MCAT 2015 scoring: 472-528

[soporific]

So according to the admissions director of a Canadian medical school, the new MCAT will be scored from 472-528 for each section, with the percentile also reported.

Source & more details: https://twitter.com/UCMedAdmissions

What do you think? Will this make it harder to compare the old and new MCAT?

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[supermintyfresh]

Interesting to see why the AAMC decided to start scoring in the high 400's?

 

[Ryank327]

Contradicts the info on the AAMC website here:

https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/mcat2015/testsections/

 

[Narmerguy]

So according to the admissions director of a Canadian medical school, the new MCAT will be scored from 472-528 for each section, with the percentile also reported.

Source & more details: https://twitter.com/UCMedAdmissions

What do you think? Will this make it harder to compare the old and new MCAT?

Not quite, percentiles are percentiles. The exact numbering doesn't matter as much. In general the bigger challenge with comparing the two MCATs is that they simply will test different content. Though there's mostly overlap, there are entire new sections on the new MCAT and there's different content and emphasis within the other sections as well.

 

[soporific]

Contradicts the info on the AAMC website here:

https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/mcat2015/testsections/

It only states that the scoring system will be "similar" to the current /15 one.

 

[deleted407021]

I thought it was going to be out of 60. I don't know where they mean by those numbers, but that AAMC states a 60 point max. That admissions office must not know what it's talking aboot.

 

[masaraksh]

OP, that is strange.

I heard that new MCAT will be graded on a scale from -42-9i to pi+i and will use imaginary numbers.

 

[RoadtoMD]

And I heard the MCAT is not going to change at all. JK. I guess all we can do is wait, instead of starting rumors.

 

[Spinach Dip]

Why on Earth would ANYONE pick those numbers to report a test score? 472 what? 528 what?

It's like the GRE being on a 130-170 scale now. It doesn't make any sense. Why not take 130 off and report the scores on a scale from 0-40?



Sorry. I'm thinking. I'll try to stop.

 

[487806]

Not quite, percentiles are percentiles. The exact numbering doesn't matter as much. In general the bigger challenge with comparing the two MCATs is that they simply will test different content. Though there's mostly overlap, there are entire new sections on the new MCAT and there's different content and emphasis within the other sections as well.

Wait, isn't the new = old + biochem/socio/psych? The revisions in the standard sections wouldn't be drastic that quickly...

 

[terp720]

so their twitter also says that the first full length sample exam will be released in Fall 2015... but test dates start in April 2015. typo? or does that just really suck for people taking it before the fall...

 

[487806]

so their twitter also says that the first full length sample exam will be released in Fall 2015... but test dates start in April 2015. typo? or does that just really suck for people taking it before the fall...

Test dates start in April? That's new info. So March 2015 is old MCAT?

 

[terp720]

Test dates start in April? That's new info. So March 2015 is old MCAT?

well according to their twitter, there are no test dates in March

 

[487806]

well according to their twitter, there are no test dates in March

So January = old MCAT... Feb/Mar = dead zone. April and beyond --> disaster ensues!

Makes no sense. They should've initiated the new MCAT in July to punish the late appers. That way the 2015/2016 cycle would be more consistent.

 

[terp720]

So January = old MCAT... Feb/Mar = dead zone. April and beyond --> disaster ensues!

Makes no sense. They should've initiated the new MCAT in July to punish the late appers. That way the 2015/2016 cycle would be more consistent.

I'm thinking it's a typo. Looks like AAMC says first full-length sample will be released in 2014 then a second one in 2015

 

[487806]

I'm thinking it's a typo. Looks like AAMC says first full-length sample will be released in 2014 then a second one in 2015

I just support the release in July. It's a reasonable deal.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Why on Earth would ANYONE pick those numbers to report a test score? 472 what? 528 what?

It's like the GRE being on a 130-170 scale now. It doesn't make any sense. Why not take 130 off and report the scores on a scale from 0-40?



Sorry. I'm thinking. I'll try to stop.

Probably has to do with the different tests not wanting there to be confusion like GRE 40 = 40 MCAT. Then there are probably legislation issues within about not repeating sequences to confuse with past versions, etc...

 

[Narmerguy]

Wait, isn't the new = old + biochem/socio/psych? The revisions in the standard sections wouldn't be drastic that quickly...

Well that's half the test you just mentioned (organic II is almost entirely gone and even the rest of organic material is being deemphasized). There are adjustments to the focus of the majority of sections. Biochem is a huge change to the BS section, entire new section added, question styles are being altered for the other sections as well. It's not about being "drastic", it's about being different. Different makes it harder to use the same sharp cutoffs as before, or specifically compare subsection scores of previous applicants taking different versions.

 

[Spitphire]

I literally can not find another source that says that this is how the mcat will be scored. For now im just going to be a skeptic. It would be interesting if it was. I do know however that there IS suppose to be a full practice exam released later this year.

 

[terra330]

Maybe it's to lessen the psychological impact of that first number? A 30 is hardly better than a 29 for example, but a 30 looks a lot better anyway. On the new one, all the acceptable scores will be above 2000 (if each sub score is added), so small variations like that won't make a big difference in perception.

 

[edgerock24]

Admissions offices don't typically release false info, but it'd be dandy if we could get another source explaining this alleged scoring system.

 

[darklabel]

Why on Earth would ANYONE pick those numbers to report a test score? 472 what? 528 what?

It's like the GRE being on a 130-170 scale now. It doesn't make any sense. Why not take 130 off and report the scores on a scale from 0-40?



Sorry. I'm thinking. I'll try to stop.

According to my counselor from undergrad, its more of a psychological effect for students taking the test. Getting a 140 doesn't seem nearly as bad as getting a 10. But all that really matters is percentages and that usually never changes.

 

[Spinach Dip]

According to my counselor from undergrad, its more of a psychological effect for students taking the test. Getting a 140 doesn't seem nearly as bad as getting a 10. But all that really matters is percentages and that usually never changes.

Thousands of people take the MCAT and score less than 15 (TOTAL) each year.

The whole point of the test is to determine who is cut out for medical school and who is not. The 1-15 per section scale was chosen because it was easy to understand, not because it wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings.

 

[darklabel]

Thousands of people take the MCAT and score less than 15 (TOTAL) each year.

The whole point of the test is to determine who is cut out for medical school and who is not. The 1-15 per section scale was chosen because it was easy to understand, not because it wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings.

I meant for GRE when I asked her about it. MCAT is clearly a different beast in every way and people can get a 3 (but I'm sure its quite rare).

I'm saying maybe they're changing so that people don't get hurt by lower scores or maybe theres some internal reason that they're not making known. I like the current system in place.

 

[Ismet]

Moving to MCAT discussions forum

 

[lpp06]

Scoring with a broader range of numbers is going to give people analyzing and comparing scores between 2 students more room for differentiation. As it stands now, students who score a 34 are in the "90-94th" percentile. Broadening the range is now going to allow them to say that scoring a 1984 computes to a 94.39372 percentile, and that people looking the scores will be able to quickly suffice that a 1984 is better than a 1983 even if both of those scores would translate into a 34 in the old system. Will make rankings on waitlists rather interesting.

Excuse my use of exaggerations.

 

[darklabel]

Scoring with a broader range of numbers is going to give people analyzing and comparing scores between 2 students more room for differentiation. As it stands now, students who score a 34 are in the "90-94th" percentile. Broadening the range is now going to allow them to say that scoring a 1984 computes to a 94.39372 percentile, and that people looking the scores will be able to quickly suffice that a 1984 is better than a 1983 even if both of those scores would translate into a 34 in the old system. Will make rankings on waitlists rather interesting.

Excuse my use of exaggerations.

Sounds like more of a reason to be thankful that I don't haven't to take the 2015 MCAT, but that makes a lot of sense.

 

[Spitphire]

Well boys, looks like they really are doing this scale. AAMC released it. 118-132 per section and total range is 472-528. Awkward scoring is awkward.

Edit: Or should i say Kaplan said that AAMC said that

 

[mcrobbit]

It's legitimate guys, AAMC confirms: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/mcat2015/admins/377834/usingscoresforadmissions.html

 

[terra330]

So it's 472 to 528 for the entire test, not each section.

Still a weird scoring system

 

[gettheleadout]

Very nice to see they will be reporting confidence intervals with scores! Big win for statistics.

 

[SOOyC52H1Sof]

Rationale
The numbers used in the score scale were selected to ensure the scales do not overlap with the current scale, percentiles, or other commonly understood and used scoring systems. Additionally, the scales emphasize on the center of the range (or “top of the curve”).
​

Well, this is the reasoning; they purposefully want people to bring an open mind to the new system.

 

[darklabel]

I also like the idea if a baseline score that will tell schools if an applicant is qualified for medical school or not. I see a lot of "I got an X MCAT score and it was higher than Y, I deserve a seat" but the idea is that it shouldn't matter since both applicants would be successful in medical school.

 

[terra330]

I also like the idea if a baseline score that will tell schools if an applicant is qualified for medical school or not. I see a lot of "I got an X MCAT score and it was higher than Y, I deserve a seat" but the idea is that it shouldn't matter since both applicants would be successful in medical school.

I've heard people say the same thing about a 25 on the current MCAT though. It might be true, but at the end of the day, the MCAT is an easy way to differentiate between students when even the lesser known schools have at least 10 applicants for every seat.

 

[moop]

Aren't the first 20 posts of this thread funny now that we know this ridiculous scoring scale is actually true?

 

[Rhino1000]

I meant for GRE when I asked her about it. MCAT is clearly a different beast in every way and people can get a 3 (but I'm sure its quite rare).

I'm saying maybe they're changing so that people don't get hurt by lower scores or maybe theres some internal reason that they're not making known. I like the current system in place.

This seems pretty likely. I bet a big part of it is so people don't feel offended when they score terribly; their scores only look "10 % different from even the best of the best." I am somewhat disappointed in the change. Ideally, I think it should be a 1-1000 (or 100) scale, so that people can understand their scores better.

 

[moop]

This seems pretty likely. I bet a big part of it is so people don't feel offended when they score terribly; their scores only look "10 % different from even the best of the best." I am somewhat disappointed in the change. Ideally, I think it should be a 1-1000 (or 100) scale, so that people can understand their scores better.

Well that's ******ed. Do we as a country really need more of this "pat on the back, you tried, you're not a failure at anything" business in encouraging our kids/students? Some people aren't cut out for certain things, and they need to face the truth. If you get a 5 on the MCAT, you're just not fit for this line of work. Man up and admit it. Don't give those same people now a 480. wtf. Ughhhh

/rant

 

[Glycereine]

unless the curve is done completely differently you can still figure out roughly your comparison for new and old MCAT. If the new scale is 472-528 (a 56 point range), and the old MCAT is a 45 point range, take your old MCAT score and multiply by 56/45 then add 472. So if you had a 33 on the old MCAT, 33*56/45= 41 then add 472 = new score of 513.

To go the other way, do the opposite, new score, subtract 472, multiply by 45/56.

IE new score of 520 - 472 = 48. 48*45/56 = 38.5 on the old scoring system.

Again though this is assuming the scaling is comparable and that both a 0 and a 472 are equivalent on the old and new respectively. If they aren't though, you can find the baseline to compare easily enough once you know the true minimum of the new.

 

[moop]

unless the curve is done completely differently you can still figure out roughly your comparison for new and old MCAT. If the new scale is 472-528 (a 56 point range), and the old MCAT is a 45 point range, take your old MCAT score and multiply by 56/45 then add 472. So if you had a 33 on the old MCAT, 33*56/45= 41 then add 472 = new score of 513.

To go the other way, do the opposite, new score, subtract 472, multiply by 45/56.

IE new score of 520 - 472 = 48. 48*45/56 = 38.5 on the old scoring system.

Again though this is assuming the scaling is comparable and that both a 0 and a 472 are equivalent on the old and new respectively. If they aren't though, you can find the baseline to compare easily enough once you know the true minimum of the new.

You can't get a 0 on the current MCAT. Baseline is 3 (1 for each section). Just like how minimum for the SAT is 200 per section.

 

[Glycereine]

You can't get a 0 on the current MCAT. Baseline is 3 (1 for each section). Just like how minimum for the SAT is 200 per section.

I'm assuming you can't really get. 472 either but obviously could be wrong. Still simple math once we know


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[Books2ReadMe]

Ugh, I do not like this grading system !!!!
These high numbers are confusing me. I'm going to need this to start from 0.

 

[656844]

My guess is that the AAMC wants this new scoring system to mimic the scoring of the USMLE Step 1 exam. That exam has a 3-digit score, and now the new MCAT will as well. They say that doing well on the MCAT predicts how well you'll do on the USMLE Step 1. I don't believe that for a hot second. For one thing, most of the stuff the MCAT tests you on will not be required for you to know in med school. Also, the USMLE is vastly different in structure and content.

I personally despise the MCAT, especially the new overhauled version. I'm only going to take it to "go through the motions." The new test is longer and more grueling, incorporating 3 more subjects into the test. The AAMC reports that there will be 130,000 or so physician shortages by 2025. With this new MCAT, it's enough to make people turn away from the field of medicine! Why would an entrance exam get harder when the USA will be faced with physician shortages in the near future? Doesn't make any rational sense to me. Merely increasing med school enrollments isn't enough. You need to attack this problem at the source, and that is the admissions process.

When I take the MCAT in 2016 and apply to med schools, I'll be focusing on my state schools, a couple of ivy's, the Caribbean, England, and Australia (basically any foreign country that has ties to the U.S. gov't so that I can secure federal student loans). I think this is an excellent strategy to take. Scores and results from the new MCAT exam will still be new in 2016, so I don't think med schools will have a good grasp as to how the mechanics of the new test will be working out. It will take a few more years of data analysis to come up with any sort of idea as to how the new exam is working. Therefore, I think most med schools (especially foreign ones not familiar with the new MCAT exam) might be more lenient on the applicants because the MCAT is still in an "adjustment period."

Maybe I'm crazy to think this way? I don't know, but it's just a gut feeling I have. The time to apply to med school is now...2015 to 2018 look like prime years to apply from an MCAT point of view.

 

[wuhsabee]

My guess is that the AAMC wants this new scoring system to mimic the scoring of the USMLE Step 1 exam. That exam has a 3-digit score, and now the new MCAT will as well. They say that doing well on the MCAT predicts how well you'll do on the USMLE Step 1. I don't believe that for a hot second. For one thing, most of the stuff the MCAT tests you on will not be required for you to know in med school. Also, the USMLE is vastly different in structure and content.

I personally despise the MCAT, especially the new overhauled version. I'm only going to take it to "go through the motions." The new test is longer and more grueling, incorporating 3 more subjects into the test. The AAMC reports that there will be 130,000 or so physician shortages by 2025. With this new MCAT, it's enough to make people turn away from the field of medicine! Why would an entrance exam get harder when the USA will be faced with physician shortages in the near future? Doesn't make any rational sense to me. Merely increasing med school enrollments isn't enough. You need to attack this problem at the source, and that is the admissions process.

When I take the MCAT in 2016 and apply to med schools, I'll be focusing on my state schools, a couple of ivy's, the Caribbean, England, and Australia (basically any foreign country that has ties to the U.S. gov't so that I can secure federal student loans). I think this is an excellent strategy to take. Scores and results from the new MCAT exam will still be new in 2016, so I don't think med schools will have a good grasp as to how the mechanics of the new test will be working out. It will take a few more years of data analysis to come up with any sort of idea as to how the new exam is working. Therefore, I think most med schools (especially foreign ones not familiar with the new MCAT exam) might be more lenient on the applicants because the MCAT is still in an "adjustment period."

Maybe I'm crazy to think this way? I don't know, but it's just a gut feeling I have. The time to apply to med school is now...2015 to 2018 look like prime years to apply from an MCAT point of view.

They have this thing call "percentiles", ya know...

 

[Brunox13]

Well, this is crazy.

Not only is the new MCAT unreasonably long, but now they also implement the most random grading scale.
From the old MCAT system, I got that very often, you could actually somehow say that the MCAT scale is equivalent to 10x the GPA scale and they are somewhat comparable (hence, the Lizzy score thing) --- but now?

Any better explanation than just "let's confuse everyone who doesn't know anything about the MCAT so it doesn't sound that bad when someone fails and wants to share their score with their friends"?

 

[futuredoc331]

Well, this is crazy.

Not only is the new MCAT unreasonably long, but now they also implement the most random grading scale.
From the old MCAT system, I got that very often, you could actually somehow say that the MCAT scale is equivalent to 10x the GPA scale and they are somewhat comparable (hence, the Lizzy score thing) --- but now?

Any better explanation than just "let's confuse everyone who doesn't know anything about the MCAT so it doesn't sound that bad when someone fails and wants to share their score with their friends"?

I really don't think we should really be focusing on the score range. It's basically still a 1-15 scale x 4 sections. They just added a few hundred points onto the scale to get a mid score of 500. They are going to go by percentile for a while anyway. Just study hard and beat out the other people taking it. The scoring is out of our hands.

 

[Brunox13]

I really don't think we should really be focusing on the score range. It's basically still a 1-15 scale x 4 sections. They just added a few hundred points onto the scale to get a mid score of 500. They are going to go by percentile for a while anyway. Just study hard and beat out the other people taking it. The scoring is out of our hands.

Sure - except that the scoring scale is what this topic is primarily about. I'm not saying it is of utmost importance whatever the scale is per se (the percentiles have always been the most relevant numbers anyway).

On the other hand, it is interesting to think about the reasoning behind it - and whether there might be any psychology involved (maybe using non-round numbers to remove some stress from test-takers?).

 

[Dr. Death]

What I'm wondering is how to interepret your score. For example if you score in the 505-510 range in practice tests what range of schools are you competitive at? Because these numbers don't really have a precedent I don't know if I am competitive for Johns Hopkins or St. Georges. Does anybody have any insight or would share what their plan of attack is in targeting schools?

 

[fugacitybrah]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...l-15-points-per-section-with-a-twist.1111394/

In this post they talk about how the new mcat is still fundamentally 15/section. Seems like 500 is around the expected average. Tbh I don't think it is that bad. After a while we will get used to the numbers and know what a 30+ or 35+ equivalent is.

 

[John Buster]

BB/CARS/CP/PSBB

BB = Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
CARS = Critical Analysis and Reading Skills
CP = Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
PSBB = Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior