[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-201617-en":3,"doc-seo-201617-105":29,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":88},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":20,"is_downloadable":20,"audit_status":20,"page_count":20,"language":21,"language_code":22,"site_id":23,"html_lang":22,"table_of_contents":24,"faqs":25,"seo_title":26,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":27,"read_time":28},201617,962084925290,"Caleb Sterling","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45",4,"Exam","Should I Retake the MCAT? - Decision Guide","Guidance for applicants who have received their MCAT scores and are considering a retake. The material walks through whether improvement is realistic, how the current score compares to national and school-specific averages, and how GPA (overall and BCPM) should influence MCAT expectations. It also evaluates the strength of extracurriculars and recommendation letters, and weighs how urgent admission is for the current application year.","Should I Retake the MCAT?  \nAcademic Advising Center University of Florida  \nMany of you have just received your MCAT scores and are wondering whether or not to retake the test. The answer is not just a matter of what you scored on the test – it is a much more complex question. While nobody can tell you whether or not to retake the test, there are several things you should consider. Read through the following questions and think about each one. Then make the decision that seems right FOR YOU.  \n1) Can I do better? Some students feel like they were as prepared as they could have been the first time they took the test, and that even with more studying, they feel like they could not do better. If you know you cannot do better, is it worth retaking? However, other students feel like they had too much going on and did not put enough time and effort into studying. If you feel like you can be much more prepared for the next test, AND you are not satisfied with your current score, then it may be worth the time and effort (and money) you'd spend over the next few weeks or months. You can also look at your practice test scores. Were they 3 or more points higher than your real score? If so, this may indicate that your score may improve if you retake the MCAT.  \n2) How was my score? This is a tough question to answer. The national average MCAT score of applicants admitted for the 2010 application cycle was 29.3P. However, each school has its own average. You should check the average score for each school to which you plan to apply. Keep In mind AVERAGES ARE ONLY GUIDELINES! Just because you scored higher than average DOES NOT mean you will be accepted, and just because you scored below average DOES NOT mean you won't.  \n3) How are my grades? What is your GPA – overall and BCPM (science GPA calculated by AMCAS)? If your GPA is lower than the averages of the schools to which you are applying, then IDEALLY you would want an MCAT score higher than their averages. If your GPA is higher than the averages, then you MAY get away with an MCAT score SLIGHTLY lower than their averages, although a higher MCAT score would of course be better. The average undergraduate GPA of applicants accepted to the 2010 entering class was 3.67, and the average BCPM was 3.61. HOWEVER, the average undergraduate GPA of applicants WHO HAVE ATTENDED UF and were accepted was a  \n3.73, and the average BCPM was a 3.65. This is most likely because Florida schools are very competitive and have high average GPA's.  \nA note about grades: THERE IS NO FORMULA. You cannot ask, \"If I have an X.YZ GPA, what MCAT score would I need to get in?\" Everything in your application should be as strong as possible.  \n4) How is the rest of my application? If you've got a lot of extracurricular activities, and you think your letters of evaluation are really strong, then these factors will add to the quality of your application (but again, a higher MCAT score would help that) . If you think these areas are weak, then you would want other factors (GPA, MCAT) to be as strong as possible.  \n5) How important is it to get in THIS year? This seems like a stupid question. Obviously, if you are applying to medical school right now, you want to get in this time and not have to deal with reapplying next year, taking a year off of school, etc. However, students do have different perspectives on this. Some students are extremely focused on getting into medical school as soon as possible and doing absolutely everything that is humanly possible to make this first application as close to perfect as it can be. On the other hand, some students, while they of course want this application to be the best it can be, are willing to \"risk\" applying \"as-is\" (with a good-but-could-be-better application) and worry about retaking the MCAT later if they have not yet been accepted.","cbCaijskeGS1i86H","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaijskeGS1i86H","pdf",309984,1,"English","en",105,"# Should I Retake the MCAT?\n## Can I do better?\n## How was my score?\n## How are my grades?\n## How is the rest of my application?\n## How important is it to get in THIS year?","[{\"question\":\"When should a student consider retaking the MCAT?\",\"answer\":\"Retaking may be worth the time, effort, and cost if you believe you can study more effectively and improve, especially if your practice test scores were about 3 or more points higher than your real score.\"},{\"question\":\"How should applicants interpret their MCAT score relative to averages?\",\"answer\":\"Applicants should compare their score to national benchmarks and, more importantly, to the average score of each target school. A higher-than-average score does not guarantee admission, and below-average scores do not necessarily mean rejection.\"},{\"question\":\"How do GPA and BCPM affect the decision to retake the MCAT?\",\"answer\":\"If your GPA is lower than the schools’ averages, you ideally want a higher MCAT score; if your GPA is higher, you may be able to accept a slightly lower MCAT score. There is no fixed formula linking a specific GPA to a required MCAT score.\"}]","Should I Retake the MCAT? - Decision Guide | PDF",1788535974,3,{"code":4,"msg":30,"data":31},"ok",{"site_id":23,"language":22,"slug":32,"title":13,"keywords":33,"description":14,"schema_data":34,"social_meta":83,"head_meta":85,"extra_data":87,"updated_unix":27},"should-i-retake-the-mcat-decision-guide","",{"@graph":35,"@context":82},[36,51,65],{"@type":37,"itemListElement":38},"BreadcrumbList",[39,43,47,49],{"item":40,"name":41,"@type":42,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":44,"name":45,"@type":42,"position":46},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":48,"name":12,"@type":42,"position":28},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",{"item":50,"name":13,"@type":42,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/should-i-retake-the-mcat-decision-guide/201617/",{"url":50,"name":13,"@type":52,"author":53,"headline":13,"publisher":55,"fileFormat":58,"inLanguage":22,"description":14,"dateModified":59,"datePublished":59,"encodingFormat":58,"isAccessibleForFree":60,"interactionStatistic":61},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":54},"Person",{"url":40,"name":56,"@type":57},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-04",true,{"@type":62,"interactionType":63,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":64},"ViewAction",{"@type":66,"mainEntity":67},"FAQPage",[68,74,78],{"name":69,"@type":70,"acceptedAnswer":71},"When should a student consider retaking the MCAT?","Question",{"text":72,"@type":73},"Retaking may be worth the time, effort, and cost if you believe you can study more effectively and improve, especially if your practice test scores were about 3 or more points higher than your real score.","Answer",{"name":75,"@type":70,"acceptedAnswer":76},"How should applicants interpret their MCAT score relative to averages?",{"text":77,"@type":73},"Applicants should compare their score to national benchmarks and, more importantly, to the average score of each target school. A higher-than-average score does not guarantee admission, and below-average scores do not necessarily mean rejection.",{"name":79,"@type":70,"acceptedAnswer":80},"How do GPA and BCPM affect the decision to retake the MCAT?",{"text":81,"@type":73},"If your GPA is lower than the schools’ averages, you ideally want a higher MCAT score; if your GPA is higher, you may be able to accept a slightly lower MCAT score. 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