High MCAT percentiles (523+)

[Nommonnom]

Hi,

So I realize AMCAS simply publishes 523+ as 100%ile, but I was wondering if anyone is skilled enough to get more precise percentiles from the published distribution graph--it should be possible to determine exactly how many people got 523,524,525,526,527,528 in the last year from the graph...

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[doctorleospaceman]

Why would it matter? The difference at such high scores is completely negligible. Hence they're all 100th percentiles.

 

[Nommonnom]

It matters because schools publish their 90th%ile numbers and class sizes, such that you can calculate exactly what MCAT scores would be likely to be admitted on primarily academic merit if you know how many of each score there are in the pool.

EDIT: 1% isn't sufficiently precise because 400 people will have that score per year, while over 90% is only about 15 people at the schools.

 

[Lawpy]

Hi,

So I realize AMCAS simply publishes 523+ as 100%ile, but I was wondering if anyone is skilled enough to get more precise percentiles from the published distribution graph--it should be possible to determine exactly how many people got 523,524,525,526,527,528 in the last year from the graph...

Yeah it's possible. It requires approximating the distribution as normal, and calculating some integrals...

.... but that requires calculus so....

 

[Nommonnom]

Yeah it's possible. It requires approximating the distribution as normal, and calculating some integrals...

.... but that requires calculus so nope nope nope.

You can just measure the height of the bars of the graphs in pixels and divide by the number of pixels in the 0-0.5% interval to get the fraction of that interval--which is a percent

EDIT: and then multiply by the number of test takers in a year to get a hard number from the percent

 

[Nommonnom]

Counting the pixels: 33 for 0.5, 16 for score of 523, 12 for 524, 6 for 525, 4 for 526, 2 for 527, 0 for 528

We get:

523 = 0.5* 16/33 = 0.242%
524 = 0.181%
525 = 0.090%
526 = 0.060%
527 = 0.030%
528 = ???

For all intents and purposes, however, assume you are competing against the same 500-800 people, since at this point it's all soft factors.

Thanks! You've got skills!

 

[Lawpy]

You can just measure the height of the bars of the graphs in pixels and divide by the number of pixels in the 0-0.5% interval to get the fraction of that interval--which is a percent

I just avoid the math altogether. Instead i set 522 = 99th percentile, 528 = 100th percentile and successively increase by half (so 99.5, 99.75, 99.875 etc.).

Regardless, it's unnecessary to split hairs.

It matters because schools publish their 90th%ile numbers and class sizes, such that you can calculate exactly what MCAT scores would be likely to be admitted on primarily academic merit if you know how many of each score there are in the pool.

EDIT: 1% isn't sufficiently precise because 400 people will have that score per year, while over 90% is only about 15 people at the schools.

Yeah i don't see the point in this. The medians of the matriculants give all the info you need to know. The 90th percentiles only matter for schools with 510 medians.

 

[MaxPlancker]

It matters because schools publish their 90th%ile numbers and class sizes, such that you can calculate exactly what MCAT scores would be likely to be admitted on primarily academic merit if you know how many of each score there are in the pool.

EDIT: 1% isn't sufficiently precise because 400 people will have that score per year, while over 90% is only about 15 people at the schools.

Yea…no lol.

 

[2017mdapp]

Yea…no lol.

Using a more accurate formula the 528 mcat 4.0 gpa has a 50% chance. The formula is heads your in tails your out.

 

[deleted407021]

I've been sitting at home doing nothing all day and I still feel like I'm being more productive than if I sat down to count the number of pixels on a graph to do some jank calculus.

 

[Lucca]

Really it doesn't matter

 

[Psai]

It matters because schools publish their 90th%ile numbers and class sizes, such that you can calculate exactly what MCAT scores would be likely to be admitted on primarily academic merit if you know how many of each score there are in the pool.

EDIT: 1% isn't sufficiently precise because 400 people will have that score per year, while over 90% is only about 15 people at the schools.