Should I re-take the MCAT? (Lower Bio subscore)

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

Hi everyone!

I took the new 2015 MCAT in September, and obtained a total of 514 (around a 33 on the old MCAT, or 91% percentile). My scores seem unbalanced with 128 CP, 126 BIO, 130 CARS, 130 PSY (As to percentiles, this is 87% CP, 67% BIO, 97% CARS, 97% PSY). My dream schools are either BU or Tufts, but I will be applying to many places. I’m nervous because my Bio subscore is much lower than my other scores. BU has a 35 old MCAT average, with a bio subscore of a little bit larger than 11. Tufts has a 33 old MCAT average, with a bio subscore of a little bit larger than 11 also. My bio subscore is about a 9.5.
I know I should have studied more for the exam (I barely studied organic chemistry) but my score is overall alright. I’m just a little bit lower than the average for BU, which makes me nervous.

I have a few questions, if you all can help:

1.Do you know if with the new MCAT schools will be focusing just as intensely on subscores?
2.Will schools screen me out because of this low Bio subscore?
3.Is it worth it to try to re-take my MCAT this year before applying in June? (I feel like I didn’t spend too much time studying organic chemistry for the exam, and maybe if I tried more intensely I could do much better. But at the same time, I’m trying to focus on maybe getting more experience in Spain that could boost my application, which I maybe couldn’t do if I was studying for the MCAT again).
A lot of websites I’ve been looking at say that the payoff for re-taking the exam to increase your score just a little bit may not be worth it, and I am also a little bit leery because of the chance that I could do worse on this re-take. But, I do not want to be screened out of any schools for my low science subscore. Any advice would be wonderful, thanks everyone for the help! :slight_smile:
More info about my application:
cGPA = 3.94
sGPA = 3.96
-Double major in Neuroscience and Spanish
-I am currently on the Fulbright scholarship teaching high school in Spain
-in Phi Beta Kappa
-have over 600 hours and counting working as a personal medical assistant for a dermatologist
-worked in research at the beginning of college
-worked in Hall Council for a year in college
-had 3 jobs in the past working as a tutor for children and refugees in both the US and Spain (my goal is to become a pediatrician)
-I am also going to volunteer this year at an Alzheimer’s center in Madrid

2

All med schools will look at subscores. It’s school-dependent on how much emphasis is placed on them. (And no I don’t know the policies at Tufts or BU.) I have heard that during this cycle, many schools are not looking at the PSY subscore because they don’t have enough longtitudinal data to interpret its importance.

However, the fact that your bio subscore is so much lower than your other scores is a bit concerning.

Some schools might because a number of schools do screen on subscores. But the cut-off is usually at or below the 50th percentile.

Tough call. According to AMCAS once you reach the ~90%ile, you’re just as likely to score lower on a retake as higher. I’d say that unless your full exam practice scores are consistently putting you at least 3+ percentile points higher overall than your current score, a retake will only hurt you.


FWIW, BU and Tufts are both low-yield schools that receive over 15,000 applications/year. Don't set your heart on these schools. 

Apply broadly and focus on: 1) your instate publics; and 2) schools where your stats are a strong match; and 3) your ECs  fit the school's mission.
3

Yes, Tufts is low yield. But if you go there for undergrad, you have a much better shot. They really like their own students. Not all med school do. Just out of curiousity, why are BU and Tufts so high on your list?

4

Don’t retake the MCAT, you have a high gpa and that can offset the slightly lower MCAT score. But as WOWM said you should apply broadly concentrate on the mid to lower ranking schools.

5

I forget, do med schools use super scoring (or have I been spending too much time in the college admissions section)? If so, then I think a retake could maybe possibly be worthwhile because even if you don’t improve too much overall from your “33” your superscore could improve a lot. Your bio subscore is basically a 9.5 on the old MCAT (your percentile is smack between a 9 and a 10). A section below a 10 is really not ideal.

Certainly if nothing were below a 10 I wouldn’t retake a 33.

6

Superscoring is mostly used by DO programs.

There are handful of MD programs (<5) that admit they superscore, but the speculation is that those mostly do so to be able to report the higher resulting MCAT scores for rankings.

The most common multiple MCAT policy is to average all sittings.