<p>what are some disadvantages of taking mcat the 2nd time?</p>
<p>I am studying for mcat as a first-time taker. What are some motivators to make myself trying my hardest for the first time? I really want to forget the idea that I can always take it again next year.</p>
<p>please help me! thanks!</p>
<p>The most obvious reason is that the MCAT isn't exactly pleasant to take. Or to prepare to take. Most people devote hours and hours to studying for the MCAT, and no one wants to do all that studying again. Cost is also certainly a concern for some people. But I think that the biggest reason is that the general opinion is that for a score to improve, you've got to do some serious studying. In other words, if you take two MCATs in a row, your score isn't all that likely to change given the number of students taking the test each time and the fact that they curve all scores so that, theoretically, they're standardized. And so committing to taking the MCAT a second time really means committing to figuring out what your problems were on the first test and devoting yourself to fixing those problems and taking the test again probably at least two months later. That's my feeling at least.</p>
<p>First, your first score always counts. They do not even pretend (as colleges do) to only use your higher score. So it's not like you can do poorly and just retake; your first score matters even if you retake.</p>
<p>Second, medicine is not college, and therefore medical school admissions is not like college admissions. You don't get second chances when you're cutting a guy open to transplant his chest, so medical school looks down on needing second chances. Not that they're totally unforgiving, of course, but they're harsher than undergraduate admissions offices. I suspect that most schools take your FIRST score, not your HIGHER score, as being more accurate.</p>
<p>Third, medical school admissions is very timing sensitive, and screwing up your timing by taking a second exam can screw up the entire admissions process.</p>
<p>Fourth, the test is expensive, long, and inconvenient and frustrating.</p>
<p>The idea that medical schools are thinking that " one doesn't get second chances when you're cutting a guy open to transplant his chest...." as a reason for looking down on several MCATs retakes is extremely far fetched and ridiculous. </p>
<p>In fact, the medical school admission's process is not much different than the undergrad admission process to the Ivy League and the other top schools in the country. There is no need to glorify it any further. Let's get real , people.</p>
<p>100 admits per 10 000 applicants, to throw some numbers. It is that simple.</p>
<p>Wow, I phrased that really poorly. (Among other objections, what exactly is a chest transplant?)</p>
<p>Let me try again.</p>
<p>"Medical schools value careful preparation more than undergraduate admissions will. After all, a lot of tasks in medicine never get more than one shot -- surgery, some prescriptions, etc. Being meticulously error-free and prepared on the first try is a valued trait. Needing a second shot at the MCAT won't kill you, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that medical schools care a lot more than undergraduate admissions will."</p>
<p>wow. thanks so much!! it really helps! :)</p>
<p>I assume you're studying for the MCAT now. Would you honestly want to ever go through that shhh again?</p>