Average Intelligence scoring >36?

[msavvy]

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I am wondering, can a person with average intelligence score above a 36 or somewhere in the 95 percentile range on the MCAT with enough practice and studying?

I guess this is a question of hard work overcoming talent.
Also, I am wondering what is a realistic goal I should aim for when studying for my MCATs.

 

[Wonton Soup]

Studying smart >> being a smart studier. I think the factor that calls for the most "intelligence" is realistically assessing your strengths and weaknesses. Your best bet would be to do a diagnostic test and go from there. In terms of realistic goals, that's dependent on several factors: diagnostic test results, study schedule, work commitments, etc.

 

[khrisskhoras]

I am wondering, can a person with average intelligence score above a 36 or somewhere in the 95 percentile range on the MCAT with enough practice and studying?

I guess this is a question of hard work overcoming talent.
Also, I am wondering what is a realistic goal I should aim for when studying for my MCATs.

its all about how adequately and thoroughly one studies. Also, intelligence is subjective. By this I mean that someone could be a fine artist and writer but terrible at math and science, and still be "intelligent" nevertheless. So its hard to say if for sure someone with "average intelligence" could do well on a test like the MCAT.

A realistic goal should be 33, which could make you competitive to most MD and DO schools and isn't too hard to achieve with adequate study.

 

[clothcut]

No, it's impossible. The MCAT is specifically designed to surmise who is the most intelligent of test takers, as a 144 question test is undoubtedly the best means to quantify such a thing.

 

[Temperature101]

[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

No, it's impossible. The MCAT is specifically designed to surmise who is the most intelligent of test takers, as a 144 question test is undoubtedly the best means to quantify such a thing.

I detect sarcasm here....

 

[Temperature101]

I am wondering, can a person with average intelligence score above a 36 or somewhere in the 95 percentile range on the MCAT with enough practice and studying?

I guess this is a question of hard work overcoming talent.
Also, I am wondering what is a realistic goal I should aim for when studying for my MCATs.

It is possible if you can score an 11+ in VR since it is the big elephant in the room...

 

[Synapsis]

In my opinion, your realistic goal needs to be a 45. This is my personal belief of course, but by aiming for anything shorter, I actually believe that you make that score your new maximum. That is, by aiming for a 33, you now essentially make 33 the maximum score you could get on the test, because all of your effort and practice will be geared toward going for that 33, not anything above it. Let people tell you it's impossible. You may not get a 45, but your chances of getting a >95%ile score will be infinitely greater if you go for a 45 than if you go for a 33.

No need to limit yourself. After all, aiming for perfection will put you far above a simply "solid" score, but aiming for a solid score may leave you far short of it.

 

[catzzz88]

I think the key is time. I would say maybe 1 month of efficient studying for every point you want to raise your score (from a preliminary AAMC test, NOT Kaplan's test). If you start off at a low score, you need more time to bring it up to a 36, but if you start off at a 33, you need about 3 months to bring it reliably up to a 36.

The REALLY smart kids might need less time, and some people might need more, but I would say 1 month per point is about average.

Idk, this is a bit arbitrary....

 

[Laureatebarrel]

I can't tell you whether you will get a score of 36 on your MCAT, but I can't help but wonder why you are not preparing for your test rather than asking such a pointless question. 👎

 

[wjs010]

I can't tell you whether you will get a score of 36 on your MCAT, but I can't help but wonder why you are not preparing for your test rather than asking such a pointless question. 👎

It takes about 20 seconds to make a post. Maybe op just got done doing 30 tbr passages and is on the John taking a break?

 

[Meredith92]

I think it is DEFINITELY possible to score high no matter your intelligence. I kept scoring around a 30 on AAMCs my first attempts at studying with EK, and then I used TBR and suddenly i was getting 37's 38's and 39s... i got a 37 on the real thing. I really put in the time, and made it my entire life for three whole months. I think anyone is capable of it, and thinking otherwise will only hold you back. In fact, I specifically remember reading a post by OCDOCDOCD that said anyone who really studies using tbr can bring up their score to mid thirties, and I completely agree. Work ethic and dedication>>>>>>> intelligence.

But then again, one could argue, it takes a certain level/ type of intelligence to be able to have that sort of work ethic.

 

[Lambda Phage]

A person with average intelligence (defined as having an IQ = 100) would have a very difficult time scoring above a 36 on the MCAT because the MCAT is mostly a reading comprehension and critical thinking exam; these skills are strongly positively correlated to IQ.

However, if you're talking about the average person who's gotten through all the pre-med requirements up to this point, I think it's reasonable to assume that said theoretical person could score at least a 32. In order to hit a 36+, you have to really know the material and be a good test-taker as well.

As mentioned before me, the amount of time and effort you put into this exam is more indicative of your performance on the exam than intrinsic qualities like IQ...

 

[Laureatebarrel]

It takes about 20 seconds to make a post. Maybe op just got done doing 30 tbr passages and is on the John taking a break?

What is your point exactly?

 

[msavvy]

I can't tell you whether you will get a score of 36 on your MCAT, but I can't help but wonder why you are not preparing for your test rather than asking such a pointless question. 👎

I am just curious to as what people think 🙂 as I am just starting to prepare for the beast.

Reading through the thread, I find it amazing the level of ambition and motivation thats running around on this forum and how high of goals are actually set. It's nice to see the philosophy of future doctors and successful people. LOL

 

[paradigms]

A person with average intelligence (defined as having an IQ = 100) would have a very difficult time scoring above a 36 on the MCAT because the MCAT is mostly a reading comprehension and critical thinking exam; these skills are strongly positively correlated to IQ.

However, if you're talking about the average person who's gotten through all the pre-med requirements up to this point, I think it's reasonable to assume that said theoretical person could score at least a 32. In order to hit a 36+, you have to really know the material and be a good test-taker as well.

As mentioned before me, the amount of time and effort you put into this exam is more indicative of your performance on the exam than intrinsic qualities like IQ...

You contradict yourself in this post. You start off by saying that it is difficult to score a 36, and then conclude that time spent is more indicative than IQ. I would think that we would be assuming that a person who is studying for the test would have taken all of the pre-reqs

 

[Lambda Phage]

You contradict yourself in this post. You start off by saying that it is difficult to score a 36, and then conclude that time spent is more indicative than IQ. I would think that we would be assuming that a person who is studying for the test would have taken all of the pre-reqs

That isn't a contradiction. Saying something is unlikely is different than saying it is impossible, or that the likeliness of doing well cannot be improved with lots of studying.

The question was if it was possible for a person of average intelligence (IQ = 100) to score a 36 on the MCAT with "enough studying." My answer is no, it is unlikely for that to happen. But the "average person" who does well in their pre-reqs isn't the "average person" at all; in other words, doing well in your pre-reqs indicates that you're probably a person of above average intelligence at least.

 

[MedWonk]

Studying smart >> being a smart studier. I think the factor that calls for the most "intelligence" is realistically assessing your strengths and weaknesses. Your best bet would be to do a diagnostic test and go from there. In terms of realistic goals, that's dependent on several factors: diagnostic test results, study schedule, work commitments, etc.

I believe I am of fairly average intelligence and I got roughly in that range. So, yeah.

 

[onedirection]

Studying smart >> being a smart studier. I think the factor that calls for the most "intelligence" is realistically assessing your strengths and weaknesses. Your best bet would be to do a diagnostic test and go from there. In terms of realistic goals, that's dependent on several factors: diagnostic test results, study schedule, work commitments, etc.

Hard Work > Talent everyday

 

[paradigms]

That isn't a contradiction. Saying something is unlikely is different than saying it is impossible, or that the likeliness of doing well cannot be improved with lots of studying.

The question was if it was possible for a person of average intelligence (IQ = 100) to score a 36 on the MCAT with "enough studying." My answer is no, it is unlikely for that to happen. But the "average person" who does well in their pre-reqs isn't the "average person" at all; in other words, doing well in your pre-reqs indicates that you're probably a person of above average intelligence at least.

Haha, interesting way of getting out of that 😛. You made it like the average person was the same person in both instances. If you in fact were originally talking about two different people, I see how you meant to differentiate them. Your post was like reading a Verbal passage

 

[Lambda Phage]

Haha, interesting way of getting out of that 😛. You made it like the average person was the same person in both instances. If you in fact were originally talking about two different people, I see how you meant to differentiate them. Your post was like reading a Verbal passage

Extra practice. You're welcome. 😀

 

[inycepoo]

What is IQ. What is intelligence. These are not things the MCAT is interested in.

This is a complete straw man, yes, but holds nevertheless.

 

[Lambda Phage]

What is IQ. What is intelligence. These are not things the MCAT is interested in.

This is a complete straw man, yes, but holds nevertheless.

Many of the factors that influence IQ also influence performance on logic/critical-thinking exams. I agree that the MCAT isn't an IQ test, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's a strong correlation between IQ and MCAT score.