Explaining Extenuating Circumstances

[acw2104]

On a few secondaries I've seen optional prompts about explaining extenuating circumstances regarding poor grades, poor MCAT scores, etc. I got a 509 on the MCAT, which I know is 80th percentile, but it doesn't really correlate with my cGPA of 3.9.

I would rather not "explain" it because I am content with my 509, but might this be a red flag for adcoms if I don't even address it?

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[SpoiledMilk]

Being on SDN or Reddit skewers the perception that a 509 is a terrible MCAT score. Factor in reporting bias, humble-brags, etc., know that high score posters on SDN or Reddit is not a true representation of the actual number/scores of MCAT takers that fall within the bell curve. Go to AAMC and find the data to confirm this.

I would not point out to Adcoms that a 509 is a terrible score.

 

[gyngyn]

There is no need to explain a 509. It's about the median score for successful candidates.
There is a wide range of gpa's for each MCAT.

 

[cactusman]

506-509 is the most common score range for applicants with a GPA > 3.79. It's totally normal and doesn't suggest grade inflation, and 65% of applicants with that score/GPA range are accepted (and you're at the upper end of both ranges).

 

[acw2104]

Thank you everyone for your replies! I guess reading too many posts on SDN gave me some undue worry