ACT and MCAT Correlation

[deleted9493]

Well, I'm slated to take the MCAT in April of next year...and I must say that it concerns me.
Here's why. I received a whopping 24 for my efforts on the ACT. It was easy to attribute my low scoring to a lack of test-taking ability, but this seems only an excuse.
As a result, I'm looking for students who did mediocre/bad on the ACT yet performed well on the MCAT. I ask this because if I'm going to pour my all into studying for this thing...I want to know that the odds of my doing well are favorable.
I've done well in college with a ~3.85 gpa, but the more I read, the less those grades seem relevant to MCAT scores.
I appreciate anything you guys have to offer.

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[Bevo]

well I never took the ACT, but Im hoping I have a trend with the MCAT in correlation to the trend I had with the SAT.

I got a 620 or something on my first SAT and then jumped to a 1100 on my 2nd and then a 1200 on my third attempt.

I think anyone is capable of doing well on the MCAT because you can study for it. Im just as bad as anyone in terms of taking standarized tests and getting pre-test jitters but its overcomable with preperation and practice.

So my help to you is forget about your ACT score, this isn't the ACT and it doesn't define you.

 

[Mike59]

I think you may be on to something:

Sept 1998: ACT - 28
Aug 2002: MCAT - 27

Unlike the ACT (where I scored a 34 math), my highest MCAT section was a 10, bummer!

 

[Dr. Wall$treet]

they really are two totally differnet tests. SAT and ACT are tests in which u cant really have a knowledge base for the majority of quetsions. Where as for the mcat, both physical and bio sections, the more u learn, the more you know and if you konw it u can answer the questions. I mean u either know it or not, thereis .. mcat ismore similar to class tests.. SAT is closer to an IQ type teste.. studying is never a waste

 

[dpark74]

ACT: 30
MCAT: 34

30/36=83 +/- 3%
34/43=79 +/- 2%

Statistically equivalent scores! Interesting...

SAT 1310

1310/1600=82 +/- 1%

I'm bored at work so I thought I'd crunch some numbers.

 

[mws99]

I got 6 points higher on the MCAT than the ACT, so it is definitely possible to improve a great deal.

 

[STi555]

My MCAT and ACT scores are also very similar if you do the X/36 and X/43 method. I also did a similar amount of studying for the MCAT and ACT (about one practice test and I reviewed organic for the MCAT). My theory is that this correlation is because some people are better at standardized tests than others, not that the tests are so very much the same. While this is partly due to your intelligence many other factors often play a larger role in your performance. So, your ACT performance may give some clue to your MCAT score but the best thing to do right now is just take a practice test and see where you are at.

 

[Dr Chooch]

Don't let the ACT get you down. First of all, it was a dumb test. I don't really remember what it was all about, but I got a 29. Then I went and took the MCAT and got a 37. Being the totally different tests that they are, don't worry a bit about predicting your MCAT score from your ACT performance. There is a method to doing well on the MCAT that sets it apart from other tests.

1. Know your stuff.
Learn all of the important science concepts so you know them pretty thoroughly.

2. Familiarize yourself with the format and the various types of questions.
This will help settle into your test taking comfort zone.

3. Take tons of practice tests.
The more you take, the more comfortable you will feel on test day

4. Never underestimate yourself, and never lose your confidence.
I think that bringing your confidence with you on test day is the most important thing you can bring (barring the pencils and 12 forms of photo ID). Without your confidence, no matter how much science/verbal you have learned, you will not be able to do well on the test. My level of confidence was the factor that acheived that score above all else, not my knowledge or my intelligence. Remember, no matter how much you know, it won't help you if you can't use it. Be confident and do as well as you can. And oh yeah, eff the ACT.

 

[Jim Picotte]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry at all, I got a 22 (I think, it was too low to get any scholarship from my state for undergrad) or a 23 on my ACT and I barely broke 1000 on the SAT, in fact I might not have even broken that but did well on the MCAT 32 and have done outstanding on my USMLE exams so it's all a matter of motivation and you're older and wiser now right Good luck.

 

[deleted9493]

Thank you all for your replies. Especially you Jim. I feel much more confident in my efforts now. It's so easy to let the past act as a mental barrier to preparing well for these things....so I thank you sincerely.
If anybody else has had any experiences that are similar to any of the the above posters, I would love to hear them! (especially like Jim's). Thanks!

 

[Epi]

I really dont think there is a correlation between the two tests b/c they are on different material and the MCAT is more of a critical thinking test.

 

[isidella]

And if it matters to anyone, the first time I took the ACT, I got a 27. I took it again, did nothing different and got a 35. Now that I "know" the MCAT, the ACT is a totally different beast.

 

[kbkaggie]

i think that there is absolutely no relation between the two. the mcat is a test that cannot be compared to any other test out there. the material is harder, the test is longer, and serious time must be put into prepping for it. nothing compares- i dont care what people sayt about the act stuff.
kristin

 

[NE_Cornhusker1]

The x/36 and x/43 thing seems reasonable but it might just be a coincidence.

They have little to do with each other than that they both measure intelligence (problem solving ability).

ACT: 27
MCAT: 32Q

 

[STi555]

Originally posted by kbkaggie
i think that there is absolutely no relation between the two. the mcat is a test that cannot be compared to any other test out there. the material is harder, the test is longer, and serious time must be put into prepping for it. nothing compares- i dont care what people sayt about the act stuff.
kristin

I would have to disagree. They are both standardized tests. Sure the MCAT is harder and focused on science. However, the fact that the MCAT is longer and harder doesn't change any relation the tests may have. Furthermore, some people can take the MCAT with very little studying and do just fine. Your ACT score and preparation may be an small indication of the amount of effort you will need for the MCAT. However, I would agree with the statement that the conection between the two tests is probably fairly small and obviously the few instances of some people's score being similiar and some being dissimilar does not prove or disprove any connection.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Originally posted by NE_Cornhusker1
The x/36 and x/43 thing seems reasonable but it might just be a coincidence.

They have little to do with each other than that they both measure intelligence (problem solving ability).

ACT: 27
MCAT: 32Q

the x/# methods do NOT work. Dont y'all know anything about statistics? First off, a 1310 on the SAT was a 90th percentile when I Took it....a 36 on the MCAT is a 99th percenitle...The stats and methods of grading are completely different. The ACT is a joke compared to the MCAT, which stands as the hardest standardised entrance exam, with the LSAT coming in a close second.