Schools that value VR score highly

[Mistress S]

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I keep hearing all this noise about the VR score being the most important section at some schools. Anyone know this for sure, and at which schools? I did well overall on my Aug MCAT--improved from a 29 to a 32--but I did particularly well in VR. I have already applied and sent in most of my secondaries, but I am wondering if my high VR score (which, unfortunately, was not matched by equally high PS and BS scores) will win me extra points at any of the schools I applied at, or if there are any I should consider adding. Thanks! 🙂

 

[Medikit]

All schools 😉

 

[dr.z]

I've heard the same. Good luck!

 

[Mistress S]

Really? That would be great news. 😀 Can I ask where you guys have heard this (from adcoms, or from other students)? Does anyone have a sense of how the adcoms weigh the individual sections? Let's theoretically say a student has a 15 VR and an 8 in PS 😉 , is that student more competitive than if it were the other way around?

 

[ockhamsRzr]

The logic from adcoms (and is apparently proven over time) is that a good VR score is the best indicator if how well a candidate will perform during clinical rotations. Their belief is that it assesses how well a student can reason and comprehend given little information and even less time--a scenario which is apparently the norm during the "doctoring" part of your med school education (clinicals and electives).

ockhamsRzr

 

[skhichi]

Verbal is also the section that correlates the most with step 1 of USMLE's.

 

[dhoonlee]

.

 

[fun8stuff]

The logic from adcoms (and is apparently proven over time) is that a good VR score is the best indicator if how well a candidate will perform during clinical rotations. Their belief is that it assesses how well a student can reason and comprehend given little information and even less time--a scenario which is apparently the norm during the "doctoring" part of your med school education (clinicals and electives).

ockhamsRzr

sources? i have heard about the weak correlation with step 1, but not this.

 

[Medikit]

A 15 VR 8 PS is only marginally better than 8 VR 15 PS. They like to see balanced scores.

Yes, this is true, but both are considered pretty darn good. OP: be thankful that you have no 7s. 7s are hard to recover from.

 

[dhoonlee]

.

 

[fyli260]

I keep hearing all this noise about the VR score being the most important section at some schools. Anyone know this for sure, and at which schools? I did well overall on my Aug MCAT--improved from a 29 to a 32--but I did particularly well in VR. I have already applied and sent in most of my secondaries, but I am wondering if my high VR score (which, unfortunately, was not matched by equally high PS and BS scores) will win me extra points at any of the schools I applied at, or if there are any I should consider adding. Thanks! 🙂

Columbia has a cut-off at 10 for VR.

 

[bewitched1081]

no doubt, a high score in verbal will help you, as it would in any other section. but i've heard a counter-argument that accepted medical students have the highest scores in physical sciences.

 

[kate88]

Just thought I would add info from my own personal experience.

I also rocked the verbal section of the MCAT. I ended up getting some interviews at pretty ridiculous schools (like Washington) that I really didn't think I deserved considering the rest of my application. This may have had something to do with my verbal score. I also got flat out rejects from random schools like Tufts and Medical College of Virginia. I ended up getting interviews at 9 schools, went to 6 of them, and was accepted at all but 1 that I interviewed at. I have no idea what schools must look for when deciding whether or not to interview you. The high verbal score definitely didn't hurt though!

My opinion is that the admissions process is completely arbitrary for all of us who got better than a 28 but less than a 38 on the MCAT. Just apply to schools you think you would enjoy going to in places you don't mind spending the next 4 years. Something will work out. Good luck! 🙂

 

[Tonic1025]

You said columbia's cutoff on verbal is 10, but people have been accepted (according to mdapplicants.com) with verbal scores less than a 10.

 

[UDbiochem]

if the columbia cutoff is really 10, no wonder I haven't heard a word from them since I was complete in beginning of August... oh well.

 

[Ranger47]

if the columbia cutoff is really 10, no wonder I haven't heard a word from them since I was complete in beginning of August... oh well.

I got a 9 on VR and interviewed at Columbia over a month ago, so I think that is a rumor. Granted my other scores were high (13,13).

 

[CTSurg]

VR is just a piece of the pie...the reason I think more schools may place some extra weight on it is not as many students do as well on that section.

Think of it as another means of stratifying a HUGE applicant pool. That being said, I don't think it is going to kill you if you have a 9 vs a 10 and huge scores/grades on everything else.

Good luck!

 

[fun8stuff]

no doubt, a high score in verbal will help you, as it would in any other section. but i've heard a counter-argument that accepted medical students have the highest scores in physical sciences.

heh... i agree!

 

[ElKapitan]

I got a 9 on VR and interviewed at Columbia over a month ago, so I think that is a rumor. Granted my other scores were high (13,13).

Are there any absolute scores in Verbal, or any other section that will get you rejected. I want some facts, not rumors.

 

[Mistress S]

heh... i agree!

Of course you do, fun8stuff- I looked at your MDapplicants profile! 😛

 

[MollyMalone]

The logic from adcoms (and is apparently proven over time) is that a good VR score is the best indicator if how well a candidate will perform during clinical rotations. Their belief is that it assesses how well a student can reason and comprehend given little information and even less time--a scenario which is apparently the norm during the "doctoring" part of your med school education (clinicals and electives).

This is exactly what the director of admissions at UWisc med school said in his presentation. He flat out said that the verbal section is the best representation of what medical school thinking is like. He then, of course, followed up by saying their cutoff for an interview is 7 7 8, with the 8 in BS, so take that for what it's worth. 😉

 

[fun8stuff]

This is exactly what the director of admissions at UWisc med school said in his presentation. He flat out said that the verbal section is the best representation of what medical school thinking is like. He then, of course, followed up by saying their cutoff for an interview is 7 7 8, with the 8 in BS, so take that for what it's worth. 😉

I just have a hard time believing that any kind of test like the MCAT, can determine how good of doctor you will be. I always liked to think that adcoms determine how well you might interact with patients (people skills) through the interview, letters of recommendation, and essays. I know people who will be awesome doctors, but they aren't the best test takers- not the 43T type. 🙄

I think this is one of the unique aspects of being a physician- you have to be more than smart.... you have to be able to interact with people (and enjoy it), and you to be the type of person that your patients will be able to understand and enjoy talking to.

 

[CalH22a]

The logic from adcoms (and is apparently proven over time) is that a good VR score is the best indicator if how well a candidate will perform during clinical rotations. Their belief is that it assesses how well a student can reason and comprehend given little information and even less time--a scenario which is apparently the norm during the "doctoring" part of your med school education (clinicals and electives).

ockhamsRzr

Isn't this true of the biological sciences section of the MCAT. During the clinical rotations, when you have patient contact, you will apply basic scientific knowledge to solve seemingly complex situations. You do not need to have any outside knowledge to answer the questions in the verbal section. I would believe that the BS section of the MCAT would be a better indicator because it tests your ability to learn, understand, and apply basic scientific knowledge. Just my opinion

 

[fun8stuff]

Isn't this true of the biological sciences section of the MCAT. During the clinical rotations, when you have patient contact, you will apply basic scientific knowledge to solve seemingly complex situations. You do not need to have any outside knowledge to answer the questions in the verbal section. I would believe that the BS section of the MCAT would be a better indicator because it tests your ability to learn, understand, and apply basic scientific knowledge. Just my opinion

lol... well couldnt this apply to the PS section... "it tests your ability to learn, understand, and apply basic scientific knowledge." haha, c'mon... the MCAT doesnt test knowledge needed to treat or diagnose disease... it tests ability to solve problems.

 

[CalH22a]

lol... well couldnt this apply to the PS section... "it tests your ability to learn, understand, and apply basic scientific knowledge." haha, c'mon... the MCAT doesnt test knowledge needed to treat or diagnose disease... it tests ability to solve problems.

I'm not trying to say that the MCAT tests one's ability to treat or diagnose diseases. I'm just saying that if the adcoms does look at it as an indicator of one's ability to succeed during clinical rotations, I would think the BS section would be a better indicator. Supposedly, all the information that one needs to answer the verbal reasoning questions are contained in the passages, whereas people need to have outside knowledge to answer the biological sciences questions. When you step into clinical rotations, you can't assume that every med student has the same depth of knowledge. I personally don't believe the MCAT is an indicator of one's potential to become a good physician.

 

[Cat's Meow]

For people like me, where English is a second language (Hebrew is my first), VR sucks.

My 2 cents.

 

[53948]

i also don't agree with the "verbal indicates your performance in clinical rotations and step 1" rumor... like cat's meow, english was not my first language... i just don't "click" with non-science related text for some reason... put a science related piece of writing in front of my face and i'll breeze through it like nothing...

and i also agree with CalH22a... you have to have knowledge to back up the reasoning... as in the PS and BS sections... in VR you have no knowledge coming in... would you like to be treated by a doctor that has no knowledge coming in... and yes PS is problem solving, not diagnosing diseases... but what do you think diagnosing diseases is? --> PROBLEM SOLVING!!!