can a person with a low iq/intelligence make it through medical school?

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General knowledge

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Im wondering if a person with a low iq or intelligence can make through medical school and become a doctor.

In my opinion i think medical school and premed are about determination and maturity more so than intelligence.

What do you all think?
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It takes both.
 
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What do you mean by "low" IQ? 1 SD below average (100)? That would be an IQ of ~85, the minimum IQ for the Army.

Average accomplishment for people with IQ 80-85 is between 0-7 years of education; elementary school drop outs. IQs between 90 and ~105 belong to people with average accomplishment ranging from a few years of HS to skilled labor to a few years of college or even a BS/BA. The average IQ of MDs/DOs/JDs is around 125.

You need to be an intelligent individual to graduate college and do well on the MCAT even before you can manage medical school.
 
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Out of people who aren't naturally bright, I believe there is a subset of people who will never quite "get" science material no matter how determined/mature they are, and another one who it takes longer to get but through determination are able to comprehend it. Differentiating between these two groups isn't clear-cut or simple though. So I'd say: it depends.

Also, I don't believe IQ is the end-all-be-all of measuring intelligence, either.
 
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I remember from when I was in undergrad the reams of pre-meds who couldn't even make a B in Orgo or Physics think that sheer determination would get them into medical school

Those people are NOT doctors today.

One has to be smart to go to medical school. This does not mean being good at memorization only, one has to be able to apply and reason.

My students are as sharp as scalpels.

General knowledge said:
Im wondering if a person with a low iq or intelligence can make through medical school and become a doctor.

In my opinion i think medical school and premed are about determination and maturity more so than intelligence.

What do you all think?
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Goro said:
I remember from when I was in undergrad the reams of pre-meds who couldn't even make a B in Orgo or Physics think that sheer determination would get them into medical school

Those people are NOT doctors today.

One has to be smart to go to medical school. This does not mean being good at memorization only, one has to be able to apply and reason.

My students are as sharp as scalpels.
Click to expand...

I like how you base intelligence on a couple grades that a person received in undergrad.

S
 
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Are you having a hard day today?

Good choice making and time mgt skills are also a necessity for a good med school applicant.

Do keep in mind that IQ has nothing to do with how smart one is. But I seriously doubt that someone in the 70-80 range would be able to handle a 3rd order test question.


General knowledge said:
I like how you base intelligence on a couple grades that a person received in undergrad.

S
Click to expand...
 
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J Senpai said:
What do you mean by "low" IQ? 1 SD below average (100)? That would be an IQ of ~85, the minimum IQ for the Army.

Average accomplishment for people with IQ 80-85 is between 0-7 years of education; elementary school drop outs. IQs between 90 and ~105 belong to people with average accomplishment ranging from a few years of HS to skilled labor to a few years of college or even a BS/BA. The average IQ of MDs/DOs/JDs is around 125.

You need to be an intelligent individual to graduate college and do well on the MCAT even before you can manage medical school.
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I just took a "reputable" online IQ test, and I got a 128. So I guess I am good to go huh?

On a more serious note, I am not a believer in IQ at all.
 
Goro said:
Are you having a hard day today?

Good choice making and time mgt skills are also a necessity for a good med school applicant.

Do keep in mind that IQ has nothing to do with how smart one is. But I seriously doubt that someone in the 70-80 range would be able to handle a 3rd order test question.
Click to expand...

You made a bad choice when you chose the word "choice" instead of ,decision.

The part about iq having nothing to do with how smart a person is, is your opinion. Hasn't been proven or disproved s.
 
ProudMD said:
I just took a "reputable" online IQ test, and I got a 128. So I guess I am good to go huh?

On a more serious note, I am not a believer in IQ at all.
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Eh, it's reliable in some cases and not so in others. Intelligence is obviously a tough thing to quantify.
 
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General knowledge said:
You made a bad choice when you chose the word "choice" instead of ,decision.

The part about iq having nothing to do with how smart a person is, is your opinion. Hasn't been proven or disproved s.
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That's because science doesn't work that way.
 
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People make choices every day. Some good, some bad. And as for IQ, go look up Binet original papers on the subject, since you don't want to study for those math classes in which you're struggling.

And yes, doctors do need math in their practice. Understanding renal and respiratory physiology and pathophysiology, for starters.

Edit: wow! didn't take long for that fool to get banned!

General knowledge said:
You made a bad choice when you chose the word "choice" instead of ,decision.

The part about iq having nothing to do with how smart a person is, is your opinion. Hasn't been proven or disproved s.
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Well that particular odd newbie was disappointingly lack luster...
 
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According to a test I just took, I have an IQ of 131. I hardly doubt it's accurate.
 
There are some intelligent people out there who don't make any use of their brains.
 
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I got a 134.

That's actually pretty consistent with the official test.
 
Why do I have the lowest score of the bunch?
 
lol 141. Now if only they'd take this online quiz as a substitute for my mcat. :D
 
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1. People in established professions don't use IQ tests because the methodology is flawed. That's the whole point of MCAT (warts and all) -- the other existing "aptitude" and "intelligence" tests out there weren't as useful to evaluate someone for med school.
2. You have to be "bright" and "quick minded" to succeed in med school. Not necessarily a genius, but someone regarded as "sharp". You can probably pass a test or two with sheer determination and brute force but to sustain it through all of med school and training as the pace quickens is going to be unrealistic if you need to spend extra time on everything or just don't "get" things easily. Drinking out of a firehouse is an apt analogy. And when the attending calls you at 3am on call and asks you treatment questions it's pretty hard to fake a knowledge base.
3. I've known some truly dumb people that have done well for themselves in law and other professional fields. I really don't see that playing out quite the same way in medicine.
 
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ProudMD said:
Why do I have the lowest score of the bunch?
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Do you like puzzles?
I spent a lot if my childhood playing games/doing puzzles exactly like what's in that test, so it seems super easy to me.
If that wasn't your thing though, the the methodology of the puzzles may not be as apparent, which would make you take longer to solve them, and since the scoring for these things is mostly based on timing, the slowest person gets the lowest score.
 
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Goro said:
Banhammer came down pretty quickly on OP...guess he got demoted down to "Private Knowledge"!
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Oh god really Goro? Now I know you're a dad ;)
 
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Goro said:
People make choices every day. Some good, some bad. And as for IQ, go look up Binet original papers on the subject, since you don't want to study for those math classes in which you're struggling.

And yes, doctors do need math in their practice. Understanding renal and respiratory physiology and pathophysiology, for starters.

Edit: wow! didn't take long for that fool to get banned!
Click to expand...

HAHAHAHA one of the best responses I have ever seen. This is why Goro is infamous!
 
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Goro said:
I remember from when I was in undergrad the reams of pre-meds who couldn't even make a B in Orgo or Physics think that sheer determination would get them into medical school

Those people are NOT doctors today.

One has to be smart to go to medical school. This does not mean being good at memorization only, one has to be able to apply and reason.

My students are as sharp as scalpels.
Click to expand...

truth
 
Haha I got a 155. That IQ test = pattern recognition test
 
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General knowledge said:
Im wondering if a person with a low iq or intelligence can make through medical school and become a doctor.

In my opinion i think medical school and premed are about determination and maturity more so than intelligence.

What do you all think?
Click to expand...
It takes both, can anyone do it? no, that is where the intelligence comes in. It also take those individuals being determined to succeed in college and medicine.

Why do you think they would make you take calculus? I feel like its an intelligence test, I mean you will never use integrals in medicine. lol
 
No. If your IQ is less than 110, you probably should not consider medical school. High IQ, good mcat scores, high grades, high drive, the ability to put off gratification are also required. And for most, the ability to tolerate 100k or more in student debt. A love of Ramen noodles and mac and cheese probably also helps.
 
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shrinkwrapped53 said:
No. If your IQ is less than 110, you probably should not consider medical school. High IQ, good mcat scores, high grades, high drive, the ability to put off gratification are also required. And for most, the ability to tolerate 100k or more in student debt. A love of Ramen noodles and mac and cheese probably also helps.
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but according to 2 IQ tests from google, my range is between 79-87
 
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