What would Daniel Tammet get on the MCAT?

[Showtime14]

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Absolutely incredible boy. Check this out:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6378985927858479238#docid=4913196365903075662

 

[Poliscidoc]

Absolutely incredible boy. Check this out:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6378985927858479238#docid=4913196365903075662

Made it about 12 seconds in and then couldn't stop laughing at his teeth.

 

[the duck]

Holly cow! 22,000 digits of pie from memory??!?!?!?!?!😱

 

[Mbeas]

47 minutes? No.

 

[Cleavername]

i feel alone at times. am i the only person here thinks ur really only as impressive as the $$$ u can pull in lol. may be i am weird, but oh well lol.

 

[IvyHopeful20]

i feel alone at times. am i the only person here thinks ur really only as impressive as the $$$ u can pull in lol. may be i am weird, but oh well lol.

It's not being weird, it's just being a shallow prick.

 

[Cleavername]

It's not being weird, it's just being a shallow prick.

u meanie.

 

[barcoderider]

I don't know, I mean the guy can certainly rock any necessary calculations, but there aren't that many on the MCAT. How well can he actually REASON though?

 

[coup de chance]

Made it about 12 seconds in and then couldn't stop laughing at his teeth.

I'll admit that I noticed those teeth too.

But doctors can fix teeth a lot easier than they can fix brains 😀

Guy is a beast with numbers 👍👍

He can come grocery shopping with me ANYTIME

 

[BigRedBeta]

Absolutely incredible boy. Check this out:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6378985927858479238#docid=4913196365903075662

Despite what most pre-meds think about the MCAT, it is not a test of knowledge. It's a test that measures your ability to THINK critically.

For example, a typical MCAT passage will present 2 opposing viewpoints on a topic. The questions will then say "if the following piece of information is true: [new information]. How does this affect the two viewpoints?" and then the answer choices are Option 1 is helped more, Option 2 is helped more, both viewpoints are helped equally, neither option is helped by the new information.

This is not just a first order tests of memory. The MCAT requires you to quickly and accurately identify the key differences between the theories, but also understand them well enough to determine how new information impacts them. It may also require suspension of previously known facts in order to focus only on the question at hand (which is one reason why some science majors struggle - they want to bring in outside information which is affects their judgement). The man in the video, most everything they showed, had much more to do with things that had consistent rules and framework. Obviously math is straight forward. Even languages have rules on grammar and syntax. He is certainly very gifted, but it's not clear that this would translate to success on the MCAT.

 

[coup de chance]

Well said 👍👍

Despite what most pre-meds think about the MCAT, it is not a test of knowledge. It's a test that measures your ability to THINK critically.

For example, a typical MCAT passage will present 2 opposing viewpoints on a topic. The questions will then say "if the following piece of information is true: [new information]. How does this affect the two viewpoints?" and then the answer choices are Option 1 is helped more, Option 2 is helped more, both viewpoints are helped equally, neither option is helped by the new information.

This is not just a first order tests of memory. The MCAT requires you to quickly and accurately identify the key differences between the theories, but also understand them well enough to determine how new information impacts them. It may also require suspension of previously known facts in order to focus only on the question at hand (which is one reason why some science majors struggle - they want to bring in outside information which is affects their judgement). The man in the video, most everything they showed, had much more to do with things that had consistent rules and framework. Obviously math is straight forward. Even languages have rules on grammar and syntax. He is certainly very gifted, but it's not clear that this would translate to success on the MCAT.

 

[Slowpoke]

so i finished watching the entire documentary because frankly, it's interesting. a professor that i know at my school has worked with "the woman who could not forget" (youtube it).

Just an amazing ability, double edged sword indeed, I can't think of any real life situations that would need you to do high order calculations in your head. Although his ability to learn novel langauges in record time is simply remarkable.

 

[xnfs93hy]

45, I bet. The video is way old, btw.

 

[Frazier]

Prob not that great.

He has an affinity for numerical calculations. Nothing is shown [from what I saw] that would indicate that he would rock the mcat.

Some people "see" music... he "sees" numbers.
It didn't say if he can read quickly/efficiently or "see" verbal reasoning, reason obscure chemical trends and organic mechanisms [or stuff of that nature].


...Nevertheless, he is still impressive of course.

 

[EpicBearMan]

I think that he would do extremely well, with preparation and practice tests. The memory to recite pi to 22k places and ability to learn and speak a new language in 1 week would not be enough in itself to rock the MCAT, but it would certainly give somebody a pretty big edge.

 

[Cleavername]

I think that he would do extremely well, with preparation and practice tests. The memory to recite pi to 22k places and ability to learn and speak a new language in 1 week would not be enough in itself to rock the MCAT, but it would certainly give somebody a pretty big edge.

no doubt that his memory would help alot in memorizing the concepts and facts. tho it is technically a critical thinking exam, A. Einstein would def do well. i think, he could prob land a 45.

 

[McPoyle]

Despite what most pre-meds think about the MCAT, it is not a test of knowledge. It's a test that measures your ability to THINK critically.

For example, a typical MCAT passage will present 2 opposing viewpoints on a topic. The questions will then say "if the following piece of information is true: [new information]. How does this affect the two viewpoints?" and then the answer choices are Option 1 is helped more, Option 2 is helped more, both viewpoints are helped equally, neither option is helped by the new information.

This is not just a first order tests of memory. The MCAT requires you to quickly and accurately identify the key differences between the theories, but also understand them well enough to determine how new information impacts them. It may also require suspension of previously known facts in order to focus only on the question at hand (which is one reason why some science majors struggle - they want to bring in outside information which is affects their judgement). The man in the video, most everything they showed, had much more to do with things that had consistent rules and framework. Obviously math is straight forward. Even languages have rules on grammar and syntax. He is certainly very gifted, but it's not clear that this would translate to success on the MCAT.

With the exception of the verbal reasoning, my MCAT was the exact opposite of this statement.

For instance, in the PS section I was only required to use minimal reasoning in selecting which equation I was going to use. BS was even less so. I wish the science sections required more critical reasoning.