Can anyone comment on how MCAT scores correlate with USMLE Step (1 + 2) Scores?
How do MCAT scores correlate with USMLE Step (1 + 2) Scores?
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there's no corrilation.
in other words, someone who didn't do exceptionally well on the mcat, can still do very well on the USMLE?
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There is most definitely some correlation. I wouldn't say that one can predict step scores on the MCAT alone, but there is some evidence that one's performance on the MCAT does indicate one's success on USMLE/COMLEX to some degree.
Give this study a read:
http://journals.lww.com/academicmed...rgraduate_institutional_mcat_scores_as.5.aspx
Give this study a read:
http://journals.lww.com/academicmed...rgraduate_institutional_mcat_scores_as.5.aspx
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It's far easier to do well on the MCAT than it is to do well on the USMLE. For one thing, you can take the MCAT as many times as you want and you have almost unlimited time to study for it. You can even take a year off after graduating from college and spend all that time prepping for it - but in medical school you might only have 6 weeks to prepare for it and if you bomb the USMLE, you can't really retake it unless you fail it.
So yes, there is some correlation in that if you bomb the MCAT - you will likely bomb the USMLE.
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I "bombed" the MCAT and did well on step 1 and 2.
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the only correlation is the fact that both are standardized tests. Meaning they ask questions in a specific way, most likely a different way than your prof would ask questions, thus doing as many practice q's as you can is very important when studying for all standardized tests. A
lso if you're a poor standardized test taker then your scores might correlate. but in terms of subject matter there are specific subjects that are covered on the USMLE, as opposed to the verbal section on the MCAT or the essay section which you can't really study for.
Also your study habits can change through out the years and usually do. I think the USMLE's although longer tests and probably cover more information are slightly easier because there's not ambiguous sections like verbal and essay.
I also did poorly on the MCAT i.e. well bellow the mean and did over half a standard deviation above the mean on both USMLEs.
lso if you're a poor standardized test taker then your scores might correlate. but in terms of subject matter there are specific subjects that are covered on the USMLE, as opposed to the verbal section on the MCAT or the essay section which you can't really study for.
Also your study habits can change through out the years and usually do. I think the USMLE's although longer tests and probably cover more information are slightly easier because there's not ambiguous sections like verbal and essay.
I also did poorly on the MCAT i.e. well bellow the mean and did over half a standard deviation above the mean on both USMLEs.
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This doesn't answer your Q perfectly, but its a step score predictor: (my prediction was pretty accurate actually!)
http://medstep1prep.blogspot.com/2012/02/usmle-step-1-score-estimator.html
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Yes, there have been research studies showing a correlation. However, there are people who did relatively poorly on the MCAT but do well on the steps, and vice versa. Personally I did better on the MCAT...well after taking it a couple of times...LOL. Some med schools "teach to the test" more, particularly on Step 1. Other schools do not and may make you take other final exams, etc. up to 2-3 weeks before the Step 1 (this is how my med school was,and I didn't feel I had time to study for the test other than cramming for 2.5 weeks after done w/the 2nd year). If you do poorly on the MCAT there is a chance you may fail the boards, but some of that depends on how hard you study for the Step I and II, and also the reasons you didn't do well on the MCAT. If you have been a lifelong poor test taker, don't assume everything will change when you become a med student. The Steps are more facts or memorization based than the MCAT, and in that sense I do think they are easier to "study for".
Agree w/Russianjoo on the MCAT verbal section. Luckily physics was my crappy section, and that was nice because I could go memorize all the common equations, etc. The people who did poorly on verbal were a little bit screwed, because it is definitely hard to study for.
Agree w/Russianjoo on the MCAT verbal section. Luckily physics was my crappy section, and that was nice because I could go memorize all the common equations, etc. The people who did poorly on verbal were a little bit screwed, because it is definitely hard to study for.
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And part of the reason med schools screen people with the MCAT is they don't want to accept people who are going to fail the Steps, and they know that GPA and MCAT scores can help predict passing the Steps.
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There is no correlation, someone can write a 44 mcat and then take step one and score a 5. or the same person could get a 12 mcat and then write a 288 usmle.
the dilemma is simple, it all has to do with which answers you pick, conscious or not.
the dilemma is simple, it all has to do with which answers you pick, conscious or not.
What you just stated is not the absence of correlation. Multiple studies as well as meta analysis show there is a correlation, albeit not a super strong one between the MCAT and Step 1.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17198300
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There definitely has been shown to be a correlation between MCAT scores and step scores, but there are exceptions to every rule.
Most of the research studies done I believe showed that people who score in the mid to high 20's on the MCAT in general have a good chance of passing and doing OK on the USMLE's. People who got into med school with low MCAT scores (like low 20's) have had (in general) much higher rates of flunking the steps (at least Step 1, and maybe other steps too). This is part of the reason that a lot of US schools look for people to score in the high 20's at least. But there are tons of people with MCAT scores in the mid 20's who have done well on the USMLE, and even some who got really high scores.
Most of the research studies done I believe showed that people who score in the mid to high 20's on the MCAT in general have a good chance of passing and doing OK on the USMLE's. People who got into med school with low MCAT scores (like low 20's) have had (in general) much higher rates of flunking the steps (at least Step 1, and maybe other steps too). This is part of the reason that a lot of US schools look for people to score in the high 20's at least. But there are tons of people with MCAT scores in the mid 20's who have done well on the USMLE, and even some who got really high scores.
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Of course there's a correlation! If there wasn't, they would have abandoned this test a LONG time ago.
I've said this before on this very forum, but I'll say it again. You will spend your career for the foreseeable future having to continually prove that you can beat these tests! And, it doesn't end with the MCAT... or Step I... or Step II... or Step III for that matter. This is, among other things, one of the more important barometers of whether or not you will succeed as a physician in the Graduate Medical Education (GME) system. You will have in-sevice exams as a resident, and you'll eventually have to pass your board-certification exam, too.
No one wants to choose a student/resident who can't successfully navigate these tests. It makes everyone look bad. So, that's why people all the way down the line are unlikely to take a gamble on someone who struggles on standardized tests. I even recently heard about a guy who was kicked off of his medical staff because he couldn't pass his board-certification test... after the 4th try! And, this was even after he'd passed everything else to that point... barely. He'll likely never work in his field again until he does.
Sucks, but this is the system we gots.
-Skip
I've said this before on this very forum, but I'll say it again. You will spend your career for the foreseeable future having to continually prove that you can beat these tests! And, it doesn't end with the MCAT... or Step I... or Step II... or Step III for that matter. This is, among other things, one of the more important barometers of whether or not you will succeed as a physician in the Graduate Medical Education (GME) system. You will have in-sevice exams as a resident, and you'll eventually have to pass your board-certification exam, too.
No one wants to choose a student/resident who can't successfully navigate these tests. It makes everyone look bad. So, that's why people all the way down the line are unlikely to take a gamble on someone who struggles on standardized tests. I even recently heard about a guy who was kicked off of his medical staff because he couldn't pass his board-certification test... after the 4th try! And, this was even after he'd passed everything else to that point... barely. He'll likely never work in his field again until he does.
Sucks, but this is the system we gots.
-Skip
