AACOMAS vs. AMCAS gpa

[stang]

Hi everyone,

How does AACOMAS compute gpa? I've noticed posters on other threads mentioning that their AACOMAS gpa was different (and usually higher) than their AMCAS gpa. The AMCAS website computes gpa automatically, but AACOMAS doesn't so I'm not exactly sure what it is.

I ask because I had a very low freshman gpa and seem to remember hearing somewhere that AACOMAS only looks at the most recent grades.

Thanks a lot for any replies

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[fullefect1]

If you retake a class they will consider the new one over the old one. The AMCAS averages them.

 

[stang]

thanks for the quick reply fullefect,

I took some biology and chem classes at a different university my freshman year and did really bad. I have since transferred to a different school for the last 3.5 years. The bio and chem classes I took didn't transfer because of the low grades (my school didn't accept C- or lower). They were basically the same classes just with different course titles, do you think the classes I took at my recent school would count as retakes, or can retakes only be taken for the exact same class.

I looked on the AACOMAS web site but couldn't find anything, maybe I'll just have to talk to my advisor.

 

[daelroy]

If you retake a class they will consider the new one over the old one. The AMCAS averages them.

This is the biggest difference in the two. And it doesn't matter how many times you repeat a class. They will only average the last attempt you took a class. So technically you could fail O-chem twice and retake it for the third time and get an A and only the A will count on your AACOMAS GPA computation. Sure, the two F's will still show on the ACCOMAS application but they won't be tallied in the GPA.

On the AMCAS, every attempt is recorded into your GPA. So in other words, if you failed o-chem twice and got an A on your third time taking the class, 2 F's and 1 A will all be included in your overall GPA. Basically, it doesn't help if you repeat a class in the AMCAS process because every grade is taken into account. That is why it is much tougher getting into an allopathic schools. There is no insurance system like one can get with the DO AACOMAS process.

If someone really wanted to get into DO school, she could take a year off and repeat every class she got a C, D or an F in and raise their GPA tremendously. You can't do that in an MD AMCAS application.

When you enter your coursework on the AACOMAS application, you have to list an R next to the course if you repeated it. For example, if you failed Anatomy and repeated it with an A. You would list an R next to the Anatomy grade with the A. The computer will only average the Anatomy grade with the R next to it. If you repeated it 5 times for example, you would list an R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 next to each attempt. Only the R5 or last time you repeated it would computed into the GPA.

Hope that helped

 

[AspiringDoctor9]

Hihi guys,

One other thing to bring up regarding GPAs using AMCAS and AACOMAS - they compute science GPAs differently. AMCAS uses BCPM, which is biology, chemistry, physics and math. According to AACOMAS, math isn't a part of your science GPA for DO school applications. However, certain other things that AMCAS excludes such as geology, meterology, oceanography, etc. - count towards your science GPA under AACOMAS. Does this help any?

 

[exmike]

Also, AACOMAS doesnt average your grades and throws in your grad GPA for your overall.

I ended up with a 3.45 overall GPA for aacomas even though my AMCAS was 3.1!!!

 

[PublicEnemy]

One more thing, AACOMAS considers engineering classes to be science classes and calculates these in determining your science gpa. AMCAS does not do this. So for me, biomedical engineering classes like neuropathophysiology, or cardiovascular instrumentation, don't count towards my AMCAS BCPM gpa, but they do towards my AACOMAS science gpa.

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

Also, AACOMAS doesnt average your grades and throws in your grad GPA for your overall.

I ended up with a 3.45 overall GPA for aacomas even though my AMCAS was 3.1!!!

Wait, are you serious? I have three quarters of 4.0 to add in. Man, that made my week.



Adrian

 

[JapaneseSakura]

What about geography?

 

[IvyHopeful20]

AACOMAS also doesn't count math as 'science gpa', which may or may not help people (probably evens out I suppose, some people good at math, others not so much). AMCAS uses BCPM rather than 'science' so it explicitly includes math.

 

[MightyMoose]

What about geography?

6 year bump! Nice!

I don't think geography counts for science credit. You should look at the stickies at the top of the DO forum. They have one with a list of all the courses that count for what. I'm sure 99/100 times these will hold true.

AACOMAS also doesn't count math as 'science gpa', which may or may not help people (probably evens out I suppose, some people good at math, others not so much). AMCAS uses BCPM rather than 'science' so it explicitly includes math.

Yep, my AACOMAS science GPA was lower than my AMCAS, because math didn't count as science. My cumulative GPA was the same though.

 

[Lukat]

6 year bump! Nice!

I don't think geography counts for science credit. You should look at the stickies at the top of the DO forum. They have one with a list of all the courses that count for what. I'm sure 99/100 times these will hold true.





Yep, my AACOMAS science GPA was lower than my AMCAS, because math didn't count as science. My cumulative GPA was the same though.

same with me, my AACOMAS science GPA is lower than that of my AMCAS

 

[StayOnTop]

same with me, my AACOMAS science GPA is lower than that of my AMCAS

Same with me.

 

[Chevy Chase Fan]

AACOMAS also doesn't count math as 'science gpa', which may or may not help people (probably evens out I suppose, some people good at math, others not so much). AMCAS uses BCPM rather than 'science' so it explicitly includes math.

this is frickin' great news for me. i dicked around in math and got lame grades. fortunately i wasn't taking science classes back then too. that being said, ive basically had to relearn all the math I never paid attention to to get through chem and physics this semester, so I guess its still biting me a little.

 

[judasreznor]

My AACOMAS GPA, oddly, was quite a bit lower than my AMCAS GPA. It was because, as other posters have mentioned, AACOMAS included other courses into the science GPA that AMCAS doesn't.