How much money would you pay for a 42 MCAT?

BU Medical Sciences
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
G

geretts

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2013
Messages
50
Reaction score
10
If you had to pay back the money from your future physician salary, how much would you drop for a 42?
Members don't see this ad.
 
geretts said:
If you had to pay back the money from your future physician salary, how much would you drop for a 42?
Click to expand...

Why not 45. Might as well go all the way!

But honestly anything above a 35 is good enough for most schools

I guess maybe around $5K, the cost of my Kaplan prep course :cool:
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Probably 500-1000 a point.
 
None. You don't need a 42 to get into med school, and once you have an acceptance, no one cares about your MCAT score. Your residency, your salary, your future doesn't depend on that number.
 
$0

Just do it the old-fashioned way and get a score good enough to get in. By the time you're done with med school you won't remember your MCAT score.
 
I'd rather pay for a 32. Diminishing returns and all that.
 
Get a 36 and no school will turn you away for having a "not good enough" MCAT. 42 is completely unnecessary. Each point adds less and less benefit above a 36.
 
$0.

Old fashioned studying for the win. :)
 
Members don't see this ad :)
strong logic itt

I'd pay a pretty penny OP, take my 42 and go to med school for free after having spent all that extra non-MCAT-studying time keeping a 4.0, doing extra EC's etc.
 
darkjedi said:
Get a 36 and no school will turn you away for having a "not good enough" MCAT. 42 is completely unnecessary. Each point adds less and less benefit above a 36.
Click to expand...

Yes, but how can I slap my epeen against everyone's face? That's why I'll report getting a 280 on Step 1 in the forums regardless of my actual score.
 
Eaglefan said:
strong logic itt

I'd pay a pretty penny OP, take my 42 and go to med school for free after having spent all that extra non-MCAT-studying time keeping a 4.0, doing extra EC's etc.
Click to expand...

Solid. :thumbup:
 
A hell of a lot less than I'd pay for a ridiculous step 1 score.
 
Less than the cost of retaking the MCAT because it was clearly within reach but wasn't worth the retake.
 
geretts said:
If you had to pay back the money from your future physician salary, how much would you drop for a 42?
Click to expand...

None. Beyond a 36, the score doesn't mean anything (i.e. it's based on luck from that point on).
 
Agent B said:
None. Beyond a 36, the score doesn't mean anything (i.e. it's based on luck from that point on).
Click to expand...

Eh, I wouldn't go that far. I wouldn't pay for the score either, but I suppose most of us say that because we don't have to. If we struggled to break 30 I'm sure many of us would be singing a different tune.
 
Narmerguy said:
Eh, I wouldn't go that far. I wouldn't pay for the score either, but I suppose most of us say that because we don't have to. If we struggled to break 30 I'm sure many of us would be singing a different tune.
Click to expand...

Agreed we can (and should) strive for the highest score possible, but by doing all the rigorous prep work, a 35/36 is essentially the "maximum limit" from studying and scores above that are attributed to favorable scaling.
 
Agent B said:
Agreed we can (and should) strive for the highest score possible, but by doing all the rigorous prep work, a 35/36 is essentially the "maximum limit" from studying and scores above that are attributed to favorable scaling.
Click to expand...

Not true. I know many people who scored above a 36 (myself included) and several people who scored above a 40. No one got these high scores completely by luck - they were averaging around there on practice tests. For example, my practice tests ranged from 37 to 40, and I ended up with a 38. I bet Narmerguy was consistently hitting above a 40.

Now, I'd imagine a 40 and a 38 are viewed pretty similarly, but I doubt a 43 and a 38 are lumped together.
 
Agent B said:
Agreed we can (and should) strive for the highest score possible, but by doing all the rigorous prep work, a 35/36 is essentially the "maximum limit" from studying and scores above that are attributed to favorable scaling.
Click to expand...

But if you're consistently scoring above that on full lengths, it can't just be due to favorable scaling since they all have different scales.
 
histidine said:
Not true. I know many people who scored above a 36 (myself included) and several people who scored above a 40. No one got these high scores completely by luck - they were averaging around there on practice tests. For example, my practice tests ranged from 37 to 40, and I ended up with a 38. I bet Narmerguy was consistently hitting above a 40.

Now, I'd imagine a 40 and a 38 are viewed pretty similarly, but I doubt a 43 and a 38 are lumped together.
Click to expand...

neurotroph said:
But if you're consistently scoring above that on full lengths, it can't just be due to favorable scaling since they all have different scales.
Click to expand...

I'm cynical (that or lack of self-confidence and/or anxiety :scared:) about the AAMC so my concerns are probably irrational... although I agree with you that scoring consistently in that range is basically a guarantee to have the actual score within that range. Yet there is always that chance of scoring in that 34-36 range even though the practice average is a 37-45 or so.
 
As is probably known to most, a 42 versus a 38 can sometimes mean the difference between some serious $cholarship (on the order of >$100,000 sometimes).
 
Agent B said:
I'm cynical (that or lack of self-confidence and/or anxiety :scared:) about the AAMC so my concerns are probably irrational... although I agree with you that scoring consistently in that range is basically a guarantee to have the actual score within that range. Yet there is always that chance of scoring in that 34-36 range even though the practice average is a 37-45 or so.
Click to expand...

Yeah someone could get unlucky drop significantly. Alternatively, someone could guess really well.

For me, the PS section was 14-15 on the practice test every time, and 14 on the real thing. Bio was more iffy, but the worse was verbal. I'd go from 11 to 14 on practice tests, and on the real thing I got an 11. When I was practicing verbal, I couldn't believe that someone could consistently score well on it until I had my friend, who is strong in writing/english, take some practice tests. He scored mostly 14s and hit a 15. So yeah. Narmerguy is probably just a baller in every section of the test.
 
For people out there, this is absolutely not true...consistent 37+ scoring is possible

Agent B said:
Agreed we can (and should) strive for the highest score possible, but by doing all the rigorous prep work, a 35/36 is essentially the "maximum limit" from studying and scores above that are attributed to favorable scaling.
Click to expand...
 
Even though I did not get anywhere near a 42 on the MCAT, I am proud of the score I earned through my own hard work.

So in short, I would not pay any amount of money just to get a higher score.
 
Person0715 said:
Even though I did not get anywhere near a 42 on the MCAT, I am proud of the score I earned through my own hard work.

So in short, I would not pay any amount of money just to get a higher score.
Click to expand...

+1. Self-reliance: not only is it a useful quality to cultivate, it also feels really good.
 
Well... I got a 40 by buying the AAMC practice tests and studying my ass off... so...

I wouldn't buy. Ever. It would cheapen what I have accomplished by my own hard work and dedication.
 
Spinach Dip said:
Well... I got a 40 by buying the AAMC practice tests and studying my ass off... so...

I wouldn't buy. Ever. It would cheapen what I have accomplished by my own hard work and dedication.
Click to expand...

Gotta get in that score drop.

:smuggrin:
 
I would pay $40,000 out of my future earnings without a second thought. All the people ragging on about the wonders of self-reliance are obnoxious gasbags. This coming from someone who didn't see a need for a retake after getting a 33 the first time around.
 
qwertyqwert said:
I would pay $40,000 out of my future earnings without a second thought. All the people ragging on about the wonders of self-reliance are obnoxious gasbags. This coming from someone who didn't see a need for a retake after getting a 33 the first time around.
Click to expand...

Cool post
 
qwertyqwert said:
I would pay $40,000 out of my future earnings without a second thought. All the people ragging on about the wonders of self-reliance are obnoxious gasbags. This coming from someone who didn't see a need for a retake after getting a 33 the first time around.
Click to expand...

it's easy to spend money you don't have
 
Last edited:
Shjanzey said:
It would reach perfection if mention of a top-tier school was also included. Then again, that's the difference between a 40 and 43 :D
Click to expand...

Well... I wasn't going to say anything, but Harvard, Johns Hopkins and Princeton ARE on my radar...





There. Did I do it right?
 
$270 was the registration fee for the MCAT I got a 42 on
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

A
Requesting a deferral for mental health - how much info to give?
Replies
7
Views
391
Moko
Moko
H
How much of a disadvantage is clinical training at a regional campus?
Replies
6
Views
424
Med Ed
Med Ed
TheOverthinkingPremed
In 3 research labs. Which would you quit?
Replies
5
Views
658
JAK2-STAT3
J
C
"What would you like the committee to know about you that wasn't in your application?"
Replies
12
Views
851
SCG3212
SCG3212
R
How much do letters of intent and updates matter when being considered for an interview
Replies
10
Views
1K
GoSpursGo
GoSpursGo
Top