MCAT score and Match?

[thirsty4chicken]

Do residency programs consider your MCAT score in any way as part your application?

I know this may be like a grad school looking at your SAT scores (and therefore a silly question) but I want to keep my bases covered.

Thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[geogil]

I think you answered your own question. MCAT stands for Medical College Admission Test. After you're admitted to medschool, the whole thing is irrelevant. Your USMLE scores can play a role in residency matching, but MCAT scores are meaningless after you get into a school.

 

[soeagerun2or]

Do residency programs consider your MCAT score in any way as part your application?

I know this may be like a grad school looking at your SAT scores (and therefore a silly question) but I want to keep my bases covered.

Thanks.

Yeah but only after Step I, 3rd & 4th year grades, letters, research, the school you go to, Step II, sub-I evals, 1st & 2nd year grades, and ECs.

 

[thirsty4chicken]

I think you answered your own question. MCAT stands for Medical College Admission Test. After you're admitted to medschool, the whole thing is irrelevant. Your USMLE scores can play a role in residency matching, but MCAT scores are meaningless after you get into a school.

Yeah but only after Step I, 3rd & 4th year grades, letters, research, the school you go to, Step II, sub-I evals, 1st & 2nd year grades, and ECs.

So.... I'm looking for some consensus here. Are MCAT scores completely irrelevant, or do they have a *small* effect upon your match?

 

[FenderHM]

So.... I'm looking for some consensus here. Are MCAT scores completely irrelevant, or do they have a *small* effect upon your match?

i think the second one was sarcastic homie

 

[Instatewaiter]

Many residencies factor MCAT more heavily than Step 1, 3rd year clerkships, letters of rec or 1st/2nd year grades since the MCAT deals with much more relevant things than what you learn in medical school. I mean figuring out the wavelength of light given the energy is much more important than knowing the normal presentation of Cushings.

 

[ijcMD]

E=hf

I guess i'm placing in ortho at Harvard... sweeeeeeeet!

 

[deleted77919]

I know this may be like a grad school looking at your SAT scores (and therefore a silly question) but I want to keep my bases covered.

Some medical school do ask for SAT scores (think: WashU). However I do not believe residencies really look at MCAT scores. I had to submit a CV for a summer program in the ED and during my interview the interviewer commented that she thought it was funny I included my MCAT score as she has no idea what a 37R even means.

Heck the PD for EM here says he spends perhaps 4 seconds looking at first and second year medical school performance. Considering that MCATs really won't matter. Doesn't mean there isn't some residency somewhere that will ask though.

 

[soeagerun2or]

Definitive answer:
Yes it is in the Dean's Letter. Yes it has the strongest correlation with USMLE Step I (e.g. if you bomb the MCAT look foward to bombing Step I). Yes it counts. How much? Very little, almost nothing at all. However, with ALL OTHER THINGS being equal it could play a role.

 

[geogil]

Why are you wondering? Are you hoping that your 43T will still have some power after you've done 4 years of medical school? By the time you're matching, the MCAT will be at least 5 years old, and as some have said somewhat sarcastically, the stuff on the MCAT is not really germane to the practice of medicine. I would be grateful if the PD's didn't really look at the ol' MCAT.

 

[excalibur]

Your answer:

Once in med school, your MCAT score is irrelevant even for residency.

 

[Ghost]

it is in your dean's letter along with your undergrad gpa. in obtaining a residency it will hold the same significance as getting a C- in 7th grade gym class.

 

[JDWflash44]

I know there are at least a few orthopaedic surgery programs that ask for MCAT score. I dont know how much weight it holds in the selection process, but your file is not complete if they dont have it.

 

[lattimer13]

Some medical school do ask for SAT scores (think: WashU). However I do not believe residencies really look at MCAT scores. I had to submit a CV for a summer program in the ED and during my interview the interviewer commented that she thought it was funny I included my MCAT score as she has no idea what a 37R even means...

 

[lattimer13]

my sarcasm meter isn't working quite well today after reading this thread.

my experience after having matched: my dean's letter did not have my MCAT score. one program that i applied to specifically asked for MCAT scores to be emailed separately...not even had to send an official copy, just email them what you got.

for the poster above re: MCAT vs step 1 correlation...i didn't do great on the MCAT and did very well on both step 1 and 2...maybe i'm an outlier, but there's been posts on this very subject numerous times before and i know i'm not the only one.

 

[DocOB]

How significant is having research experience for matching. I am starting med school in August and obviously have a lot to learn, but I was more or less wondering if applying to residencies is similar to applying for med schools. For example, I detest research and only want to be a clinician (though what specialty is largely undecided). Let's say though for example I want to do a neuro residency, will I need research experience in med school. I have none to date as you all probably could have guessed.

 

[Law2Doc]

However, with ALL OTHER THINGS being equal it could play a role.

I think respiratory rate counts more. (Having a good one of these also is correlated to doing well on the USMLE.)

 

[Instatewaiter]

A lot of people do research after first year during their summer. For many of the competitive speciaties, most of the people have some sort of research.

Honestly though, how much research can you do in 2 months? You'll basically be piggy-backing on someone else's project.

As residencies/fellowships go, neuro is not especially competitive. Neurosurg however is a different story.

 

[DocOB]

Well that's good I guess. I was just using neuro as an example because I really don't know what I want to do, but one thing that's for sure is that neurosurg is not my cup of tea.

 

[deleted77919]

I think respiratory rate counts more. (Having a good one of these also is correlated to doing well on the USMLE.)

Yes, but the threshold is pretty low (about 12/min) and once you exceed 20/min there's a negative correlation.

 

[Law2Doc]

Yes, but the threshold is pretty low (about 12/min) and once you exceed 20/min there's a negative correlation.

As a med student, you are expected to strive for perfection. But there will always be a gunner who hyperventilates his way into derm.

 

[Law2Doc]

Yes, but the threshold is pretty low (about 12/min) and once you exceed 20/min there's a negative correlation.

As a med student, you are expected to strive for perfection. But there will always be a gunner who hyperventilates his way into derm.

 

[Dr. Dukes]

it is in your dean's letter along with your undergrad gpa. in obtaining a residency it will hold the same significance as getting a C- in 7th grade gym class.

7th grade gym was very hard!!!!!!!
That being said, I kicked ass in 8th grade gym, do you think that will save me, or am I forever tainted cause I couldn't climb a rope?

 

[DocOB]

7th grade gym was very hard!!!!!!!
That being said, I kicked ass in 8th grade gym, do you think that will save me, or am I forever tainted cause I couldn't climb a rope?

you have an upward trend, you're good to go!

 

[Tired]

Not sure why everyone thinks MCAT doesn't matter for residency. Any of you actually go through the match yet? Because I did six interviews (three Ortho, three Gen Surg), and they asked for my MCAT score at every one.

 

[thirsty4chicken]

BUMP

So.... the reason that I was asking was because I got a 31S (12physical, 7verbal, 12bio), and I'm afraid that could hurt me.

Would it be advisable to retake the MCAT if only for residency?

 

[Ghost]

BUMP

So.... the reason that I was asking was because I got a 31S (12physical, 7verbal, 12physical), and I'm afraid that could hurt me.

Would it be advisable to retake the MCAT if only for residency?

absolutely not if you are already accepted. your mcat will not matter at all. who cares that tired was asked about them at his interviews. if you have two applicants who have the same step 1 scores, 3rd year grades, letters of rec, step 2 scores, first and second year grades, extra currics, etc, etc,.......they are not gonna say, "yeah lets choose to spend the next five years of our lives working with this guy b/c he got a 32 on his mcats while the other guy only got a 28." they aren't hiring robots.

 

[redrocky]

I had to provide MCAT scores and undergrad transcripts to numerous places that I applied to for residency.

 

[JosephFaecesMD]

I had to provide MCAT scores and undergrad transcripts to numerous places that I applied to for residency.

What specialty?

 

[redrocky]

What specialty?

Ortho

 

[Tired]

absolutely not if you are already accepted. your mcat will not matter at all. who cares that tired was asked about them at his interviews. if you have two applicants who have the same step 1 scores, 3rd year grades, letters of rec, step 2 scores, first and second year grades, extra currics, etc, etc,.......they are not gonna say, "yeah lets choose to spend the next five years of our lives working with this guy b/c he got a 32 on his mcats while the other guy only got a 28." they aren't hiring robots.

Well of course you don't retake the MCAT once you're in med school, unless you want to look like a total tool. But if the bolded portion of what you wrote is true, why do you think they ask about it?

 

[Law2Doc]

Well of course you don't retake the MCAT once you're in med school, unless you want to look like a total tool. But if the bolded portion of what you wrote is true, why do you think they ask about it?

They ask about a lot of things but not everything is of equal importance. If two candidates were identical except for the MCAT they'd probably consider it, but identical applicants simply do not exist, so it probably almost never comes into play. Eg. If one has a good personality and the other is an pain but with a much higher MCAT, I don't think the MCAT ever gets into the equation. In a list of criteria, something has to be the least important one.

 

[Tired]

They ask about a lot of things but not everything is of equal importance. If two candidates were identical except for the MCAT they'd probably consider it, but identical applicants simply do not exist, so it probably almost never comes into play. Eg. If one has a good personality and the other is an pain but with a much higher MCAT, I don't think the MCAT ever gets into the equation. In a list of criteria, something has to be the least important one.

You're probably right, but I'm loathe to say that something they ask about is of little or no importance, especially in the competitive specialties. Certain elements of residency selection are just as much a black-box mystery to me as medical school admissions was. If they want to know my MCAT score, it must mean something, even if it's relatively low on the list.

Of course, I guess this is all a moot point. Your MCAT score is set in stone, and whether they ask about it or not, what you got is what you got.

 

[ortho060802]

Just matched in ortho and 3 of 45 programs asked me to send MCAT scores as well as undergrad transcripts.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

So when you enter medical school, you aren't really entering with a clean slate? That "C" I got in Physical Chemistry will come back to haunt me?

 

[Law2Doc]

So when you enter medical school, you aren't really entering with a clean slate? That "C" I got in Physical Chemistry will come back to haunt me?

I wouldn't sweat it if you do well on Step 1 and rotations.

 

[GeorgeFoster]

Your answer:

Once in med school, your MCAT score is irrelevant even for residency.

MCAT scores also have little bearing on winning an attending position.

But I have heard St. Peter might ask you about it at the pearly gates.

 

[Law2Doc]

But I have heard St. Peter might ask you about it at the pearly gates.

Absolutely. I think the breakdown (at least according to most recently discovered scripture relics) is: 32+ = heaven; 29-31=limbo; <29=hel1.

 

[Long Dong]

Just matched in ortho and 3 of 45 programs asked me to send MCAT scores as well as undergrad transcripts.

I've heard from a classmate of mine that they also ask for MCAT and undergrad transcripts at some optho programs as well.

But for derm none asked and I applied to all 105+ programs.

 

[Green912]

13 Anesthesia interviews and nobody ever mentioned MCAT scores. ERAS doesn't want them either.