Hypothetical perfect score

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
P

promethium

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2011
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
If MCAT scores are normally distributed, only about 0.03491523% of matriculants receive a perfect score.

All else being equal, would a perfect score on the MCAT guarantee admission to a highly ranked U.S. medical school? If so, what level of deficiency in other areas would a "perfect score" diminish?

I'm asking this as a matter of curiosity. I am not even aiming for anything near 40, but I wonder what happens to those who get perfect or near-perfect (>=43) scores. Have there been any stories?
Members don't see this ad.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
I got a 45 one time...on my first organic two test. Really though, im pretty sure there hasn't been a 45 in years. I may be wrong though. I think the highest is generally a 42. Greater than 42 I think luck comes into play...My friend was a chemistry major, studied for the mcat an entire year after reading and mastered every ek 1001 problem+ watching lectures and stuff and got a 37 and to me that's amazing. I think he got a perfect score on the PS section and VR he got like a 9, lol.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
There are stories floating around on SDN of people getting 43+, but personally I take those with a grain of salt. As far as what happens to those applicants, remember one thing: the MCAT is only one part of the application. It might open the doors for you as far as interviews go, but it's probably not going to do much outside of that if, otherwise, you're a mediocre or poor applicant.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Members don't see this ad :)
promethium said:
If MCAT scores are normally distributed, only about 0.03491523% of matriculants receive a perfect score.

All else being equal, would a perfect score on the MCAT guarantee admission to a highly ranked U.S. medical school? If so, what level of deficiency in other areas would a "perfect score" diminish?

I'm asking this as a matter of curiosity. I am not even aiming for anything near 40, but I wonder what happens to those who get perfect or near-perfect (>=43) scores. Have there been any stories?
Click to expand...
I applied to med school with a 43S. No, having a near-perfect MCAT score does not guarantee you admission to any med school, regardless of its rank. The best candidates are strong in all aspects of their apps, not lopsidedly strong in one area like MCAT.

To put it another way, it didn't hurt me to have such a high MCAT score, but it also wasn't the only, or arguably even the biggest, strength of my app. An interviewer at one of my state schools told me up front that he was interviewing me "blind" in order to not have preconceived notions about me. Ten minutes into the interview, he asked me what my MCAT score was. I asked if he was sure he wanted to know, since he had said he didn't want it to affect his impression, and he said yes, he was going to read my app as soon as the interview was over anyway. When I told him, and he confirmed that I was serious, his response was that he would have recommended me for admission even if I had told him I had a score in the high 20s. That's what I'm talking about when I say that having an all-around great app is what you should be aiming to do. A high MCAT score can be a boon to your app, but a true rock star applicant would still be stellar even without a 40+ MCAT.

And Cole, yes, you are wrong. People can and do get 43+ on the CBT. I was a student adcom for four years, and I saw some.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
QofQuimica said:
And Cole, yes, you are wrong. People can and do get 43+ on the CBT. I was a student adcom for four years, and I saw some.
Click to expand...

Oh no doubt, I'm sure they happen, and you're one of the stories on SDN that I actually believe, but with the frequency that someone says they get a 40+ around here, you'd think it's a breeze.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
NickNaylor said:
Oh no doubt, I'm sure they happen, and you're one of the stories on SDN that I actually believe, but with the frequency that someone says they get a 40+ around here, you'd think it's a breeze.
Click to expand...


Exactly...Everyone's brother and cousin got a 40+ on the mcat.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I think I read somewhere on this site that any score above a 35 is looked at the same. The MCAT is actually quite bad at separating out the top because the difference between a 35 and a 38 can be as little as 3 questions.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I disagree that the MCAT is bad at separating out at people near the top. You're thinking of the SAT. The fact that so few questions can make the difference between scaled scores actually means that the test has good resolution.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
PennMedMan said:
I disagree that the MCAT is bad at separating out at people near the top. You're thinking of the SAT. The fact that so few questions can make the difference between scaled scores actually means that the test has good resolution.
Click to expand...

Answering one or two questions wrong means a significant drop, in most cases, in your percentile. That doesn't sound high resolution to me.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

I
MCAT Score Aim?
Replies
5
Views
892
j_diggity
j_diggity
I
Realistic Score Increase
Replies
5
Views
1K
jhmmd
jhmmd
I
MCAT Score Increase Chances
Replies
3
Views
722
AJS59
AJS59
tropi-
Applying ASAP vs Higher MCAT Score
Replies
6
Views
622
Faha
F
E
MCAT Score and chances of admission
Replies
12
Views
889
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
Top