High MCAT, low STEP 1 score stories?

[rebuilteva]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hi!

About a month ago, I posted a thread asking about people's experience who got low MCAT scores and high STEP 1 scores - today, I want to flip the question, and ask about the experiences of people who killed it on the MCAT, and didn't do so hot on STEP 1 for whatever reason - were your studying habits not well-adapted to STEP 1, did you have problems adjusting to medical school, etc.?

If you fall into this category, do you have any tips for how you would have approached STEP 1 differently given your current knowledge about how you did?

Thanks!

 

[NITRAS]

I fit the bill, but generally I don't ask people who did poorly on a test to give advise. . . so I won't give any.

 

[Foot Fetish]

My classmate scored 39 on the MCAT and ended up in the low 250s on Step 1. I know 250s is not low, but it's still going from 99th to ~86th percentile for this individual.

 

[Brorthopedic]

My classmate scored 39 on the MCAT and ended up in the low 250s on Step 1. I know 250s is not low, but it's still going from 99th to ~86th percentile for this individual.

You can't compare percentiles as equals because the pool of applicants are entirely different

 

[Chemstudent]

Have a friend who scored 36 on the MCAT and 205 on step 1. She was always one to cram last minute (very naturally smart) and didn't start seriously studying until 2 weeks into a 5 week dedicated. She said retrospectively she would have started studying earlier(lightly studying the semester before dedicated).

 

[sharpstickie]

You can't compare percentiles as equals because the pool of applicants are entirely different

Exactly. I got 50th percentile on the MCAT and the USMLE, but I feel MUCH better about the USMLE.

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Have a tutor who works with us who got a 42 on the old MCAT (99th percentile) and low 230s on Step 1 due to poor preparation (there's a lot more material to memorize for Step 1), but turned things around on got a 271 on Step 2 CK.

 

[libertyyne]

there is a moderate correlation between the mcat and step .36-.5 depending on the study you look at , IMO step seems like a two part test, a test of basic retention and a test of application based on that retention. Good Mcat scores indicate an ability to apply knowledge, however it does not indicate the work required to retain the minuatae that is required to apply that knowledge

 

[Mr. MCAT]

38 on MCAT, 238 step 1. Not sure what happened, I studied my butt off for it. I didn't sleep well the night before, maybe 4 hours. Might have affected my personality. 250 on Step 2 and that's with barely studying compared to Step 1. Haha. Either way, not amazing scores.

 

[NecrotizingFasciitis]

My classmate scored 39 on the MCAT and ended up in the low 250s on Step 1. I know 250s is not low, but it's still going from 99th to ~86th percentile for this individual.

If you give me your Nabraskan family med USMLE score I'll let you retake on my date this year. 😉