AAMC Data for 2022 Matriculants show a 509 MCAT Average

[demetriusclair]

https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/14301/download?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AMCAS&utm_content=infographic

I don't know why I always thought it was 511-512 that was the average. But this shows 509 and the one from last year also shows 509.

I also would have never thought 1360 being the average number of research hours was a thing... I thought I was above average with my 1400 hours but it looks like I'm average as it relates to research

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[LizzyM]

Average is such a bullsh1t word. Is that mean or median? is the data normally distributed or skewed? Do these data include applicants in BS/MD programs who need only a minimum threshold on MCAT and GPA? I'd still go with 510 as the "better than average" matriculant number to shoot for.

 

[demetriusclair]

Average is such a bullsh1t word. Is that mean or median? is the data normally distributed or skewed? Do these data include applicants in BS/MD programs who need only a minimum threshold on MCAT and GPA? I'd still go with 510 as the "better than average" matriculant number to shoot for.

I'm thinking if its 509, it's mean. But yeah, doesn't seem to be based in what we tend to see.

I was also wondering why they just leave clinical hours off this. If research is 1360, I wonder if clinical is somewhere close to that

 

[karaya]

I was also wondering why they just leave clinical hours off this. If research is 1360, I wonder if clinical is somewhere close to that

Just a wild guess: I think no. It's easy for students to rack up research because it's on campus and you can count all the time you spend in the lab waiting for reactions / assays, washing dishes, etc. Clinical is more engaging and out-of-your-comfort-zone. That being said, we saw a jump in clinical employment during the pandemic as volunteer positions were shuttered.

 

[LizzyM]

I'm thinking if its 509, it's mean. But yeah, doesn't seem to be based in what we tend to see.

I was also wondering why they just leave clinical hours off this. If research is 1360, I wonder if clinical is somewhere close to that

Clinical is tough as it can be either volunteer or paid.

 

[Stoasty]

https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/14301/download?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AMCAS&utm_content=infographic

I don't know why I always thought it was 511-512 that was the average. But this shows 509 and the one from last year also shows 509.

I also would have never thought 1360 being the average number of research hours was a thing... I thought I was above average with my 1400 hours but it looks like I'm average as it relates to research

1360 average hours what? I assume this is counting mandatory academic lab courses or something wonky.

 

[demetriusclair]

1360 average hours what? I assume this is counting mandatory academic lab courses or something wonky.

Based on the graphic, 1360 research lab hours.

On AMCAS, the lab courses you take are incorporated into a classification of BIOL, CHEM, or PHYS so I don't think there's a way for them to actively make that distinction. Some schools combine their labs and courses into one course so it'd be hard to use that aspect of the classification as well.

So I think this is just the hours reported under "Research/Lab" classification in your ECs.

 

[LizzyM]

1360 average hours what? I assume this is counting mandatory academic lab courses or something wonky.

That's why I was wondering about mean or median.... When you have some people who are working in a lab for a year or two after graduation adding their 4,000 full-time hours into the mix it tends to skew things in a strange way.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I think this is off the Matriculating Student Questionnaire. For those who know the nuances of how to present data on infographics like this, you also know how useless average/mean is. The distribution of applicants' volunteering hours is not a Gaussian, and I'm also guessing the curve for MCAT among enrollees isn't either. I've become a midrange fan over the years, especially when it comes to reported experience hours.

 

[Goro]

https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/14301/download?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AMCAS&utm_content=infographic

I don't know why I always thought it was 511-512 that was the average. But this shows 509 and the one from last year also shows 509.

I also would have never thought 1360 being the average number of research hours was a thing... I thought I was above average with my 1400 hours but it looks like I'm average as it relates to research

MSAR says otherwise

 

[kath00]

What caught my attention was the 49,000 applicants. I thought in prior years people kept mentioning 60k. I heard it multiple times on YouTube interviews with adcoms So does that mean last year the pool went down by 10,000? Or is this funny math too.

 

[demetriusclair]

What caught my attention was the 49,000 applicants. I thought in prior years people kept mentioning 60k. I heard it multiple times on YouTube interviews with adcoms So does that mean last year the pool went down by 10,000? Or is this funny math too.

Apparently it went up from 50k --> 60k --> 49k

In the last 3 years. Likely had something to do with covid

 

[TheDataKing]

Weird because that directly contradicts their data 511.9 was the average for matriculants.

 

[LizzyM]

Weird because that directly contradicts their data 511.9 was the average for matriculants.

The table refers to several years combined while the infographic with the slightly lower MCAT is for a single year. So perhaps the short term trend is for a slightly lower MCAT than one to two years ago?

 

[eigen]

When I'm talking to students I remind them that averages (especially means) can be really hard to interpret for things like this, especially when you factor in gap/growth years, non-traditional applicants, and the fact that everyone has a slightly different path / set of strengths.

As was pointed out upthread, full-time work for a year is ~ 2000 hours. So someone who takes 2 years to work full time as a researcher (not that uncommon) heavily tips the scale: 1 person with 4000 hours and 3 other people with 400 hours each give you an "average" of 1300, but doesn't tell you much useful when you're planning your time as an applicant.

For "average" programs, my advise to students is they need to stand out in some way that matches their narrative and motivation and future goals. They don't have to stand out in every single one. For some, they have excellent grades and a great MCAT score. Others have a ton of community service (or did something like Americorps/Peace Corps/Teach For America post-graduation). Some will work for 1-3 years in a clinical position post-graduation and have thousands of hours of clinical experience.

In my experience, the yearly infographic just panics all of my applicants and makes them think they should be aiming for those numbers, rather than focusing on shoring up weaknesses (getting them out of red-flag territory) and boosting strengths.