Do med schools look at SAT's?

[xnfs93hy]

I haven't taken them yet but my cousin took them in '04 when there were only two parts and he got a 980/1600 which is between the 50th and 75th percentile and he goes to the University of Kentucky, he is a junior now. Since I basically messed high school up for myself I figured that I should try and get into some good college that isn't ridiculously competitive to get into. He told me that UK has a pretty good med school and he thinks I can get into their UG and blah blah blah.

Ok so theres the background story. I'm not saying I'm going to blow off the SAT's because he said its not too hard to get into UK, I'm still going to bust my butt to keep my options open if I decide to go somewhere else. However, if I don't do that great but still get into UK and apply to UK med and get interviewed will the med school ask me what I got on the SAT's four years ago? I know this may sound stupid but I have read a few threads on here where people have gone on interviews and had been randomly asked what they got on their SAT.

So, bottom line, do med schools care about your standardized tests in high school at all and does it matter what you did in high school in terms of med school admissions? If it DOES, then how much?




Thanks 😀

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[bluesnowbunny]

I think it's a legitimate question. I've had some interviewers ask me what I made on the SATs, after they ask me what I made on the MCAT. As to why they asked, I couldn't tell you 😕. But for the most part I think they may only ask for the sake of curiosity.

 

[xnfs93hy]

I think it's a legitimate question. I've had some interviewers ask me what I made on the SATs, after they ask me what I made on the MCAT. As to why they asked, I couldn't tell you 😕. But for the most part I think they may only ask for the sake of curiosity.

Ok, that was what I thought as well. Although I don't really understand why they would ask that because the SAT has nothing to do with med school whatsoever.

 

[DrYoda]

I had one secondary ask for ACT/SAT scores. Two other schools asked for them in the interview. However, I'm sure ACT/SAT scores have little, most likely zero affect on your application. MCAT and college performance are much more pertinent.

 

[xnfs93hy]

I had one secondary ask for ACT/SAT scores. Two other schools asked for them in the interview. However, I'm sure ACT/SAT scores have little, most likely zero affect on your application. MCAT and college performance are much more pertinent.

Why the heck do some of them ask for them though?

 

[DrYoda]

Why the heck do some of them ask for them though?

I suppose they could be used as a judge of past academic performance (I was asked for my high school GPA and class rank at by all three places as well). But like I said, I doubt much weight is put on them.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Honestly, I think they're probably used for research purposes to see if there's any link between SAT and MCAT scores. I seriously doubt they're given any consideration whatsoever in terms of your admission to med school. I'd imagine schools that offer BS/MD programs would be much more likely to ask for your SAT/ACT scores.

 

[Tired]

Why the heck do some of them ask for them though?

I don't think it's unreasonable to ask. Good SATs show a consistent ability to perform at a high level. Poor SAT scores give insight into earlier difficulties that could repeat in the future. Personally, if I were an adcom, I would ask.

Oh, and just so you know, I was asked my SAT scores in residency interviews, so this stuff really never goes away.

 

[vickpick]

I haven't taken them yet but my cousin took them in '04 when there were only two parts and he got a 980/1600 which is between the 50th and 75th percentile and he goes to the University of Kentucky, he is a junior now. Since I basically messed high school up for myself I figured that I should try and get into some good college that isn't ridiculously competitive to get into. He told me that UK has a pretty good med school and he thinks I can get into their UG and blah blah blah.

Ok so theres the background story. I'm not saying I'm going to blow off the SAT's because he said its not too hard to get into UK, I'm still going to bust my butt to keep my options open if I decide to go somewhere else. However, if I don't do that great but still get into UK and apply to UK med and get interviewed will the med school ask me what I got on the SAT's four years ago? I know this may sound stupid but I have read a few threads on here where people have gone on interviews and had been randomly asked what they got on their SAT.

So, bottom line, do med schools care about your standardized tests in high school at all and does it matter what you did in high school in terms of med school admissions? If it DOES, then how much?




Thanks 😀

say yous MCAT score is in the lower half of the average, but your GPA is good enuuf to be accepted to a med school. If you also had low SAT score, then chances are you won't be accepted. That is because they want all of their future doctors to pass the USMLE's on first or second try..
This will be hard for people who do bad on standardized tests (i.e. MCAT and ACT/SAT)

Its not just for the sake of curiosity..🙂

 

[MilkmanAl]

None of the 28 schools I applied to asked for anything even remotely related to high school. Your SAT scores won't matter.

 

[Dr Lyss]

Some schools are curious about it, especially if your MCAT is weak. I have been asked at 2 schools so far. Many medical schools want to know how you handle standardized testing because of the USMLE tests you have to take in med school.

 

[xnfs93hy]

say yous MCAT score is in the lower half of the average, but your GPA is good enuuf to be accepted to a med school. If you also had low SAT score, then chances are you won't be accepted. That is because they want all of their future doctors to pass the USMLE's on first or second try..
This will be hard for people who do bad on standardized tests (i.e. MCAT and ACT/SAT)

Its not just for the sake of curiosity..🙂

Respectfully, I think that is ridiculous.

 

[Depakote]

say yous MCAT score is in the lower half of the average, but your GPA is good enuuf to be accepted to a med school. If you also had low SAT score, then chances are you won't be accepted. That is because they want all of their future doctors to pass the USMLE's on first or second try..
This will be hard for people who do bad on standardized tests (i.e. MCAT and ACT/SAT)

Its not just for the sake of curiosity..🙂

If your MCAT is below average they're not even going to look at the rest of your profile. You'll need a solid performance on the MCAT, a good GPA and the rest of your profile will need to be strong.

SAT scores would be a foot-note at best, the majority of schools don't even request them.

 

[xnfs93hy]

If your MCAT is below average they're not even going to look at the rest of your profile. You'll need a solid performance on the MCAT, a good GPA and the rest of your profile will need to be strong.

SAT scores would be a foot-note at best, the majority of schools don't even request them.

I know the MCAT is no where near on the same level as the SAT but I it will be easier to study for because in high school you have school everyday, its different when you are in UG, your schedule is MUCH more flexible. You just have to know what to do on the SAT and you are pretty much golden if you can remember everything.

 

[ButImLETired]

I know the MCAT is no where near on the same level as the SAT but I it will be easier to study for because in high school you have school everyday, its different when you are in UG, your schedule is MUCH more flexible. You just have to know what to do on the SAT and you are pretty much golden if you can remember everything.

Hmmm yes and no. When you're in UG, your schedule is definitely much more flexible than it is in high school, but it's rare to have over a month "free" (that's about the minimum amount of time I've heard premeds spend studying for the MCAT) to study. Even if you do Kaplan/Princeton Review, you have a whole lot of homework and self-study you have to stuff into that. You basically either take it during the school-year, in which case you have to have a schedule flexible enough to allow you to just focus on studying for the MCAT for a semester, or you take it at the end of the summer, in which case you probably won't have as much time to shadow/ volunteer/ work/ research. And this is all assuming you'll only have to take it once. At least from my point of view, I found it much trickier to fit in the MCAT studying than I did studying for the SAT.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I hope you realize that your logic is closely akin to saying med school is easier than high school because you aren't in class as long. Take a look at an MCAT study guide. They're thicker than big cities' phone books. The SAT only tests things that you should've been using routinely for a few years when you take it (vocab and basic algebra unless things have changed a lot since my day).

 

[xnfs93hy]

I hope you realize that your logic is closely akin to saying med school is easier than high school because you aren't in class as long. Take a look at an MCAT study guide. They're thicker than big cities' phone books. The SAT only tests things that you should've been using routinely for a few years when you take it (vocab and basic algebra unless things have changed a lot since my day).

MY logic? If so, I said nowhere that med school is easier than high school, I just stated that your schedule is more flexible. I have seen MCAT prep books before, yeah they are thick. I took the PSAT a few weeks ago for example, I found it to be very easy. With more prep I think I could easily score around a 1750 with a lot of prep I could see myself scoring around a 2000-2100 but no more than that. High school is relatively easy and is a joke compared to medical school.

I was basically just talking about time, time wise you do not have a lot of time to prep for SAT's but you have enough to score very high if you use the time you have. I'm just saying this because I (and everyone else who cares about school and wants to get into a good UG school) have a busy life. Will my life be much busier and more important in UG? Absolutely. I am merely saying that it will be easier to work around things and prep more for tests in UG.

 

[lemoncurry]

from a dental school perspective, the only place that I applied to that cared about my HS education was UCLA, and I don't think they asked for my SAT scores. I also took it back when it was just the math section and the english section.

 

[xnfs93hy]

from a dental school perspective, the only place that I applied to that cared about my HS education was UCLA, and I don't think they asked for my SAT scores. I also took it back when it was just the math section and the english section.

I wish it was still out of 1600 🙁. I am somewhat gifted at writing so I should score high on the writing section; do not judge me on what I post on SDN haha.

 

[ButImLETired]

I wish it was still out of 1600 🙁. I am somewhat gifted at writing so I should score high on the writing section; do not judge me on what I post on SDN haha.

Well, if you're great at writing, then why wouldn't you want a writing section, since that's the only thing that's new on the test?

 

[MilkmanAl]

I am merely saying that it will be easier to work around things and prep more for tests in UG.

I'm merely saying you're wrong. You're correct that your schedule will be more flexible, but that doesn't mean you'll have more time. You won't. You can skip class when you like, but you'll have far more (and more difficult) work to take care of. The med school thing was supposed to show you that you can have a flexible schedule without having free time to dispose of.

I'm just saying this because I (and everyone else who cares about school and wants to get into a good UG school) have a busy life.

Most people I know didn't do jack in high school and still got into great schools. They cared about school just as much as anyone else.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Well, if you're great at writing, then why wouldn't you want a writing section, since that's the only thing that's new on the test?

I knew this was coming. Well, I don't think I'll score a 700 but I will definitely get a 500 on it. WHY don't I want it? One less thing to worry about, and they do not give you a whole lot of time. In all honestly, its really just because I would have one less thing to worry about like I said.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Holy mixed message, Batman! I don't know what SAT score percentiles look like, but I have to imagine that a 500 on the writing section would not put you in the "gifted writer" range.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Holy mixed message, Batman! I don't know what SAT score percentiles look like, but I have to imagine that a 500 on the writing section would not put you in the "gifted writer" range.

I'm sorry I cannot write a good essay in 25 minutes. Aren't the topics they give you random?

 

[MilkmanAl]

I feel your pain on the slow writing thing. I write very deliberately, and it takes me awhile to formulate what I want to say and how I want to say it. That said, if you really are a "gifted" writer, you would very likely be able to churn out something better than the national average (which is 494: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/scores/understanding/average.html) even with the time crunch.

 

[THH]

I'm sorry I cannot write a good essay in 25 minutes. Aren't the topics they give you random?

The essay part is simple if you just memorize a formula for setting up your essays quickly. Then you just choose an argument, pick two or three supporting examples, and run with it.