Do Med Schools ask for ACT scores?

[NiteOwl]

Are you required to say what you made on your ACT on any applications when appyling to medical school? I know you do for combined BA/BS-MD degrees. But what if you get a 4yr degree then apply to med school? Will they ask then? I won't be applying for a couple more years, but if they want my ACT scores I really need to retake it...They certainly won't see the score I made a few years ago! It isn't really horrible, just too "average" for medical a medical school applicant. Thanks for any info

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[YML]

unless you are applying for an early assurance program (where the mcat isnt required) i wouldnt worry about it

 

[ambrosia]

unless you are applying for an early assurance program (where the mcat isnt required) i wouldnt worry about it

A couple of the ones I applied to asked, but telling them the scores was optional. Either way, I don't think it's really a factor at all.

 

[NiteOwl]

Thanks, thats good to know! I really didn't want to retake it. If its an optional question, I just won't answer it then.

 

[InductionAgent]

They ask for SAT and ACT scores. You will probably need to report one or the other. If you took the SAT and are happy with that score, then you can get by without reporting your ACT.

Your ACT (or SAT) are of negligible significance, unless your MCAT is not very good either, in which case you need to study for and retake the MCAT, not the ACT. And good grades can offset bad test scores. What matters most is the interview. Your ACT/SAT scores are not going to get or keep you from getting an interview. MCAT scores can.

Also very important is having experience working or volunteering in the medical field, and shadowing a doctor, so that you can say with confidence that you understand the duties of a physician, and are extremely enthusiastic about medicine.

To summarize, don't retake the ACT. It was good enough to get you into undergrad, and is not a major focus of the application/interview.

-InductionAgent, MSIV

 

[NiteOwl]

I didn't take the SAT, only the ACT. And okay, to be honest, I will say what I made on the ACT. PLEASE don't laugh anyone! My score really doesn't reflect my academic abilities! ...Okay, here goes ...I got a 21 on the ACT. High enough to get me into community college, and some of the average state schools for undergrad.

 

[EvoDevo]

Penn State asks for your SAT score on the secondary. Don't know why...

*shrugs*

 

[45408]

if your other scores are fine, your ACT/SAT is going to be irrelevant

 

[NiteOwl]

As long as they only care about my grades in college. I don't want to tell them my high school GPA either (a 3.1 with a few A's and B's and a ton of C's and a few D's) Explination-I went to a bad high school. Bad and a lot of times uncaring teachers (even though it was a private school-private HS was definatly not better than public-just as bad if not worse!). I also had untreated ADD that I didn't know about then either. So there's a few factors in the low HS GPA and ACT scores. I have A's and B's now in college and am in the top 1/4 of the class in many of them. And was one of the few people that made a B in Bio103 (Only 1 or 2 A's and 3 B's including me, the rest of the class had C's or D's). No, I am not bragging, just showing that my grades are completely different in college.
But I am guessing they don't ask much about high school. At least I hope not-it was pure hell untill 12th grade.

 

[Utopify]

21? I say that is no big deal at all. Try sitting in the testing center with chronic diarreah....I had to steal one of my mom's pantie liners just to make it through the test...sweating bullets and fidgeting around in my chair like the lady on the Preparation-H commercial. I pulled an 18. Then again, I have a 3.6 overall gpa right now and am working on post-bacc...I am not too worried about it.

Good luck man!

-utopify

 

[sfbear]

Penn State asks for your SAT score on the secondary. Don't know why...

*shrugs*

Jefferson too.

 

[neoncandle]

Texas asks for your SAT score.

 

[bigbassinbob]

You shouldn't worry about your ACT/SAT scores at all when it comes to the med school apps. You're not required to list your scores, but you can on some schools' secondaries. I think the only reason they want to know your old scores is that if you've done bad on all your standardized tests in the past (SAT/ACT) and the MCAT, but still made good grades in college, that's a sign you may just have trouble with standardized testing but still can do the work just fine. I had about a 2.8 GPA in high school and I made an 1110 on the SAT (55th Percentile), but just graduated college with a 3.85 GPA and I scored a 30 on the MCAT (80th Percentile). Med schools know you can change your study habits, and I don't think they place any weight on your past scores on a college entrance exam.

 

[NiteOwl]

Thats good. I thought I would have to tell and they would see my scores and GPA and that they would die laughing or not take me seriously. A lot of people don't take me seriously now anyway when I say I want to go to medical scool. I guess its because they had all seen be do not-so-good before college (actually before 12th grade I had a 2.2 GPA, then I went to another school and was able to pull up the GPA before graduation). So I guess that because of my prior mishaps people don't think I really am serious about school. 🙁 Which is sad, because its completely different for me now.