I need to understand a few things

[MedicineNutt]

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Is the MCAT harder than the Board exams or are they equally difficult...how do the tests differ?? thanks for taking your time reading this

 

[Sureshot83]

Is the MCAT harder than the Board exams or are they equally difficult...how do the tests differ?? thanks for taking your time reading this

I swore never to become one of the SDN a-holes who flame people for asking stupid questions, but damn, this is pushing me to the limit.

Short answer - the Boards (Step 1) will probably be the hardest exam you take in your life. The MCAT will pale in comparison to it. The MCAT tests you on four not-too-hard subjects (bio, chem, orgo, physics) and verbal, which is just whatever. Step 1 tests you on 2 years of med school curriculum, and though I am only a first year, I bet if I asked any of the M2s to compare the difficulty of any intro-level undergrad science course with pathology, they would either laugh in my face or punch me if they thought I was making fun of them.

 

[fun8stuff]

Is the MCAT harder than the Board exams or are they equally difficult...how do the tests differ?? thanks for taking your time reading this

the MCAT wasnt that hard... it is a very important exam in that it determines whether you will get into med school, but the material is tested is all intro-level college classes and the MCAT tests a far less breadth of knowledge than the boards.

 

[Brainsucker]

I'm a first-year, so I haven't spent much time looking at the boards, but the sample questions I have seen are much more fact-recall based than the MCAT questions, which were largely reasoning based on the passages. So yeah, you need much more knowledge, but a good hard-working memorizer might do better on the boards. Interestingly, the MCAT is far and away the best predictor of step I performance: http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/research/bibliography/basco001.htm

 

[Brainsucker]

I should clarify that it's the best undergrad predictor of peformance. I would guess that med school year 1 and 2 grades would be better.

 

[darrvao777]

Absolutely...I would say the MCAT can help gauge where you might score on the Step 1 boards (how well you prepare, how well you take standardized exams, etc...)

but it really is years 1 & 2 that will both prepare and forecast your performance on the boardsd

 

[Hurricane]

Step I was a harder exam - more memorization than reasoning, as someone above already said. No fluff like reading comprehension that isn't testing on on what you know so much as how "smart" you are. But on the bright side, it's testing you on things that you are at least somewhat interested in. The physics section of the MCAT was painful for me. 😛

 

[MedicineNutt]

well, the board sounds like my kind of test...im a better memorizer than a better reader...the MCAT is a grueling test because there is so much to read!!! wish everyone a good luck on the board...im not even a med student yet haha, but thanks for the answers

 

[SoCuteMD]

well, the board sounds like my kind of test...im a better memorizer than a better reader...the MCAT is a grueling test because there is so much to read!!! wish everyone a good luck on the board...im not even a med student yet haha, but thanks for the answers

Too bad the prep for the board involves assimilating approximately 40 pages of material/day for two years.

 

[Jedix123]

Too bad the prep for the board involves assimilating approximately 40 pages of material/day for two years.

WOW you guys are harsh. I guess like it's comparing the MCAT to SAT, or a cold shower to a swift kick to the nuts... it's next step up.


Just do your best!

 

[ieatpaste]

For me, the MCAT was harder even though I performed pretty well on it. USMLE wasn't bad for me because I have the best memory in the business.

 

[MedicineNutt]

Too bad the prep for the board involves assimilating approximately 40 pages of material/day for two years.

not worried about it...91% of allopathic students pass the test and 69% osteopathic pass...as long as you are familiar with what is being taught the boards shouldnt be a prob!! but hey, thanks for the heads up...gives me somethin else to look at !!

 

[Mike59]

IMHO, MCAT is harder....

At least medical boards test over information that you are somewhat familiar with and interested in. MCAT had too many questions from out of nowhere and the verbal was ridiculous.

 

[USArmyDoc]

not worried about it...91% of allopathic students pass the test and 69% osteopathic pass...as long as you are familiar with what is being taught the boards shouldnt be a prob!! but hey, thanks for the heads up...gives me somethin else to look at !!

I think its higher for osteo students. I thought it was in the mid to high 70's.

 

[azzarah]

MCAT is much easier, BUT I thought they were about the same in terms of difficulty when I was taking those tests. Kinda like when you start algebra and it's really hard at first, but once you're in college and taking multivar calculus, algebra is a piece of cake & you think calculus is tough until you take Differential equations, or some other advanced math class.
In the same way, the USMLE obviously tests you on A LOT MORE stuff, but by the time you take that test you've become really good at sitting your a$$ down and memorizing 300 pages cold.
So basically, it's harder than the MCAT, but you've also become better at taking tests. Make sense? 🙂

 

[TX515]

I'm a first-year, so I haven't spent much time looking at the boards, but the sample questions I have seen are much more fact-recall based than the MCAT questions, which were largely reasoning based on the passages. So yeah, you need much more knowledge, but a good hard-working memorizer might do better on the boards. Interestingly, the MCAT is far and away the best predictor of step I performance: http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/research/bibliography/basco001.htm

Maybe because good test takers took both of them.