Anyone ever get a 45 on the mcat

[Chankovsky]

Has this ever happened in the history of administering this exam.

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[Peter Griffin]

Me

 

[Howard Roark]

not me

 

[Pinkertinkle]

This has been discussed and the usual result is no one is really sure. There is no solid evidence either way. Evidence for usually comes in the form of I knew a person who knew a person who did. Evidence against usually comes in the form of look at the bell chart supplied buy AAMC, its 0% above 41!

 

[dfleis]

.

 

[theworst22]

I think that recently it was impossible to get a 15 on the verbal reasoning becasue the curve would not allow it... even if you answered every question correct. I also heard that they have made some changes that now allow you to get a 15 on VR. Anyone else hear something like this???

 

[dnelsen]

This has been discussed and the usual result is no one is really sure. There is no solid evidence either way. Evidence for usually comes in the form of I knew a person who knew a person who did. Evidence against usually comes in the form of look at the bell chart supplied buy AAMC, its 0% above 41!

Yeah, but if you do the math (as it has been done in other threads), even like 0.04% would equate to like 10 people, so I know there are people that have gotten above 41.......45, I'm not so sure 😉

 

[synapse lapse]

VR used to be on a scale of 13-15, so that meant a perfect score was a 43-45. My chemistry prof took the MCAT about 4 yrs ago and got a 41. Oh, and the bell chart from aamc can still say 0%, be correct, and allow for one person to have gotten a perfect score, as this would be less that .001%. I am sure someone has gotten one in the past at some point, but who really knows. Anyone knwo anyone who works for the aamc?

 

[dfleis]

.

 

[adamj61]

There are several people on SDN who got a 15 VR on this last April exam.

Yes, and everyone tells the truth. There has never been a 45, only recently could you even get one. I don't believe the people on here with 43's...its funny how the handful of people who did that well, all post here.

 

[dfleis]

.

 

[leechy]

I'm sure there have been a few 45's in the test's history. But obviously, no where near as many (as a percentage) as getting a perfect score on the SAT or even the LSAT.

 

[adamj61]

I'm sorry, but pre-med advisors are ignorant. He probably heard from someone who knew someone....people fake these 45's all of the time. Not to mention, it is a great motivational tool. I asked someone who had seen 30 years of admissions...never saw anything once over a 43. He knows what he is talking about...not a professional advisor

 

[willthatsall]

I heard a professor talking about a guy who made a perfect score back when the highest thing you could get in any section was 13-15. That means the high score was 39-45. Has this ever been the case or was he just blowing hot air. And I am pretty sure that everyone on SDN with a 42/43 isn't lying. Maybe some of them, but there are a few regulars with big scores like that.

 

[jpro]

There is someone on here that got a 43 and a full ride to Duke

 

[PublicEnemy]

The highest scores I've actually personally seen from people I know were 42's. 2 people from my school. My next door neighbor, I didn't believe him, bet him, showed me his AAMC THx screen, 42 S, now I have $20 less. Coincidentally he and the other person I know with a 42 are both at Wash U Med.

 

[liverotcod]

I posted the question on the e-mcat forum, where actual MCAT staff sometimes reply. We'll see if there's an official response. I would really like get an authoritative answer on this!

 

[IndyZX]

i still dont understand the incentive for lying about your mcat score on an online forum. i dont think it really happens, and i fully believe those who claimed 40-42s here earlier. why? cause for the most part they were arrogant sons of guns who only signed up to SDN to tell people their score and then we never heard from them again; and that sounds like something people would do. also, others (like FaylND) just seem reputable. whats the point of holding up the lie?

i can see lying as a joke, but thats not whats happening here.

 

[just_in_time]

I got a 45.............and then I woke up.

 

[Scubadoc]

i'd be ecstatic to get 10 points less than that

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

My boss, the chair of an adcom, told me of a student with a 3.92 and 44S who was interviewed. He got rejected because he couldnt carry on a normal conversation and was hostile in his interviews.

 

[Heal&Teach]

Surprised that no one mentioned their test prep gurus/teachers. There are always a few folks who claim to have scored in the 41-45 range.

 

[Scubadoc]

Surprised that no one mentioned their test prep gurus/teachers. There are always a few folks who claim to have scored in the 41-45 range.

yeah the guy who teaches orgo at kaplan here got a 41 evidently. seems he's a better test taker than teacher though... 🙁

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Surprised that no one mentioned their test prep gurus/teachers. There are always a few folks who claim to have scored in the 41-45 range.

I believe you only need a 33 or better to apply to teach at Kaplan/TPR. As a 41 correlates to above a 99 percentile, scores in the 40s would be rare even among test prep teachers.

 

[principessa]

I believe you only need a 33 or better to apply to teach at Kaplan/TPR. As a 41 correlates to above a 99 percentile, scores in the 40s would be rare even among test prep teachers.

Not even that. You need a 12 on their diagnostic for the section you're going to teach. Only one of my Kaplan instructors had taken the real MCAT.

 

[Alexander99]

My boss, the chair of an adcom, told me of a student with a 3.92 and 44S who was interviewed. He got rejected because he couldnt carry on a normal conversation and was hostile in his interviews.

Wouldn't you be hostile if you were ugly as ****?

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

i still dont understand the incentive for lying about your mcat score on an online forum. i dont think it really happens, and i fully believe those who claimed 40-42s here earlier. why? cause for the most part they were arrogant sons of guns who only signed up to SDN to tell people their score and then we never heard from them again; and that sounds like something people would do. also, others (like FaylND) just seem reputable. whats the point of holding up the lie?

i can see lying as a joke, but thats not whats happening here.

Thanks 👍

But someone mentioned about the 13-15 range in verbal, and I thought that was in effect until this year's administration. I know someone who took it in April 2003 and got a 40-42. So if this were true, wouldn't this be the first year someone could get a true 45? Before then I would imagine a 43-45 was possible, but it would effectively be the same as a perfect score.

 

[treetrunk]

Hey c'mon, don't rag on the boy since he smacked us around on the cat. It does go to show you, though, that you can put all your eggs in the mcat basket or count any of 'em until they hatch in you mailbox. 😛

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Well as I said, evidence for 45 is predictably the anecdotal "know a person who knew a person", and evidence against is the "look at that bell curve." Anyhow, someone needs to email AAMC and settle it once and for all.

 

[TheFlash]

Thanks 👍

But someone mentioned about the 13-15 range in verbal, and I thought that was in effect until this year's administration. I know someone who took it in April 2003 and got a 40-42. So if this were true, wouldn't this be the first year someone could get a true 45? Before then I would imagine a 43-45 was possible, but it would effectively be the same as a perfect score.

You're wrong, and your friend must've lied to you. As of April 2003, VR was cut five questions shorter and scored on a 1-15 scale for the first time.

I know people with 43+ scores. It does happen... never seen a 45, though, but I'm sure someone out there has gotten it in one of the last three administrations. Especially in the April 2004 MCAT, since it was more leniently scored.

 

[liverotcod]

Well as I said, evidence for 45 is predictably the anecdotal "know a person who knew a person", and evidence against is the "look at that bell curve." Anyhow, someone needs to email AAMC and settle it once and for all.

Done, and waiting on the response.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Thank you, do post any responses. If AAMC comes with a "we can neither confirm nor deny the existence of one or more 45's due to privacy concerns," I'm going to scream.

 

[liverotcod]

...Especially in the April 2004 MCAT, since it was more leniently scored.

Beg to differ. Not more leniently scored. Perhaps it had higher average scores, but not because of more *lenient* scoring. The scoring is normalized over years of test administrations.

 

[UT_OC]

Has this ever happened in the history of administering this exam.

My TPR teacher got a 44-45. The reason was b/c of verbal.. the 13-15 range, for some reason you can't get a 15 (something like that).

 

[No Egrets]

My orgo TA in college (3 years ago) got a 43-45 (because of the 13-15 max on verbal). He also happened to be one of my associate advisors, which is why I felt comfortable enough with him to ask. He's a really intelligent, friendly, down to earth guy. He's at Wash U now also.

 

[TheFlash]

Beg to differ. Not more leniently scored. Perhaps it had higher average scores, but not because of more *lenient* scoring. The scoring is normalized over years of test administrations.

I mean more lenient with percentile-to-composite score translations. A 36 was ~98th percentile a year before, and ~97th percentile this year. A shift that high up in the score range certainly means that there were more people scoring 40+ this past April than any other past administration, even though they were at a lower relative percentile for April 2004.

I didn't mean to say it was any "easier"... perhaps students were better prepared, who knows. I still find it extremely surprising that the average composite score went up quite a bit in less than a year, statistically speaking.

 

[adamj61]

WashU is about the only school I feel my 31 is out of the park...numbers ***** 😡

 

[velo]

The highest I've ever heard of in the post 13-15 verbal era is a 42...but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a 43 floating around somewhere....I don't think a 45 is possible.

 

[willthatsall]

The highest I've ever heard of in the post 13-15 verbal era is a 42...but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a 43 floating around somewhere....I don't think a 45 is possible.

There are a few long time members with high scores. I know JohnHolmes has a 43 and is taking a full ride to Duke. And I think Somekevinguy might have a 43 also, not positive though.

 

[Alexander99]

What's the real difference between a 43 and a 45 anyway? 2-3 correct questions maybe? It comes down to guessing correctly at this point. No real difference if you ask me. If you get a 45, it just means you got a little luckier than you 42+ counterparts.

 

[45408]

Yes, and everyone tells the truth. There has never been a 45, only recently could you even get one. I don't believe the people on here with 43's...its funny how the handful of people who did that well, all post here.

Think for a second. Who looks for an INTERNET FORUM FOR PRE-MEDS? The nerds. Us. 😀 So don't you think that the overachievers would tend to find this place as well? I'm not surprised at all.

 

[pushkin]

A 36 was ~98th percentile a year before, and ~97th percentile this year. A shift that high up in the score range certainly means that there were more people scoring 40+ this past April than any other past administration, even though they were at a lower relative percentile for April 2004.

Does a shift above 36 really say much about what's going on percentile-wise in the 40s? Isn't that assuming that the curve retains the exact same shape every time? Maybe the upper 30's got redistributed but the 40's stayed the same. I dunno.

I have my April '04 curve from the AAMC right here. There were 27,586 people taking it. .1% scored a 41, so that's 27-28 people. It's only calculated to one decimal point. It looks like the total percents only add up to 99.9%, so overall there are a total of 27-28 missing scores. These must be spread out among the scores of 1-5 and 42-45. Between a 38 and a 41 though, there's a doubling or more of the percent getting each score as you go down in score one number at a time. So a 45... well, it seems unlikely but I guess it's possible.

Does anyone know anyone who works at WashU? Wouldn't anyone with a 45 in the past have applied there, since they're sure to get in?

 

[SailCrazy]

There were 27,586 people taking it. .1% scored a 41, so that's 27-28 people. It's only calculated to one decimal point. It looks like the total percents only add up to 99.9%, so overall there are a total of 27-28 missing scores. These must be spread out among the scores of 1-5 and 42-45.

Couldn't this just be rounding error? .01% is still 2.75 people. I'm guessing that the "missing" .1% isn't really missing, maybe it just got "rounded out" over each of the individual categories.

 

[adamj61]

Think for a second. Who looks for an INTERNET FORUM FOR PRE-MEDS? The nerds. Us. 😀 So don't you think that the overachievers would tend to find this place as well? I'm not surprised at all.

I found this forum because someone told me to go there when I had question...who knew it would be more addicting than smack

I agree, but don't you find it interesting that ALL of the 15's in verbal can be counted on these forums...some people don't have the time, especially those with 15's...to even look for a site like this. Where are the 1's?

Some people leave half way through....the go down as 0's, so your 27-28 people for spots 0-5 and 40-5, probably has more 0-5's in it.

 

[mellantro]

There are at least 3-4 people on SDN with a 43 (i think 2 of those are from SDNers at Northwestern undergrad... but I may be wrong, I forget the school). And a few more with a 42.

The best though is that there is a HIGH schooler on SDN, no joke, I don't think she posts anymore, but she got a 42. Now, why she took the MCAT in high school, I'm not sure, but when she posted a few months back, it seemed to be legit. (i.e. people had heard of that particular high schooler getting that score)

 

[Heliums]

I GOT A 45. . . put to my head. Then I gave him all my money.

 

[DrSwede]

I GOT A 45. . . put to my head. Then I gave him all my money.

rofl! (i'm assuming this was not an actual incident)

 

[Phil Anthropist]

The best though is that there is a HIGH schooler on SDN, no joke, I don't think she posts anymore, but she got a 42. Now, why she took the MCAT in high school, I'm not sure, but when she posted a few months back, it seemed to be legit. (i.e. people had heard of that particular high schooler getting that score)

Well there is that 13 yr old kid at the University of Chicago-Pritzker that just finished his first year. And if my memory serves me right, he got a 40+ MCAT and is in the MSTP program 😱

 

[Daedalus]

Yeah, the high schooler who got 40+ is crazy.

I know that my math TA got a 44. He originally wanted to go to med school or law schools, but after taking both the MCAT and LSAT, decided to get a Ph.D. in math instead. He also taught MCAT review for Kaplan and became the regional director in Texas for a while. I am for sure going back to him in a year to tutor me 😀

 

[UpstateMS]

Until about 2 years ago, it was impossible to get a 45. The top score you could get was a 43-45, and one student I went to school with did get this score. It is now possible to get a 45, as they have revised the VR section to make it possible to differentiate between a 13, a 14, and a 15.