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What scenario is better?
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Depends how low.
3.3/33 > 4.0/26
But in most cases I'd say high GPA/low MCAT is better.
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I think if the extremes are too low then you're still in for a rough time.
really low GPA / high MCAT = could be a sign that you were lazy in college and couldn't focus. Not a good indication of how you will be as a medical student.
high GPA / really low MCAT = you didn't study and apply yourself for the test or that your grades really don't mean that much due to grade inflation or the classes were ridiculously easy.
But either is moot point because as a premed, you'll probably be aiming for the highest GPA and MCAT possible instead of doing the bare minimum.
really low GPA / high MCAT = could be a sign that you were lazy in college and couldn't focus. Not a good indication of how you will be as a medical student.
high GPA / really low MCAT = you didn't study and apply yourself for the test or that your grades really don't mean that much due to grade inflation or the classes were ridiculously easy.
But either is moot point because as a premed, you'll probably be aiming for the highest GPA and MCAT possible instead of doing the bare minimum.
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^This
There are some schools that will auto-screen if one of the numbers is below a certain point and it doesn't really matter what the other number is. Remember, these schools are getting thousands (or at least >1000 in the majority of cases) of apps each year so many of them will set minimums to just cut out part of the load. It isn't really a good idea to try to gun for one number and neglect the other. That said, I personally think MCAT will carry more weight at more places but it won't help you too much if you haven't demonstrated a solid work ethic while in UG.
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I have a high gpa/ low mcat (3.78/ 24) and I got into KCUMB this year! 👍
So far I'm at 6 interviews before withdrawing from my other schools but it just goes to show you that anything can happen if you apply early and broadly. DrShark made a great point though, a lot of schools weigh MCAT much more heavily than GPA so make sure to do some reasearch!
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Strongly disagree.
Nothing beats a 4.0 GPA. With that said, most schools reject mcat scores of 23 or less.
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Some things really aren't that difficult to get a 4.0 in. Id take a 3.4/32 BS in physics over a 4.0/28 in communications. They will look at what you studied, where you made your As and what the overall trend was.
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That is true to some extent, and it also depends on the undergrad institution. However, if we strictly go by the admission stats, the AAMC grid shows that students with 3.8+/27+ have 63% chance while those with 3.4-3.6/30-32 have only 50% chance.
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👍 yeah I forgot about that table. Good point
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I had a 2.7/30 got right in with no trouble.
It's all about being a compelling applicant, getting your app noticed and then performing well in the interview.
I have done very well in med-school, and it hasn't even been hard. I know n=1 but my GPA was no indicator of my performance in Med School.
But like I said, I think 9/10ths of the job lies in creating an interesting app, making sure it gets seen.
It's all about being a compelling applicant, getting your app noticed and then performing well in the interview.
I have done very well in med-school, and it hasn't even been hard. I know n=1 but my GPA was no indicator of my performance in Med School.
But like I said, I think 9/10ths of the job lies in creating an interesting app, making sure it gets seen.
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I got in with 3.83 cGPA, 3.91 sGPA 24 MCAT (9/5/R/10)
Majored in Biology, had a 3.97 (1 B) my last 4 semesters of college (which included nothing but upper level science classes, two 17 hr semesters, one 18 hr semester).
With that being said, my app didn't even get looked at by a lot of schools b/c of my 5 in verbal. This includes 8 of my in state MD schools (Texas Resident). I took the MCAT 3 times, each time failing to get above a 7 in verbal. During my interview, one of my interviewees wrote it off as maybe it was due to english being my second language--not an excuse in any way.
Looking back now, I would rather go with a low/sub par GPA and a higher MCAT, because I really do think schools (especially allopathic schools view MCAT>>GPA) and because there is significant grade inflation at some universities.
Majored in Biology, had a 3.97 (1 B) my last 4 semesters of college (which included nothing but upper level science classes, two 17 hr semesters, one 18 hr semester).
With that being said, my app didn't even get looked at by a lot of schools b/c of my 5 in verbal. This includes 8 of my in state MD schools (Texas Resident). I took the MCAT 3 times, each time failing to get above a 7 in verbal. During my interview, one of my interviewees wrote it off as maybe it was due to english being my second language--not an excuse in any way.
Looking back now, I would rather go with a low/sub par GPA and a higher MCAT, because I really do think schools (especially allopathic schools view MCAT>>GPA) and because there is significant grade inflation at some universities.
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I'm interested in knowing which DO schools were/weren't forgiving about the 5 in verbal. Could you share this information with us?
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Here are the DO schools I applied to:
KCUMB-rejected pre-secondary
LECOM-B-rejected pre-secondary
KYCOM- received secondary, withdrew after DMU interview invite
LMU-COM-received secondary; complete since June 14th
AZOM-received secondary, filled it out late; complete on August 19-Currently on hold
Oklahoma state college of osteopathic medicine- Silent rejection at this point
I should also say that I think the R in the WS did somewhat compensate for my extremely low verbal because it showed that I could read a difficult prompt and articulate about it. Of my 3 MCAT scores, my WS scores were P,R,R.
KCUMB-rejected pre-secondary
LECOM-B-rejected pre-secondary
KYCOM- received secondary, withdrew after DMU interview invite
LMU-COM-received secondary; complete since June 14th
AZOM-received secondary, filled it out late; complete on August 19-Currently on hold
Oklahoma state college of osteopathic medicine- Silent rejection at this point
I should also say that I think the R in the WS did somewhat compensate for my extremely low verbal because it showed that I could read a difficult prompt and articulate about it. Of my 3 MCAT scores, my WS scores were P,R,R.
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From what I've gathered speaking to 3 ADCOM's at two different schools (one MD and one DO)
They would prefer a low(ish) gpa and stellar MCAT over a good gpa and crappy MCAT. "The MCAT is the great equalizer." - one of the adcoms. He also said that it can be kind of challenging putting a 3.4 from Northwestern against a 3.65 from Souteastern Texas Tech state university.
I go to a school that strongly deflates grades, unfortunately. The biggest "curve" I've ever experienced was a 10 point grading scale. Most classes have 7 point, and we have a no-curve policy.
And I promise you that you've never heard of my school. A 3.2 at my school is roughly equivalent to a 3.6 at the state school up the road.
They would prefer a low(ish) gpa and stellar MCAT over a good gpa and crappy MCAT. "The MCAT is the great equalizer." - one of the adcoms. He also said that it can be kind of challenging putting a 3.4 from Northwestern against a 3.65 from Souteastern Texas Tech state university.
I go to a school that strongly deflates grades, unfortunately. The biggest "curve" I've ever experienced was a 10 point grading scale. Most classes have 7 point, and we have a no-curve policy.
And I promise you that you've never heard of my school. A 3.2 at my school is roughly equivalent to a 3.6 at the state school up the road.
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According to whom?
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At our school, the Dean likes high MCATs, so the latter scenario would apply for us. One of my all-time best students ever had a 23.
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read my post, and look over the word THINK.
I had 5 interviews so far and was accepted with a 23 MCAT, so it's possible! I think if you have awesome EC's it can make up for having an unbalanced stat combo (MCAT/GPA).
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My apologies. Since you're being so direct, I'll return the favor.
You're dead wrong. Your writing score made up for nothing. I can say this with confidence.
I am curious as to what made you think that, though.
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Imo a 4.0 who gets less than a 30 on the mcat must have gone to a grade inflating school and/or took bs courses.
I did terribly in prereqs and still managed a 28 on the mcat with minimal prep.
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+1 kids who get A's in ochem, upper Lvl bio etc., should thrash the mcat if I got a 29 with B's. I also studied much more in school than for the mcat. Pure anecdotal, I know.
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I agree. My school, know for grade deflating, has had one student from the college of Basic Sciences (Chem, bio, phys) graduate with a 4.0 in the last 4 years. He got a 39 and is now at a very prestigious, private MD school (not sure of ranking). He was a monster.
Most people at my school that get 3.5 or higher get at least 30s.
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No I just believe the MCAT is less variable than GPA. I'm personally more impressed by a 40 than a 4.0 because I know that I could at least get close to a 4.0 if I went back in time and did ug again but I could never get near a 40 on the MCAT.
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It's still pretty variable though. Once you get into the upper 30s and 40s, it's not even a test of knowledge anymore. It's more like, I guessed right on one question (40) over the guy who got a 39. Luck of the draw on questions.
40 is impressive, no doubt. But 37+ is just as impressive to me.
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I have heard this said, but I have never seen anything specifically indicating this.
Do you have a point breakdown, year by year, or some sort of average that shows % correct corresponding to scores in each section? Something that gives an idea of how well people actually did compared to each other? I dont even recall how long the test was...
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I think I just read it here as well. But the main point was that a score of 33 is already 90% percentile, and the brackets between scores gets smaller and smaller the higher you go up. So a score of 39 is 99.2-99.5 while a score of 40 is 99.6-99.8, and everything 41+ is 99.9+ percentile. With a limited number of questions (about 60?) per section, the difference in a 39 and getting a 40 could very well be one question.
https://www.aamc.org/students/download/264234/data/combined11.pdf
I guess I should amend what I originally was trying to say. There is a clear difference between a 25 and a 30 score on the MCAT, a smaller difference between 30 and 35, and an even smaller difference 35 to 40 in terms of intellectual ability.
https://www.aamc.org/students/download/264234/data/combined11.pdf
I guess I should amend what I originally was trying to say. There is a clear difference between a 25 and a 30 score on the MCAT, a smaller difference between 30 and 35, and an even smaller difference 35 to 40 in terms of intellectual ability.
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true. But that is percentILE and not percent. There can be equal % differences in absolute score for each scaled score while maintaining diminishing percentile gaps - that is just how working those averages goes. That said, there are only about 150 questions on the test, 40-60 per section. /15 per section is about ~2-4 questions per MCAT score point. But even then, It is unlikely that people getting a 1 in a section really scored 0-4 absolutely and very few people likely get every question right in a section. The mantra around here is probably pretty close to the truth when you consider that you chop off extremely low and extremely high scores most of the time. I jsut havent seen anything that really gives the number. It would be interesting though.
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Well yea. But as someone who got a low 30 after working my ass off, high 30+ is amazingly impressive
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