Is the MCAT still a relevant exam?

[bio-Psych-social]

I don’t mean for this post to be inflammatory. I’m a graduating medical student who interacts regularly with pre-medical students. Now that I’m entering residency I thought it would be fun to take a practice MCAT exam. The material on that exam was so foreign to me only a few years out and I realized I have forgotten most of that material since I’ve never used it. Reflecting back.. I really only used 10% or less of that material in medical school, which was mostly for one or two classes. With score percentiles increasing so rapidly year to year, the MCAT has widely become a gate keeping exam. Truthfully I probably couldn’t get into med school even today only 4 years later with how competitive things are becoming.

I myself did not do well on the MCAT and I knocked STEP1/2 out of the park as they are entirely different exams with the steps being less minutia regurgitation imo. The physical and chemical law principles in medicine are fairly simple and could probably be taught in a few hours of medical school in clinically correlated lectures, rather than over years.

You could argue that the test is a “critical thinking exam”, but instead of wasting years learning material to regurgitate on a fairly inapplicable exam .. why don’t we go the way of other countries and make a combined 6 year program from HS all the way through?

Maybe I’m missing the mark but I feel like there must be a better way. Thoughts?

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[purkinjekitty]

I think it’ll stay relevant in terms of “holistic” review and be 1 crucial aspect of an applicants profile, but schools do need a way to close the gates and I can’t think of anything else tbh

 

[Hollow Knight]

I found most of the premed material completely useless, yes. The MCAT is fairly useless.

However, for kiddos like me who grew up working class, standardized exams are the only way we have to set ourselves apart academically. I couldn't afford to go to a good college or study abroad/do groundbreaking research, but by golly I could hit the books for months and nail that exam.

I think making step 1 P/F was a disaster for the same reason.

Also, you should probably post this in the med student section. The people here are trying to get study tips, not debate the exam's usefulness haha

 

[Mr.Smile12]

For what it's worth, the MCAT and undergraduate GPA combined have predictive validity for passing USMLE 1 and 2. I also posit that doing well on the SAT with high school GPA could have some correlation as well, though not as predictive. Standardized exams predict standardized exams fairly well.

 

[carw1801]

It's relevant if it is standing between you and an admission. That's the best answer.

As far as correlation to passing STEP? Well, I have friends who went to St. George's over the years who were scoring in the 250's on STEP1 and even higher on STEP2 who scored below 25 on the old MCAT so interpret that as you wish.

I will be attending a DO program in the fall and I did the SMP at the same school and my MCAT is 6 points below the incoming average last year. That's not to say the MCAT is not relevant but my SMP gpa was MORE relevant and more predictive of future STEP performance. Most people however won't go the SMP to med school route though so I guess the MCAT becomes more relevant in the admissions process at that point.

I will share that some faculty members at my school are stern on MCAT performance while others will whisper to you in private that it's a BS test. I mean you can buy test prep for $10,000 with some bootcamp-style programs and/or private tutoring.

I was having a discussion the other day with my doctor and he jokingly said he probably couldn't get into medical school today with how competitive it is.

 

[MercifulCamper]

For the banter

 

[mstpgrind]

In the context of learning relevant information, the MCAT is basically useless.

But it’s extremely useful for evaluating whether a student is likely to do well on standardized tests, which, like it or not, is what med school is about.

If someone is willing to put their head down and grind for a few months, odds are they’re going to repeat that behavior, leading to success in med school and beyond (exams, steps, and board exams).

 

[carw1801]

In the context of learning relevant information, the MCAT is basically useless.

But it’s extremely useful for evaluating whether a student is likely to do well on standardized tests, which, like it or not, is what med school is about.

If someone is willing to put their head down and grind for a few months, odds are they’re going to repeat that behavior, leading to success in med school and beyond (exams, steps, and board exams).

You can't prove that with any type of data. You're just assuming that.

 

[the-cheesehead]

You can't prove that with any type of data. You're just assuming that.

I think the “if” and the “odds are” part of his statement clears him here.

And even if he is just assuming it- odds are that adcoms make similar assumptions.

 

[carw1801]

I think the “if” and the “odds are” part of his statement clears him here.

And even if he is just assuming it- odds are that adcoms make similar assumptions.

Each school is different

 

[the-cheesehead]

Each school is different

Odds are 😉

 

[mstpgrind]

You can't prove that with any type of data. You're just assuming that.

Okay, ask any medical student MCAT content alone was necessary for medical school. The answer is no, you learn everything you need to learn about medicine in medical school.

Whether or not their is overlap with MCAT content is irrelevant. Anything important the MCAT might have, will definitely be learned later.

The MCAT is purely a screen.

 

[Cornfed101]

Dude I’ve forgotten most of the material from step 1, let alone the MCAT. Although, I do think if you prepare well for the MCAT it improves your ability to read and digest academic literature, which is super important

 

[gyngyn]

It is now even more important.
It's the only part that isn't written by AI.

 

[Mad Jack]

The MCAT correlates more strongly with medical school and board success than any other factor. It isn't about the material itself, it is a test to gauge your ability to learn and synthesize a large amount of disparate material successfully, a skill that is necessary in medical school.

 

[mstpgrind]

The MCAT correlates more strongly with medical school and board success than any other factor. It isn't about the material itself, it is a test to gauge your ability to learn and synthesize a large amount of disparate material successfully, a skill that is necessary in medical school.

Exactly

 

[Cornfed101]

It is now even more important.
It's the only part that isn't written by AI.

The first draft of my personal statement for residency was done by ChatGPT haha

 

[gyngyn]

The first draft of my personal statement for residency was done by ChatGPT haha

Yours, and everyone else's!

 

[Isoval]

Ironically, I felt Step (1, at least) was much more minutiae regurgitation compared to the MCAT.

Step 2/3 I think that you can make the argument that it’s not quite as much with more emphasis on higher order thinking, differential diagnosis, etc.

 

[Mad Jack]

The first draft of my personal statement for residency was done by ChatGPT haha

This is why I run all of the personal statements through an AI detection algorithm

 

[MercifulCamper]

This is why I run all of the personal statements through an AI detection algorithm

None of those things actually work.

 

[Mad Jack]

None of those things actually work.

Easy enough to ask an applicant. They usually own up to it. I don't actually care, it's more about how they respond to being asked

 

[Cornfed101]

This is why I run all of the personal statements through an AI detection algorithm

Which it wouldn’t likely flag because I changed it quite a bit and made it fit with my writing voice. The hardest step, for me, is the first draft. As soon as that’s done I’m able to roll. It saved me a lot of time.

 

[Mad Jack]

Which it wouldn’t likely flag because I changed it quite a bit and made it fit with my writing voice. The hardest step, for me, is the first draft. As soon as that’s done I’m able to roll. It saved me a lot of time.

Decent approach, it just offends me as someone that loves to write lol