MCAT or USMLE step 1?

[anomorato]

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For those that have taken both exams.
Which would you think is harder MCAT or USMLE step 1??

thanks for all ur feedbacks

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

I'm not trying to be an a**, but what does it matter? I'm just saying it appears I am the 74th person to check out this post in hopes of finding something that will help me or thinking that I might be of some use to someone having a problem. It's just kind of taking up space, like if I posted a thread asking everyone's favorite color.

 

[Law2Doc]

It's just kind of taking up space, like if I posted a thread asking everyone's favorite color.

More like asking everyone something that everyone on this board knows the one obvious answer to.

 

[DHMO]

More like asking everyone something that everyone on this board knows the one obvious answer to.

What's the obvious answer? I've taken both and don't think one is clearly harder than the other. The MCAT is much more difficult test in that you need to think and the questions are so much more random. Step 1 is certainly a more greuling test and it's tough to get through that last block. If I had to do one of them again, I would definitely choose step 1.

 

[LostTommyGuns]

Dude Step 1 was definitely harder. The MCAT was a walk in the park comparatively, I can't imagine that there were very many people that studied even 1/10 the amount for MCAT as they did for Step 1.

 

[velo]

Dude Step 1 was definitely harder. The MCAT was a walk in the park comparatively, I can't imagine that there were very many people that studied even 1/10 the amount for MCAT as they did for Step 1.

I don't know, I probably studied more for the MCAT assuming you don't count the 2 years in medical school that were essentially preparation for step 1.

Working hard in your 1st and 2nd year medical school classes is almost all good preparation for step 1, whereas maybe 1/4 of your hard work in the 2.5 yrs of undergrad before the MCAT directly relevant to the MCAT. I'd say I put in more specific preperation for the MCAT (a couple of months worth) whereas step 1 studying was more intense work but only took 3 weeks. And I scored in ~ the same percentile on the MCAT and on step 1 so I think the preperation was equally efficacious.

As other people will say, the tests are just "different" not exactly harder or easier than each other. If you put a gun to my head I suppose the USMLE is a harder test--but I don't know if studying for it is any harder given the fact that you take it after two years of specific preparation for it (with a few esoteric gaps to fill in on your own)

 

[StudentDoc327]

I thought MCAT was a lot harder just because my college was not a good prep for it (easy school) and it was a lot more boring to study for (ie. the material was totaly irrelevant to anything I would ever need it for again). If you go to medical school and get good grades you are 1/2 way there for step I and a lot of the material helped me get through clinicals smoothly so I though it was easier to prep for.

 

[colbgw02]

Dude Step 1 was definitely harder. The MCAT was a walk in the park comparatively, I can't imagine that there were very many people that studied even 1/10 the amount for MCAT as they did for Step 1.

ditto

 

[39094]

Dude Step 1 was definitely harder. The MCAT was a walk in the park comparatively, I can't imagine that there were very many people that studied even 1/10 the amount for MCAT as they did for Step 1.

I'm going to have to disagree with you I'm afraid. I studied probably 6 months for my MCAT and only 6 weeks for Step 1. On top of that I did better on my Step 1 than I did on my MCAT....go fig.

That being said I'm one of those sick weirdos that actually kind of enjoyed studying for step 1. Yes it sucked having my nose in a book 14 hours a day or whatever but I was going over stuff that I find interesting (not all of it but most of medicine is pretty interesting, at least to me).

Studying for the MCAT though? I could care less about what equation describes the force that keeps the planets moving in circles or what some stupid dead dude thought about "freedom." 😴

Actual question from a verbal passage on my MCAT:

The author's tone could be described as:
A. Icy
B. Chilly
C. Cold
D. Frigid
E. Cold to the point of being frigid

Seriously, WTF. I had a few off the wall Q's on my Step 1, but nothing near that stupid. Give me the USMLE any day, the MCAT is a test I'm glad is far far behind me.

 

[Jedix123]

Actual question from a verbal passage on my MCAT:

The author's tone could be described as:
A. Icy
B. Chilly
C. Cold
D. Frigid
E. Cold to the point of being frigid

Seriously, WTF. I had a few off the wall Q's on my Step 1, but nothing near that stupid. Give me the USMLE any day, the MCAT is a test I'm glad is far far behind me.

The obvious answer is C. Cold. GOLDILOCKS APPROACH! (some call it reasoning... 😕 ) Ya I couldn't get above a 9 on VR.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

The author's tone could be described as:
A. Icy
B. Chilly
C. Cold
D. Frigid
E. Cold to the point of being frigid

Seriously, WTF. I had a few off the wall Q's on my Step 1, but nothing near that stupid. Give me the USMLE any day, the MCAT is a test I'm glad is far far behind me.

True dat, the MCAT was bullsh*t. My verbal questions were sooooo horrible. I had a passage (~2 yrs ago) about burglary, and one of my questions was asking whether training a monkey to go through someone's window and steal a wallet is considered "burglary".

wtf IS that?

 

[velo]

True dat, the MCAT was bullsh*t. My verbal questions were sooooo horrible. I had a passage (~2 yrs ago) about burglary, and one of my questions was asking whether training a monkey to go through someone's window and steal a wallet is considered "burglary".

wtf IS that?

I think it depends on what kind of monkey...

 

[39094]

True dat, the MCAT was bullsh*t. My verbal questions were sooooo horrible. I had a passage (~2 yrs ago) about burglary, and one of my questions was asking whether training a monkey to go through someone's window and steal a wallet is considered "burglary".

wtf IS that?

No kidding, and physical sciences wasn't much better. I had at least 10 questions on Kepler's laws which I don't recall ever learning in class or in review.

Oh, and they don't make you do a stupid writing sample that has no bearing on anything on Step 1 either, so it gets another point in my book.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

I'm going to have to disagree with you I'm afraid. I studied probably 6 months for my MCAT and only 6 weeks for Step 1. On top of that I did better on my Step 1 than I did on my MCAT....go fig.

Yeah, other than the fact that you probably studied more in med school than you did in undergrad. The 6 weeks I'm sure was combined with the hours and hours and hours you put in the 2 years prior to it.

For me, the MCAT was a joke and it's mainly a test of eliminating grossly incorrect answer choices and applying basic concepts. Med school mcq's require a much more multidimensional approach to answer, and I can imagine the USMLE being like one giant compendium of the med school q's I've had so far.

 

[Sean2tall]

Actual question from a verbal passage on my MCAT:

The author's tone could be described as:
A. Icy
B. Chilly
C. Cold
D. Frigid
E. Cold to the point of being frigid

Oh man I almost forgot about that .. I had the same question about 3 or 4 years ago. I was laughing about that question all week after the test.

To answer the question, I studied a lot more for Step 1 and was below average vs. MCAT where I barely studied and was well above average. I think with the MCAT you can get by more on being smart, whereas for Step 1 you just need to memorize common questions and random facts.

 

[MeowMix]

To do well on the MCAT, you must do better than a bunch of undergrads who are not yet in med school, many of whom will sign up for the Kaplan course, never study, and take the test anyway.

To do well on Step 1, you must do better than most of the people who made it through 2-3 years of med school, plus a fair number of FMGs who were practicing doctors in their own countries.

 

[outofhere]

To do well on the MCAT, you must do better than a bunch of undergrads who are not yet in med school, many of whom will sign up for the Kaplan course, never study, and take the test anyway.

To do well on Step 1, you must do better than most of the people who made it through 2-3 years of med school, plus a fair number of FMGs who were practicing doctors in their own countries.

I don't know if the part about doing better than most of the people who made it through 2-3 years of med school/FMGs is true. A lot of FMGs can't pass USMLE for their LIFE! Most US students pass USMLE fairly easily. If you are trying to score in the top 1%, sure, that will be difficult. But to have the 2 digit score in the high 80's to the 90's is quite doable.
Oh, it helps to ask med schools what their Step 1 pass rate is: ironically, some Ivies actually have quite 'bad' rates- because their in house exams are just too easy/or optional.