Correlation between MCAT/SAT?

[x_prometheus_x]

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As I sit here and predict a good showing in post-bacc if I put my heart into it, I can't help but feel unnerved about the MCAT's. I only did mediocre and slightly above avg. on SAT's, but I didn't study. I was wondering if any ppl did only ok on the SAT's and very well on the MCAT's? Or vice versa? Or found any correlation ?

Thanks!

 

[x_prometheus_x]

FYI: I am mostly concerned because I have about a 3.17 gpa, with no real pre req's, so if I only get a 3.6 post bacc I feel like a 28 mcat probably won't save me...and I fear the financial burden of doing an smp after...but I'll do whatever it takes.

 

[blee]

I think you would be best served by ignoring your SAT score and concentrating on doing your best in school and on the MCAT. Any predictive value, or lack thereof, would have little bearing on your individual performance anyway.

 

[Scottish Chap]

FYI: I am mostly concerned because I have about a 3.17 gpa, with no real pre req's, so if I only get a 3.6 post bacc I feel like a 28 mcat probably won't save me...and I fear the financial burden of doing an smp after...but I'll do whatever it takes.

Do your best. Maximize every opportunity now and don't worry about tomorrow. As for the correlation between SAT and MCAT.....this was discussed a while back and the general consensus was that good tests takers tend to perform well consistently so a correlation won't reveal anything. Plenty of people with high GPAs have a problem with the MCAT and you'll see several people on here with lower GPAs, yet they perform exceptionally on the MCAT with good preparation. More than anything, the MCAT must be approached with confidence but don't worry about that right now either. Good luck!

 

[NRAI2001]

I dont no why people always ask this stupid question. Its a useless and meaniningless question and it seems to pops up every few weeks/months.

Are you looking for people to comfort you? Tell you your gonna get 35? Tell you that your 1460 will mean a minimum of a 32 mcat?

Take a practice test, study, take some more practice tests, go take the real thing and then move on with your life.

 

[QofQuimica]

I dont no why people always ask this stupid question. Its a useless and meaniningless question and it seems to pops up every few weeks/months.

Are you looking for people to comfort you? Tell you your gonna get 35? Tell you that your 1460 will mean a minimum of a 32 mcat?

Take a practice test, study, take some more practice tests, go take the real thing and then move on with your life.

There's no need to be nasty. The OP just joined SDN and wouldn't have seen any of those threads.

OP, as some other posters have said, there have been several threads about this topic in the MCAT forum, and the consensus is that no, your SAT does not have major predicting power for your MCAT score. There are multiple confounding factors: everything from the fact that the MCAT uses outside knowledge but the SAT doesn't, to the fact that people often don't study for the SAT while they do study for the MCAT. Here is a link to the most recent thread on this topic if you want to read more about it: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=245030 But overall, I agree with blee's advice. The SAT is a part of your history, and as such it has nothing to do with your future. You're better off looking ahead than behind. to you.

 

[x_prometheus_x]

I dont no why people always ask this stupid question. Its a useless and meaniningless question and it seems to pops up every few weeks/months.

Are you looking for people to comfort you? Tell you your gonna get 35? Tell you that your 1460 will mean a minimum of a 32 mcat?

Take a practice test, study, take some more practice tests, go take the real thing and then move on with your life.

I'm just a man of curiousity. You should take your NRA attitude someplace other than the hospital.

 

[x_prometheus_x]

I dont no why people always ask this stupid question. Its a useless and meaniningless question and it seems to pops up every few weeks/months.

Are you looking for people to comfort you? Tell you your gonna get 35? Tell you that your 1460 will mean a minimum of a 32 mcat?

Take a practice test, study, take some more practice tests, go take the real thing and then move on with your life.

I'm just a man of curiousity. You should take your NRA attitude someplace other than SDN.

 

[Beau Geste]

I'm just a man of curiousity. You should take your NRA attitude someplace other than SDN.

Let's leave the NRA out of this and stick to the thread topic.

 

[relentless11]

😀 Wow SAT was like ages ago for me 😉 . Really I think the subject area and the pace of the MCAT is so different...so apples and oranges, and pretty much what everyone else said.

In my opinion the MCAT was as hyped up as OChem and the rest of those "pre-med killers". Its as scary as YOU make it, rather than by AAMC haha. Over the years i've come to realize that these "hurdles" are good. I feel more confident after surviving and doing well on the MCAT and/or from a good quarter of challenging classes. I know we all just want to get in to med school..any way we can, but there is a reason why they emphasize ones ability to handle full-time semesters/quarters of upper division classes. Its not easy in med school. So we have to ask ourselves...those that don't have less than spectacular GPA/MCATs....."can I realistically improve?".

As the saying goes..."Know your enemy and know yourself...." In this case, the enemy is getting into med school and becoming a good physician. Thats easy, we got the website to tell us about the ins and outs of med school, knowing yourself is hte hard part. I spent at least a year and a half asking myself if i truly had the ability to do better. Realizing my faults, I changed it, and now moving in a much better direction with a far higher GPA. Its all in your attitude man. Fearing the MCAT is one step towards doing poorly on it. You should be looking forward to it, because not many people would consider taking it. Its like the qualifying exam for ones PhD 😉 Gotta have some amount of passion (or craziness) to do it 😀 .

Pretty much.....go out and buy a AAMC practice test, and judge the difficulty of the MCAT yourself, and plan accordingly. You're in a better position to gauge its difficulty since you are the one that is going to take it 😉

 

[NRAI2001]

I'm just a man of curiousity. You should take your NRA attitude someplace other than the hospital.

My screen name has nothing to do with the national rifle association (nra) if thats what your insinuating.

Perhaps my comment was frank, but it wasnt meant to offend you. The part where i said i didnt know why this question came up so much was directed not at you, but rather as a question as to why people want a link.

Like i said, if you want a real estimate of your score go take a practice test. But dont worry about that too much...do your best.

 

[totch]

I got an 1170 on the SATs, but a 34Q on the MCATs. Honestly, I don't think the two tests correlate. There's at least 4 years of maturity and growth that separates these tests. Not to mention they test different subject matters. Anyways, like everyone is saying, try not to worry about these trends and tendencies. Just do your best. However, if you can't help but worry about such things, then maybe you can look at it as a chance for redemption and source of motivation. Well, those are just my thoughts.

 

[CatsandCradles]

My screen name has nothing to do with the national rifle association (nra)

But you have cookie monster holding what appears to be a hand gun. 🙂

 

[QofQuimica]

But you have cookie monster holding what appears to be a hand gun. 🙂

I didn't even notice that until you pointed it out. Where DOES your name come from, NRAI?

 

[NRAI2001]

But you have cookie monster holding what appears to be a hand gun. 🙂

But its not a rifle.

 

[Law2Doc]

As I sit here and predict a good showing in post-bacc if I put my heart into it, I can't help but feel unnerved about the MCAT's. I only did mediocre and slightly above avg. on SAT's, but I didn't study. I was wondering if any ppl did only ok on the SAT's and very well on the MCAT's? Or vice versa? Or found any correlation ?

Thanks!

You can't let statistical correlations guide you in things like this. Pushed to the extreme, there are correlations that suggest that your odds of doing well on the MCAT have been affected by your genes, environment, where you went to pre-school, etc. long before the SATs. Fortunately no one lives their life that way. Your own determination and hard work are far better indicators of how far you will go in life.

 

[Law2Doc]

repeat post.

 

[medhacker]

Makes me wonder...

to those who know

Is there an NRA stereotypical attitude?

Like do NRA folks have a typical demeanor?

 

[relentless11]

I don't think there is a stereotypical attitude for NRA members. Some of my friends are part of the NRA, and they're perfectly normal here in stereotypically liberal CA..lol

NRAI's avatar reminds me of the Family Guy episode where Cookie Monster was in rehab

I miss sesame street......back when life was so much simpler, when the word MCAT was just due to my poor attempts at spelling "cat".

 

[NRAI2001]

I don't think there is a stereotypical attitude for NRA members. Some of my friends are part of the NRA, and they're perfectly normal here in stereotypically liberal CA..lol

NRAI's avatar reminds me of the Family Guy episode where Cookie Monster was in rehab

I miss sesame street......back when life was so much simpler, when the word MCAT was just due to my poor attempts at spelling "cat".

Its true.....the cookie monster has had some dark days..........dark days.

 

[Law2Doc]

Its true.....the cookie monster has had some dark days..........dark days.

I think "cookie" is just (Sesame) street lingo for tar heroin.

 

[Beau Geste]

"C" is for Cookie, that's good enough for me........!

 

[njbmd]

As I sit here and predict a good showing in post-bacc if I put my heart into it, I can't help but feel unnerved about the MCAT's. I only did mediocre and slightly above avg. on SAT's, but I didn't study. I was wondering if any ppl did only ok on the SAT's and very well on the MCAT's? Or vice versa? Or found any correlation ?

Thanks!

Hi there,
Your SAT is behind you. Your MCAT is in front of you (along with USMLE/COMLEX and your specialty boards for that matter). What you can do is do well in you post bacc as it seems you are doing and work on your test-taking skills. MCAT is not just a test of your knowledge-base but an application of that knowledge-base to problems that are presented on the test.

I believe that you can learn to do well on the MCAT and the other tests that you will be presented with as you move through your medical career. Now is a good time to take inventory of what you need to do and plot a strategy to get it done. While your SAT might not have been outstanding, it was good enough to get you to the point of being able to participate in post bacc coursework. To that end, it was good enough.

Now, you look toward the future with maturity and the conviction that you will do whatever you need to do to get your medical career underway. Take the time to take an inventory of your test-taking skills and buff up what needs buffing. Keep your post bacc grades as hight as possible and keep your knowledge-base strong.

With solid preparation and a strong knowledge base, you can do very well on the MCAT no matter what your SAT score.

Good luck! and Good studying!
njbmd 🙂

 

[Raven Feather]

Well, I have maintained a 4.0 for the past almost 4 yrs, had a crappy SAT and crappy MCAT. I think a lot of it--not all, depends on whether or not you are a good standardized test taker.