{"id":479,"date":"2016-08-16T16:26:28","date_gmt":"2016-08-16T23:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/?p=479"},"modified":"2016-08-14T16:26:43","modified_gmt":"2016-08-14T23:26:43","slug":"explain-low-mcat-scores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/explain-low-mcat-scores\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Explain Low MCAT Scores"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve probably had people tell you \u201cThe MCAT isn\u2019t everything,\u201d when it comes to medical school admissions. But I think we can all agree that even though it\u2019s not everything, it\u2019s definitely important. In fact, your MCAT score is one of the most important criteria<\/a> that medical schools look at when deciding an applicant\u2019s fate. With so much of your future dependent on this one test score, it can be devastating when you receive your MCAT score report<\/a> and find that your score isn\u2019t competitive. <\/p>\n

As disappointed as they are, many students don\u2019t let low MCAT scores single-handedly determine their futures, though. Instead, they choose to explain their low MCAT scores to admissions committees. Fortunately, when it comes to medical school admissions, one size does not fit all. Ideally, all grades and test scores<\/a> would accurately reflect your intellectual ability, but realistically, most students have something on their application that they wish they could beef up. So, if your MCAT score is less than stellar, taking charge of your narrative and explaining your scores could help admissions committees see beyond your blemish.<\/p>\n

What To Say To Explain Low MCAT Scores<\/h2>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

The most important thing to know about explaining your MCAT score is that most schools don\u2019t appreciate when applicants make excuses. For example, instead of saying, \u201cI could have gotten a good score if my orgo teacher was better,\u201d you could say, \u201cMy MCAT score doesn\u2019t accurately reflect my ability and passion for medicine in the same way that my clinical experiences do.\u201d The first example places blame on someone other than the applicant for a low score, while the second example demonstrates that the applicant knows their score doesn\u2019t reflect his or her ability, but their clinical experience does. <\/p>\n

What\u2019s the moral of the story? Make a nod, and move on. You aren\u2019t required to belabor the point. Admissions committees already know you got a low score, but they are more concerned with identifying the best candidates for medical school. If you can show them that you are a great candidate, despite your MCAT score, then you have a better shot at scoring an interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to remember that while standardized tests are important, they only reveal a snap shot of our abilities at one moment in time. And, if we\u2019re honest, most applicants would choose a different moment in time to shine the spotlight on. Explaining a low MCAT score will be an ongoing mission throughout the admissions process, but it all starts with using your voice on your primary application to show schools why your low score doesn\u2019t<\/em> matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Explaining a low MCAT score will be an ongoing mission throughout the admissions process, but luckily you have control over the narrative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[2336],"class_list":["post-479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mcat-scores"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Explain Low MCAT Scores - Magoosh MCAT Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explaining a low MCAT score will be an ongoing mission throughout the admissions process, but luckily you have control over the narrative.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/explain-low-mcat-scores\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How To Explain Low MCAT Scores\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Explaining a low MCAT score will be an ongoing mission throughout the admissions process, but luckily you have control over the narrative.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/explain-low-mcat-scores\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Magoosh MCAT Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-08-16T23:26:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-08-14T23:26:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/m.popkey.co\/b26320\/VebKa_f-maxage-0.gif?c=popkey-web&p=usa_network&i=suits-ent&l=direct&f=.gif\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"April\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"April\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/explain-low-mcat-scores\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/explain-low-mcat-scores\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"April\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/#\/schema\/person\/e066f3dde06fb32577bc3fa784896681\"},\"headline\":\"How To Explain Low MCAT Scores\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-08-16T23:26:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/explain-low-mcat-scores\/\"},\"wordCount\":454,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"MCAT Scores\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/explain-low-mcat-scores\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/explain-low-mcat-scores\/\",\"name\":\"How To Explain Low MCAT Scores - 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