Percentile clarification

[700003]

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I know this must be a stupid question...but can someone please clarify what 10th percentile and 90th percentile means in terms of MSAR GPA/MCAT requirements for different medical schools?

 

[Lamel]

10 percentile GPA/MCAT means that 10% of people who were accepted got below that score. Same thing for 90th percentile

For example if University X's MCAT range is 30-40, then 10% of the accepted students had below a 30, and 90% of accepted students had below a 40.

 

[700003]

10 percentile GPA/MCAT means that 10% of people who were accepted got below that score. Same thing for 90th percentile

For example if University X's MCAT range is 30-40, then 10% of the accepted students had below a 30, and 90% of accepted students had below a 40.

Thanks so much! So for example if Mount Sinai's range is 3.6-3.98 GPA and I have a 3.82 cGPA and 3.72 sGPA, would I be considered fairly competitive (in terms of GPA req...their median GPA is 3.85 so I'm not sure if I would have a shot)?

Also, how do we know what the GPA cutoff range is for schools? Like what GPA is considered too low for the school to not even consider you at the screening step?

 

[Lamel]

Thanks so much! So for example if Mount Sinai's range is 3.6-3.98 GPA and I have a 3.82 cGPA and 3.72 sGPA, would I be considered fairly competitive (in terms of GPA req...their median GPA is 3.85 so I'm not sure if I would have a shot)?

Also, how do we know what the GPA cutoff range is for schools? Like what GPA is considered too low for the school to not even consider you at the screening step?

You should be competitive GPA wise at Sinai for sure.

As for GPA screens, I don't have exact numbers, but most (if not all?) are below 3.5, so you don't have to worry about that.

 

[DoctorWhoo]

Thanks so much! So for example if Mount Sinai's range is 3.6-3.98 GPA and I have a 3.82 cGPA and 3.72 sGPA, would I be considered fairly competitive (in terms of GPA req...their median GPA is 3.85 so I'm not sure if I would have a shot)?

Also, how do we know what the GPA cutoff range is for schools? Like what GPA is considered too low for the school to not even consider you at the screening step?

Median is just the 50th percentile... so 50% of people have a 3.85 or below and 50% of people have above a 3.85. With your GPA of 3.82 (they don't separate sGPA in those calculations), you are right around the median. This means that your GPA is not low enough for it to affect you negatively, but not high enough that it will give you an advantage over other applicants.

You can typically use a schools 10th percentile as their GPA cutoff range. If you are at or below their 10th percentile, I would not apply unless I had a strong reason to (family member on adcom, very strong application besides gpa, good reason for low gpa, etc...). With a 3.82 your GPA will not screen you from any schools. That said, you have not mentioned your MCAT score, which IMO is a more significant indicator of whether or not you are competitive for a school since it is a more universal metric.

On a side note, I highly suggest you learn basic statistics before you enter medical school and learn how to find this kind of information out on your own with the internet. Khan academy would be a great place to start.

 

[Patros]

Thanks so much! So for example if Mount Sinai's range is 3.6-3.98 GPA and I have a 3.82 cGPA and 3.72 sGPA, would I be considered fairly competitive (in terms of GPA req...their median GPA is 3.85 so I'm not sure if I would have a shot)?

Also, how do we know what the GPA cutoff range is for schools? Like what GPA is considered too low for the school to not even consider you at the screening step?

You will find that GPA is more flexible than MCAT, simply because huge variations occurs between majors, schools, and individual classes. If your total and BCPM GPAs are above 3.8, you should be competitive at every school. GPA cutoffs tend to be at 3.0 or less, so don't worry about that.

Honestly, I wouldn't even worry about GPA anymore. You will find that almost every school has the average GPA in the 3.7s and 3.8s, so it is a poor indicator of your application's competitiveness. The MCAT is more of a gamechanger, where just a few points makes you much more competitive.