MSAR MCAT median inflated?

[CornellMANheh]

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Just hit me, but does the MSAR data include MD-PhD acceptances? If so, would that mean the median MCAT for schools with MD-PhD programs is ever so slightly inflated (I'm talking like ~1 point at T20s) considering MD-PhD applicants are often the ones with uber high scores.

 

[drtribbiani]

I'd like to know this also, because one of my top choices has a mean MCAT of a 512, but a median of 516. Same goes for GPA, there's a pretty big gap between the two.

 

[Goro]

Just hit me, but does the MSAR data include MD-PhD acceptances? If so, would that mean the median MCAT for schools with MD-PhD programs is ever so slightly inflated (I'm talking like ~1 point at T20s) considering MD-PhD applicants are often the ones with uber high scores.

Looking at, say Emory, they have 10 MD/PhD students in a class of 138.

Do you think that those ten will skew the curve any?

MSAR doesn't seem to say anything about MD/PhD being excluded.

I would not give SDNers any false hopes that the requirements for a school are actually lower due to the median or mean being skewed by the MD/PhD cohort. Emory's median is 515 for matriculants, with 508 being the 10th %ile...I do not think that they will cut you some slack for your 507 score

 

[931408]

Just hit me, but does the MSAR data include MD-PhD acceptances? If so, would that mean the median MCAT for schools with MD-PhD programs is ever so slightly inflated (I'm talking like ~1 point at T20s) considering MD-PhD applicants are often the ones with uber high scores.

I believe it does, but as Goro pointed out, it's a small portion of the class. I also wouldn't generalize and say that MD-PhD applicants have the highest scores. You'll find plenty of MD only candidates with 100th percentile MCATs. Some MD-PhD committees will also say that they are more concerned about research than MCAT.

FWIW, I only received interviews from schools, where my MCAT was higher than the median. Be safe and apply broadly to medical schools.

 

[kepler16b]

Average MSTP MCAT at Einstein is lower than the overall class median.

 

[LizzyM]

I'd like to know this also, because one of my top choices has a mean MCAT of a 512, but a median of 516. Same goes for GPA, there's a pretty big gap between the two.

What does that tell you? I'm thinking that there is a bimodal distribution with half of the pool in the 516 and higher range and the other almost half well below 512 so that it averages out to 512. Weird.

 

[965978]

What does that tell you? I'm thinking that there is a bimodal distribution with half of the pool in the 516 and higher range and the other almost half well below 512 so that it averages out to 512. Weird.

I’d highly suspect UCLA to have something like this because the PRIME/Drew numbers are included. So the mean is affected more heavily than the median.

 

[CornellMANheh]

What does that tell you? I'm thinking that there is a bimodal distribution with half of the pool in the 516 and higher range and the other almost half well below 512 so that it averages out to 512. Weird.

Let’s talk about UMichigan,

518 median accepted MCAT on MSAR.

But on their website they say their average MCAT is 513 (89th percentile).

What’s going on here?

 

[LizzyM]

Let’s talk about UMichigan,

518 median accepted MCAT on MSAR.

But on their website they say their average MCAT is 513 (89th percentile).

What’s going on here?

I'm thinking that there is a bimodal distribution with half of the pool in the 518 and higher range and the other almost half well below 513 so that it averages out to 513. Weird.

 

[965978]

I'm thinking that there is a bimodal distribution with half of the pool in the 518 and higher range and the other almost half well below 513 so that it averages out to 513. Weird.

UMichigan is also weird in its gender distribution:

Nearly twice as many females (109) as males (59). Strange.

 

[bearcalbear2019]

I'm thinking that there is a bimodal distribution with half of the pool in the 518 and higher range and the other almost half well below 513 so that it averages out to 513. Weird.

Very curious on UMichigan as well. But it makes sense as accepted IS median is 514, with 10th percentile at 505. OOS is 518 median with 10th percentile at 511. The bar is so much higher for OOS but logical as UMich is fundamentally a state school..

 

[CornellMANheh]

I'm thinking that there is a bimodal distribution with half of the pool in the 518 and higher range and the other almost half well below 513 so that it averages out to 513. Weird.

Figured it out.

UMichigan’s accepted median is 518 but matriculated median on MSAR is 515.

The 513 average on the website is for its entering class (matriculates).


515 is not that far off from 513, what this means is that the distribution is skewed a little to the left.

 

[CornellMANheh]

I believe it does, but as Goro pointed out, it's a small portion of the class. I also wouldn't generalize and say that MD-PhD applicants have the highest scores. You'll find plenty of MD only candidates with 100th percentile MCATs. Some MD-PhD committees will also say that they are more concerned about research than MCAT.

FWIW, I only received interviews from schools, where my MCAT was higher than the median. Be safe and apply broadly to medical schools.

Is there any reason why you only got interviews at schools where your MCAT was above median?

Was it because you had a lower GPA?

 

[Isoval]

Is there any reason why you only got interviews at schools where your MCAT was above median?

Was it because you had a lower GPA?

I would recommend not trying to understand it. From the outside looking in, and probably from the inside as well, there’s no set rule. Ever.

There are simply too many factors to consider.

I received interviews from schools where I was a full standard deviation under their median MCAT (about 9 points) and ever so slightly above their GPA average (.02). I didn’t receive interviews from some schools where I was above their median by over 4 points and over their GPA average by a lion’s share (0.3). It depends on the school, it depends on every single word you write in your application, and probably whether or not the adcom member reading your file got gypped at Starbucks that morning.

 

[907914]

Very curious on UMichigan as well. But it makes sense as accepted IS median is 514, with 10th percentile at 505. OOS is 518 median with 10th percentile at 511. The bar is so much higher for OOS but logical as UMich is fundamentally a state school..

Where do you get this data? I can’t find IS vs OOS info on MSAR.

 

[Goro]

Where do you get this data? I can’t find IS vs OOS info on MSAR.

Look at "acceptance data" on each school's page

 

[931408]

Where do you get this data? I can’t find IS vs OOS info on MSAR.

You should be able to get this via MSAR. There is a drop-down link where you can look at IS/OOS data. Additionally, this is a link - a bit outdated - but published from UMMS 2012-2016. You get a sense that OOS students are held to a higher standard than IS students.

https://medicine.umich.edu/medschoo...racker/md_five_year_admissions_snapshot_0.pdf

 

[907914]

Look at "acceptance data" on each school's page

I have found a lot of schools are not as open as I am used to. Being from Washington state and seeing how transparent UW is....It would be nice to see every school be like that.

 

[Goro]

I have found a lot of schools are not as open as I am used to. Being from Washington state and seeing how transparent UW is....It would be nice to see every school be like that.

No, not the school websites, but in MSAR!!!! Read what minimato had to say.

 

[907914]

No, not the school websites, but in MSAR!!!! Read what minimato had to say.

Gotcha. Totally thought you were just telling me “if you can’t find it on MSAR go to the schools website,” because it is still 2008 in my head and ‘page’ means website.

Gotcha, will toggle around. My sentiment still hold true about wanting more transparency lol

 

[nicks9000]

I'm curious; do the median/average MCAT stats for schools take into account retake scores?

 

[deleted853480]

Median scores aren’t affect by outliers but mean scores are. I think the scores are accepted stats and not matriculated??

 

[deleted853480]

I was thinking about this further and probably the urm mcats lower the mean mcat more than the md/phd guys raise the mcat. Go by the median scores those are more reliable.

 

[DNAJB6]

I'm thinking that there is a bimodal distribution with half of the pool in the 518 and higher range and the other almost half well below 513 so that it averages out to 513. Weird.

IIS v. OOS?