Do medical schools weight MCAT sections differently?

[Lawpy]

After a certain point the scores are statistically identical (as I'm sure you realize...) and do not distinguish between candidiates.

around the 98th percentile and above.

True for most schools. Idk for the statwhores tbh, since their medians are above the 98th percentile and they are deeply aroused by those 40+/523+ scores. This is really just splitting hairs but I guess that's their prerogative!

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[kstorm]

I can say that high verbal students have been my most rewarding.

Why? In what sense?

 

[Hospitalized]

Why? In what sense?

Subconscious bias

 

[andelJ94]

It is always interesting to read this comment. The only people who I have ever heard say CARS (or Verbal) was the most important section were salespeople for prep companies. I have been to a few AAMC conferences in my life and have never once heard any official AAMC representative say this. I have been to plenty of medical conferences and the times a dean spoke about the MCAT, if they said anything at all, they said the most important score for admissions purposes was B.S. If you look at the admissions numbers from AAMC you will see that for year after

Says the shill for a test prep company.

I said I've heard medical schools consider CARS important due to its ability to weed out people who are good at memorizing from people who are good at critical thinking. Not that there is no critical thinking on any other section. Nor did I ever say the AAMC thinks 1 section is more important than any other. Frankly I don't care what the AAMC thinks is important, they exist to make $ off of the exam and other services. I care what ADCOMs think about my scores.

To think that medical schools will just do what the AAMC wants and go with the "500 and up is fine" for admissions is laughable. I cannot wait till the AAMC releases admissions data from the new MCAT. We'll see how "holistic" the medical school admissions are with regards to MCAT percentiles and admissions.

You're illogical arguments seem to fly in the face of all MCAT data from the AAMC yet you speak as if you are an authority. I wager that realistically, the "most important" section for a given school varies. I understand you want to sell more stuff so it's all important to you.

ALL else being the same I'd rather be a doctor who can think that a doctor who just memorizes. Can you really argue there is not a significant level of memorization one can fall back on in the science sections compared to CARS? I am going through the AAMC Sections for my 2017 test and some of the Qs literally just require recall, often not even from the passage at all.

We're not going to agree, and you cannot say you are unbiased as a test prep rep, so I am going to bid you adieu. Enjoy writing your missives, and I do (sincerely) thank you for contributing to the SDN community.

 

[gyngyn]

Why? In what sense?

I do a retrospective analysis of the students that have contributed the most to the medical school community and the community at large. Excluding ESL students, the ones that have been everyone's favorites (class president, class clown, graduation speaker...) have been verbals (though often introverts, paradoxically)...

 

[libertyyne]

I do a retrospective analysis of the students that have contributed the most to the medical school community and the community at large. Excluding ESL students, the ones that have been everyone's favorites (class president, class clown, graduation speaker...) have been verbals (though often introverts, paradoxically)...

That is fascinating. What variables do you collect? Why exclude us esl folk?

 

[gyngyn]

That is fascinating. What variables do you collect? Why exclude us esl folk?

ESL can shine even with a modest verbal score.

 

[wizzed101]

Be honest. How many hours do you spend doing something that helps improving the verbal scores vs how many hours devoted for each of other sections?

It's like saying children are far better at learning a new language than adults despite the former can spend every moment of their waking time learning something while the latter cannot be arsed to spend 1 hour/day on a new language.

 

[787593]

Be honest. How many hours do you spend doing something that helps improving the verbal scores vs how many hours devoted for each of other sections?

It's like saying children are far better at learning a new language than adults despite the former can spend every moment of their waking time learning something while the latter cannot be arsed to spend 1 hour/day on a new language.

The only verbal I practiced was my practice exams. Consequently, verbal/cars was my lowest section.

 

[Avicenna]

though often introverts, paradoxically

are you saying introverts have high verbal scores? Or class clowns/presidents/speakers have high verbal scores?

 

[wizzed101]

Or clowns/presidents/speakers are introverts?

 

[andelJ94]

Assuming you are taking the MCAT in 2017 for the first time, try to "memorize everything" for the science sections. Then try and come back asking why you got sub-125's on those sections...other 49-51 made you feel like you were an idiot with how in depth and over your head they were. The only way to attack those questions is to reason your way through the passages, applying your 1000's of hours worth of science prereq knowledge, and critically analyze how you can apply it to a much more difficult, advanced topic. @BerkReviewTeach is 100% correct and I expect you will realize where he is coming from after your first practice FL experience

Are you deliberately trying to misunderstand me, or do you just feel like condescending to me because I am female? This is the very same faulty reasoning that underscores why so many can do well at the sciences but perform so poorly in CARS or thinking exercises. I have taken 3 practice MCAT exams already, as well as dozens of practice passage, both AAMC and other, since I started prepping.

No where did I say you can, or even should memorize every science fact relevant to the exam. Nor do I expect to memorize everything that comes up in medical school. What I said, if you bothered to read critically, is that in the sciences you CAN fall back on memorization to answer a signifcant portion (I recently took the AAMC Sample Test, about 20% of ALL science Qs were straight recall based). Going through the AAMC section bank its about the same, with 1 in 5 Qs just based on pure recall. You literally made my point in the bolded statement above. You are applying prerequisite knowledge to practically every science Q directly or not. Can you not see the connection?

However, in CARS there is no outside knowledge, no "bias" (I believe you incorrectly used that word but whatever) that can help you. It's all about what you can glean and reason from the text itself. These can be incredibly vague and abstract. Science is just like patients you will interview, you will "know **** about" them but you can match up what they are telling you to the medical knowledge you have learned in school.

By definition the MCAT CANNOT ask you about material NOT in their content outline. I am sorry you felt so out of your depth that < 1/5 of the exam felt manageable by you. I hope you did well enough anyway to get where you want to go.

 

[wizzed101]

Are you deliberately trying to misunderstand me, or do you just feel like condescending to me because I am female?

You go girl, down with the patriarchy!

 

[freak7]

First off, I am a female and never brought gender/sex into this discussion. There is absolutely no basis for your condescending and feministic tone. Second off, I never once mentioned anything about my scores either. But since you brought it up so nicely, I'll gladly let you know that you better beat ~90 people out of 100 if you want to match my score

Do you just post on SDN as a male ironically then?

 

[chrisjh]

But can't I identify as whatever I want?

Lol youre a D1 baseball player as a female? Doubtful.....
I mean, unless you're name is Sarah Hudek......
In which case, you would most likely be applying to mostly just Tx schools, which judging by your posts, is not the case.

 

[freak7]

But can't I identify as whatever I want?

I mean sure, you do you. I was just legitimately curious.

 

[andelJ94]

@Patriotic MD To Be

Trolling about his/her gender, avoiding anything in my argument instead chooses to brag about their (alleged) score. You may identify as a female (in this thread only for some reason) but you come across like a condescending guy attempting to save face. Either way I am done. Go bother someone else.

/thread

 

[freak7]

@Patriotic MD To Be

Trolling about his/her gender, avoiding anything in my argument instead chooses to brag about their (alleged) score. You may identify as a female (in this thread only for some reason) but you come across like a condescending guy attempting to save face. Either way I am done. Go bother someone else.

/thread

Really putting that bronze membership to good use by deleting his posts too!