Something I have been wondering about lately..

[Moudi12345]

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Hey guys,

So for a while I have been wondering what correlation there is between MCAT and STEP/COMLEX scores.

I have always done pretty decent in high school and college GPA's but always struggled with ACT's/MCAT.

I recall scoring a mediocre 25 on ACT and 500 on MCAT, but my high school GPA was 4.1 (weighted w/AP and dual enrollment; 3.7 unweighted). College GPA was 3.77.

I've been accepted to DO schools and waitlisted at 2 MD's.

I was just wondering, like am I destined to perform poorly on boards? That kind of seems discouraging to me with what some say about poor MCAT=bad boards. Especially when I really worked hard for my MCAT scores.. ACT is another story.

Thanks for the input.

 

[PrettyLadyDoc24]

You're definitely not destined to do poorly on boards. I've taken the MCAT and all the USMLEs and frankly I felt defeated by the MCAT among all of them. Perhaps it was because I felt the material for the USMLEs were more interesting or something.

 

[Moudi12345]

You're definitely not destined to do poorly on boards. I've taken the MCAT and all the USMLEs and frankly I felt defeated by the MCAT among all of them. Perhaps it was because I felt the material for the USMLEs were more interesting or something.

Thanks for your response. I am a person who will put 110% into anything like the MCAT, GPA etc but for some reason I do not perform too well on entrance exams.

 

[Darth Doc]

Thanks for your response. I am a person who will put 110% into anything like the MCAT, GPA etc but for some reason I do not perform too well on entrance exams.

You will most likely do worse than people who do well on standardized tests. However, you will have plenty of standardized tests (probably, depends on your school) between now and Step 1 where you can improve your test taking skills. MCAT is supposedly predictive of overall test taking and knowledge ability. However, how well a school prepares students and how well those students prepare themselves is the biggest determiner of Step 1 scores.

 

[PrettyLadyDoc24]

Thanks for your response. I am a person who will put 110% into anything like the MCAT, GPA etc but for some reason I do not perform too well on entrance exams.

Best of luck to you, and don't forget to do lots of practice questions!

 

[failedatlife]

For me it has horrendous failure after failure on these tests.

2200 SAT (math, reading , writing) --> 32 on MCAT ---> 222 on Step 1

I never was a good standardized test taker, I never will be. These tests have been the biggest failures of my life and held me back my whole life from my full potential. Some people aren't stupid, they are just piss poor test takers. The rest of my application has always been very good (grades, research, ECs back in college (just research now), but I mess up where it matters most and am seen as hardworking but just plain stupid and unworthy. To quote one of my med school interviewers, "Man if it weren't for your MCATs (mind you I took it multiple times) you would be one of the best applicants I've ever seen". Sadly, the story just keeps repeating itself. Thankfully, it's almost over.

So OP, yes you can break the cycle. Many do, many (like myself) do not. Work hard, know your weakness and try to overcome them. Maybe I didn't put enough into overcoming my weakness? You should though, know what subjects you are weak on and keep hammering it down. It's tough, but a lot of people do find ways to overcome the odds. I sadly did not, I 'm not the story with a happy ending. Maybe (and I hope) yours will be.

 

[username456789]

For me it has horrendous failure after failure on these tests.

2200 SAT (math, reading , writing) --> 32 on MCAT ---> 222 on Step 1

I never was a good standardized test taker, I never will be. These tests have been the biggest failures of my life and held me back my whole life from my full potential. Some people aren't stupid, they are just piss poor test takers. The rest of my application has always been very good (grades, research, ECs back in college (just research now), but I mess up where it matters most and am seen as hardworking but just plain stupid and unworthy. To quote one of my med school interviewers, "Man if it weren't for your MCATs (mind you I took it multiple times) you would be one of the best applicants I've ever seen". Sadly, the story just keeps repeating itself. Thankfully, it's almost over.

So OP, yes you can break the cycle. Many do, many (like myself) do not. Work hard, know your weakness and try to overcome them. Maybe I didn't put enough into overcoming my weakness? You should though, know what subjects you are weak on and keep hammering it down. It's tough, but a lot of people do find ways to overcome the odds. I sadly did not, I 'm not the story with a happy ending. Maybe (and I hope) yours will be.

You jumped the shark quite a while ago.

 

[sholamd]

I don't believe some people are poor test takers and can never rise above it. It's like saying "I'm just the kind of person who is always late, I can't fix it." It's just that it's really, really hard to look at yourself objectively and follow the right steps to make a change in life - whether it be organization, attitude, test-taking, relationships, whatever.

All this to say, I believe OP can do well on Step 1. The first step is renouncing the idea that you are "destined" to do poorly. The hard work will start after that. Good luck!! You can do this!

 

[Taddy Mason]

For me it has horrendous failure after failure on these tests.

2200 SAT (math, reading , writing) --> 32 on MCAT ---> 222 on Step 1

I never was a good standardized test taker, I never will be. These tests have been the biggest failures of my life and held me back my whole life from my full potential. Some people aren't stupid, they are just piss poor test takers. The rest of my application has always been very good (grades, research, ECs back in college (just research now), but I mess up where it matters most and am seen as hardworking but just plain stupid and unworthy. To quote one of my med school interviewers, "Man if it weren't for your MCATs (mind you I took it multiple times) you would be one of the best applicants I've ever seen". Sadly, the story just keeps repeating itself. Thankfully, it's almost over.

So OP, yes you can break the cycle. Many do, many (like myself) do not. Work hard, know your weakness and try to overcome them. Maybe I didn't put enough into overcoming my weakness? You should though, know what subjects you are weak on and keep hammering it down. It's tough, but a lot of people do find ways to overcome the odds. I sadly did not, I 'm not the story with a happy ending. Maybe (and I hope) yours will be.

You do realize that "venting" like this is actually counterproductive to your mental health I hope.

 

[DancingDoggie]

I had 31 on my MCAT, which I think is average or even below average.

I scored >260 on Step 1 and >270 on Step 2, which are considered very good. So for me I would say MCAT was not predictive.


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[Mad Jack]

I had a very high MCAT score and a slightly below average Step score. Classmates of mine had scores in the 20s and pulled off Step scores in the 260s. It's a different sort of test, and plays to some people's strengths better than others. The MCAT requires far less base knowledge to function well while taking, while the Steps require both strong conceptual skills and a strong knowledge base, so if you're great at memorizing but just average with concepts, you might be able to compensate by just kicking up your knowledge base to do fairly well.

However, it must be said that there is some correlation between MCAT scores and Step scores. Don't expect to fail, but don't put all your eggs in the Step 1 Superstar basket either.

 

[acapnial]

Hey guys,

So for a while I have been wondering what correlation there is between MCAT and STEP/COMLEX scores.

I have always done pretty decent in high school and college GPA's but always struggled with ACT's/MCAT.

I recall scoring a mediocre 25 on ACT and 500 on MCAT, but my high school GPA was 4.1 (weighted w/AP and dual enrollment; 3.7 unweighted). College GPA was 3.77.

I've been accepted to DO schools and waitlisted at 2 MD's.

I was just wondering, like am I destined to perform poorly on boards? That kind of seems discouraging to me with what some say about poor MCAT=bad boards. Especially when I really worked hard for my MCAT scores.. ACT is another story.

Thanks for the input.

There was a study where they found a correlation a while ago, but step 1 was a pretty different test and the MCAT was a very different test. You could visit with a learning specialist (which every school has) when you start school to see if you have dyslexia, or test anxiety, or something, if you've never been evaluated for it. Assuming you have none of those issues, then give yourself lots of time to study, do tons (at least 5-6k; 2 qbanks worth, maybe more) of practice questions, and don't let the questions pile up and don't do them at the last minute and you pretty much can't get a bad score.

 

[njtrimed]

Hey guys,

So for a while I have been wondering what correlation there is between MCAT and STEP/COMLEX scores.

I have always done pretty decent in high school and college GPA's but always struggled with ACT's/MCAT.

I recall scoring a mediocre 25 on ACT and 500 on MCAT, but my high school GPA was 4.1 (weighted w/AP and dual enrollment; 3.7 unweighted). College GPA was 3.77.

I've been accepted to DO schools and waitlisted at 2 MD's.

I was just wondering, like am I destined to perform poorly on boards? That kind of seems discouraging to me with what some say about poor MCAT=bad boards. Especially when I really worked hard for my MCAT scores.. ACT is another story.

Thanks for the input.

I personally know two extremes of the spectrum: a friend who taught Kaplan MCAT during a gap year (35+) got a Step 1 score just over 200. Another friend who went DO after getting a 28 on the MCAT scored in the 95th percentile (I think 259ish?) on Step 1. I think most people probably score somewhere closer to the same percentiles on both exams if they're giving equal effort, but there are far too many factors to make MCAT a predictor of Step 1 success. For one thing, they test two separate things. Someone who has taken a lot of upper-level bio and has clinical experience and just "gets" people may do poorly on the MCAT but find med school more intuitive. An engineering major who is great at reading comprehension may kill verbal (CARS) and the chem/phys section, and do well enough in bio to score a 520, but struggle more with case questions.

Or maybe some people hate undergrad requirements but are really into med school classes and excel in them because they're more motivated by the idea that they're learning things they'll actually apply, and others are really smart but bored by med school classes. There is no shortage of theories behind why MCAT scores aren't necessarily predictive of Step 1 success.

I just don't think a generalization can be made, other than the fact that most people in med school are smart and motivated to succeed all along, and that *probably* most people who give at least 90% effort in both undergrad and med school will score in a range that is somewhat predictable, given innate ability and work ethic that presumably doesn't change that much. This doesn't account for the difference between, "I just want to get into a U.S. med school," and "I want to match in neurosurgery." Those people may go from a 510 MCAT to a killer Step 1. Conversely, the "I need to go to XYZ med school for XYZ reason" versus "I want to be a family practitioner and focus on my personal life" may be the difference between the 37/520ish score and a lower Step 1 score.

 

[Frogger27]

I had 31 on my MCAT, which I think is average or even below average.

I scored >260 on Step 1 and >270 on Step 2, which are considered very good. So for me I would say MCAT was not predictive.


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What's your secret??

 

[Goro]

A lot of standardized test taking is pattern recognition.

A lot of people have test taking anxiety and either don't know it or don't do anything about it.

You were a very different person from 14-18 than from 18-22, in addition.

Are you destined to do poorly? No. Is there a risk? Some. But it's even worse if your MCAT is < 500. An even better marker for how you'll do on Boards is your pre-clinical GPA. You get out of medical school what you put into it.

At my school, our NBME shelf exams are also very good markers of COMLEX performance (we don't get USMLE stats from our students unless they self-report).

Hey guys,

So for a while I have been wondering what correlation there is between MCAT and STEP/COMLEX scores.

I have always done pretty decent in high school and college GPA's but always struggled with ACT's/MCAT.

Thanks for the input.

When you get about 27-28 on the old exam, the risk flattens out to nothing. Hence, someone with an average score (31 on the old exam, and ~510 on the new) has no risk factors for Boards.


I had 31 on my MCAT, which I think is average or even below average.

I scored >260 on Step 1 and >270 on Step 2, which are considered very good. So for me I would say MCAT was not predictive.

 

[DokterMom]

As @Goro has just noted, there is some correlation between MCAT and STEP 1 scores, but the larger correlation is between medical school pre-clinical grades and STEP 1 scores. So stay on top of your pre-clinical curriculum -- really learn the material vs cram and regurgitate -- and you're likely to do well on your STEPS

 

[Astra]

What's your secret??

copious amounts of columbian cocaine

 

[NWwildcat2013]

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[NWwildcat2013]

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[ortnakas]

I think doing poorly on the MCAT (under 24 on the whole scale) corresponds with being at an increased risk of failing the USMLE/COMLEX, but the correlation's not any stronger than that.