some perspective on MCAT score

[aspiring20]

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I am taking the exam in around 3 months, and I am scoring in the low 30s on the TPR full lengths, which are representative of the real exams.

I also went to a school where my peers average a 36 on the MCAT, and virtually everyone who scores around a 30 is rejected everywhere.

I know a low 30 is a good/great MCAT score, but i find it impossible to feel good about where i am right now. I feel that i will be judged against my peers, and that if i dont break a 36, there is no chance of acceptance. My peers view 35s as "decent", "average", and even "mediocre"...while I would die for a score above 34 (my highest is a 32 right now, and that's going over the time limit by 10 minutes).

they say SDN is not representative of the whole sample, that we suffer from "spectrum bias", but i think my alma mater is even more skewed than SDN. the northeast region shouldn't be representative of the national norm.

what MCAT scores are you guys aiming for? is a 33 evenly split (11/11/11) be regarded as very good, even when my school's applicant average is a 35+?

 

[MD Odyssey]

I am taking the exam in around 3 months, and I am scoring in the low 30s on the TPR full lengths, which are representative of the real exams.

I also went to a school where my peers average a 36 on the MCAT, and virtually everyone who scores around a 30 is rejected everywhere.

I know a low 30 is a good/great MCAT score, but i find it impossible to feel good about where i am right now. I feel that i will be judged against my peers, and that if i dont break a 36, there is no chance of acceptance. My peers view 35s as "decent", "average", and even "mediocre"...while I would die for a score above 34 (my highest is a 32 right now, and that's going over the time limit by 10 minutes).

they say SDN is not representative of the whole sample, that we suffer from "spectrum bias", but i think my alma mater is even more skewed than SDN. the northeast region shouldn't be representative of the national norm.

what MCAT scores are you guys aiming for? is a 33 evenly split (11/11/11) be regarded as very good, even when my school's applicant average is a 35+?

Average MCAT scores are probably important to look at, but they aren't the entire story - by any means. I have a good friend that scored a 28 and got accepted to every school he applied to: Stanford, Dartmouth, Duke, OHSU, Colorado, and others. There is a lot more to admissions than your MCAT score.

That said, perhaps this figure will be useful.

A 35+ is a really hard score to attain and the vast majority of medical school applicants do not score that well. Set yourself a goal that will stretch you, but is still attainable.

I felt very much the same as you do. I felt that any score less than a 35 would guarantee that I get a fistful of rejections. As I work on my committee letter essays and I think more about my application, I realize how narrow-minded that is. All you can do is your best and there is a lot more to application than your MCAT score. That sounds like a cliche, but it's really true.

My advice for the MCAT is to set yourself a goal that you believe you can actually do and then work towards it. Scoring in the low 30s is a great place to be right now - 80% of all premeds would kill to be in your position. Write out a schedule, figure out the method for reviewing that works the best for you, and then stick to it. Ignore what everyone around you says or thinks and just focus on doing your best.

The problem with the premed universe is that it ingrains the idea of perfection in people. No one is the perfect applicant. There is way more to life than becoming a doctor. If really feel sorry for all of these kids that get trapped into this **** when they're in high school and enter college thinking that they need to be something they can't be in order to get into medical school.

Here's a newsflash. If you take an objective look at what medical schools and adcoms talk about as the applicants they want to see, you have to conclude you don't measure up. The reason is pretty simply - you don't measure up. How many 21 year old kids do? As a child with zero life experience, you can't.

Bottomline - focus on the MCAT and work at it, but recognize that there is a lot more to medical school admissions than your MCAT score.

 

[kmp0410]

I agree with everything said.

But also, you have 3 months and your scoring in the low 30's. I would think you could easily raise your score to a 35.

 

[marcdagr8]

I also went to a school where my peers average a 36 on the MCAT, and virtually everyone who scores around a 30 is rejected everywhere.

I really don't understand how you could get in the 30s and get rejected EVERYWHERE...

 

[aspiring20]

I really don't understand how you could get in the 30s and get rejected EVERYWHERE...

same here

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I also went to a school where my peers average a 36 on the MCAT, and virtually everyone who scores around a 30 is rejected everywhere.

I believe this line might be a significant factor causing you unnecessary anxiety. I'm not sure what undergraduate institution claims an average score of 36, but to the best of my knowledge and the knowledge of the most knowledgable people I know on the matter, an undergraduate pool averaging 32 or higher is a rare anomoly. If you believe your peers average 36 on an exam where that's top 94% (give or take), then you are going to drive yourself crazy with unrealistic expectations. Having a mindset that 30 is failure is both unrealistic and damaging. Look through the actual AAMC data to get a more realistic perspective.

Your job is to do the very best you can on the MCAT by balancing a good conceptual understanding of the material with honed-in test-taking skills. This comes from practice and thorough review of the questions and passages you did. Take an AAMC exam to get an idea of where you are actually at. Go over that exam with a fine-toothed comb and see whether the questions you missed stemmed from (1) lack of understanding of the concept, (2) misinterpretation of the question, (3) careless error caused by lack of focus, or (4) misguided reasoning of a concept you know reasonably well. You can add more categories if you wish.

Once you know what's causing the mistakes you are making, then you can start working towards reducing those errors. Ignore the scaled score and instead focus on getting more time efficient and focused on exams.

 

[carboxylase]

You're friends are lying.

 

[MD Odyssey]

I also went to a school where my peers average a 36 on the MCAT, and virtually everyone who scores around a 30 is rejected everywhere.

I agree with the Berkeley Reviewer. No undergraduate institution has premed students taking the exam, averaging a 36. Look at medical school admissions stats. There are very few medical schools with an average MCAT score above 35 and the ones that do have a very wide distribution. Look at the curve I posted and look at how rare scores above a 35 are. Out of every 1,000 people taking the test, only about 50 of them scored a 35 or higher.

It's understandable to freak out about this stuff, but you have to get past the hype if you want to do well on the exam. A lot of the prep for the MCAT is getting used to the emotional swings that come with it. The BEST thing you can do is stay away from SDN until you're finished taking your exam. Believe me - listening to the denizens on this board, many of whom are not even applying to medical school, is going to sap your confidence in short order. Work out your schedule. Stick to it. Get plenty of sleep. Practice under timed conditions. Take the AAMC exams and then relax.

 

[timeturner]

You're friends are lying.

I concur that this is most likely the case.

Also, the med school associated with my undergrad school (not gonna say which 😉) is ranked in top 20 and average score was a 34. I'm not saying it's WashU or any of the ivies or anything but it is certainly more esteemed than most state schools.

Also, I have plenty of friends not breaking 30's after months of practice and studying....it's not an easy test and most people don't score that well.

 

[aspiring20]

I concur that this is most likely the case.

Also, the med school associated with my undergrad school (not gonna say which 😉) is ranked in top 20 and average score was a 34. I'm not saying it's WashU or any of the ivies or anything but it is certainly more esteemed than most state schools.

Also, I have plenty of friends not breaking 30's after months of practice and studying....it's not an easy test and most people don't score that well.

to clarify, the dean at my alma mater showed us all the MCAT scores of all the students who applied in applicant year 20XX (not including the URM applicants), and the number of 35+'s almost made me piss my pants.

 

[marcdagr8]

to clarify, the dean at my alma mater showed us all the MCAT scores of all the students who applied in applicant year 20XX (not including the URM applicants), and the number of 35+'s almost made me piss my pants.

Even if your undergrad institution produces MCATers in the 95%, that still doesn't explain why your school would get singled out in the med school admission process and be held to a higher standard.

 

[timeturner]

to clarify, the dean at my alma mater showed us all the MCAT scores of all the students who applied in applicant year 20XX (not including the URM applicants), and the number of 35+'s almost made me piss my pants.

What school is this?!!?!?!?!?!

Seriously, hard to believe. And what year? Was is all the scores? Why did so many people get rejected?

No offense but it's a bit suspicious, and now you have my curiosity.

 

[timeturner]

Even if your undergrad institution produces MCATers in the 95%, that still doesn't explain why your school would get singled out in the med school admission process and be held to a higher standard.

I agree. Good students are good students no matter where they come from and how they compare to their immediate peers. My understanding is that there might be some kind of slanted presentation of data.

 

[aspiring20]

What school is this?!!?!?!?!?!

Seriously, hard to believe. And what year? Was is all the scores? Why did so many people get rejected?

No offense but it's a bit suspicious, and now you have my curiosity.

it was within the past 4 years. and the average MCAT for those accepted was between 34 and 35. there were a fair number of low 30s and high 20s, and many/most didnt get in. keep in mind that many with lower MCAT scores also have lower GPAs, since my school is known for grade deflation 🙁 .

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I don't think any undergrad school has students with an average MCAT of 36. Even assuming yours does though, the only way people are getting rejected from everywhere they apply with low 30s scores is if they applied only to top tier schools (which is very possible if you're at a top tier undergrad; people at those schools tend to not want to "downgrade" when picking med schools).

Personally I've known tons of people with low 30s and upper 20s scores who got accepted. They didn't go to prestigious schools, but they still got into US MD school nonetheless. I should also point out that none of these people were URMs, and at least a few didn't even have noteworthy ECs.

 

[AnthonyBourdain]

I agree with everything said.

But also, you have 3 months and your scoring in the low 30's. I would think you could easily raise your score to a 35.

This.

You have 3 months left, use it well and it will go up.

What is your GPA? A lot of people from super competitive schools need higher MCAT scores because their grades aren't stellar.

 

[aspiring20]

i just talked to a friend who is currently a medical student. he got just under a 40 on the MCAT, and many of his friends got upper 30s and higher. The thing is...they aren't at places like harvard and johns hopkins either...which is freaking me out.

in fact, it seems that even a 35 is deemed inadequate...that the difference between a 35 and a 38 is actually quite substantial, and not all scores above 35 are treated equally. in other words, a 35 is NOT the "same ballpark" score as a 39.

it seems everyone i know who's in med school is a 35+ er. and most/all of them are ORM males...maybe that's why? i certainly hope not.

 

[mcloaf]

i just talked to a friend who is currently a medical student. he got just under a 40 on the MCAT, and many of his friends got upper 30s and higher. The thing is...they aren't at places like harvard and johns hopkins either...which is freaking me out.

in fact, it seems that even a 35 is deemed inadequate...that the difference between a 35 and a 38 is actually quite substantial, and not all scores above 35 are treated equally. in other words, a 35 is NOT the "same ballpark" score as a 39.

it seems everyone i know who's in med school is a 35+ er. and most/all of them are ORM males...maybe that's why? i certainly hope not.

You're really beating a dead horse here. The data are publicly available and make it pretty obvious that most people in med school didn't score a 40 or even a 35. Matriculant average in 2012 was 31.2.

I'm not sure why you seem dead set on convincing yourself that you're doomed because you know somebody with a high score or you've heard the exam is getting harder. Focus on studying and let the rest take care of itself.

 

[Temperature101]

i just talked to a friend who is currently a medical student. he got just under a 40 on the MCAT, and many of his friends got upper 30s and higher. The thing is...they aren't at places like harvard and johns hopkins either...which is freaking me out.

in fact, it seems that even a 35 is deemed inadequate...that the difference between a 35 and a 38 is actually quite substantial, and not all scores above 35 are treated equally. in other words, a 35 is NOT the "same ballpark" score as a 39.

it seems everyone i know who's in med school is a 35+ er. and most/all of them are ORM males...maybe that's why? i certainly hope not.

Seriously!

 

[dsoz]

break a 30 and you will get in SOMEWHERE. It may not be your number one school.

In B4 the "OP you should apply DO if you ONLY get a 30MCAT." Even better, "Have you considered the Caribbean schools?"

Seriously, if only the top 50% of students get acceptances, then according to the above graph that should be people that are 25+ MCAT. This probably includes DO schools, so above a 30 puts you in the top 80% range. That is comfortable enough to trust that you can get an acceptance somewhere if your GPA, ECs, PS, LORs, and interview skills are equal to your test taking ability. If you have the personality of a potato, then you probably won't get an acceptance anywhere. But if we assume that you are a functioning human and can hold up your end of a conversation, then you should be fine.

dsoz

 

[aspiring20]

break a 30 and you will get in SOMEWHERE. It may not be your number one school.

In B4 the "OP you should apply DO if you ONLY get a 30MCAT." Even better, "Have you considered the Caribbean schools?"

Seriously, if only the top 50% of students get acceptances, then according to the above graph that should be people that are 25+ MCAT. This probably includes DO schools, so above a 30 puts you in the top 80% range. That is comfortable enough to trust that you can get an acceptance somewhere if your GPA, ECs, PS, LORs, and interview skills are equal to your test taking ability. If you have the personality of a potato, then you probably won't get an acceptance anywhere. But if we assume that you are a functioning human and can hold up your end of a conversation, then you should be fine.

dsoz

I SUPER hope that's the case.

I apologize if this sounds stupid...but there's no way to go around this question. Do adcoms "expect" higher MCAT scores from ORM males?

 

[Dbate]

I am taking the exam in around 3 months, and I am scoring in the low 30s on the TPR full lengths, which are representative of the real exams.

I also went to a school where my peers average a 36 on the MCAT, and virtually everyone who scores around a 30 is rejected everywhere.

I know a low 30 is a good/great MCAT score, but i find it impossible to feel good about where i am right now. I feel that i will be judged against my peers, and that if i dont break a 36, there is no chance of acceptance. My peers view 35s as "decent", "average", and even "mediocre"...while I would die for a score above 34 (my highest is a 32 right now, and that's going over the time limit by 10 minutes).

they say SDN is not representative of the whole sample, that we suffer from "spectrum bias", but i think my alma mater is even more skewed than SDN. the northeast region shouldn't be representative of the national norm.

what MCAT scores are you guys aiming for? is a 33 evenly split (11/11/11) be regarded as very good, even when my school's applicant average is a 35+?

This is total BS. Even at Yale the average MATRICULATED student's score is not a 36. That doesn't even include all the people who took the test and weren't accepted.

http://ucs.yalecollege.yale.edu/sites/default/files/med_school_applicant_profile.pdf

 

[Dbate]

I SUPER hope that's the case.

I apologize if this sounds stupid...but there's no way to go around this question. Do adcoms "expect" higher MCAT scores from ORM males?

This data is publicly available. You should worry less about your ethnicity and more about the MCAT.

 

[RaspberrySlushy]

Although I totally understand why you are worrying so much - sounds like you're in a very competitive atmosphere at your undergrad - worrying is not helping you in any way. In fact, it's probably getting in the way of your studying, distracting you, pulling your focus away from studying.

What I think you need to do is pull your focus and attention away from how everyone else at your school is doing, what adcoms will think, ORM status, etc b/c these things are outside your control and unlikely to change. You may even want to spend less time with people who act like anything less than 36 is **** even if these people are your friends b/c it seems to be setting up a toxic mindset that will not help you. Perhaps they are even saying it in a subtle gunner way to try to mond**** the competition. And guess what? It's working.

So become a mental ninja, arm yourself with real stats and facts like many that have been posted here and the fact that most people above a 30 get in somewhere, that a 30 is, in fact, a goal score for a lot of people. You are already scoring in a range that a lot of people have trouble attaining. And you're doing it on tpr tests which many, myself included, find to be more difficult than the more representative AAMCs. You are going to be just fine. Remind yourself of all this every time you start teetering on the edge of that mental sinkhole that says 36 or bust. And try to surround yourself with people who will help bring you back to these basics as you focus on studying for the MCAT. Don't let the mind****ers win, because even if everything they are saying is true (doubtful), freaking out about it is not going to serve you.

What will serve you is making the most out of your next three months. Do in-depth analyses of your tpr tests. Take some diagnostics to see where you need to focus your energy, make a study schedule and stick to it and focus your energy on getting the best damn score you can, because these things ARE in your control. Focus there.

You will be fine.