SAT - MCAT?

Started by chemdoctor
Tags Tags
amcas chemistry mcat mdanddo
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
chemdoctor

chemdoctor

Full Member
5+ Year Member
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Just curious. High MCAT scorers, what were your SAT scores?

I got a 1650 and an 1800 out of 2400. So not terrible but not great.

Wondering if it’s possible for me to get a good MCAT score? Like I know it’s possible but do I have natural limitations I should be aware of? Please let me know. Thank you.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
You will be fine - I do think that there some naturally good test takers out there. I guess this could be useful for CARS mostly. Nonetheless, practice practice practice and you will meet your goal. Don't think too much about your old SAT, you are a new you so its time to reset the computer and acknowledge that with the right dedication, anyone including you can destroy the MCAT and never have to think about that again. Good luck!
 
PentuPenguin said:
You will be fine - I do think that there some naturally good test takers out there. I guess this could be useful for CARS mostly. Nonetheless, practice practice practice and you will meet your goal. Don't think too much about your old SAT, you are a new you so its time to reset the computer and acknowledge that with the right dedication, anyone including you can destroy the MCAT and never have to think about that again. Good luck!
Click to expand...

I hope so. I do well on standardized tests but not like 90th percentile like some people. CARS is destroying me on the MCAT right now Dx
 
PentuPenguin said:
You will be fine - I do think that there some naturally good test takers out there. I guess this could be useful for CARS mostly. Nonetheless, practice practice practice and you will meet your goal. Don't think too much about your old SAT, you are a new you so its time to reset the computer and acknowledge that with the right dedication, anyone including you can destroy the MCAT and never have to think about that again. Good luck!
Click to expand...

You're so right. there are DEFINITELY naturally good test takers. Man those people are lucky.
 
I am not one of those! I think if anything me knowing about that made me push even harder for a good score. In the end I ended up with an OK score but still made it this cycle - you can do it!
 
PentuPenguin said:
I am not one of those! I think if anything me knowing about that made me push even harder for a good score. In the end I ended up with an OK score but still made it this cycle - you can do it!
Click to expand...

Just curious, what were your stats? Seems like you were a strong applicant to begin with!
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
2200 SAT, currently in the earlier stages of MCAT studying (and now just switched to full-time studying) for a September test date... in my case I sure wish there were a strong correlation, haha...
 
I looked this up back in Sophomore year of undergrad because I've always been strong at taking standardized tests. This post reminded me of it. Please take note, it significantly outdated, and I don't remember the specifics of the study. You can also see "small school" in the title which should tell you something in and of itself. But there was a correlation. However, don't think that a high SAT guarantees you a high MCAT score or vice-versa.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A twelve-year profile of students' SAT scores, GPAs, and MCAT scores from a small university's premedical program - PubMed

The students' SAT scores and GPAs proved to be statistically reliable predictors of MCAT scores, but the minority or majority status and the transfer or nontransfer status of the students were statistically insignificant.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
 
I had the same worries as you when I started studying. I thought that my performance on the SAT showed that I may not have the test taking aptitude needed to score great on the MCAT. However, that didn't stop me from giving it my best shot. I encourage you to do the same because sometimes you may surprise yourself.
chemdoctor said:
Holy ... how?!
Click to expand...
 
i got a 2270 on the SAT and a 521 MCAT – in other words, the same percentile for both. n=1
 
I didn’t even know what was on the SAT (thus, no studying), registered for it the fall of my senior year, had joined the military by the time I even sat for the thing, didn’t try whatsoever beyond just filling in what I already knew...came out with a 1900 (88th percentile at the time).

I spent 6 months at 2 hours every other day for MCAT studying. My practice exams have been 94th - 98th percentile.

This tells me that, yes there are people that have inherent standardized test skills, but studying can help go from great to super great. Will update on May 1st if the real deal comes back terrible.
 
The MCAT is a combination of test taking strategies, content, and understanding how the test works. I really don't think being a good test taker is good enough for the MCAT.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
When I took the SAT i scored a 1750/2400 which is mediocre to average at best. Took the MCAT and earned a 512 which i've heard is well above average. Hence the big takeaway is no, that these 2 tests only share a similarity that they are a standardized exam and that is all. For the MCAT you really do need to bust your chops take as many practice exams as possible and focus on your mistakes and you will be well on your way!
 
I would imagine most people study significantly less for the SAT so I don't know how much of a consistent correlation you can find without that variable accounted for.

Some people are good test takers, but knowing your stuff matters way more for the MCAT. Everyone has natural abilities and weaknesses. Just do what you can with yours.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
TheAveragePreMed said:
When I took the SAT i scored a 1750/2400 which is mediocre to average at best. Took the MCAT and earned a 512 which i've heard is well above average. Hence the big takeaway is no, that these 2 tests only share a similarity that they are a standardized exam and that is all. For the MCAT you really do need to bust your chops take as many practice exams as possible and focus on your mistakes and you will be well on your way!
Click to expand...

You’ve given me hope haha
 
athorcommens said:
I would imagine most people study significantly less for the SAT so I don't know how much of a consistent correlation you can find without that variable accounted for.

Some people are good test takers, but knowing your stuff matters way more for the MCAT. Everyone has natural abilities and weaknesses. Just do what you can with yours.
Click to expand...

And what if I can’t become a physician with them? :-/
 
I didn’t take the SAT but got a 35 on my ACT and if I scale my PSAT I think it would be equivalent to a 2120. I never prepped or practiced for these at all. I got a 516 on the MCAT and definitely attribute part of that to being a strong standardized test taker, especially CARS. Obviously I also studied a lot too, but I was honestly shocked at my mcat score because it was 4 points higher than my best practice test and I think part of that was just being a comfortable test taker
 
I guess it's only me and a few others who disagree. Of course you need to study for this exam. It's also a content heavy exam. Where most people struggle with the MCAT is they haven't developed the ability to apply their critical thinking skills to this style of question. Hence why you practice. Otherwise, most could just get by on content review.

chemdoctor said:
And what if I can’t become a physician with them? :-/
Click to expand...

Unless you experience significant testing anxiety, I genuinely believe the majority of people can do well on the MCAT. It's a standardized exam, which means it can be beat.

Only thing is, for some... it will take more work. Maybe 3 months won't cut it. Okay. If you decide to spend half a year of concrete studying for the exam and consistently work in practice exams throughout, you should be able to surpass 511 to matriculate. And if you're not aiming for MD you should be able to surpass 505 all the same. You have to decide for yourself have much you want this and how much work you want to put in.

It's not just the naturally intelligent who become doctors. Hard work and resilience are important components as well. One of my favorite doctors I've met when I was a scribe told me this "I may not be the smartest in the room. That's fine. But I'll outwork you 10 times out of 10." Stuck with me since. He's now the Medical Director of the ED.
 
athorcommens said:
That's a question to answer if you come to that point. I had to apply twice - actually, most applicants are rejected each cycle.

You won't find your capabilities if you don't try your hardest to grow and overcome your weaknesses.
Click to expand...

I agree. thanks
 
XOXO123 said:
I didn’t take the SAT but got a 35 on my ACT and if I scale my PSAT I think it would be equivalent to a 2120. I never prepped or practiced for these at all. I got a 516 on the MCAT and definitely attribute part of that to being a strong standardized test taker, especially CARS. Obviously I also studied a lot too, but I was honestly shocked at my mcat score because it was 4 points higher than my best practice test and I think part of that was just being a comfortable test taker
Click to expand...

Holy... How are you a comfortable test taker? How idd you get to that point?
 
Dream of the Endless said:
I guess it's only me and a few others who disagree. Of course you need to study for this exam. It's also a content heavy exam. Where most people struggle with the MCAT is they haven't developed the ability to apply their critical thinking skills to this style of question. Hence why you practice. Otherwise, most could just get by on content review.



Unless you experience significant testing anxiety, I genuinely believe the majority of people can do well on the MCAT. It's a standardized exam, which means it can be beat.

Only thing is, for some... it will take more work. Maybe 3 months won't cut it. Okay. If you decide to spend half a year of concrete studying for the exam and consistently work in practice exams throughout, you should be able to surpass 511 to matriculate. And if you're not aiming for MD you should be able to surpass 505 all the same. You have to decide for yourself have much you want this and how much work you want to put in.

It's not just the naturally intelligent who become doctors. Hard work and resilience are important components as well. One of my favorite doctors I've met when I was a scribe told me this "I may not be the smartest in the room. That's fine. But I'll outwork you 10 times out of 10." Stuck with me since. He's now the Medical Director of the ED.
Click to expand...

Wow. Thanks. I'm not going to give up on this. I appreciate your input. I'll try my best. I want this really badly.
 
There isn’t a strong correlation. I know a guy who got a 35 ACT (~2340 SAT) and a 506.

I got a 27 ACT which is like a 1780 it said and 516.

Even though they are both standardized, how seriously people take them, if anyone prepares (I didn’t even know until I was in UG that people studied for the ACT and SAT, I didn’t go to a great HS), how people prepare, the depth of content they test. They’re both crazy different.

In my opinion for 95% of people the MCAT only tests how well you studied for the MCAT. Anyone can do well. My first practice test was like 487.
 
Last edited:
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
chemdoctor said:
Holy... How are you a comfortable test taker? How idd you get to that point?
Click to expand...
It's just practice man, don't worry too much. When you get to mcat prep, just study hard, do lots of practice exams, and you'll be fine.

For context I am a naturally good test taker. 2300 something on the SAT and 523+ on the MCAT, but the MCAT score came from practice, the SAT did not. I took a practice exam before I started content review to get a baseline and was at a 511 with huge content gaps, so natural test taking ability and logical reasoning (pulling answers from the texts) is a big part of the exam. Im not discounting that, but you can improve that stuff and content gaps with lots of practice. My last 4 full lengths before taking the exam were 525+ so I was confident going in and that's how you become a comfortable test taker. If you only do 2 practice exams and maybe one of them is where you want, you're going to have doubt when you go into the real thing, but if you put in the work and get the scores where you want consistently beforehand then test day is the easy part. You just have to trust the work is done and show off what you know. That kind of mindset is why top athletes win and that's how anyone can kill the mcat. Not everyone can get a 528 but everyone can improve their score immensely with proper practice
 
My scores were SAT 2050 and MCAT 514 so roughly similar percentiles, but don't compare peoples' recitals to your rehearsals.

First thing I did for MCAT prep was a take a practice test and got a 497. I practiced until timing was down (seriously timing is probably the most important skill for this test) and managed to not be too sad while doing the qbanks.

Throughout the whole time, however, I just kept in mind that the MCAT only truly tests one thing: how well you can take the exam. Idk if this mentality may help you or not, but not thinking that my entire future depended on three numbers and four letters made prepping for it less daunting.

Best of luck in your studies op!
 
theKingLT said:
It's just practice man, don't worry too much. When you get to mcat prep, just study hard, do lots of practice exams, and you'll be fine.

For context I am a naturally good test taker. 2300 something on the SAT and 523+ on the MCAT, but the MCAT score came from practice, the SAT did not. I took a practice exam before I started content review to get a baseline and was at a 511 with huge content gaps, so natural test taking ability and logical reasoning (pulling answers from the texts) is a big part of the exam. Im not discounting that, but you can improve that stuff and content gaps with lots of practice. My last 4 full lengths before taking the exam were 525+ so I was confident going in and that's how you become a comfortable test taker. If you only do 2 practice exams and maybe one of them is where you want, you're going to have doubt when you go into the real thing, but if you put in the work and get the scores where you want consistently beforehand then test day is the easy part. You just have to trust the work is done and show off what you know. That kind of mindset is why top athletes win and that's how anyone can kill the mcat. Not everyone can get a 528 but everyone can improve their score immensely with proper practice
Click to expand...

How are you a naturally good test taker? Damn man. That's insanely impressive! How on earth do you do it? But for the SAT as well? I mean you STARTED at a 511!! People study for MONTHS and cant even crack a 510! Congratulations man. What practice exams did you take? I'm gonna be taking a Princeton Review one soon! Really nervous about it though... Im saving AAMC for when I get closer to actually taking the test (January)
 
canquito said:
My scores were SAT 2050 and MCAT 514 so roughly similar percentiles, but don't compare peoples' recitals to your rehearsals.

First thing I did for MCAT prep was a take a practice test and got a 497. I practiced until timing was down (seriously timing is probably the most important skill for this test) and managed to not be too sad while doing the qbanks.

Throughout the whole time, however, I just kept in mind that the MCAT only truly tests one thing: how well you can take the exam. Idk if this mentality may help you or not, but not thinking that my entire future depended on three numbers and four letters made prepping for it less daunting.

Best of luck in your studies op!
Click to expand...

LOL that's difficult "not thinking my entire future depended on three numbers and four letters" considering my future as a med school student DOES depend on the numbers and four letters! I'm gonna start practicing but it's good to know that you started at a 497 and improved. How should I approach it? Which MCAT practice exam did you take?
 
chemdoctor said:
How should I approach it? Which MCAT practice exam did you take?
Click to expand...

You've already started preparing by learning in your pre-rec classes.

My dedicated approach was just practice and review. For review: Kaplan quicksheet chart, KA Psych (read it 5x over), and pen and paper to take note of concepts/details that you forget. CARS is just training, kinda like a mental 5k. Ideally you want to spend 9-10 mins per passage and then move on (thank you, next) while taking 5 secs between passages to breathe deeply and imagine yourself clearing your mental RAM.

Practice material is all over the place, but imo the best practice sources are AAMC > UWorld > NextStep. The more you practice and scrutinize your performance (Did I not know this? Read question wrong? Ran out of time?) the better you will do.

Lastly, don't be afraid of making many mistakes. Every question missed in practice is likely to be one more right answer on the real deal.
 
chemdoctor said:
How are you a naturally good test taker? Damn man. That's insanely impressive!
Click to expand...
Haha thanks, but innate abilities are not something you or I control, so I don't know how to answer that. I've just always been good at inductive/deductive reasoning, process of elimination, and text-based questions. My passive memory also tends to be a lot stronger than active recall, so multiple choice tests are significantly easier than free response. Everybody has their talents. Concern yourself with stuff you can control.
chemdoctor said:
What practice exams did you take? I'm gonna be taking a Princeton Review one soon! Really nervous about it though... Im saving AAMC for when I get closer to actually taking the test (January)
Click to expand...
Saving the AAMC exams is definitely a good idea. Maybe take 1 of them nearing the end of your content review, then save the last 2 for the last couple weeks before the real deal. spread out the qbanks throughout. I tried out a few different companies. I'd say NextStep was probably my favorite in terms of being accurate to AAMC, but I also used a lot of Kaplan exams because I used Kaplan books for content review and they came with a ton of free exams. I liked them because they were overly difficult and in-depth, and I wanted to master the content, since that was my weakness going in. For those that need more practice with the AAMC style questions/passages Kaplan isn't the greatest. I never did a Princeton Review exam, so can't speak for it, but I would say spend a couple hours browsing reddit or SDN. Having a study plan is key and lots of people have posted their study schedules, materials used, and their opinions on that. For my prep I downloaded an excel sheet that someone had made with a really intense study schedule and like 12 scheduled practice exams, and then I modified it to what I needed (both after my initial diagnostic exam and as I went). For instance I didn't need a lot of CARS practice and the schedule was very CARS heavy, so I dialed a lot of that back. Everyone is different so you really need to find what's best for you.
 
I didn't do much prep for the SAT but got a 2310/2400. My MCAT, it took months of practices to just get me up to a 509->513 retake. I'm still happy with my score, but that taught me that the MCAT's a totally different beast.
 
SAT 2270, MCAT 516
So slightly better on the SAT, but I don't think there's too much correlation, except for CARS and reading.
(I got an 800 on the SAT reading section and a 132 on the CARS section)
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I'd say the biggest correlation would probably be for CARS. Keep in mind that the SAT basically only tests reading and math (and formerly writing)- unlike the MCAT, it doesn't test scientific knowledge in any form. The ACT does have science on it, but at least when I took it (almost a decade ago) you basically just needed to be able to interpret graphs, and didn't really need any scientific knowledge. The other thing that might help a high SAT scorer on the MCAT is just a general comfort with standardized testing of any type (time management, multiple choice elimination, keeping test anxiety under control).

to add my personal data points for reference: 2280 SAT/35 ACT (no studying) -> 516 MCAT (with studying, though definitely on the low end for this forum).
 
Thanks for everyone's response. I feel a bit better now, but naturally, still stressed. I will keep fighting this MCAT guys. Will be taking it in January 2020. So far I've finished the Gen Chem book in the Princeton Review set!
 
My SAT was a 1990 (93rd %) and my MCAT was a 516 (94th %). I didn't study at all for the SAT, just went in blind, and I spent 3 months studying for the MCAT, yet received a similar percentile. In terms of what the exams test and how that material is tested, the exams couldn't be any more different, but in my case, the percentiles correlated.
 
2120 SAT; took about six practice tests. First and only take.

519 MCAT. Took ten practice tests over a period of a year and a half; wound up taking two gap years in part due to MCAT prep. Took the MCAT in June '17 after graduating that May.
 
I think I only took the PSAT as this was a long time ago, and scored around the 50th percentile (so not the SAT but terrible nonetheless).

I scored a 525 on the MCAT. So yes, it's absolutely possible to perform well on the MCAT regardless of your performance on an exam you took in High School. No way you're the same person now as when you took the SAT, and I wouldn't dwell on "natural limitations." Study hard, study smart, use resources (Khan, SDN, MCAT subreddit, etc.), and you'll kill it.
 
I guess my scores line up with the tests correlating, but I agree with the people directly above me--people can change their percentile performance a lot by reforming their study habits and learning what betters their understanding. Online resources helped so much.

2310 SAT, 34? ACT, 523 MCAT

I've always been a standardized test person. Just kinda flows. I think that quality is a bit of a fluke and some of my most brilliant friends arbitrarily struggle in test settings. Realistically, I don't think anyone going into medical school should be terrible at tests and also miserable about taking them because it is a career full of tests. I have worked to make myself less unhappy about them and I will always be working on that.
 
I believe I scored around a 2200 on the SAT and >524 on the MCAT. I think there is a correlation between doing well on the Critical reading section for the SAT/GRE and all sections of the MCAT. I'm pretty horrible at math and that was reflected in my Sat score (High 600s). I scored an 800 on the Critical Reading for the Sat and a 168 on the Verbal section for the GRE.

Edit: Most of the MCAT is sifting through a bunch of junk info and using some background knowledge to figure out what is pertinent to the question being asked. This seems like it is a skill that would be better reflected in a high critical reading score than it would be in a high math score.
 
Last edited:
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
General AMCAS advice/MCAT glitch
Replies
4
Views
917
bk529
B
P
MCAT and residency?
Replies
3
Views
839
Med Ed
Med Ed
D
Low GPA, High MCAT
Replies
9
Views
1K
saltykiosk
saltykiosk
O
Unbalanced MCAT High Overall
Replies
9
Views
912
LizzyM
LizzyM
T
MCAT date expiration question
Replies
5
Views
3K
moltmannfanboi
M