Boards Success and MCAT Section

[driven4]

I find that people on SDN often compare MCAT scores to future success on board exams. I understand the mindset, but surely some sections of the MCAT are better predictors of applicant potential in medical school. Take two different test takers with the same score. Applicant A scored much higher in Bio/Biochem, while Applicant B scored much higher in Psych/Soc. I would think that admissions would interpret applicant A to have more potential. What do you guys think? I have also heard that CARS have the highest correlation with board success? Say a hypothetical situation where two applicants were identical in all areas except for their unbalanced MCAT scores. Which section would you prefer to be your highest to lowest? Ex: Bio>Chem>CARS>Psych

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[deleted853480]

I would say it's Bio~=chem>cars~=psych/soc

 

[Goro]

I find that people on SDN often compare MCAT scores to future success on board exams. I understand the mindset, but surely some sections of the MCAT are better predictors of applicant potential in medical school. Take two different test takers with the same score. Applicant A scored much higher in Bio/Biochem, while Applicant B scored much higher in Psych/Soc. I would think that admissions would interpret applicant A to have more potential. What do you guys think? I have also heard that CARS have the highest correlation with board success? Say a hypothetical situation where two applicants were identical in all areas except for their unbalanced MCAT scores. Which section would you prefer to be your highest to lowest? Ex: Bio>Chem>CARS>Psych

I have yet to see any data that dissects out MCAT subsections as a predictor for Boards success. The MCAT overall is a mild predictor, at best.

Far better will be your pre-clinical GPA. There' s published data on this, and no, I'm not going. to PubMed search it for you.
Adcoms like Bio scores, at least at my school. CARS gets cut the most slack.

Concerning the bold, SDNer are strongly advised not to obsess about a single data point, because it's not a zero sum game. Your entire app determines your fate.

 

[cliquesh]

This is a side note, but the MCAT and comlex/usmle are not similar tests, really. The mcat requires more reading comprehension and logic whereas the comlex/usmle is mostly memorization of "facts." I got a 30 on the mcat and a 250+ on the usmle. My wife got a 36 on the mcat and a 225ish on the usmle.