Should you lie about how you got your MCAT score?

[Goro]

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I don't give a rat's ass if you study for a year or 2 days. I care about you doing well.

My friend was asked at an interview about his preparation and how he studied to get his really high MCAT score first try (99th percentile). The reality is that he studied for 7 months, bought a bunch of books (a lot of books), took 2 $5k preparatory courses then spammed his entire summer taking practice tests. Honestly, he earned it.

But he told his interviewer he spent about a month studying and taking "a few practice tests," mentioning only a few of the dozen brand name preparatory books he used.

Was that the right move here? He justified his lie to me by saying that if he was honest, he'd look completely unimpressive compared to all the dudes who studied for a month and made 80th percentile.

But does it? If you told your interviewer how hard you prepared for the test, this can really show them how dedicated you'd be for preparing for something like step 1 or step 2 and might give you the edge.

 

[GoldenFish]

Who cares? The likelihood of this question having any significant impact on your chances is zero.

 

[justreachforthesky]

Who cares? The likelihood of this question having any significant impact on your chances is zero.

Finally, somebody that gets it

 

[EverStriving]

Probably that it was only stupid nervous response by the OP. But I am talking about the comments in this thread. Not one person of all those of you who want to enter the profession noticed, commented, or even mentioned it in passing anything about lying. We discuss the MCAT, the cost of prep, the hard work, but no one thought it was worth while to mention one of the most basic and important tenets in medicine in a clear and simple situation that presented it.

Understand the underlying concepts of all you is very important

Just because it didn't come up in conversation doesn't mean people didn't notice it. Absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence. I think everyone was amused by the irony of the situation (that the lie didn't even help him), and so the conservation immediately turned to that. Talking about how lying is bad just seems obvious and boring by comparison.

 

[LizzyM]

I also have a 99% score and attended a Princeton review class in the summer. It didn't cost $10k though. I also worked as a CNA while taking the class. The review classes helped me focus. I have a 3.85 GPA. Am I considered lazy?


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"Tell me, how did you prepare for the MCAT?"

"I took a Princeton Review during the summer. The review classes helped me focus my efforts to the areas where I needed the most work."
"Did you do anything else during the summer?"
"Yes, I was also working as a CNA."

Okay with me. You assessed your needs and the best way you know to study for a high stakes exam, made a plan and worked your plan. Sounds like it went well.

That's all an adcom is going for with that question. What did you do to prepare?

 

[LizzyM]

Who cares? The likelihood of this question having any significant impact on your chances is zero.

Not true. I have seen this question boost applicants and I've seen it derail them.

 

[justreachforthesky]

Not true. I have seen this question boost applicants and I've seen it derail them.

Yes, lets go through every single specific question they can ask you and the possible ways it can ruin your application. Gunning this hard is not worth it.

Really though, follow these simple steps for an interview 1) just be down to earth and honest 2) don't be too nervous 3) don't show off and bloat 4) BE YOURSELF.... but don't forget you're speaking to an adcom....

then you will be in a very good position. Worry about the rest of your application which is constantly under your control, not these silly scenarios that would not be under your discretion anyway.

 

[GoldenFish]

Not true. I have seen this question boost applicants and I've seen it derail them.

Fair point, and as always your contribution is much appreciated. I should elaborate that I've only ever seen this question used to tease out potential reasons for a poor score, or reveal possibly poor underlying study habits (if there were some other reason to believe they were there in the first place).

 

[ace_inhibitor111]

I can see myself saying "Yeah, I studied for a few months using Kaplan," regardless of what I actually did, mostly because preparing for the MCAT would be the last thing on my mind during an interview, and I feel like explaining SN2's 3 month study plan would be a bit excessive.

 

[Lawpy]

I don't give a rat's ass...

Out of all the Goroisms i have read, this is undoubtedly my favorite.

 

[LizzyM]

Fair point, and as always your contribution is much appreciated. I should elaborate that I've only ever seen this question used to tease out potential reasons for a poor score, or reveal possibly poor underlying study habits (if there were some other reason to believe they were there in the first place).

Just as there are some doctors who ask rather than assume they know the patient's social history (including sexual activity) there are questions I ask of every applicant.

 

[justreachforthesky]

Just as there are some doctors who ask rather than assume they know the patient's social history (including sexual activity) there are questions I ask of every applicant.

But why try to anticipate specifics? Why not prepare the "high yields" and let everything else be a fluid and honest extension of ones self? I think this thread is an example of over gunning it.

 

[LizzyM]

But why try to anticipate specifics? Why not prepare the "high yields" and let everything else be a fluid and honest extension of ones self? I think this thread is an example of over gunning it.

Absolutely agree that one need not "prepare" every possible question. One should also be ready to answer truthfully. It makes no sense to be dishonest about a question that is just trying to get a what makes you an interesting person. By this I mean questions about a book or a movie, for example. There may be movies I would not be interested in myself but if you can show some enthusiasm for whatever it is that you mention, then I will see you as a more interesting person with interests besides science and medicine. If you don't root for any sports team, say so but it can't hurt to throw the interviewer something else about your hobbies or interests that can be fodder for conversation.

 

[DokterMom]

You know what it is that was wrong with the original response? In addition to it being just plain untrue, it paints the applicant as someone who is cavalier about important (life-changing) decisions. And that's a problem.

 

[LizzyM]

My friend was asked at an interview about his preparation and how he studied to get his really high MCAT score first try (99th percentile). The reality is that he studied for 7 months, bought a bunch of books (a lot of books), took 2 $5k preparatory courses then spammed his entire summer taking practice tests. Honestly, he earned it.

But he told his interviewer he spent about a month studying and taking "a few practice tests," mentioning only a few of the dozen brand name preparatory books he used.

Was that the right move here? He justified his lie to me by saying that if he was honest, he'd look completely unimpressive compared to all the dudes who studied for a month and made 80th percentile.

But does it? If you told your interviewer how hard you prepared for the test, this can really show them how dedicated you'd be for preparing for something like step 1 or step 2 and might give you the edge.

Bottom line: did the dude get admitted at that school?

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

What? You don't do well on the MCAT just by being "smart." It's a marathon of studying and practice tests, you need to work and work and work some more to achieve good results. This external locus of control will doom you.

I never said that. I was trying to explain that studying has a plateau effect after a while

 

[Udreamin]

Didn't expect this thread to blow up! My friend actually uses SDN and laughed at me for making this thread, so I'm not gonna give anymore details about him to be respectful. But that is a 100% true story in the OP. The consensus seems to be that you should be honest about how you prepared, perhaps avoid going into excessive detail. But I still don't think anyone is going to disagree that lying about having a shorter study time with a high MCAT makes you a more impressive applicant...and in my friend's situation, it was the better choice.

We'll just have to agree just to disagree. The OP's story (beside his questionable thread history) sounds fabricated to begin with, the "I have a friend that" line isn't one that I'm going to invest anymore energy in. But refer to the quoted area... I am assuming the unethical behavior in undergrad that you're referring to involved cheating or plagiarism, which surprises no one if it progresses into worse behaviors. He didn't lie on his apps, he actually got the 99% MCAT through a long and difficult road, he lied about how long it took him to get there. The kid touted his own horn during an interview, maybe likes to brag, gets nervous..... I don't know but I am not going to dig too deep into this and think the worst of a person that probably doesn't even exist. If he is a problem, red flags will probably be raised and his higher ups will take notice.

I really don't know what your problem is with me, frankly, nobody cares that you don't believe the story. If you think this individual is morally reprehensible and will be caught with red flags down the road based on the fact that he lied about how his study plan to an interviewer, then you are out of your mind.

 

[LizzyM]

Didn't expect this thread to blow up! My friend actually uses SDN and laughed at me for making this thread, so I'm not gonna give anymore details about him to be respectful. But that is a 100% true story in the OP. The consensus seems to be that you should be honest about how you prepared, perhaps avoid going into excessive detail. But I still don't think anyone is going to disagree that lying about having a shorter study time with a high MCAT makes you a more impressive applicant...and in my friend's situation, it was the better choice.
.

If it was a better choice, I guess you are saying that he got admitted to that school. Saying that you won't "give more details" out of respect for his privacy is silly when the question put to was "did the guy get admitted to that school?"

 

[Med Ed]

Didn't expect this thread to blow up! My friend actually uses SDN and laughed at me for making this thread, so I'm not gonna give anymore details about him to be respectful. But that is a 100% true story in the OP. The consensus seems to be that you should be honest about how you prepared, perhaps avoid going into excessive detail. But I still don't think anyone is going to disagree that lying about having a shorter study time with a high MCAT makes you a more impressive applicant...and in my friend's situation, it was the better choice.

What is your friend's GPA?

 

[Nerdeka]

It is hard statement to make. Too many conflicting variables (work, school, family, etc). 6 month studying could consist of studying 3 days a week where the 3 month student studies 6 days a week. I think getting a good score whether it took you 1 month or 8 months is impressive as it shows you had the good judgement to take the test at the time where you were at your strongest in terms of readiness. just my opinion

Of course, I mean assuming they spent the same amount of time.
In med school, you don't get to have a longer amount of time to study.

 

[justreachforthesky]

Didn't expect this thread to blow up! My friend actually uses SDN and laughed at me for making this thread, so I'm not gonna give anymore details about him to be respectful. But that is a 100% true story in the OP. The consensus seems to be that you should be honest about how you prepared,

Everything about this comes off odd to me, especially taken in context of your original post. You really expected people to tell you anything besides BE HONEST TO AN ADCOM?

But I still don't think anyone is going to disagree that lying about having a shorter study time with a high MCAT makes you a more impressive applicant...and in my friend's situation

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what creating this thread boils down to. No, it isn't a good idea to lie to in your interview about how much time you, err I mean your friend, spent on his MCAT preparation.

I really don't know what your problem is with me, frankly, nobody cares that you don't believe the story.

You must have fallen asleep while reading through the replies. I am not the only one that realizes how ridiculous your thread is.

If you think this individual is morally reprehensible and will be caught with red flags down the road based on the fact that he lied about how his study plan to an interviewer, then you are out of your mind.

Actually, most of this board seems to think this is the case. If people on the internet can smell the poop, you have no idea how much of an open book you are to adcoms. In fact, you should have chosen a better title for the thread, it is way too telling.

 

[justreachforthesky]

If it was a better choice, I guess you are saying that he got admitted to that school. Saying that you won't "give more details" out of respect for his privacy is silly when the question put to was "did the guy get admitted to that school?"

I completely agree with this perspective, the rationale behind his or her posts is becoming odd. I think it's becoming more and more obvious that OP may have made the story up to test the waters, see above.

 

[Med Ed]

I completely agree with this perspective, the rationale behind his or her posts is becoming odd. I think it's becoming more and more obvious that OP may have made the story up to test the waters, see above.

Indeed.

I have seen many unfortunate applicants who feel the best approach is to hard sell themselves during the interview, wading through every imaginable superlative in the hopes of impressing the person on the other side of the table. This almost invariably backfires, big time.

Besides, downplaying how much you study in order to gain a perceived advantage is page 1 of the Gunner's Guide to Douchery-Baggery. We've seen it a million times.

 

[justreachforthesky]

Indeed.

I have seen many unfortunate applicants who feel the best approach is to hard sell themselves during the interview, wading through every imaginable superlative in the hopes of impressing the person on the other side of the table. This almost invariably backfires, big time.

Besides, downplaying how much you study in order to gain a perceived advantage is page 1 of the Gunner's Guide to Douchery-Baggery. We've seen it a million times.

So I guess if it was this easy for us to figure OP out, the adcoms should have no problem doing it themselves 🙂

 

[Swebb6]

The response your friend gave sounds cocky and rude. And this whole question is silly because it defeats the purpose of the interview which is to show yourself, a hardworking, passionate person who wants to be a doctor.


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[aust10n]

Why is this even a question? Is this what some people really lay awake at night thinking about?

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