Is 30 the magic number?

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Most would say so. Granted, there are a lot of factors going into med school, but there aren't many schools where a 30 won't be a boon to you.
 
that is not true, it all depends on the school and other things on your app if i had to give a number then 27 9,9,9 will be more like it. DON"T BELIEVE THE HYPE!
 
You better believe it, buddy. MCAT blows many things away. I got a 28, currently in the application process because I'm too deep into it. I am being realistic and acknowledge the fact that I won't get in this year and I'm looking forward to take it again next April.
 
29 got me an interview for a md/phd program, but no acceptance. dunno if it was the mcat score, or maybe a lousy interview. it was probably the mcat score, since i come off fairly "smart" and "personable" face to face. with any luck, 31 will get me in.
 
Scewby Doo 1973 said:
29 got me an interview for a md/phd program, but no acceptance. dunno if it was the mcat score, or maybe a lousy interview. it was probably the mcat score, since i come off fairly "smart" and "personable" face to face. with any luck, 31 will get me in.


I wish you the best Scewby! Good luck!
 
Hollaback Girl said:
Is 30 really the magic number assuming you get 10's across the board and a decent writing score of a P,Q or R?

sorry to tell u this, but these days, its getting more and more competetive. for example, my cousin had an interview at george washington last yr, and she had 30/3.8, the interviewer said these exact words "..but ur mcat score is low" 😱
i swear im not making this up, i was surprised also. either 30 is not considered normal anymore or her interviewer expected higher standards, whatever the case, i think u would need at least a 30 to have a decent chance at any school assuming ur gpa falls within avg range.
(oh, and she was accepted there eventually)
 
jtank said:
sorry to tell u this, but these days, its getting more and more competetive. for example, my cousin had an interview at george washington last yr, and she had 30/3.8, the interviewer said these exact words "..but ur mcat score is low" 😱
i swear im not making this up, i was surprised also. either 30 is not considered normal anymore or her interviewer expected higher standards, whatever the case, i think u would need at least a 30 to have a decent chance at any school assuming ur gpa falls within avg range.
(oh, and she was accepted there eventually)

haha jtank, they were probably just trying to see how she handled that situation (being insulted).

and to the OP:
I think 10,10,10 would be a magical number.. getting 14,14,2 just won't cut it 😛
 
I don't think there's anything magical about 30. Look in the MSAR at the total numeric score distribution chart on page 27 (recent MSAR). It seems like the biggest gap between accepted and rejected students happens at about 30 and then stays constant for awhile. The rejected curve falls off pretty heavily from about 27-36. At 36 it levels slightly and above 38 I'd say it's practically totally level, but there are such small numbers above that who knows why.
 
jtank said:
sorry to tell u this, but these days, its getting more and more competetive. for example, my cousin had an interview at george washington last yr, and she had 30/3.8, the interviewer said these exact words "..but ur mcat score is low" 😱
i swear im not making this up, i was surprised also. either 30 is not considered normal anymore or her interviewer expected higher standards, whatever the case, i think u would need at least a 30 to have a decent chance at any school assuming ur gpa falls within avg range.
(oh, and she was accepted there eventually)

I'd say "Your MCAT score is low." could mean a number of things.

1. It's low in relation to all the other test takers. This is absolute low.
2. It's low in relation to our applicants (if the school is very selective).
3. It's low in relation to your GPA. Your GPA is above average and your MCAT is merely average.

I bet they meant 3.
 
If my memory serves me, the overall average score is 26 so 30 with all 10's would be the minimum for competitive applications, but I hear more and more often that 12+ on the verbal (with good sciences) give you the real application 'magic.'
 
No. . .it's an average. No magic number. My pre-med advisor thinks there is a magic calculation with your MCAT and GPA that makes the applicant acceptable. I found a similiar calculation online, but I'm not a believer! If the score is big-time below, def take it over! But hovering around 30 - 27 to 29 or so, you would probably have a fair short with great extracurriculars!
 
I did a search on this and a few university claimed that 90% of those with 30+ scores got into med school. Usually it is coupled with a 3.5 GPA. I could not find anything else to back that claim up though without the GPA. what are the source for acceptance rates based soley on MCAT?
 
Hollaback Girl said:
Is 30 really the magic number assuming you get 10's across the board and a decent writing score of a P,Q or R?

these days, i wouldnt count on it. if you look at the general trend of MCAT scores, they have been steadily increasing year by year.. 1992 the average mcat of matriculants was 27.7. 2001 it was 29.6. do the math 😛
 
People will tell you that if you don't have a 30 you won't get in. Not true. Granted having a 30+ helps, if you have a reasonable score and are strong in other areas(GPA, extracurriculars, research...) you still have a great shot. Good luck to ya and take most of the replies with a grain of salt. There really is no magic number I think. Plus some schools look at MCAT retakers differently, so you could score a 27 and a 29, but some school takes the highest of each section(like Tufts) and then you may have above a 30. Good luck
 
Hi all,

I had a 31R on my MCATs and a 3.0 overall GPA. The 31R got me into an MD/MPH program at St. George, but not straight to medschool. I think if you get that score along with an upward GPA trend then you're set. Medschool advisors tell me what gets 3.8+ and 30+ MCAT applicants rejected is the lack of clinical experience. With that and hiting a high 30s (36+) on April, I hope I can sell myself to a US MD program.

That score will get you into a DO school for sure. WesternU offered me a verbal admission when I told them my score, they told me go ahead and apply and you're in!!!

Bottom line, a 30+ MCAT is a huge advantage, but is worthless if you have any serious redflags on your applications. My serious redflag is the lack of any biomedical classes (i.e anatomy and physiology) in my undergraduate years plus a downward GPA trend during my last two years although I had a stellar performance at the medschool prereqs.

Thank you for your time
 
junos187 said:
My serious redflag is the lack of any biomedical classes (i.e anatomy and physiology) in my undergraduate years
Classes like A&P are not recommended for prep for med school. This won't count against you at all...
 
junos187 said:
Hi all,
I had a 31R on my MCATs and a 3.0 overall GPA. The 31R got me into an MD/MPH program at St. George, but not straight to medschool. I think if you get that score along with an upward GPA trend then you're set.

That is somewhat surprising considering that statistically 'inferior' applicants are granted admission to the SGU MD program.

Did you happen to have a bad interview? Did you happen to work or go through some sort of struggle during the last two years? I guess I can understand if, and only if, you had nothing else going on besides school and just let your grades slip, but I doubt that is the case.

A 31R MCAT points toward a strong applicant, unless your verbal was really low.
 
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