MCAT vs. Boards

[53948]

medical students, which one do you think is harder/more challenging? just wondering... personally i think i'm more confident with the boards cause there's no verbal! haha

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[DrSroa]

I believe the MCAT is much harder than the USMLE's.

1) MCAT has four sciences that are completely different from one another. Although the USMLE's have many medical sciences, they are all interrelated. They depend upon one another.

2) For those who are good at biological science would love the USMLE's. There are no mathematical equations.

3) There is no verbal section on the MCAT. Though there are passages, these are not about the art and philosophy of Jazz music, they are about healthcare.

 

[RaistlinMajere]

I've heard that the MCAT is more challenging, but I'm guessing it depends on the person. Apparently MCAT scores are a decent predictor of how you will do on the boards.

I felt a little strapped for time on the MCAT. Are there similar time constraints with the boards?

 

[drguy22]

3) There is no verbal section on the MCAT. Though there are passages, these are not about the art and philosophy of Jazz music, they are about healthcare.

u meant the boards...rite...cuz i sure remember the stupid passages on the MCAT....

 

[Guga-mama]

Both exams are difficult. However, I feel that the USMLE can better be over-comed by studying your heart out. The MCAT, you can study every subject twice and still on the day of the exam, you will be suprised with the passages and questions that are asked.

With the boards, you can study very hard, do lots of practice questions, and you will go into the exam feeling confident and prepared.

You are expected to memorize a lot of information for the boards, but on the MCAT you can memorize everything, and still do horribly on the exam.

I will take the boards over the MCAT anyday. Mind you, with the boards, there is extra pressure, because you can actually fail the USMLE, but technically, you can't fail the MCAT. In addition, the USMLE is very important for your residency application. The MCAT, although important, is not the main factor in medical school admission.

And, I don't really think your MCAT scores necessarily translates to the USMLE scores. I know someone with a 24 on the MCAT who scored 250+ on step 1.

It's all about studying your ass out for the boards.

 

[45408]

It's all about studying your ass out for the boards.

Crap. 😛 I didn't study *that* much for the MCAT. I performed better than I'd hoped, but I did know the material pretty well from actually learning it in class.

 

[Graat]

Are you guys med students, or just speculating? The reasoning presented here makes sense, but every med student that I have asked (not a whole lot, I must admit) who has taken step 1 has told me that it makes the MCAT look like a pop quiz on last night's reading.

 

[DrMom]

This thread is pretty funny. 🙄

Don't put any credence in opinions of the USMLE/COMLEX from pre-meds.

If you get into med school, you're going to have to take the boards. Who cares how they compare to the MCAT. They're a hoop you have to jump through.

 

[firebody]

I will take the boards over the MCAT anyday. Mind you, with the boards, there is extra pressure, because you can actually fail the USMLE, but technically, you can't fail the MCAT.

aww man...i needed this today.

 

[mosche]

Just to put it in perspective: everyone who takes either the USMLE/COMLEX, got into med. school -- therefore, one can assume that they did relatively well on the MCAT. Yet many of those same students fail, and then have to retake the USMLE/COMLEX.

I am a third year who took the USMLE Step I last summer; let me assure you, it is considerably more difficult/intense than was the MCAT. That having been said, however, if you do well in medical school, you will do well on the USMLE (and I assume the COMLEX). Just realize that every person in medical school was an outstanding undergrad; thus, the expectations are much HIGHER!

Hope this helps! Good luck to all of you.

 

[WatchingWaiting]

I will take the boards over the MCAT anyday. Mind you, with the boards, there is extra pressure, because you can actually fail the USMLE, but technically, you can't fail the MCAT. In addition, the USMLE is very important for your residency application. The MCAT, although important, is not the main factor in medical school admission.

And, I don't really think your MCAT scores necessarily translates to the USMLE scores. I know someone with a 24 on the MCAT who scored 250+ on step 1.

It's all about studying your ass out for the boards.

The MCAT is more important to your med school application than your Step 1 is to your residency application. When someone gets a bottom 10% score on the Step 1, they are not going to be denied physicianhood. They can (if below 7th percentile and actually failed it) retake, and will get a lot of support from their institution to pass Step I the second time around. They will probably not be able to get a surgical subspecialty or a few of the other highly-competitive specialties, but they will still be able to compete for most of the other fields. Also, some residencies actually care little about your Step I score other than to make sure you passed. It is possible to have a slightly sub-average Step I and get IM at Mass Gen (based on clinical performance, research, letters of rec), whereas it is virtually impossible to get into Harvard with a sub-national-average MCAT, regardless of gpa, research, and the rest of your package.

There are very few people who get into med school with mid 20s and below MCATs. A bottom 10% MCAT score basically means no med school regardless of any other qualification. Actually, a bottom 25% MCAT score basically means no allopathic med school for you.

Also, although MCAT scores do not "necessarily" translate to Step I scores, 60-70% of variation in Step I scores is explained by your MCAT score. In fact, your MCAT score is better correlated with your Step I score than is your undergradute science gpa.

 

[RaistlinMajere]

Also, although MCAT scores do not "necessarily" translate to Step I scores, 60-70% of variation in Step I scores is explained by your MCAT score. In fact, your MCAT score is better correlated with your Step I score than is your undergradute science gpa.

As I suspected. That was an interesting take on it. Thanks.

 

[fun8stuff]

Just to put it in perspective: everyone who takes either the USMLE/COMLEX, got into med. school -- therefore, one can assume that they did relatively well on the MCAT. Yet many of those same students fail, and then have to retake the USMLE/COMLEX.

...

I didn't think A LOT of people failed it. Isn't the national pass rate like 94%, meaning only 6% fail. Does this include students from carribean schools? IMGs? Heck, I would be willing to guess that 6% of the people that get into med school have a low MCAT (< 26).

 

[TheDudeabides]

I didn't think A LOT of people failed it. Isn't the national pass rate like 94%, meaning only 6% fail. Does this include students from carribean schools? IMGs? Heck, I would be willing to guess that 6% of the people that get into med school have a low MCAT (< 26).

Here are the numbers.... http://www.usmle.org/scores/2003perf.htm

Step 1 is a totally different animal than the MCAT. Both equally suck, and both can be overcome by studying hard and doing LOTS of practice questions. Dont remember the MCAT much, but as for step 1, if you do well the first 2 years you will do well on step 1 as long as you study hard. And when you only get a month or so to study for it, it takes a ton of studying to get all of the info from those 2 years down pat,
MSIV

For all you neurotic pre-meds...31 MCAT 249 step 1

 

[GopherBrain]

For all you neurotic pre-meds...31 MCAT 249 step 1

My experience was different. 37 MCAT, 229 Step 1 (although I will blame part of this on taking Step 1 a week and a half before getting married... I had other things on my mind...

 

[Long Dong]

Here is an old post about the subject if your interested in reading what those in med school and have taken step one have to say:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=75348&highlight=mcat+vs+usmle

 

[EvoDevo]

This thread is pretty funny. 🙄

Don't put any credence in opinions of the USMLE/COMLEX from pre-meds.

If you get into med school, you're going to have to take the boards. Who cares how they compare to the MCAT. They're a hoop you have to jump through.

Word.

 

[nub]

if I would have studied half as hard for the MCAT as I did for the boards (10 hrs/week during school, plus a month of averaging 10 hrs study/day before boards) I know I would have smoked the MCAT.

stats: 29 MCAT, 230 usmle, 86th % comlex (597)

the only thing about the mcat is that most people are still in classes w/ no study month unless they take it in august or are graduated and not working.

 

[rajvosa]

ok

 

[DrBloodmoney]

I studied for approx. 4 days for the MCAT... got straight 10s= 30

Studied for 6 weeks 10+ hours per day... 260 on Step 1.

Studied for 2 weeks 10+ hours per day... 249 on Step 2.

Step 1 beats the MCAT hands down. Actually screw that... neuroanatomy exams beat both of them like an angry pimp.

 

[Green912]

A third grade spelling test is harder then either of them.

 

[Rudy Guliani]

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, are you serious? to anyone here that thinks the mcats are harder than the usmle, the usmle is much, much harder. savor the mcats while you have them, young ones.

rg

 

[gujuDoc]

Once a few yrs ago, a doctor who served as Admissions Dean for University of South Florida College of Medicine told us that the MCAT is like a piece of Cake compared to the boards.


Here is why that may very well be true. Remember now for a moment, that the Boards are are 3 part exam with an oral part at the very end of residency, hence step 3.

However, to compare the two is not possible.

MCAT is your typical standardized test, which though requires science knowledge is more a test of logic and reasoning.

On the other hand, the USMLE is mostly a knowledge based test that cannot have its answers deducted from pure reasoning.

At least that is what I was also told by my formal Verbal MCAT teacher who is now in lawschool and got a 15 on the verbal section of the MCAT in 40 minutes flat.

He also has gotten a 174 out of 180 on the LSAT and above 90th percentiles or higher on the SAT and ACT as well as GRE, all of which he took so he could teach at the princeton review while he figured out what he wanted to do with his life.

He is in his late 20's, but is supposedly a very good musician, writer, and creative thinker who has read all sorts of things that include einstein's theories, etc. etc. so is very knowledgeable.

He said he was good at figuring out most tests, but he took one look at the USMLE practice test, and he couldn't figure it out worth a d@mn.

Finally, some med students I met at an AMSA national conference said the same thing, that the USMLE they found harder.

 

[carrigallen]

I agree that the MCAT is more of a logics/reasoning exam.

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

don't kid yourselves into thinking the MCAT is even in the same ballpark of the USMLE.

 

[i61164]

I felt a little strapped for time on the MCAT. Are there similar time constraints with the boards?

Anyone???

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

I didn't really have time problems with the MCAT and didn't notice any time problems with Step I. I pretty much knew what was going on and was able to figure out the answers on Step I or just narrowed, guessed, and moved on.

One thing that you might consider is that during the first two years of med school you take a lot of timed tests and get more proficient at multiple choice and the timed environment.