GPA and MCAT range

[uvce]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Apparently the expectation from ADCOMs is a reasonable match between the GPA and the MCAT score. Is there some sort of a table which indicates the MCAT range expected for a specific GPA range, or vice versa? What would be considered out of whack?

 

[Nodelphi]

Apparently the expectation from ADCOMs is a reasonable match between the GPA and the MCAT score. Is there some sort of a table which indicates the MCAT range expected for a specific GPA range, or vice versa? What would be considered out of whack?

I don't think there's anything as standard as a table when it comes to these things. You just need to eyeball it.

3.5 GPA, 30 MCAT seems to match up.

2.9 GPA, 39 MCAT doesn't seem to match up.

etc.

 

[Dr. Pepper]

If you want a general rule of thumb:

(Multiply GPA x 10)-3= MCAT

Mind you I just made this up right now and its kind of ridiculous to expect people with high GPAs to get around 35-37 MCAT. (Conversely, some people with low GPAs score in the high 30s.)

I agree that you should just eyeball it, but hell, if you want a formula, there it is.
-Dr. P.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

My GPA is not the most stellar and I've only got practice tests for the MCAT to guess at a score, but probably I'll be one of those with a "low" (3.2 or so) GPA with a high MCAT (my last practice score was 32; this is after only one semester of general chem, no physics and no bio).

 

[deleted102545]

I wish that formula was true. 😀

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I'm glad it's not.....because that would mean that my MCAT should be LOWER.

 

[heeseop]

If you want a general rule of thumb:

(Multiply GPA x 10)-3= MCAT

Mind you I just made this up right now and its kind of ridiculous to expect people with high GPAs to get around 35-37 MCAT. (Conversely, some people with low GPAs score in the high 30s.)

I agree that you should just eyeball it, but hell, if you want a formula, there it is.
-Dr. P.

great formula!
i hope i can validate it when the april scores come out!!

 

[Schaden Freud]

Apparently the expectation from ADCOMs is a reasonable match between the GPA and the MCAT score. Is there some sort of a table which indicates the MCAT range expected for a specific GPA range, or vice versa? What would be considered out of whack?

I don't think GPA and MCAT correlate very strongly. Keep in mind that a lot of people are getting 3.9's due to immense grade inflation, easy majors, and a sycophantic personality but BOMB the MCAT. Also, people in hard majors at hard schools (engineering at MIT, for instance) will struggle to keep their GPAs above a 3.0 but easily score a 35.

 

[R_C_Hutchinson]

this frustrated me during the admissions process. my undergrad (UCLA) has some majors, even science majors, which are heavily inflated and some which are very hard gradewise. i had two of the hardest majors gradewise, and ended up doing well on the mcat. the mcat/gpa gap did raise a few questions ("so are you just a slacker?") and i always felt stupid explaining it, esp knowing that they'd probably seen a lot of UCLA applicants with near 4.0 gpa's in very similar sounding majors.

grade inflation sucks.

R_C_

 

[Chinorlz]

I don't think GPA and MCAT correlate very strongly. Keep in mind that a lot of people are getting 3.9's due to immense grade inflation, easy majors, and a sycophantic personality but BOMB the MCAT. Also, people in hard majors at hard schools (engineering at MIT, for instance) will struggle to keep their GPAs above a 3.0 but easily score a 35.

My situation (almost) exactly... aside from just trying to do too much my freshman year. 90+percentile MCAT, low gpa.

we'll see what happens....

 

[Vox Animo]

Anything below a 38Q and 3.85 is looking for favors




Just what everyone i talked to about everyone in medical school said. Except for the 10 or so people posting before me. 😀

 

[Law2Doc]

I don't think GPA and MCAT correlate very strongly. Keep in mind that a lot of people are getting 3.9's due to immense grade inflation, easy majors, and a sycophantic personality but BOMB the MCAT. Also, people in hard majors at hard schools (engineering at MIT, for instance) will struggle to keep their GPAs above a 3.0 but easily score a 35.

The MCAT is used as a yardstick against which to determine if there is grade inflation or if people are taking guts, etc. Thus you really can't use a formula based on GPA to estimate MCAT unless you are sure that the GPA is objectively "honest". And if all schools GPAs were objectively comparable, there would be no reason for the MCAT. Thus there cannot be a good correlation between GPA and MCAT at many (most?) schools -- your school's GPA will either be too tough or too loose.

 

[RxnMan]

I don't think GPA and MCAT correlate very strongly. Keep in mind that a lot of people are getting 3.9's due to immense grade inflation, easy majors, and a sycophantic personality but BOMB the MCAT. Also, people in hard majors at hard schools (engineering at MIT, for instance) will struggle to keep their GPAs above a 3.0 but easily score a 35.

You think that this disparity would raise red flags, but it's more accepted than the reverse. Keeping up inflated grades must show much more commitment and ability than one day of standardized testing.

 

[thes_hunter]

An article in the JAAMC:

Grades (In medical school) were best predicted by a combination of MCAT scores and uGPAs, with MCAT scores providing a substantial increment over uGPAs. MCAT scores were better predictors of USMLE Step scores than were uGPAs, and the combination did little better than MCAT scores alone. The probability of experiencing academic difficulty or distinction tended to vary with MCAT scores. MCAT scores were strong predictors of scores for all three Step examinations, particularly Step 1

So there you have it, MCATS are a good indication you have the intelligence and the ability to pass all the Step examinations, but isn't necessarily the best indicator on whether you have the endurance to with stand the course load.