Are MCAT Scores used to evaluate Residency applicants?

[StreetGenius]

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I was wondering whether one has to report their MCAT score on their residency application. Also, do residency directors frown upon students with low MCATs. I know everyone states that it is all about the boards. But let say, one scores at the national average, lets say 24 and does really well on the boards. Do schools factor a student's MCAT into their ranking of the student?


Thanks in Advance.

 

[ExtraCrispy]

I was wondering whether one has to report their MCAT score on their residency application. Also, do residency directors frown upon students with low MCATs. I know everyone states that it is all about the boards. But let say, one scores at the national average, lets say 24 and does really well on the boards. Do schools factor a student's MCAT into their ranking of the student?


Thanks in Advance.

Nope. There may be a couple of isolated programs that inquire about MCAT (if there are, I don't know about them), but at the vast majority of programs, they're not a factor at all. ERAS (the application system for residency, kind of like AMCAS) doesn't ask for the MCAT score anywhere.

 

[cdql]

My dean told me that while they look at them, almost none of them use it as an actual factor.

(Come to think of it, my college advisor told me the same thing!)

 

[BlondeCookie]

My dean told me that while they look at them, almost none of them use it as an actual factor.

(Come to think of it, my college advisor told me the same thing!)

Who told you that? How can residency directors look at your MCAT when they don't even have access to your scores unless you purposely submit it to them and nobody I know does that.

 

[Jaider]

Who told you that? How can residency directors look at your MCAT when they don't even have access to your scores unless you purposely submit it to them and nobody I know does that.

In a different thread, someone mentioned that your med school will include your MCAT when writing your letter of recommendation to residency programs. Don't remember the thread name or whereabouts, sorry. 🙁

What about undergraduate GPA? Does that get reported anywhere on residency applications? If the med school includes ones MCAT in their letter of rec, maybe they'd throw the GPA in too?

 

[njbmd]

In a different thread, someone mentioned that your med school will include your MCAT when writing your letter of recommendation to residency programs. Don't remember the thread name or whereabouts, sorry. 🙁

What about undergraduate GPA? Does that get reported anywhere on residency applications? If the med school includes ones MCAT in their letter of rec, maybe they'd throw the GPA in too?

Hi Folks,
Residency programs do not care about your MCAT scores. They are not reported by your school and they are not included in your residency application unless you choose to put them in your personal statement. Why would you want to anyway? MCAT stands for medical school admissions test. USMLE/COMLEX is your "ringer" for residency so get this one right. You only take it once unless you fail.

Residency programs are interested in your medical school grades and rankings. Even if your school is Pass/Fail, there are rankings. Another nice thing to have is Alpha Omega Alpha (allopathic).

njbmd 🙂

 

[Sondra]

My dean told me that while they look at them, almost none of them use it as an actual factor.

(Come to think of it, my college advisor told me the same thing!)

I interviewed for medical school in December 2005 with the dean of student affairs. I had a low MCAT score, and he asked me if I planned on retaking the MCAT. He explained that he was aking because it was a possibility that they would reflect poorly on me for residency. He said that if they had two candidates that were similar in all othere reguards that they may look at MCAT scores to make a final decision. He told me that it wasn't necessary for me to retake the MCAT, but he wanted me to be aware of what could happen. I did not retake, and I was accepted.

 

[CANES2006]

No one cares about MCATs at that stage of the game. What does a test that you took 4 years ago say about you now?

 

[docmd2010]

a residency program asking for mcat scores is a bit ridiculous, i mean come on do they want my SAT's too? what about the grades i got in first grade? if it comes down to two applicants, i'm sure they'll take the one that got a "satisfactory" in listening in first grade. 😉

 

[8744]

I interviewed for medical school in December 2005 with the dean of student affairs. I had a low MCAT score, and he asked me if I planned on retaking the MCAT. He explained that he was aking because it was a possibility that they would reflect poorly on me for residency. He said that if they had two candidates that were similar in all othere reguards that they may look at MCAT scores to make a final decision. He told me that it wasn't necessary for me to retake the MCAT, but he wanted me to be aware of what could happen. I did not retake, and I was accepted.

He was as full of **** as the proverbial Christmas goose. If you want to subject yourself to the MCAT again on the off-chance that in four years you will be so evenly matched with another applicant for a higher ranking at some as-yet unknown residency program that they will have to decide between you by digging up your MCAT scores then you go!

Hey, you might even do worse on it and then the schools to which you are applying can see a nice downward trend.

Seriously. Relax. Study hard and do well on Step 1 and Step 2 and you wil lbe fine.

 

[8744]

a residency program asking for mcat scores is a bit ridiculous, i mean come on do they want my SAT's too? what about the grades i got in first grade? if it comes down to two applicants, i'm sure they'll take the one that got a "satisfactory" in listening in first grade. 😉

Well, on the ERAS application for "Publications" I did list a little paper entitled, "Our Friend the Badger" of which I was the First Author back in third grade.

 

[Law2Doc]

Well, on the ERAS application for "Publications" I did list a little paper entitled, "Our Friend the Badger" of which I was the First Author back in third grade.

You are so in. Congrats. 👍

 

[potato51]

Were you ever asked in your med schools applications what your SAT score was? If they did, they probably don't care except for statistical purposes.

 

[k-wire]

just to let you know i had two programs (out of about 30 that i applied to) that asked for mcat scores. one of those two also asked about sat scores. i dont know if it was a factor in their eval process or if they were doing a study or something. anyway, i got an interview at one and not the other, but didnt rank it it highly and ended up matching somewhere else.

 

[StreetGenius]

Hi Folks,
Residency programs do not care about your MCAT scores. They are not reported by your school and they are not included in your residency application unless you choose to put them in your personal statement. Why would you want to anyway? MCAT stands for medical school admissions test. USMLE/COMLEX is your "ringer" for residency so get this one right. You only take it once unless you fail.

Residency programs are interested in your medical school grades and rankings. Even if your school is Pass/Fail, there are rankings. Another nice thing to have is Alpha Omega Alpha (allopathic).

njbmd 🙂

Makes sense. Thanks.