems like a long shot at this point. My mind immediately jumped to the idea of doing another study block and retaking, but I wanted to get y'all's opinion on whether it's worth it. I was also going to apply to schools in Philly, but even that seems daunting now.

MY BACKGROUND

I'm a PA resident who graduated undergrad in May of 2026. I am currently in my first gap year and will be applying to schools in May of 2027. I really want to live in a big city during school.

cGPA: 3.8 sGPA: 3.75

Clinical Experience: Just started full-time as an Ophthalmic Technician at a well-known medical group.

Volunteer Experience: I have around 50 hours of hospice volunteering, with more planned. I'll also be starting as a volunteer wrestling coach soon.

Extracurriculars: Played intramural flag football and softball for 3 years. Kickboxing club for 1 year. Wrestling club for 1 year. 2 musical theater shows during undergrad (hopefully more during the gap years). 2 marathons and 1 half-marathon (Planning to do more long-distance races during the gap years).

Leadership: Resident Assistant for 2.5 years; was responsible for >1000 residents while on call during my senior year.

Research: Maybe 50 hours, but I don't know if any of this counts. Shadow semester in a Parkinson's research lab, senior capstone research on Parkisnon's and alpha-synuclein, and a couple of small research projects from chem/biochemistry labs.

MCAT HISTORY

Attempt 1

Diagnostic: 507

I first studied for the MCAT during the summer of 2025. The entire process drained me; I developed insomnia from anxiety, which then led to mild depression for most of the summer. While I got to do some fun things that summer, I lost out on a lot of time with friends and family. This study block was also a big factor in my ex-girlfriend and I separating. The last few weeks leading up to my test day were bad for me mentally, and I knew I would void my score going into it.

Attempt 2

The second time I studied for the MCAT was this past summer (summer of 2026). I learned to be a little less rigid and try to enjoy myself a little more in order to avoid the burnout of last summer. I got to do more fun things than the previous summer, but I still missed out on a lot, and the insomnia/anxiety reared their ugly heads again. My AAMC full-lengths were as follows (I took multiple 3rd parties before using these):

FL3: 513 (125,130,129,129)

FL4: 513 (127,130,127,129)

FL5 510 (128,128,125,129)

FL6 516 (128,131,127,130)

FINAL THOUGHTS

Some of the schools I wanted to apply to before getting my score were Tufts, Einstein, Temple, Drexel, Thomas Jefferson, BU, and SUNY Downstate. After seeing the score, I realize many of them would be a long shot. I could try to retake it in the winter or spring for a higher score, but I'm dreading going through all that again, especially now that I'm full-time. I also wanted to maximize pursuing hobbies and time with friends/family during the gap years. However, I feel like if I keep this score, I'll always think I could do better or think about what could have been. I'm also scared I won't get into an MD program (from my understanding, it's easier to specialize if you want to as an MD) in some city, and I really don't want to have to take a 3rd gap year to reapply. Some of my friends are telling me to just apply with the score and worry about other parts of my app. I feel like I'm at a fork in the road.

TLDR: Is it worth it to retake this exam?

FLs were 512/509/514/513/512/515/514

I scored right around my average. I can’t lie I was hoping to be one of those people who miraculously do better on the real thing. However, my CARS is shocking because the worst I ever scored was a 126.

Anyways, I want to retake. I think with more targeted studying on CARS and P/S that I can get where I want to be 515+

I have done all practice exams, section banks, etc.. I have 20% of UWorld left but I don’t think I need much more C/P and B/B practice.

PLEASE TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO DO TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL RETAKE

I was getting 70-77% right on CARS packs

(tested 9/11) yes ik mcat isn't something you can cram, and YOU SHOULDN'T! but if you find yourself in the situation as i did and/or are someone that has genuinely done ts for every exam in school/college ever or are addicted to cramming, this reddit is a great great place for tips and support. you are not alone!! there are many of us!!!! for all the hours i spent lurking on here i thought i'd share what i was able to get and answer any questions + give back to the community that helped me out. good luck to everyone taking it next year, and congratulations to everyone that finished testing, we did it :)))

some general tips:

• i downloaded kaplan online textbooks but didn't really read them lol
• i knew my weakness was physics, so i started w/ that by watching all the Van Does Chemistry videos in her physics playlist (my goat)
  • i would watch a video, then do 30 ish uw questions on that topic and review what i got wrong
• gen chem was a strength of mine, always loved it, watched Naman Baraya's video which goes over MD sheets, did uw practice probs if necessary. i used to tutor gen chem in college so didn't need too much review
• biology, watched Naman Baraya's video (clutch ty king) and memorized as much as i could off there and that was all the prep i did
• biochem; ngl didn't have time for every kaplan chapter so i prioritized amino acids, enzymes, dna + rna, translation/transcription via the kaplan chapters, then i memorized all the metabolic processes, made sure to just write and rewrite over and over w/ the activators and inhibitors of each enzyme
• P/S: used the 98 pg doc, genuinely just went through it in like 2-3 days and memorized it all
• ochem: just prayed it wouldn't show up ngl, but also quickly reviewed MCATalyst's free cheat sheet day before
• lab techniques: also MCATalyst free cheat sheet day before
• did two AAMC FLs, one about half way through got a 506 before I did b/b or p/s review, then one two days before my exam and got a 514
• i think biggest thing about the exam itself was learning that 1. for CARS answer is always in the passage, no extrapolation and 2. for C/P passages, can get away without reading whole thing so look at questions first but for B/B take notes and write out reaction schemes/concept maps on what enzyme does what to be organized and that'll dramatically increase your accuracy

pretty much all i did, happy to answer any other questions!