Do DO/MD's take the total Score or the Subsection Scores?

[CaribbeanBlue]

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I have seen past posts about multiple exam scores per school, but I was wondering which schools don't actually consider the subsection scores as much or lean more towards the overall score.

For example, if I get a 33 or 34 with a 7 in VR, how would that look to admissions officers?

Do DO schools only take the overall score into consideration? I ask this because all they post for their MCAT averages are the overall scores.

Thanks for your responses.

 

[mangoshakes]

They take everything into account.

 

[hplssrmantcxox]

I have seen past posts about multiple exam scores per school, but I was wondering which schools don't actually consider the subsection scores as much or lean more towards the overall score.

For example, if I get a 33 or 34 with a 7 in VR, how would that look to admissions officers?

Do DO schools only take the overall score into consideration? I ask this because all they post for their MCAT averages are the overall scores.

Thanks for your responses.

I've seen your other posts and your other scores are awesome. (My scores are eh. But I raised my verbal from a 7 to now 11 consistently! 🙂 )

For verbal, it's honestly a matter of being able to read the passage 4.5-5 minutes and understand the main idea/the author's point of view, and then spending 3-4 minutes (ideally) on the questions. I took a Kaplan course and writing anything down about the passages took way too long so I do not recommend mapping. I follow Kaplan's 17 minute time window per passage pair rule (meaning, two passages should total take 17 minutes so if you finish one first you can move onto the next)

Just pay attention to the language/main ideas and you'll be fine.

A lot of schools will look at a 7 in VR and question the applicant's communication and comprehension skills since we're all gonna be reading loads and loads of patient notes/records/etc. ... so yeah, you need to bring it up to a minimum of 8, ideally 9 at the minimum - (My friend got a 37 with a 9 in VR and a perfect score in BS)

Iono about DO schools.

What answers/questions usually trip you up? What types of passages do you get wrong? (The weird humanities ones, social sciences, etc.?) Is it not understanding the passage itself that is the problem, or is it a particular type of question? Is time the issue? (Timing I fixed by just practicing a lot with EK 101 & section tests from Kaplan). Also USE Process of Elimination as much as possible - get rid of answers immediately that are totally out of scope or from outside knowledge. I usually get it down to 2 answers and end up correct.

 

[CaribbeanBlue]

I've seen your other posts and your other scores are awesome. (My scores are eh. But I raised my verbal from a 7 to now 11 consistently! 🙂 )

For verbal, it's honestly a matter of being able to read the passage 4.5-5 minutes and understand the main idea/the author's point of view, and then spending 3-4 minutes (ideally) on the questions. I took a Kaplan course and writing anything down about the passages took way too long so I do not recommend mapping. I follow Kaplan's 17 minute time window per passage pair rule (meaning, two passages should total take 17 minutes so if you finish one first you can move onto the next)

Just pay attention to the language/main ideas and you'll be fine.

A lot of schools will look at a 7 in VR and question the applicant's communication and comprehension skills since we're all gonna be reading loads and loads of patient notes/records/etc. ... so yeah, you need to bring it up to a minimum of 8, ideally 9 at the minimum - (My friend got a 37 with a 9 in VR and a perfect score in BS)

Iono about DO schools.

What answers/questions usually trip you up? What types of passages do you get wrong? (The weird humanities ones, social sciences, etc.?) Is it not understanding the passage itself that is the problem, or is it a particular type of question? Is time the issue? (Timing I fixed by just practicing a lot with EK 101 & section tests from Kaplan). Also USE Process of Elimination as much as possible - get rid of answers immediately that are totally out of scope or from outside knowledge. I usually get it down to 2 answers and end up correct.

I'm sure people are tired of seeing my VR problems on this forum by now and can't wait till I finish my MCAT, haha.

I've been trying to prep this test for about a year now because of verbal. I started off with 5's and 6's and got a 6 on my first real MCAT. This summer I slowed down to build up more reading comprehension. I essentially stick with the EK rule by trying to finish every passage because even if I were given 2 hours on the exam, I would still miss 1-2 per passage. Because I am able to slightly comprehend the passages more, I score 7's 8's and 9's even here and there. I feel comprehension is the biggest part because I have done SO many practice passages (all of EK+Kaplan+TPRH) that I know POE by recognizing the common traps when I understand a passage and fly through it in 7-8 minutes.

When I don't understand a passage or if I am not totally focused, I end up having a cloudy image of an argument from the author and when I read the answer choices on the MC, I end up screwing up all my logic. There is almost no trend at ALL to which questions I miss or which types of passages. It usually has to do with complex language screwing me up because then i start guessing what the arguments are in each passage.

I feel like my best bet is to just try to focus as hard as I can on the real thing coming up, because I feel like at this point that's all I can really do. My fault on this VR is a poor reading background, simply enough.

 

[HeronsBeak]

I'd feel better going into an interview with solid PS and BS score than an awesome VR score but so-so BS/PS, which will likely be my case. IMO an adcom is likely to look at the kid who beats the **** out of his sciences in a better light than a person with strong reading skills. Obviously your comprehension is just fine(you did well on the science sections, which either required reading of the passages or at the very least reading in class or studying prior to the test). Look at it that way and keep your chin up.👍

 

[gtbROX]

I'd feel better going into an interview with solid PS and BS score than an awesome VR score but so-so BS/PS, which will likely be my case. IMO an adcom is likely to look at the kid who beats the **** out of his sciences in a better light than a person with strong reading skills. Obviously your comprehension is just fine(you did well on the science sections, which either required reading of the passages or at the very least reading in class or studying prior to the test). Look at it that way and keep your chin up.👍

I'm praying that you're right...haha verbal is either average or bad for me.

 

[dropper]

I don't mean to burst any bubbles but VR most likely carries the biggest weight. Think about it logically. Anyone can study their ass off and get a high PS / BS score. But VR is based on extremely fast (time-pressure wise) intuition and reasoning, skills that are not easily taught or learned. VR is my worst section too.

 

[MedPR]

I don't mean to burst any bubbles but VR most likely carries the biggest weight. Think about it logically. Anyone can study their ass off and get a high PS / BS score. But VR is based on extremely fast (time-pressure wise) intuition and reasoning, skills that are not easily taught or learned. VR is my worst section too.

I agree.

Plus, to get a 30+ with a 7 in VR, your scores would end up being very unbalanced.. Bad.

 

[HeronsBeak]

I don't mean to burst any bubbles but VR most likely carries the biggest weight. Think about it logically. Anyone can study their ass off and get a high PS / BS score. But VR is based on extremely fast (time-pressure wise) intuition and reasoning, skills that are not easily taught or learned. VR is my worst section too.

So basically you're saying that anyone with a high VR and low BS/PS would be looked upon as though they just didn't try hard enough on studying sciences. I hope that's not the case, because I studied 2-3hrs/day 4 days a week for 3 months with EK. While it's not the sdn proposed(crazily heavy load imo) study schedule, I studied pretty hard, my lower PS/BS(guessing) scores should not be equated with laziness, just as my better VR skills don't make me inherently more intuitive than you. I find the fact that any section would be held higher than the others as somewhat silly. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.😕

 

[mangoshakes]

I got a story my health professions officer told me about a guy/girl who took the mcat and got like 11/12's on PS and BS, but then a 1 on VR. Then he retook and got a 4. moral of the story is, he/she is in a low ranked DO school. not that i'm saying anything about DO schools, I'd love to go myself.

 

[dropper]

So basically you're saying that anyone with a high VR and low BS/PS would be looked upon as though they just didn't try hard enough on studying sciences. I hope that's not the case, because I studied 2-3hrs/day 4 days a week for 3 months with EK. While it's not the sdn proposed(crazily heavy load imo) study schedule, I studied pretty hard, my lower PS/BS(guessing) scores should not be equated with laziness, just as my better VR skills don't make me inherently more intuitive than you. I find the fact that any section would be held higher than the others as somewhat silly. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.😕

Unfortunately that's exactly what I'm saying. I'm not saying that the MCAT's specific sections are perfect indicators of those inherent talents and time spent studying, but they come pretty close.

Your better VR skills do mean that you have better inherent speed-intuition, or are better at comprehending rather incomprehensible passages quicker than others (I believe if we were allowed 10 more minutes on verbal, averages would skyrocket for that section). I don't mean to undermine your studying habits but 2-3hr/day, 4 days is a week for 3 months, does not come close to enough for achieving scores in the upper (12-15) range in the science sections - in regards to topics that require hardcore content mastery. If you had doubled that, you would have done much better on the sciences. On the other hand, doubling amount of time spent on verbal cannot produce these types of results - unless you have some secret drug that makes you gradually more intuitive.

 

[Ochempwnsme]

Unfortunately that's exactly what I'm saying. I'm not saying that the MCAT's specific sections are perfect indicators of those inherent talents and time spent studying, but they come pretty close.

Your better VR skills do mean that you have better inherent speed-intuition, or are better at comprehending rather incomprehensible passages quicker than others (I believe if we were allowed 10 more minutes on verbal, averages would skyrocket for that section). I don't mean to undermine your studying habits but 2-3hr/day, 4 days is a week for 3 months, does not come close to enough for achieving scores in the upper (12-15) range in the science sections - in regards to topics that require hardcore content mastery. If you had doubled that, you would have done much better on the sciences. On the other hand, doubling amount of time spent on verbal cannot produce these types of results - unless you have some secret drug that makes you gradually more intuitive.

What about a 10 PS, 13VR, 10BS? As long as each section is above a 10, is it still fine do you think, even if the verbal is substantially higher than the science? I've heard mixed things about how important the verbal section is. I'm a non-traditional student with a business degree who's taken the bare pre-reqs (which I know are all that is supposedly required to do well on the science sections, but I do think more exposure to advanced classes in physio and bio is helpful on BS), so if I get 10s on sciences, will they look upon those 10s more favorably considering my background?

As bad as this sounds, if I can get my PS/BS from 8 right now to 10 averages in 2 weeks, does that mean that I'd have a chance at getting them to 12+ if I postponed and took the January MCAT? If possible, that would obviously make a huge difference in my composite score. I've been studying for the MCAT for about 5 weeks. I don't feel as if I've peaked in sciences yet, even if I can get to 10s. I don't really wanna postpone though because I already submitted and verified my AMCAS. I'm gonna get off SDN now and get back to reading EK bio, and if I don't have at least a 10 on both science sections on my last diag (AAMC #8 on 9/9), I'm probably gonna void/postpone. 😳

 

[dropper]

What about a 10 PS, 13VR, 10BS? As long as each section is above a 10, is it still fine do you think, even if the verbal is substantially higher than the science? I've heard mixed things about how important the verbal section is. I'm a non-traditional student with a business degree who's taken the bare pre-reqs (which I know are all that is supposedly required to do well on the science sections, but I do think more exposure to advanced classes in physio and bio is helpful on BS), so if I get 10s on sciences, will they look upon those 10s more favorably considering my background?

As bad as this sounds, if I can get my PS/BS from 8 right now to 10 averages in 2 weeks, does that mean that I'd have a chance at getting them to 12+ if I postponed and took the January MCAT? If possible, that would obviously make a huge difference in my composite score. I've been studying for the MCAT for about 5 weeks. I don't feel as if I've peaked in sciences yet, even if I can get to 10s. I don't really wanna postpone though because I already submitted and verified my AMCAS. I'm gonna get off SDN now and get back to reading EK bio, and if I don't have at least a 10 on both science sections on my last diag (AAMC #8 on 9/9), I'm probably gonna void/postpone. 😳

Personally I think 10/13/10 beats a 12/10/12 even though it's 33 vs. 34. We'll talk about all the rest of that stuff later today. Check your email to see if what I said is OK and will see u in a bit.

 

[Doctorphilic]

I've seen your other posts and your other scores are awesome. (My scores are eh. But I raised my verbal from a 7 to now 11 consistently! 🙂 )

For verbal, it's honestly a matter of being able to read the passage 4.5-5 minutes and understand the main idea/the author's point of view, and then spending 3-4 minutes (ideally) on the questions. I took a Kaplan course and writing anything down about the passages took way too long so I do not recommend mapping. I follow Kaplan's 17 minute time window per passage pair rule (meaning, two passages should total take 17 minutes so if you finish one first you can move onto the next)

Just pay attention to the language/main ideas and you'll be fine.

A lot of schools will look at a 7 in VR and question the applicant's communication and comprehension skills since we're all gonna be reading loads and loads of patient notes/records/etc. ... so yeah, you need to bring it up to a minimum of 8, ideally 9 at the minimum - (My friend got a 37 with a 9 in VR and a perfect score in BS)

Iono about DO schools.

What answers/questions usually trip you up? What types of passages do you get wrong? (The weird humanities ones, social sciences, etc.?) Is it not understanding the passage itself that is the problem, or is it a particular type of question? Is time the issue? (Timing I fixed by just practicing a lot with EK 101 & section tests from Kaplan). Also USE Process of Elimination as much as possible - get rid of answers immediately that are totally out of scope or from outside knowledge. I usually get it down to 2 answers and end up correct.

Hi, it seems like you have a great a advice on VERBAL. I got 4 on verbal from 7/14 exam. Really worried! I read up on the strategy from EK/TPR/KAPLAN. But did not practice enough. I am going to take it sept 11. For the sciences I got 9 on both sections but going into exam with out FL practice is dumb of me. I really want to put in the work and was wondering if you have feedbacks. Actually I do understand main idea clearly but my problem is timing (i guessed on 2 passages on verbal). How should I increase timing (efficiency) and accuracy? I have access to Kaplan material as well as EK and TPR. Also, this time around I will take ALL FL exams and practice those verbals. Thanks for your feedback.

 

[hplssrmantcxox]

Hi, it seems like you have a great a advice on VERBAL. I got 4 on verbal from 7/14 exam. Really worried! I read up on the strategy from EK/TPR/KAPLAN. But did not practice enough. I am going to take it sept 11. For the sciences I got 9 on both sections but going into exam with out FL practice is dumb of me. I really want to put in the work and was wondering if you have feedbacks. Actually I do understand main idea clearly but my problem is timing (i guessed on 2 passages on verbal). How should I increase timing (efficiency) and accuracy? I have access to Kaplan material as well as EK and TPR. Also, this time around I will take ALL FL exams and practice those verbals. Thanks for your feedback.

Well, I wouldn't recommend Kaplan's verbal stuff. Do the AAMC self assessment for verbal (there's like 22 passages so you can split it into three "1 hour" section tests if you want) - Practice all your verbal with tight timing - I noticed EK 101 passages were a lot easier to understand and comprehend than the AAMC passages but the question style is similar to AAMC style questions, and the Kaplan passage questions just suck overall (they're too detail oriented and not enough scope/global/main idea questions) but the passages themselves from Kaplan are mostly on target with the 'harder' passages that show up on AAMC tests. Do as many practice tests as possible with timing.

I tried to actually aim for 15 minutes per passage pair when I used EK because the passages were generally shorter and easier to understand, so I was done with a lot of section tests by 54 minutes (this is using EK 101). Kaplan I always ran out of time and have to scramble for the last passage lol. EK I did like the question styles though because they were asked in a very similar fashion with AAMC passages

If you're running low on time for the last passage you attack (Like less than 5 minutes), start skimming for the main idea or just read super fast. I read the first paragraph or two for the main idea/purpose and then read the first and last sentences (or skim) the body paragraphs for an overall idea of what the author's trying to say. And then I'll read the last paragraph too. Also peeking at the questions can help too especially if you're running low on time.

My own personal problem is I'll get "full entire" passages correct with all the questions, and then 1 or 2 passages will kill me and I end up getting 2/5 questions right on one passage -_-.. Stupid humanities passages, haha. If anyone has tips on those specifically, lemme know haha.

And I cannot stress enough about eliminating wrong answers immediately.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I don't mean to burst any bubbles but VR most likely carries the biggest weight. Think about it logically. Anyone can study their ass off and get a high PS / BS score. But VR is based on extremely fast (time-pressure wise) intuition and reasoning, skills that are not easily taught or learned. VR is my worst section too.

I doubt that. VR apparently has very questionable (at best) predictability of STEP I performance, which is what adcoms are really concerned about when they look at your MCAT scores. Furthermore, med school classes are all science, and all about memorization; compared to grad school classes there's not much reasoning involved. As a result, I'd imagine adcoms would care a lot more about high science scores since those are much more predictive about med school performance.

Obviously your VR score can't be low, but if you had to choose between identical composite scores with lower science + higher VR vs. higher science + lower VR, I think you'd be better served with the higher science + lower VR.

 

[CaribbeanBlue]

I doubt that. VR apparently has very questionable (at best) predictability of STEP I performance, which is what adcoms are really concerned about when they look at your MCAT scores. Furthermore, med school classes are all science, and all about memorization; compared to grad school classes there's not much reasoning involved. As a result, I'd imagine adcoms would care a lot more about high science scores since those are much more predictive about med school performance.

Obviously your VR score can't be low, but if you had to choose between identical composite scores with lower science + higher VR vs. higher science + lower VR, I think you'd be better served with the higher science + lower VR.

Haha. There was a dude who got a 5 on VR, but got a really good STEP I and wrote about it on this forum how the VR section and the STEP I are not similar at all.