AMCAS GPA Calculator (Revised)

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FeralisExtremum

FeralisExtremum

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Hey everyone,

I'm sure a lot of you have seen the excel sheet file many use for calculating their AMCAS GPA. It's incredibly useful, but unfortunately, the file is locked from editing and the GPA scale couldn't be modified, which left those of us not using the +/- system at a disadvantage. I went ahead and unlocked the file, so the GPA/weight value portion is now freely editable.

Attached, you will find the updated excel file. Be sure to press 'Enable macros' for the file to function properly. All credit goes to Johnny Eguizabal, who created the original file.

NOTE: the sheet is currently defaulted for A= 4.0, B+ = 3.5, C+ = 2.5 These values can be modified at the very bottom of the sheet, and should be done before calculating one's GPA to avoid miscalculation. If you don't know what system your school uses, see pages 3-4 of this document: http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/2009conversionguide.pdf
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  • AMCAS GPA_Calculator Version 4 Final2.xls
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Woah, good stuff, thanks!
 
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What are quality points?
 
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FYI, if the stuff is in a gray column, there's no need to touch it (automatically calculated via formula).

I'm pretty sure quality points are just the end result of your semester hours * your grade in that class. For instance, if I pulled an A in a course that was 4 credits, I earned a 4.0 GPA * 4 credit hours = 16 'quality points'. If I had gotten a B in that same course, 3.0 GPA * 4 credit hours = 12 'quality points'. I think AMCAS (or possibly just GPA calculation in general) uses your "earned" quality points over your "potential" quality points for GPA calculation. In the aforementioned example of a B, I earned 12/16 potential quality points, which = .75. .75 (or 75%) of a potential 4.0 gpa = a 3.0, which explains which a person with all B's would have a 3.0 GPA. Long story short...it lets people calculate GPA's of varying grades.
 
I have a few questions about the spreadsheet:
1.) How come B+ grades are listed at 3.5? Shouldn't it be a 3.3?
2.) Do they really use such rounded numbers when converting quarter to semester? Like shouldn't a 4 unit class be 2.666.. rather than 2.7 and therefore they would wait till the end to multiply it by 2/3?
 
At my school, a B+ is a 3.5, and I left the sheet defaulted towards the A/B+/B/C/C+/D etc system. The problem with the original sheet was that these values for each grade weren't editable, so now you can change the value of each letter grade to the system used at your school.

As for the conversion of quarter to semester, I believe the answer is yes, they do use such rounded numbers as can be seen here on the AMCAS official conversion guide: http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/2009conversionguide.pdf
 
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well med school b+ is 3.3 and c+ is 2.3 so i think this would be more accurate:

medschool.ucsf.edu/postbac/pdf/AMCAS%20GPA_Calculator%20Version%204%20Final.xls
 
premedsoccergod said:
well med school b+ is 3.3 and c+ is 2.3 so i think this would be more accurate:

medschool.ucsf.edu/postbac/pdf/AMCAS%20GPA_Calculator%20Version%204%20Final.xls
Click to expand...

No, when your AMCAS GPA is calculated, it is done by consideration of your school's system. If you look at the link I posted above on pages 3-4 (http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/2009conversionguide.pdf), you can see that a school with a +/- system uses a completely different value for "+" grades than schools with "half-step" grading (such as mine). Consider what your school does and apply accordingly in the calculator.
 
lol ok,
using the rounded units raises my gpa by .01 yayyy!
 
1 question, if you get an F or D in a class and you retake the course, you put both of the grades on the application right? and it averages, it doesn't replace it right?
 
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To what decimal point does AMCAS report one's GPA? Is it 2 or 3 dp? Would a 3.695 be reported as such or would it be 3.7?
 
I have a question regarding Number of Unit Hours on Transcript:

I have the following format of transcript:

transcriptb.jpg



What numbers should I use for Number of Unit Hours in excel worksheet?
Thanks in advance!
 
This is good stuff. My school though reports +/- etc on transcript, but it gives same quailty point for them. So B+, B, B- each get 3.0, so how does it fit in here ,as I see they should be like 3.3,3.0, 2.7 etc by spreadsheet?
 
If anyone else is having a problem with certain grades producing an error in Google Docs, I found a solution.

You need to add a FALSE to the end of the VLOOKUP parameters in the "AMCAS Weight" column.

For example, cell C129 needs to go from:
=IF(B129="",0.0,VLOOKUP(B129,$A$346:$B$361,2.0))

to:
=IF(B129="",0.0,VLOOKUP(B129,$A$346:$B$361,2.0,FALSE))

You can then paste this cell into all of the others in the "AMCAS Weight" column.
 
Hale said:
This is good stuff. My school though reports +/- etc on transcript, but it gives same quailty point for them. So B+, B, B- each get 3.0, so how does it fit in here ,as I see they should be like 3.3,3.0, 2.7 etc by spreadsheet?
Click to expand...

There seem to be some issues with people's understandings of how GPAs are calculated according to AMCAS, so here are the basic rules (they're actually pretty simple):


  • NO grade replacements (input all courses, including repeats, as separate course entries)
  • 1 quarter hr = 0.67 semester hrs
  • Your GPA pts are calculated as follows:
    • If your school does not list +/- grades, use 4.0/3.0/2.0/1.0/0.0
    • If your school lists only +/null grades (i.e., A/B+/B/C+/etc.), use the half-step scale: 4.0/3.5/3.0/etc.
    • If your school lists +/- grades (regardless of how they are used in the school's own calculations), use 4.0/3.7/3.3/3.0/etc.
  • BCPM courses are defined by content not department (at least 50% of the course content must be BCPM -- so "Bioethics" in the Bio Dept is probably not BCPM, whereas Physiological Psychology probably is BCPM)
    • Caveat: if you list something as BCPM or not BCPM, you will probably get the benefit of the doubt (unless it's obviously incorrect) -- esp. if it's offered by a BCPM dept (and you list it as BCPM)
 
How do I use the Excel sheet if I received a bunch of transfer credits (26 in total) from an international institution?

I graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering from Michigan. I was awarded 26 transfer credits when I enrolled at Michigan and these credits almost completely account for my Freshman year. No grade is reported next to them on my transcript other than a letter initial indicating that it is a transfer credit. As a result I finished my BS in 3 years.

1. Do I just start completing the excel sheet from the Sophomore year onward?

2. Does the AMCAS require any transcript from the international institution?

Thanks,
~cluster

P.S. On a different note. I am contemplating switching careers from engineering to medicine. I plan on starting the HCP program at Harvard Ext. this Fall 2011. If there are any career changers, please get in touch. If you will be enrolling in the HCP program this Fall, even better.
 
Hey everyone, thanks a bunch for the gpa calculating help! I was wondering what I should do if I did my undergraduate degree at a UC on the quarter system and then my post-bac will be at a cal state on the semester system. Should I use the given values for grades if the two schools have two different values? Thanks for your help!
 
I don't get it. How when I put in junior grades after putting in freshman and sophomore grades, even if I put in all A's for junior year, it doesn't show my junior gpa to be a 4.0? I can't enable Macros :/ Is that why it's weird or is it suppose to be like that because of the quality points or whatever?
 
premedsoccergod said:
1 question, if you get an F or D in a class and you retake the course, you put both of the grades on the application right? and it averages, it doesn't replace it right?
Click to expand...

FeralisExtremum said:
Correct, there is no replacing with AMCAS. Just input both grades as if they were from separate classes.
Click to expand...


Actually, just for reference because I know these posts are older, that depends on your school. We use the forgiveness policy. Which basically means I can retake a course and use my new shiny A to replace my old F. No average. The old grade still shows up on your transcripts, but it is not calculated for your GPA. We can use this policy up to three times. If we just retake the course and don't apply for forgiveness, then yes, it will just average out.

It also works with amnesty, which means your old grades are wiped and not counted towards your GPA. However they too show up on your transcript. Amnesty is not something you can do unless you have been out of school for a long time. Again, depends on your school.
 
aviendhae said:
Actually, just for reference because I know these posts are older, that depends on your school. We use the forgiveness policy. Which basically means I can retake a course and use my new shiny A to replace my old F. No average. The old grade still shows up on your transcripts, but it is not calculated for your GPA. We can use this policy up to three times. If we just retake the course and don't apply for forgiveness, then yes, it will just average out.

It also works with amnesty, which means your old grades are wiped and not counted towards your GPA. However they too show up on your transcript. Amnesty is not something you can do unless you have been out of school for a long time. Again, depends on your school.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but this is incorrect. AMCAS doesn't care what your school policy is, it averages both the retake and the original course regardless.

From p. 36 of AMCAS Instruction Manual
Section Four: Course Work
Use the Course Work section of the application to enter all of the courses you took at each
school.
This includes, but is not limited to:
Courses from which you withdrew.
Courses for which you received a grade of "Incomplete" and for which no final grade has
been assigned.
All attempts at courses that have been repeated, which includes any courses removed
from your transcript or GPA as a result of academic bankruptcy or institutional
forgiveness policies.
Courses that you failed, regardless of whether they have been repeated.
Courses in which you are currently enrolled or expect to enroll in prior to entering medical
school.
Remedial/developmental courses.
College-level courses you took while in high school even if they were not counted toward
a degree by any college.
Courses taken at an American college overseas.
Courses removed from your transcripts or GPA as a result of academic bankruptcy,
forgiveness, or similar institutional policies.
Click to expand...
 
aSagacious said:
Sorry, but this is incorrect. AMCAS doesn't care what your school policy is, it averages both the retake and the original course regardless.

From p. 36 of AMCAS Instruction Manual
Click to expand...

So basically I should give up on applying to med school? If they take it all into account, then I'm looking at a <1.0 gpa.
 
I'm still a bit confused. What's the difference between "Running overall gpa" and "Running all other gpa" Which one do medical schools look at..?
 
desi0chick said:
I'm still a bit confused. What's the difference between "Running overall gpa" and "Running all other gpa" Which one do medical schools look at..?
Click to expand...

Both. You have:
- a BCPM GPA (for your math and science courses)
- a cumulative GPA (for everything taken since high school, including college courses taken during high school)
- an 'all-others' GPA, which is simply the average of the courses not included in the BCPM calculation

...they are all listed side by side on your application.
 
Does anybody know how to get the visual basic macros (used for calculating BCPM GPA separately) to work in Office for Mac 2008? I know visual basic macros are unsupported, but I couldn't get them to carry over into Google Docs either and I don't have an older/newer version of Office for Mac. :(
 
gettheleadout said:
Does anybody know how to get the visual basic macros (used for calculating BCPM GPA separately) to work in Office for Mac 2008? I know visual basic macros are unsupported, but I couldn't get them to carry over into Google Docs either and I don't have an older/newer version of Office for Mac. :(
Click to expand...

The macros toggle the value of the cell between TRUE and FALSE. So you can manually enter in "TRUE" in the formula bar for the cell with the checkbox that you want to check as BCPM. It gives the same result. You might want to change the formatting of the "Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Math Class (BCPM) (Check Box if Yes)" column to be able to see the text.
 
paul411 said:
The macros toggle the value of the cell between TRUE and FALSE. So you can manually enter in "TRUE" in the formula bar for the cell with the checkbox that you want to check as BCPM. It gives the same result. You might want to change the formatting of the "Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Math Class (BCPM) (Check Box if Yes)" column to be able to see the text.
Click to expand...
While that's a great workaround, I ended up downloading OpenOffice and checking the boxes in there, and after saving the file and reopening it in Excel the check boxes seem to be working without a hitch. :shrug: I hate Microsoft.

But thanks Paul, still loving (and slightly modifying ;)) your MDApps code by the way. :)
 
cluster said:
How do I use the Excel sheet if I received a bunch of transfer credits (26 in total) from an international institution?

I graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering from Michigan. I was awarded 26 transfer credits when I enrolled at Michigan and these credits almost completely account for my Freshman year. No grade is reported next to them on my transcript other than a letter initial indicating that it is a transfer credit. As a result I finished my BS in 3 years.

1. Do I just start completing the excel sheet from the Sophomore year onward?

2. Does the AMCAS require any transcript from the international institution?

Thanks,
~cluster

P.S. On a different note. I am contemplating switching careers from engineering to medicine. I plan on starting the HCP program at Harvard Ext. this Fall 2011. If there are any career changers, please get in touch. If you will be enrolling in the HCP program this Fall, even better.
Click to expand...




I have a similar question!!! If i took science classes at 2 different universities, are those grades both incorporated into the same BCPM gpa?
 
I did one year at a local college that used a strange grading scale, A/B+/B/B-/etc. I think. Basically there was no A-. They changed this grading scale and I can't find any old course catalogs. I don't mean to brag like a douchebag, but I never made anything other than an A or a B+. So for me, the system most closely matches "ABCD/F with Halfstep Grades" on this page https://www.aamc.org/students/download/181676/data/amcas_grade_conversion_guide.pdf

My GPA is dead on when I compare the GPA the college gave me and the GPA following that scale would give me. Could I get AMCAS to verify my GPA with that system, even though it isn't truly accurate?
 
What if I took a class pass/fail? meaning i got 0 quality points, but i passed.

also, would you consider "thermodynamics of biomolecular systems" a bcpm? I am in the biomedical engineering department and all most all my classes deal with biological applications, so does that make them bcpm?

also, do AP transfer credits count??

thanks!
 
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circulus vitios said:
I did one year at a local college that used a strange grading scale, A/B+/B/B-/etc. I think. Basically there was no A-. They changed this grading scale and I can't find any old course catalogs. I don't mean to brag like a douchebag, but I never made anything other than an A or a B+. So for me, the system most closely matches "ABCD/F with Halfstep Grades" on this page https://www.aamc.org/students/download/181676/data/amcas_grade_conversion_guide.pdf

My GPA is dead on when I compare the GPA the college gave me and the GPA following that scale would give me. Could I get AMCAS to verify my GPA with that system, even though it isn't truly accurate?
Click to expand...

I would not recommend that. If you order an official transcript form the school and send it to yourself there will be an interpretation section or something similar printed on the back of each page of the transcript. It will tell you what kind of system the school uses. I would use whatever it says as that is what AMCAS and the school you matriculate into will see.
 
jsabb12 said:
What if I took a class pass/fail? meaning i got 0 quality points, but i passed.

also, would you consider "thermodynamics of biomolecular systems" a bcpm? I am in the biomedical engineering department and all most all my classes deal with biological applications, so does that make them bcpm?

also, do AP transfer credits count??

thanks!
Click to expand...

1) It just means its not worth any GPA points
2) You can list it as BCMP if you like and AMCAS will confirm or deny it. You can then submit some kind of petition if you really want it to BCMP and they will decide after that again.
3) Not sure on AP, but I think if the institution granting your degree accepts them as official credits and they are listed on your official transcript they count in AMCAS, but some specify school may not accept them as pre-reqs.
 
Sorry I am still confused.... So if grade appears on my transcript is in a 4.0 scale (I.e. 3.9, 3.8, 3.7 etc) Do I count 3.8 as A or A-?:oops:
 
My school gives 4.0 for A, A+ and A- and 3.0 for B, B+ and B-. They distinguish between letter grades but not so between number grades. What would AMCAS consider i.e. A- as 3.7 or the 4.0 which the school has given.
 
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Are summer courses worth fewer semester hours? AMCAS listed my two summer courses as only 3 hrs each, as opposed to the 4 hrs they assign to normal courses. If the institution (Upenn) at which I took my summer courses says their courses are worth the same number of credit units as a normal course, why is AMCAS counting them as only 3 hrs?
 
Does Business Statistics (BUS-101), Statistics for Economists (ECON-101), count as a your BCPM? These two courses are quite similar to Statistics under (MATH-101).
 
astronomical said:
Does Business Statistics (BUS-101), Statistics for Economists (ECON-101), count as a your BCPM? These two courses are quite similar to Statistics under (MATH-101).
Click to expand...

Amcas usually verifies by department number. Regardless of if your class is statistics for monkeys or statistics for engineers, if its listed under "MATH" or "MA" or any other variant it will count as BCPM, otherwise its unlikely.
 
Does the BPCM gpa count cross listed courses as well? For instance I took two courses in advanced symbolic logic under the philosophy department but they are cross listed as MAT 275 and MAT 375 as well
 
Political said:
Does the BPCM gpa count cross listed courses as well? For instance I took two courses in advanced symbolic logic under the philosophy department but they are cross listed as MAT 275 and MAT 375 as well
Click to expand...

Yes if you can prove to them it was the same class
 
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