How do yall think COVID affected this year's applicants?

[yuhh]

1.Yall think MCAT scores are lower or higher?

2.More/Less ppl applying?

3."Easier" or harder to get accepted this cycle?

4.Schools will prefer their in-state kids to minimize travel bc of COVID?

BQ- Are most schools still doing rolling admissions bc it's kinda effed up for kids who had delays in their LoR's and transcripts and AMCAS and alladat

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Zorax]

1.Yall think MCAT scores are lower or higher?

2.More/Less ppl applying?

3."Easier" or harder to get accepted this cycle?

4.Schools will prefer their in-state kids to minimize travel bc of COVID?

BQ- Are most schools still doing rolling admissions bc it's kinda effed up for kids who had delays in their LoR's and transcripts and AMCAS and alladat

1. Scores will be the same. The majority of applicants take the mcat before applying so it shouldn’t pose an issue for this cycle.

2. Adcoms have said higher volume of applications in the beginning, but same amount of people applying aggregate. I think about ~40k right now.

3. This cycle will be as difficult as normal bc COVID hasn’t really affected many applicants. Next cycle or two may have problems if the pandemic persists.

4. Schools will only pick the best. Interviews are already being down virtually, so they’ll figure all that out. But I highly doubt they’ll settle for anything less even if amidst a pandemic.

Some schools are doing a 1 deadline where apps are due and then they will start reviewing. So late applicants would no longer have a disadvantage. But only some schools are doing that, so you’ll need to check for which ones!

 

[yuhh]

1. Scores will be the same. The majority of applicants take the mcat before applying so it shouldn’t pose an issue for this cycle.

2. Adcoms have said higher volume of applications in the beginning, but same amount of people applying aggregate. I think about ~40k right now.

3. This cycle will be as difficult as normal bc COVID hasn’t really affected many applicants. Next cycle or two may have problems if the pandemic persists.

4. Schools will only pick the best. Interviews are already being down virtually, so they’ll figure all that out. But I highly doubt they’ll settle for anything less even if amidst a pandemic.

Some schools are doing a 1 deadline where apps are due and then they will start reviewing. So late applicants would no longer have a disadvantage. But only some schools are doing that, so you’ll need to check for which ones!

how did you figure 40k btw? That's significantly less than 2019 tho which had 53k applicants. But that's good news for us applicants!

 

[Isomerase]

how did you figure 40k btw? That's significantly less than 2019 tho which had 53k applicants. But that's good news for us applicants!

They meant 40k had already applied.

 

[Zorax]

how did you figure 40k btw? That's significantly less than 2019 tho which had 53k applicants. But that's good news for us applicants!

I think LizzyM had mentioned it in a thread. This was some time ago so there are likely more applicants at this time.

Adcoms will be able to provide an update as to how many applicants have since applied.

 

[Goro]

1.Yall think MCAT scores are lower or higher?

2.More/Less ppl applying?

3."Easier" or harder to get accepted this cycle?

4.Schools will prefer their in-state kids to minimize travel bc of COVID?

BQ- Are most schools still doing rolling admissions bc it's kinda effed up for kids who had delays in their LoR's and transcripts and AMCAS and alladat

1) I suspect that given more people are applying under less than optimal circumstances, overall MCAT scores may decrease somewhat.

2) MORE people are applying. This happens whenever the economy tanks

3) No difference.

4) Nope. Remember, by next year there should be a vaccine available.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Pretty much most US medical schools have always done rolling admissions. That said, transcript issues are challenging, but there's really nothing applicants can do about it.

 

[KnightDoc]

1) I suspect that given more people are applying under less than optimal circumstances, overall MCAT scores may decrease somewhat.

2) MORE people are applying. This happens whenever the economy tanks

3) No difference.

4) Nope. Remember, by next year there should be a vaccine available.

1 -- AAMC says the test will be indistinguishable from the full length exam. This implies the score distribution will be exactly the same.

2 -- The president of the AAMC said in an open letter to examinees dated August 6, 2020, that there are 50,000 expected applicants to medical school this year, as compared to 53,000 last year. Other than the fact that there was a widely reported surge in early applications when they opened in May due to the country being shut down at the time, what are you seeing now, other than extrapolating from the last recession in 2008, to indicate that he doesn't know what he is talking about and that more people are applying this year? Don't you think the leader of the organization that administers the admissions test and runs the MD application platform has a greater view into the cycle than an adcom at a single school? Or do you expect DO application numbers to diverge from MD this year?

 

[Isomerase]

1 -- AAMC says the test will be indistinguishable from the full length exam. This implies the score distribution will be exactly the same.

2 -- The president of the AAMC said in an open letter to examinees dated August 6, 2020, that there are 50,000 expected applicants to medical school this year, as compared to 53,000 last year. Other than the fact that there was a widely reported surge in early applications when they opened in May due to the country being shut down at the time, what are you seeing now, other than extrapolating from the last recession in 2008, to indicate that he doesn't know what he is talking about and that more people are applying this year? Don't you think the leader of the organization that administers the admissions test and runs the MD application platform has a greater view into the cycle than an adcom at a single school? Or do you expect DO application numbers to diverge from MD this year?

50,000 is a conveniently round number. I agree that the bump is at least partially from people applying earlier but I'm not sure if the President really cared about giving us the exact number of applications.

 

[CorgiLoaf]

AAMC applications were up 14% in early August as compared to last year:

Med School Applications Soaring

Potential for even stiffer competition as student slots largely unchanged

www.medpagetoday.com

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

1) I suspect that given more people are applying under less than optimal circumstances, overall MCAT scores may decrease somewhat.

MCAT scores should be going up given that most have extra time to prep with no ECs.

 

[Goro]

MCAT scores should be going up given that most have extra time to prep with no ECs.

You have to consider the population pool many people will be applying with some optimal studying conditions, we're studying habits, or no matter how much study time they have, simply not good students.

 

[Bcc777]

MCAT scores should be going up given that most have extra time to prep with no ECs.

I thought that MCAT scores are scored on a curve? So even if everybody does better (do to extra prep time, for example) the average/mean MCAT score on the exam for all test takers will still be 500 (50th percentile). Is that correct?

 

[Goro]

I thought that MCAT scores are scored on a curve? So even if everybody does better (do to extra prep time, for example) the average/mean MCAT score on the exam for all test takers will still be 500 (50th percentile). Is that correct?

That's their SOP.

 

[KnightDoc]

50,000 is a conveniently round number. I agree that the bump is at least partially from people applying earlier but I'm not sure if the President really cared about giving us the exact number of applications.

Yes, it is a conveniently round number. I wasn't taking it literally. I was taking it as the head of the organization that runs the application platform and the admission test saying applications are on track to be roughly the same as last year.

Maybe he's right and maybe he's not, but I think he's in a better position to know than anyone extrapolating from early returns, since he's in a position to know what the rest of the cycle is going to look like. Show me someone (@Goro?) who says completed applications already exceed last year's total (not merely where they were at this time last year), and then we can talk.

 

[Isomerase]

Yes, it is a conveniently round number. I wasn't taking it literally. I was taking it as the head of the organization that runs the application platform and the admission test saying applications are on track to be roughly the same as last year.

Maybe he's right and maybe he's not, but I think he's in a better position to know than anyone extrapolating from early returns, since he's in a position to know what the rest of the cycle is going to look like. Show me someone (@Goro?) who says completed applications already exceed last year's total (not merely where they were at this time last year), and then we can talk.

Yea we'll have to see; as a current applicant I sure hope you're right. University of Michigan's Application Tracker is a at 7,361 which has already surpassed the previous 5 year average final number of applications of 7350. However they haven't quite reached last year's total of 8,000. Historically they get about 1,500 more applications from now until the end of the year, so if the hypothesis about applicants applying earlier is correct I'm guessing they will finish up with a small bump from last year.

 

[EspressoRomano]

You have to consider the population pool many people will be applying with some optimal studying conditions, we're studying habits, or no matter how much study time they have, simply not good students.

Hey @Goro, in your infinite wisdom, how will you think "late" applicants will be viewed this year? Reading the forum the general consensus is being a late applicant (sept-oct completed) will raise questions about the applicants time management skills. Do you think this will hold true or will admissions committee be a little more forgiving giving the state of things (i.e. pandemic and all) ?

 

[KnightDoc]

Yea we'll have to see; as a current applicant I sure hope you're right. University of Michigan's Application Tracker is a at 7,361 which has already surpassed the previous 5 year average final number of applications of 7350. However they haven't quite reached last year's total of 8,000. Historically they get about 1,500 more applications from now until the end of the year, so if the hypothesis about applicants applying earlier is correct I'm guessing they will finish up with a small bump from last year.

The tracker is at 7,968 today, so it's definitely going to go over 8,000! You're probably right about the small bump, depending on how you want to define "small." People were all excited when AMCAS applications spiked 50% in the first few days that applications opened. Clearly that was just pent up demand from everyone sitting home waiting for the portal to open. Given historic trends, would a 10% increase be considered huge, because that's possibly what we're looking at (which, coincidentally exactly corresponds with your prediction of 1500 on top of 7300!).

 

[bpinyourarea]

Hey @Goro, in your infinite wisdom, how will you think "late" applicants will be viewed this year? Reading the forum the general consensus is being a late applicant (sept-oct completed) will raise questions about the applicants time management skills. Do you think this will hold true or will admissions committee be a little more forgiving giving the state of things (i.e. pandemic and all) ?

Considering that verification by AAMC is taking much longer than usual, I would bet that although the # of applications remains the same, or slightly increased, the rate at which adcoms receive applications is slower. So I anticipate that schools will be doling out interviews at a comparably slower rate as well, hence why many schools have stated that their interview season is longer than normal.

The slower verification rate is at no fault of the applicants, so I would hope schools are anticipating that and working to better accommodate applications that come in later.

 

[Rogue42]

I'm so tired of this speculation.
It is going to be harder to get into medical school this year compared to last. MCATs and GPAs will be higher. State schools will always prefer their state students. The timeline on admissions hasn't changed.

 

[evasive fish]

I thought that MCAT scores are scored on a curve? So even if everybody does better (do to extra prep time, for example) the average/mean MCAT score on the exam for all test takers will still be 500 (50th percentile). Is that correct?

No. The MCAT is not graded on a curve. A curve would not be a feasible option for grading it, since they do multiple tests across several months and they have to report scores a month after each test date and the test is supposed to be stardardized.
Also, the belief that it´s easier to score high during certain period(s) of the year is not true.

Even though not too much detail is given, the AAMC clearly says that the MCAT scoring process is not based on a curve, but on an equated scale so that they can account for variations in difficulty across sections in different test versions.

How is the MCAT Exam Scored?

There is no curve associated with the MCAT exam. Instead, the MCAT exam is scaled and equated so that scores have the same meaning, no matter when you test. Learn more about how the exam is scored.

students-residents.aamc.org

.

 

[Rogue42]

Of course the criteria themselves haven’t changed, but the timeline has certainly changed this year. People are understandably anxious that verification times are approaching 7 weeks in August, which is likely a historic high.

"Processing can take up to 8 weeks from the time that your application and all required official transcripts are received."
This is straight from AMCAS website. It is the same thing that has been on their website for as long as I can remember. Every year, the "normal" verification times get a little longer, and a little longer. Mostly because every year, there are a little more applicants.

My point is that for some reason, applications this cycle believe that they are due some kind of leniency. Whether that's in grades, ECs, MCATs, and general application timeline - and they aren't. Medical schools are going to operate like all is normal. They are going to take applications as they come like normal, and review them as normal. Then they are going to accept applicants that fit all the criteria that they are looking for in an applicant as normal.

The timeline for you (any you, not directly you bpin) may be changed, but that doesn't mean medical schools' timelines have.

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

1.Yall think MCAT scores are lower or higher?

2.More/Less ppl applying?

3."Easier" or harder to get accepted this cycle?

4.Schools will prefer their in-state kids to minimize travel bc of COVID?

BQ- Are most schools still doing rolling admissions bc it's kinda effed up for kids who had delays in their LoR's and transcripts and AMCAS and alladat

Pure opinion here....
1. Slightly higher since applicants have little else to do but study and I think the shorter test is easier (less fatigue).
2. I would have thought fewer total people because of all the job losses and affordability concerns. On the flip side, we may see more total applications as having no in-person interviews means the usual travel $ can go toward more applications.
3. I think acceptance ease/difficulty will be about the same as usual, though might get a little slack on the volunteer/shadowing expectations. A higher stat person that is a little low on hours might get a little more leeway this cycle.
4. Reverse. Schools may take a few more OOS students as the OOS $$ are needed to fill their coffers in time of recession.
5. Yes, still rolling, just shifted to the right some.

 

[Goro]

Hey @Goro, in your infinite wisdom, how will you think "late" applicants will be viewed this year? Reading the forum the general consensus is being a late applicant (sept-oct completed) will raise questions about the applicants time management skills. Do you think this will hold true or will admissions committee be a little more forgiving giving the state of things (i.e. pandemic and all) ?

Things are different in this time of COVID. Even the Divine Miss LizzyM (who is at a school that is in the T-Stratosphere) has told us that she believes that early Oct would be fine for that class of schools.

 

[Bcc777]

Regarding med school deadline for verified primary application to be submitted to it, if an application to a specific med school is October 15, for example, and the primary application is submitted to AMCAS approx. 6 weeks prior to that day, say by September 1, if the primary application is not verified by AMCAS (due to delays) until close to or after the Oct 15 med school deadline, should I notify the med school a week or two before the deadline in October to let them know of the delay and ask for extension of time to allow AMCAS to submit primary application to it? Will such request be granted do you think?

 

[EpilepticRat]

Regarding med school deadline for verified primary application to be submitted to it, if an application to a specific med school is October 15, for example, and the primary application is submitted to AMCAS approx. 6 weeks prior to that day, say by September 1, if the primary application is not verified by AMCAS (due to delays) until close to or after the Oct 15 med school deadline, should I notify the med school a week or two before the deadline in October to let them know of the delay and ask for extension of time to allow AMCAS to submit primary application to it? Will such request be granted do you think?

Most med schools explicitly state on their websites that extensions aren't granted for any circumstance. Definitely won't be granted for something as "in your control" as a late primary submission.

 

[KnightDoc]

Regarding med school deadline for verified primary application to be submitted to it, if an application to a specific med school is October 15, for example, and the primary application is submitted to AMCAS approx. 6 weeks prior to that day, say by September 1, if the primary application is not verified by AMCAS (due to delays) until close to or after the Oct 15 med school deadline, should I notify the med school a week or two before the deadline in October to let them know of the delay and ask for extension of time to allow AMCAS to submit primary application to it? Will such request be granted do you think?

You can ask, but schools all have their own timelines to get things done, and it's unlikely they will push them back because some people waited until the last minute and hit an unexpected delay. Literally tens of thousands of people are already complete all over the country, so it is not impossible to meet any deadline any school has set.

People here really don't get that the schools REALLY don't care about us, no matter how many times the honest and anonymous adcoms confront us with this unpleasant truth. They care about themselves and their process.

Accommodations made (like pushing back the start date for AMCAS transmission, allowing us to receive secondaries and IIs without MCAT scores, shortening the MCAT and adding extra dates and times) were all done allow AMCAS to begin to catch up on the verification backlog caused by mail interruptions and people working from home, and to preserve their applicant pool so they wouldn't have a significantly weaker class than in recent years due to over ten thousand people being otherwise unable to apply. I think it's very naive to think they are going to inconvenience themselves by extending the back end of their process in order to accommodate a few last minute stragglers, who they just don't otherwise need.

 

[KnightDoc]

View attachment 317071

So what? This reflects nothing more than COVID cancellations from 4/1 through early June. That delta will almost certainly go up by a similar amount from 8/1 through the end of September to reflect the rescheduled dates. Is this a table mere mortals can access??

More interesting is that the average increased by 2.4 points! Was this due to the shorter test being easier, or just people having more time to study, and with fewer distractions, or both? As I recall, @Goro speculated scores would go down due to all the stress and tumult. ("I suspect that given more people are applying under less than optimal circumstances, overall MCAT scores may decrease somewhat.")

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

So what? This reflects nothing more than COVID cancellations from 4/1 through early June. That delta will almost certainly go up by a similar amount from 8/1 through the end of September to reflect the rescheduled dates. Is this a table mere mortals can access??

More interesting is that the average increased by 2.4 points! Was this due to the shorter test being easier, or just people having more time to study, and with fewer distractions, or both? As I recall, @Goro speculated scores would go down due to all the stress and tumult. ("I suspect that given more people are applying under less than optimal circumstances, overall MCAT scores may decrease somewhat.")

I said they will go up because of more prep time due to no ECs.

 

[EspressoRomano]

Things are different in this time of COVID. Even the Divine Miss LizzyM (who is at a school that is in the T-Stratosphere) has told us that she believes that early Oct would be fine for that class of schools.

I know it's not ideal and very aware of the fact I'll be competing for fewer spots (since II have already gone out). My MD app isn't even verified yet, I was worried that being "late" would be viewed negatively in terms of character of the applicants. So appreciate the succinate response, it alleviates some of the worry.

speculated scores would go down due to all the stress and tumult. ("I suspect that given more people are applying under less than optimal circumstances, overall MCAT scores may decrease somewhat.")

Not sure how true that'll end up being, but I will say having to apply for unemployment (since my workplace is on pause) for the first time in my life hasn't helped haha.

 

[KnightDoc]

I know it's not ideal and very aware of the fact I'll be competing for fewer spots (since II have already gone out). My MD app isn't even verified yet, I was worried that being "late" would be viewed negatively in terms of character of the applicants. So appreciate the succinate response, it alleviates some of the worry.



Not sure how true that'll end up being, but I will say having to apply for unemployment (since my workplace is on pause) for the first time in my life hasn't helped haha.

Did you take it yet? That spreadsheet suggests you should be 2.4 points more fine than normal!

And, to your other point, no, submission date is not a character test, except at a few schools like Tulane and Chicago. Like you said, it just means you are only eligible to be considered for whatever IIs remain.

 

[Goro]

I know it's not ideal and very aware of the fact I'll be competing for fewer spots (since II have already gone out). My MD app isn't even verified yet, I was worried that being "late" would be viewed negatively in terms of character of the applicants. So appreciate the succinate response, it alleviates some of the worry.



Not sure how true that'll end up being, but I will say having to apply for unemployment (since my workplace is on pause) for the first time in my life hasn't helped haha.

The wise Moko tells me that his med school's app cycle is also running late.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Few schools are sending out IIs but seems to be at slower pace.

 

[PigsHaveWings]

No. The MCAT is not graded on a curve. A curve would not be a feasible option for grading it, since they do multiple tests across several months and they have to report scores a month after each test date and the test is supposed to be stardardized.
Also, the belief that it´s easier to score high during certain period(s) of the year is not true.

Even though not too much detail is given, the AAMC clearly says that the MCAT scoring process is not based on a curve, but on an equated scale so that they can account for variations in difficulty across sections in different test versions.

How is the MCAT Exam Scored?

There is no curve associated with the MCAT exam. Instead, the MCAT exam is scaled and equated so that scores have the same meaning, no matter when you test. Learn more about how the exam is scored.

students-residents.aamc.org

.

Why doesnt the AAMC readjust the scores on a yearly basis, so that the median stays at 500 ?

@LizzyM

 

[KnightDoc]

Why doesnt the AAMC readjust the scores on a yearly basis, so that the median stays at 500 ?

@LizzyM

If you look at the reports they make public, they tend to report in 3 year groupings, to minimize variations from year to year, at least in what they are reporting. I'll assume it's because they are interested in measuring our improvement over time, so their goal is to keep the difficulty of the test the same rather than keeping the scores the same.

They do adjust reported percentiles every year. And, of course, schools can see whether or not scores are going up, and, at the end of the day, you are competing with whoever else is in your pool during a given cycle, regardless of whether the median is 500 or 503.

You never see an increase like that spreadsheet showed in a single year, so I'm sure AAMC is as surprised as anyone else by how the scores are shaking out with the shortened exam. That said, they can't exactly change the scoring methodology based on how people are doing during a given test administration in the middle of the year, since, as you probably know, the scores are equated over multiple forms given over multiple dates. Given the large increase from last year, they probably just screwed up the equating for the shortened test. Either that, or maybe people have figured out a way to cheat, now that the test is being given three times a day over multiple time zones??? JMHO.

 

[Student189045]

I thought that MCAT scores are scored on a curve? So even if everybody does better (do to extra prep time, for example) the average/mean MCAT score on the exam for all test takers will still be 500 (50th percentile). Is that correct?

As another user mentioned, this a common misconception. The AAMC absolutely does not allocate scores to fit their desired percentiles (A curve). Rather, the raw to scaled score conversion is pre determined for each test based on how those questions performed experimentally. They mention they take time to "equate" scores which I imagine are slight adjustments if questions didn't perform as they expected them to (I.e. If they expected 40% of students to get a "hard" question right and 80% got it right, adjustments may be made). This is evidenced by the fact that the first distribution in 2015 was rather sloppy, including certain things that would be impossible if the exam was curved. For example, there were more 507's than 506's. If they were purely allocating scores based on comparison to other people in order to fit their desired percentile distribution, there should not be more 507's than 506's. The other evidence is that the distribution is slowly shifting more towards higher scores, which makes perfect sense considering the first testers only had the sample and aamc qpacks to use, and testers now have a ton of resources from AAMC. A 500 was 51st percentile in 2015 and now it's 46th percentile, and I expect it to keep slowly dropping. If they were curving the exam to fit their desired percentiles a 500 would be 50th every year.

Why doesnt the AAMC readjust the scores on a yearly basis, so that the median stays at 500 ?

@LizzyM

Why don't they score on a curve so a 500 always means you're 50th pecentile? Because the exam wasn't designed to be used for percentiles, it was designed to give a raw score evaluation of your ability. In order for a 500 in 2015 to represent equal ability as a 500 now, they need to keep the standards for a 500 the same. Curving a 500 to 50th percentile for todays testers would mean you needed to perform better on the test to achieve a 500 than in 2015, which takes away any value from the raw score as an assessment of your ability. As a result of keeping the standards the same over time, we see the percentiles shift as people perform better overall than in the past (due to increased practice materials and understanding of the test). If the exam was designed to show your performance against other applicants then a curve would make sense, but it is not. The AAMC wants medical schools to use the raw score to assess applicants abilities, and in order for this to work the raw scores have to have the same meaning over time (I.e. a 520 now represents equal mastery as a 520 10 years from now, even if the percentile of a 520 goes down slightly).

"That is why MCAT scores have more meaning than percentile ranks. The methods that MCAT developers use to write test questions and build and equate test forms keep the meaning of scores constant over test forms and time. The exam is not graded on a curve. No matter when applicants tested, whom they tested with, or what test forms they took, their scores have common interpretations. MCAT scores describe applicants’ academic readiness in relation to the body of knowledge and skills that medical school faculty have described as prerequisite for entering medical students."

Taken from https://www.aamc.org/system/files/2...edical-student-selection-guide_07082020_0.pdf

 

[Student189045]

View attachment 317071

Where is this data from?

 

[KnightDoc]

Where is this data from?

Great question!!! Your post was spot on, and stated better than anything I could put together. You'll agree, however, that if the posted table is not a troll, then something went very wrong with the shortened exam, given the huge jump in one year, correct?

Either they did not equate the shortened test correctly (that's my one quibble with your post -- I'm pretty sure equating means pre-scaling based on past experience, and that they don't adjust on the fly if a question performs differently than expected, because that could just be a function of a group of test takers being better or worse than average rather than a problem with the question), or cheating is going on with so many tests being administered on a given day across many time zones.

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

You never see an increase like that spreadsheet showed in a single year, so I'm sure AAMC is as surprised as anyone else by how the scores are shaking out with the shortened exam. That said, they can't exactly change the scoring methodology based on how people are doing during a given test administration in the middle of the year, since, as you probably know, the scores are equated over multiple forms given over multiple dates. Given the large increase from last year, they probably just screwed up the equating for the shortened test. Either that, or maybe people have figured out a way to cheat, now that the test is being given three times a day over multiple time zones???

I think if scores are going up, it's likely due to more study time due to Covid and the shorter exam. The long form of the exam was a ruthless killer ---- that last hour, OMG. The lower fatigue factor with the new exam has to play a role here.

 

[KnightDoc]

I think if scores are going up, it's likely due to more study time due to Covid and the shorter exam. The long form of the exam was a ruthless killer ---- that last hour, OMG. The lower fatigue factor with the new exam has to play a role here.

Yup -- it's just that AAMC said the tests would be identical, and, in fact, the only questions removed would be field test questions that wouldn't be scored anyway (although another document released later made this point ambiguous). If you're right about the fatigue factor, that's a huge deal and it's a shame they didn't account for it.

In any event, more study time really doesn't explain such a monster jump in scores over such a short period of time. After all, at some point extra study time becomes counterproductive and people get burned out. Also, it's not like people were going into the test under prepared en masse pre-COVID.

Personally, I'm not so sure the same number of questions are scored on the shortened test as on the regular one. It also looks like they screwed up the equating, but at the end of the day, I guess it doesn't really matter. It is what it is. Assuming things go back to normal with the test after September, a few people on the margin will benefit from a slightly higher score than they would have had otherwise, unless schools informally adjust these scores down. Either way, it won't change the world.

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

Hope not, I was a pre-Covid MCAT'er.

 

[KnightDoc]

Hope not, I was a pre-Covid MCAT'er.

You hope not what??

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

Hope higher scores during Covid won't matter that much!

 

[KnightDoc]

Hope higher scores during Covid won't matter that much!

They'll either matter a little for people in certain ranges, or schools will be aware of the bump and will adjust them down as a result so as to not unfairly prejudice people like you. The bump from last year so far is 2.4 points, which is huge for such a short period of time. Totally depends on your score. Low to mid 5-teens would have the most likely impact.

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

Yeah, I totally agree. I'm a 513 and so it's concerning if the average during Covid is up 2+ points.

 

[KnightDoc]

Yeah, I totally agree. I'm a 513 and so it's concerning if the average during Covid is up 2+ points.

Nothing you can do, but my expectation is that if SDN knows about it, the schools will as well, and they won't screw you over as a result. After all, at the end of the day they want the best applicant, not necessarily the one with the most artificially inflated score!

 

[PigsHaveWings]

View attachment 317071

is this from the AAMC website or from somewhere else ?

@1sbstudent

 

[PigsHaveWings]

Nothing you can do, but my expectation is that if SDN knows about it, the schools will as well, and they won't screw you over as a result. After all, at the end of the day they want the best applicant, not necessarily the one with the most artificially inflated score!

I highly doubt that medical schools will treat pre -covid and covid mcat results any differently. so, if this table is true (which I dont know yet) , there appears to be an advantage of writing the MCAT in the covid era shortened MCAT.

The bigger gain seems to be in the biology/biochem and behavioral sciences sections, which makes the fatigue factor a plausible cause

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

Nothing you can do, but my expectation is that if SDN knows about it, the schools will as well, and they won't screw you over as a result. After all, at the end of the day they want the best applicant, not necessarily the one with the most artificially inflated score!

I sure hope so.

 

[KnightDoc]

I highly doubt that medical schools will treat pre -covid and covid mcat results any differently. so, if this table is true (which I dont know yet) , there appears to be an advantage of writing the MCAT in the covid era shortened MCAT.

The bigger gain seems to be in the biology/biochem and behavioral sciences sections, which makes the fatigue factor a plausible cause

I hope you're right, since I took the post-COVID test, but why do you think they would treat inflated results the same? Because they do it for GPAs, where there are too many variables to keep track of? Here it's one discrete test, taken over a finite period of time, with statistically significant score inflation. If the table isn't BS, I'd be shocked if the schools didn't make an adjustment.