The MCAT: 5th Time’s a Charm – Tips on Making it Through Many MCAT Rewrites

May 12, 2020
Author:Aarti Sayal

Categories: Med School Admissions, Med School Applications, Medical School, Pre-med Tips

Aarti Sayal is a third year student in the MD Program at the University of Toronto. She completed her Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences and Masters in Global Health at McMaster University. She enjoys baking and binge watching shows on Netflix, while also exploring her interests in Indigenous research and mentoring students.

Trust me. I get how awful the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) can be. You have to study for months in your “free” summer, while also trying to maybe work, and then you finally decide to go through the test. You sit in a test centre for 7 hours, and you come out feeling relieved – until you get that test result and realize you have to write again. Not only does this put a serious dent in your wallet, but the stress can be awful. You feel like all your efforts have gone to waste. You feel like you want to give up on your dream of getting into medical school. You feel like you cannot possibly do this test again. Trust me. I get all these feelings, especially since I went through this 5 times. And, I promise there is light at the end of this long MCAT tunnel.

So, here are some tips that have helped me feel better while going through multiple MCAT writes:

#1. Do not let your timeline of when you want to get into medicine stress you out.

It may feel like you need to get into medicine right away, but if it takes you a bit longer this will not make a worse candidate. In fact, you will come out a stronger one.

#2. Remember the MCAT is one of a the few things you can change in your application.

Even though it absolutely does not feel great to have to write the MCAT multiple times, at least it is the one thing you can try again.

#3. Try to study for each MCAT a little differently.

For me, I found using the same notes and study material made me feel not motivated to write the test again. So I would try to maybe do things a little differently when studying for the test again. This can include borrowing books from friends who use different prep companies, or studying with a group of people instead of alone, or rewriting some of your notes.

#4. Keep telling yourself you will get through this.

I know it may be hard to feel this way sometimes, but by telling yourself you can definitely help yourself get more motivated. If you truly feel you cannot get through this, no amount of studying will give you the energy to beat this test. I promise it can be done!