Is there a correlation between your ACT score and your MCAT score?

[hnbui]

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Is your ACT score indicative of what your MCAT will be? How about the ACT subscores compared to the MCAT subscores?


Or is there no correlation at all.

 

[hnbui]

anyone?

 

[robotdancing]

of course there's going to be some sort of correlation. smart people generally do (relatively) well on standardized tests. hence, a high act score and a comparably high mcat score pair together pretty logically. however, you must take into account the different testing populations: almost everyone who takes the mcat is moderately bright (you know, at least in the 60th or 70th sat/act percentile), whereas w/ the sat/act, it's really a crapshoot.

that being said, the rule of thumb i've heard is act score +/- 3 points... but a 6 point range doesn't provide much in the way of predictive value.

 

[NE_Cornhusker1]

act 27
mcat 32

looks like the +/- three doesn't quite hold up. although on my act i got a 31 or 32 in science and a 35 on the math [yeah i suck at english]. these [math and science] numbers might make for a better relationship.

 

[Hallm_7]

The ACT and MCAT are two completely different types of tests with different scoring methods. Obviously more intelligent people will do well on them since they are both standardized. However, there are a couple of differences that make finding a strong, predictable correlation hard. First the ACT is on a 0-36 points scale while the MCAT is on a 0-45 points scale. A 36 on the MCAT isn't as good as a 36 on the ACT. Also, the ACT is more of an aptitude test while the MCAT is an achievement test. You could score a 36 on the ACT, major in business, and get a 15 on the MCAT simply because you haven't taken any of the needed classes.

 

[hnbui]

what about the verabl part of the ACT. Will it have an correlation with the verbal part on the MCAT?

 

[Hallm_7]

There isn't really a verbal section of the ACT. You've got the english section and the reading section, but the reading section is very close to the verbal section of the MCAT. I would say there would be some correlation there. At least in the percentiles. Definitely not scores b/c the highest verbal score on the MCAT is 15 while the ACT has a possible 36.

 

[rgporter]

Ummm, your comparing ACT overall to MCAT section scores. That is another topic however.
I think it would be hard to find a correlation between ACT and MCAT simply because people who take the MCAT now have 3-4 more years of education under thier belts. The conditions are no longer the same, so a correlation is less meaningful. I'll use myself as an example, I was not very studious in high school, but in college I studied faithfully. My ACT was a mediocre 27, while my MCAT was in the 97th percentile. Reading comprehension was my highest score in both tests however, so there is something.

 

[Chrisobean]

standardized tests are not created equal, comparing these 2 is apples and oranges.

act/sat tests your critical reasoning skills, assuming you can do basic math and know some vocab.
mcat tests this as well, along with your knowledge of the subjects (like the sciences). you can try and reason the answers all you want, but if you dont know any science you are screwed. and the verbal is ALOT harder on the mcat, you cant really read the questions first and just look for the answers in the passage. (which worked dam well on the sat)

 

[robotdancing]

Originally posted by NE_Cornhusker1
act 27
mcat 32

looks like the +/- three doesn't quite hold up. although on my act i got a 31 or 32 in science and a 35 on the math [yeah i suck at english]. these [math and science] numbers might make for a better relationship.

i offered it as a rule of thumb, not a guarantee. the main point of my post was to gently tell the kid that one can find a correlation in anything, but it's probably not even worth trying w/ the obvious discrepency between these test populations. finding a correlation is one thing, finding a strong correlation is another.