Some MCAT scoring questions

[DrArsenic]

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I was wondering what is the reasonably lowest score you can get on the MCAT and still have a normal chance of getting in. I am a little worried that I might do bad on the MCATs because I dont remember some of the biology subjects I took last year. I am studing hard for it, but I still wonder what kind of score would suggest that I have no chance of getting into medical school.

Thanks in advance for any comments.

 

[jenni4476]

Granted, I'm nowhere near applying yet, but from what I've seen on websites and such a 29-30 is considered competitive. There have been lots of examples of 24's getting in and 43's getting rejected, though. It all depends on what else is on your application to balance it out, as well as how you come across at interviews. If your GPA and extracurriculars rock, then you can prolly get away with lower. The reverse is also true.

That's the best I can offer you, hope it helps...

 

[DrArsenic]

I was looking at this one D.O. school and the average MCAT scores for those accepted was 8.6. Are they using some other scoring system. 8.6 seems like a really low score compared to 24 or 40.

 

[Aptamer]

Albeit that D.O. school you are referring to is considering the MCAT average per section not total score. To reiterate what jenni said, your acceptance chances are dependent on a whole world of factors aside from the MCAT. If you will take the MCAT in April, worry about that but don't kill yourself studying for it. You are better off doing other things that will get your mind off of studying and still improve your application i.e. volunteering, shadowing, researching and so forth.

 

[davedavedave]

arsenic... the 8.6 is the avg for a section. so the avg mcat score is about 26.4 for that school

 

[DrArsenic]

Thanks, that sure clears a lot of things up🙂

 

[PianoGirl04]

If you're worried about doing badly, definitely take some practice tests. They're the best way to predict how you actually do

For most schools there is no strict score criterion, and the emphasis different schools place on the MCAT varies. But in general, this is what I've heard:

1) 28 is the average score for applicants, 29 for people who get accepted, and 30 for matriculants. Correct me if I'm wrong...I may be off by a point or two.

2) If your GPA, activities, recommendations, etc. are stunning, schools will be more willing to overlook a low MCAT score.

3) A lot of schools list their average first-year class MCAT scores on their websites, and you can gauge your chances pretty well by comparing yourself to the averages. This is helpful in choosing where to apply.

4) But keep in mind the MCAT scores do tend to predict success in med school pretty well, and admissions committees know this. That's why they place a lot of emphasis on the MCAT.

 

[DAL]

Originally posted by PianoGirl04
If you're worried about doing badly, definitely take some practice tests. They're the best way to predict how you actually do

For most schools there is no strict score criterion, and the emphasis different schools place on the MCAT varies. But in general, this is what I've heard:

1) 28 is the average score for applicants, 29 for people who get accepted, and 30 for matriculants. Correct me if I'm wrong...I may be off by a point or two.

2) If your GPA, activities, recommendations, etc. are stunning, schools will be more willing to overlook a low MCAT score.

3) A lot of schools list their average first-year class MCAT scores on their websites, and you can gauge your chances pretty well by comparing yourself to the averages. This is helpful in choosing where to apply.

4) But keep in mind the MCAT scores do tend to predict success in med school pretty well, and admissions committees know this. That's why they place a lot of emphasis on the MCAT.

Avg. score for applicants in 2002 was 27.1. I'm not sure why you said there was a difference in score between those accepted and matriculants. They're the same group of people minus the small number that defer acceptance a year. The average score of matriculants in 2002 was 29.7.

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/famg62002a.htm

I've never heard that MCAT scores predict success in medical school. Ad comms place an emphasis on the MCAT because it standardizes the applicant pool. I've heard that there's a correlation between your MCAT verbal score and success during the first year and on Step 1 board scores. But never that your MCAT predicts your success med school. There are many other factors to take into account for that.

 

[WatchingWaiting]

Re: I've never heard that MCAT scores predict success in medical school.

Well, you're just wrong. MCAT scores have little predictive value for clinical performance; however, they are very accurate in predicting both passage rate of steps I-III (more predictive effect for Step I than II and III) and grades in the first two years of coursework. Hence, med schools use the gpa+mcat to predict your preclinical performance and whether you'll be able to pass the boards (and, hence, become a physician) and the interview to try to predict your interpersonal skills (and, hence, a big component of your clinical performance).

 

[PianoGirl04]

Originally posted by WatchingWaiting
Re: I've never heard that MCAT scores predict success in medical school.

Well, you're just wrong. MCAT scores have little predictive value for clinical performance; however, they are very accurate in predicting both passage rate of steps I-III (more predictive effect for Step I than II and III) and grades in the first two years of coursework. Hence, med schools use the gpa+mcat to predict your preclinical performance and whether you'll be able to pass the boards (and, hence, become a physician) and the interview to try to predict your interpersonal skills (and, hence, a big component of your clinical performance).

Yeah, that's what I meant...they don't necessarily predict success in practice, but they do correlate with grades (or H/P/Fs) and USMLE passing.

About the accepted/matriculating thing...that's just something I heard a while ago. I always figured the difference was due to people who decided not to start school at the last minute. At least I was pretty close on the other average numbers! 🙂

 

[joelmamchur]

It all matters the school you apply to, and the people who choose to apply. Many schools require a certain score in a each section, while others just put an emphasis on applicants with a higher score. The location of your school also matters. The MCAT is weighted WAY heavier to your application in American schools then Canadian ones. In addition, there are some schools (at least one I know of that do not require the MCAT at all. Each school has their own criteria and many schools take the MCAT into consideration in many different ways.
For example:
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada:
Min: 8,8,7,N
MUN: No min, prefer around 27-30
U of Manitoba: Counts the writing section as a NUMERICAL grade.

Hope this helped!

Regards,
Joel

 

[DAL]

Originally posted by WatchingWaiting
Re: I've never heard that MCAT scores predict success in medical school.

Well, you're just wrong. MCAT scores have little predictive value for clinical performance; however, they are very accurate in predicting both passage rate of steps I-III (more predictive effect for Step I than II and III) and grades in the first two years of coursework. Hence, med schools use the gpa+mcat to predict your preclinical performance and whether you'll be able to pass the boards (and, hence, become a physician) and the interview to try to predict your interpersonal skills (and, hence, a big component of your clinical performance).

I agree there is a correlation between MCAT and USMLE Steps 1-3 and performance in the first two years based on the following articles:

http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/research/bibliography/koeni005.htm

http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/research/bibliography/julia001.pdf

What I was referring to was the fact that medical school lasts 4 years, not 2. Is there a correlation between performance on the MCAT and performance throughout all 4 years of medical school? If there is I don't think it's significant unless you take into account undergrad. GPA and other factors.

 

[soopa]

A 24 on the MCATs means that you have a 94% chance of making it through medical school.

-Statistical investigation done at several medical schools