Is the MCAT harder than the Step 1 exam?

[Astra]

My physician I am shadowing said that the MCAT is harder than then step 1 exam because it is more critical thinking where as step 1 is sheer memorization.

He said that many people who do poorly on the MCAT have done better on the Step 1 exam.

I know this is anecdotal evidence but just curious about his statements.

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[piii]

no

 

[GrapesofRath]

lol

 

[hopefulERdoc251]

I've heard it's harder but it tests a different skill-set. Current students told me that there's an insane amount of material on Step 1 that requires application but it's "easier" in the sense that if you know your material well, then you'll be fine for the step. MCAT on the other hand, even if you know your material well you can still get shafted by passages and is more of a critical thinking/reasoning test.

 

[musicalfeet]

I've heard it's harder but it tests a different skill-set. Current students told me that there's an insane amount of material on Step 1 that requires application but it's "easier" in the sense that if you know your material well, then you'll be fine for the step. MCAT on the other hand, even if you know your material well you can still get shafted by passages and is more of a critical thinking/reasoning test.

I heard that the Step 1 in general is more "study-able", but the amount of content you are responsible is massive and soul-crushing. Whereas on the MCAT, there isn't much material really covered, and even if it is, it's generally on a very surface level. However, it seems like there's a shorter ceiling on the MCAT, where you will hit a ceiling and find it very difficult to break past that ceiling due to innate ability or just not having enough time to refine the necessary skills (like reading comprehension, critical thinking/reasoning abilities).

That being said, I know incoming students and MS1s shouldn't worry about Step, but it's already scaring the crap out of me. Or maybe it's just starting med school that is scaring the crap out of me. I don't know Sounds terrible, but I just don't want to be in the bottom of the class...but realistically somebody HAS to be.

 

[To be MD]

nope

 

[breezy16]

Here's how I see it.. Say you start as a freshman on these prereq courses (for your degree and MCAT); I feel while the material is quite easy to grasp, most really dont know how to study at this point. A lot of us will ace these courses but studied in a way that the material doesn't stick / we move it to the recesses of our brains to go onto something else (most likely vastly different) in UG. By senior year, you're good at your style of studying but the probability that it's efficient is most likely low. Enter MS1, most will have to reinvent their learning/studying styles but the material is much more cohesive, consistent, and stored better. So, hella amount of information, but pretty similar types of information. (Compare this to UG where you're taking art, history, english, science, math, etc)
Crushing STEPs will be contingent on your knowledge base and ability to take a standardized test. I feel taking the MCAT is much more reliant on ability in knowing the tricks of the test rather than your knowledge base.

tl;dr you grow and expand much more in med than UG, the two tests don't correlate well, it all depends on how serious you take things.
Just my two cents.

 

[patriot6]

My physician I am shadowing said that the MCAT is harder than then step 1 exam because it is more critical thinking where as step 1 is sheer memorization.

He said that many people who do poorly on the MCAT have done better on the Step 1 exam.

I know this is anecdotal evidence but just curious about his statements.

My experience is that the MCAT was indeed harder than either Step1 or Step2, for reasons mentioned already. Step does require application, but it mostly taps into familiar, foundational knowledge that's gained through medical school. MCAT requires you to not lose your mind after you've just read some very strange passage/prompt.

 

[mcloaf]

The body of knowledge required to do OK on Step 1 is much, much larger than that required for the MCAT, which involves much more application. That being said, if you want to be very successful on Step 1 you still need to be able to think critically, there are plenty of multi-step questions that require a fair amount of reasoning.

 

[KinesiologyNerd]

Apples and oranges.

 

[Acoustica]

Ha. I wish. STEP1 studying was brutallllll

 

[Lost in Translation]

OP please do a Google search before you make 3 threads a week.

 

[DRsmartypants]

My view is pretty much this. The MCAT requires a decent amount of memorized knowledge(although it's a joke when compared to the amount required for USMLEs), and then you apply it. The only reason the MCAT could be arguably harder then the Step 1(at least an aspect of it) is that the MCAT could throw in something completely out of left field on occasion. However step 1 requires you to pretty much know the "basics" of everything from year 1(I say basics because the USMLE basically tests the minimal amount of information, diagnostic ability, and critical thinking required to start M3, not necessarily what should be known). Step 1 may not throw anything odd in there for the main reason that a) if you know the basic science, you can reason through almost any question. Also, Step 1 you have months of dedicated time to study for, you have thousands if not hundreds of thousands available questions across resources like Firecracker, Qbank, Uworld, First-Aid, Anki, whatever you choose to use. The MCAT is definitely easier(in terms of the test), however I think the resources available(especially with a new MCAT), are kind of ****ty, while step 1 has lot's of resources. A big difference is that medical schools want you to do as well as possible on Step 1 and the other step exams because it makes them look good, undergrad doesn't care how good your MCAT is, and they are trying to weed you out, so they don't really care about you. In medical schools, since everything is pass fail until clinicals, there is less competition, more kumbya

 

[osckey]

I feel like I gave it all on my MCAT. I scored well, but u really felt like I left it all on the field. All this talk about how STEP 1 is even more brutal honestly freaks me out. But, if the other guy can do it, why can't I.

 

[operaman]

Completely different exams - the MCAT is about as similar to the Step exams as the SAT. Underlying these differences are the vastly different purposes of the tests. The MCAT is designed to assess your aptitude for medical school. It is not so much a knowledge test as it is a test that assumes a basic level of knowledge and then sees how well you can apply and interpret based on what you know. The step exams are much more weighted to assess your fund of knowledge and then test your ability to apply that knowledge to the practice of clinical medicine.

There's also the issue that the MCAT was designed to discriminate between applicants while the Step 1 was designed to assess whether students had met a basic level of competency. It has since become a very important part of residency applications and used to distinguish between otherwise similar candidates, but it was never designed for this purpose. Tests that discriminate are generally perceived as trickier and more difficult by examinees; tests of minimum competency will tend to have a number of questions that feel like "gimme" questions. Brute memorization can get you through a minimum competency test with a passing score, though a broader understanding is required for above average scores.

Personally, I felt the MCAT was a more "difficult" exam but also a more beatable one. I managed to do pretty well on it despite never setting foot in a college science classroom and just teaching myself with a few weeks of khan academy and some review books. I would not have fared so well on step 1 with no medical school and 6 weeks of First Aid and some Pathoma!

 

[Swish16]

Comparing apples & oranges

 

[jm192]

It's a different kind of test.

There were some questions that felt like fairy tale made up bull$hit, and then you had to apply science to the fairy tale. We had a micro professor that liked to do the same.

Step 1 feels more straight forward--patient presents with these symptoms, how could you diagnose them/what would you expect to see under the microscope/etc. Or they'll tell you in a round about way the patient has Chlamydia and ask you how the antibiotic you would use works. It's more connecting dots, but there are a metric crap ton of dots.

 

[lmn]

It's a different kind of test.

There were some questions that felt like fairy tale made up bull$hit, and then you had to apply science to the fairy tale. We had a micro professor that liked to do the same.

Step 1 feels more straight forward--patient presents with these symptoms, how could you diagnose them/what would you expect to see under the microscope/etc. Or they'll tell you in a round about way the patient has Chlamydia and ask you how the antibiotic you would use works. It's more connecting dots, but there are a metric crap ton of dots.

So many dots.... MCAT studying was a complete cakewalk comparatively

 

[fasteddie911]

It is more difficult to prepare to do well on the MCAT as compared to step 1. You can study for step 1, not so much for the mcat. I know of people who had average or below average mcat's do really well in med school, crush step 1/2 and go on to outstanding residencies. Of course, I also know of people who had average mcat's and step 1, as well as solid mcat's but average step 1. However, step 1 is more difficult in the toll it takes on you mentally and physically. You spend a ton of time studying and have essentially one shot to pass the exam and get the absolute best score you can get. You can't retake it if you don't like your score (unlike the MCAT) and failing is significant. The importance of the test is much more than the MCAT as it can determine your future career path. I have known some people that wanted to go into something like derm, do poorly on step 1, and end up doing psych or family medicine.