Whats more important: MCAT or GPA?

[prudvi]

Hey guys. So, if someone asked you to flat out say what's more important (MCAT or GPA) to an adcom/medical school or to you, what would you say?

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[Knocked Up]

Medical college admissions test

 

[Frazier]

between the two: mcat, no contest

people get into bombass schools with "mediocre" gpas and awesome mcat scores more often than they get in with mediocre mcat scores and awesome gpas.

 

[prudvi]

Interesting! I also believe that MCAT is seen as more important. However, I wonder if GPA should be weighted more since it is based off of more material than the MCAT. But, I also know that the GPA can be inflated/deflated depending on the college one goes to.

If you look at this accepted percentage distribution, it looks like GPA is weighted more though since a small change in GPA decreases the amount of accepted applicants. Check it out: https://www.aamc.org/download/270906/data/table24-mcatgpagridall0911.pdf

 

[ineed2stpsmurfn]

 

[flodhi1]

Medical college admissions test

between the two: mcat, no contest

people get into bombass schools with "mediocre" gpas and awesome mcat scores more often than they get in with mediocre mcat scores and awesome gpas.

+1 the MCAT offers a level playing field for all the applicants where as the GPA doesn't. All universities have different levels of competitiveness, scoring and difficulties. Therefore, the GPA can't be relied on more than the MCAT. I must say though that both are still very important.

 

[flodhi1]

anyone that says MCAT is delusional. My cousin had a 4.0 GPA and 24 Mcat... guess how many US MD acceptances he got? 6. 2 of them offered big money.

That is definitely not the norm, using the experience of one individual does not make it a fact for everybody sorry. Go to AMCAS and check out the chances of a 4.0/24 I'm pretty sure it's 41 % now take someone with a 2.8-2.9 and MCAT 39-45 they have a 50 % chance.

https://www.aamc.org/download/270906/data/table24-mcatgpagridall0911.pdf

 

[Thego2guy]

Omg.... WHAT HAVE YOU STARTED!!!!!! !!!!!
Not again..




....

I'll regret for falling into this trap.. but

They are roughly equal. You are broken without one or the other, so you need both. Most schools put slightly more weight on the GPA than MCAT. For example, Albert Einstein typically puts it as "60/40".. "however there is no formula, and the applicant is viewed holistically". That "Holistically" part is true FOR EVERY medical school, so even within one medical school, one applicant's MCAT may be weighed more heavily than another applicant's MCAT, and vice versa. It goes on a case-by-case basis, but generally speaking, it would even/average itself out at around 50/50.

 

[Knocked Up]

anyone that says MCAT is delusional. My cousin had a 4.0 GPA and 24 Mcat... guess how many US MD acceptances he got? 6. 2 of them offered big money.

6 MD schools in the US offered him admissions with a 24? 2 offered his scholarships with a 24? Please, do tell us some of these schools...

 

[prudvi]

Omg.... WHAT HAVE YOU STARTED!!!!!! !!!!!
Not again..




....

I'll regret for falling into this trap.. but

They are roughly equal. You are broken without one or the other, so you need both. Most schools put slightly more weight on the GPA than MCAT. For example, Albert Einstein typically puts it as "60/40".. "however there is no formula, and the applicant is viewed holistically". That "Holistically" part is true FOR EVERY medical school, so even within one medical school, one applicant's MCAT may be weighed more heavily than another applicant's MCAT, and vice versa. It goes on a case-by-case basis, but generally speaking, it would even/average itself out at around 50/50.

Hahaha, I'm sorry but I thought this was an interesting question.
wow ineed2stpsmurfn, that sounds too good to be true.

 

[Cinclus]

I would say MCAT, since it's standardized.

 

[Ismet]

This again?

According to some AAMC FACTS sheet that I'm too lazy to look up, it's pretty much 50/50 with GPA being slightly more important in the pre-interview stage. Both go down in importance when the interview and ECs are taken into consideration, MCAT's importance goes down more than GPA's. Still, it varies by school and applicant, so there's really no way to answer this question for sure (especially not by pre-meds).

 

[Ismet]

Hahaha, I'm sorry but I thought this was an interesting question.

An interesting question that has been beaten to death every day in the history of SDN.

6 MD schools in the US offered him admissions with a 24? 2 offered his scholarships with a 24? Please, do tell us some of these schools...

Acceptance rate for a 4.0/24 is ~41%...the applicant could have been non-trad, URM, had an excellent story - all of these could have boosted his chances above the 41%

 

[ineed2stpsmurfn]

 

[Arbor Vitae]

6 MD schools in the US offered him admissions with a 24? 2 offered his scholarships with a 24? Please, do tell us some of these schools...

For some reason I read this in the voice of Condescending Wonka.

 

[ineed2stpsmurfn]

 

[TheVillain]

For some reason I read this in the voice of Condescending Wonka.

Oh, so you can instantly recognize a meme . . .

Please, oh never mind.

 

[flodhi1]

you've got it. He applied URM (he's black), like I will.

today he's almost graduated from residency. Pretty awesome doctor if I do say so myself.

86.5 % of the URM applicants with that GPA/MCAT were accepted and that is very different for non-URM which is around 41 %

 

[ineed2stpsmurfn]

 

[Frazier]

From what he told me, it seems like the schools are really interested in your work ethic if you have a high gpa/deficient mcat. that's what seems to have got him in. I don't think the URM thing changes the GPA > MCAT argument, though. IMHO it wouldn't have gone so well if he had been 3.2 GPA and 38 MCAT. After all, wheres the proof you can handle hard subjects/workload?

chances are if you (collective you) score a 38 on the MCAT, you have more than enough intellectual prowess to handle the subjects taught in med school.

this isn't advanced mathematics/theoretical physics, mayne.

 

[flodhi1]

From what he told me, it seems like the schools are really interested in your work ethic if you have a high gpa/deficient mcat. that's what seems to have got him in. I don't think the URM thing changes the GPA > MCAT argument, though. IMHO it wouldn't have gone so well if he had been 3.2 GPA and 38 MCAT. After all, wheres the proof you can handle hard subjects/workload?

3.2/38 100% URM were accepted.

https://www.aamc.org/download/157594/data/table25-b-mcatgpa-grid-black.pdf

 

[ineed2stpsmurfn]

chances are if you (collective you) score a 38 on the MCAT, you have more than enough intellectual prowess to handle the subjects taught in med school.

...and you don't if you received an A in every class you took while getting your BS in Biology?


edit: that table 25 I've seen before. what it doesnt say is who had a postbac, etc. Plus, those are just numbers, you never know what the other parts of their app looked like.

 

[Frazier]

...and you don't if you received an A in every class you took while getting your BS in Biology?

perhaps not if you (collective you) went to clown college of backwoods alley.

 

[ineed2stpsmurfn]

 

[Knocked Up]

you've got it. He applied URM (he's black), like I will.

You probably should have mentioned this before when you made the blanket statement about your friend. Congrats to him though and good luck to you.

 

[gstudent26]

If you're white or asian, then you absolutely need both

 

[Narmerguy]

Classic SDN thread. I suppose you have to love it.

 

[theWUbear]

If you're white or asian, then you absolutely need both

Asian. 2.9.

 

[Shalashaska]

Low GPAs close doors. High GPAs open doors. Regardless of MCAT score.

 

[Knocked Up]

Low GPAs close doors. High GPAs open doors. Regardless of MCAT score.

What doors? Without a high MCAT score, these are the only doors a high GPA is opening:

 

[Thego2guy]

What doors? Without a high MCAT score, these are the only doors a high GPA is opening:

Knocked Up, we meet again!

While I value your posts on other topics <3, you know how I feel about this situation

Unlike everything else that I stated, which is backed up in documented official writing from those schools (so I really don't know why people don't listen), the following is purely my observations from years of being on here:

High GPA + Low MCAT typically results in people going to American DO schools (ie: 3.7 GPA, 24-25 MCAT)

Low GPA + High MCAT typically results in more people than the aforementioned group, going to the Islands. (ie: 2.7 GPA, 33 MCAT).

idk of any applicant that had a 2.7 GPA and a way above average MCAT for DO school that went to an osteopathic school.

^ Pure observation. Thoughts, buddy?

 

[DrMediterranean]

anyone that says MCAT is delusional. My cousin had a 4.0 GPA and 24 Mcat... guess how many US MD acceptances he got? 6. 2 of them offered big money.

please tell us which schools accepted him and offered him big money. just curious. does he have urm status?

 

[Whiskeypunch]

please tell us which schools accepted him and offered him big money. just curious. does he have urm status?

He is URM. Though that should have been obvious from the scholarships with a 24 mcat. Kind of hilarious that wasn't mentioned in the initial post, being URM is like adding 12 to your mcat score.

On an unrelated note, whatever prevents you from getting in is what really matters. For some people that is neither MCAT scores nor GPA.

 

[Whiskeypunch]

Asian. 2.9.

Didn't you do like a post-bac and then a SMP? That's really not the same.

 

[ccrone]

In my mind, MCAT--no question. I am graduating with a 4.0GPA and outstanding EC activities. I'd prefer not to detail exactly what those ECs are, as they'd make it quite easy to track me down online. Suffice to say, I received Presidential recognition, international media coverage, etc.

So, 4.0gpa, great ECs, gushing letters of recommendation, and an average MCAT score. The average MCAT definitely held me back. That said, my interviewer was very interested in my choice of medicine over non-profit work. They could have simply felt I have more to offer the non-profit sector, which is quite flattering (to me, anyway). Everyone was completely gobsmacked that I got passed over.

In my experience, it's definitely the MCAT.

 

[unrealplayer]

I would say GPA by a very thin margin. The MCAT is one test, one day in your life. Also, based on the material you receive on your MCAT it may be luck. On the other hand, your GPA reflects a more encompassing view of your knowledge, determination, and interests.

 

[theseeker4]

Medical college admissions test

It took you a whole minute to reply to this poll question? Knocked Up, I am disappoint.

 

[saveourpens]

Once we account for things like URM, what better way to stand out (in terms of numbers) than scoring higher than most on a standardized test taken by all applicants?

 

[octupus]

anyone that says MCAT is delusional. My cousin had a 4.0 GPA and 24 Mcat... guess how many US MD acceptances he got? 6. 2 of them offered big money.

you're delusional for thinking this is the norm. had your cousin not been black, his 4.0/24 would have had a very different ending.

24 and 6 MD acceptances

 

[kfsa1]

GPA....

Someone with a 3.7 GPA only needs around a 31 to have a ~70% chance of getting in.

Someone with a 3.6 GPA needs roughly a 34 to have a ~70% chance of getting in.

Pisses me off actually.
​

 

[ineed2stpsmurfn]

derp derp derp

u mad bro?

 

[LazyElemental]

The one you don't have is most important. It's so competitive that you need to do well in both.

 

[octupus]

u mad bro?

no. just jealous. better than being delusional though.

the advantages of being URM... 24 MCAT and 6 acceptances.

 

[dcsurgeon]

 

[Jamie561]

u mad bro?

My friend had a 1.7 GPA and a 45 MCAT and was accepted to HMS.

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk

 

[yellowbird12]

My friend had a 1.7 GPA and a 45 MCAT and was accepted to HMS.

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk

IS HMS , Harvard Medical School?

 

[ineed2stpsmurfn]

My friend had a 1.7 GPA and a 45 MCAT and was accepted to HMS.

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk

Pretty sure if I manipulated the surface tension of water thereby walking on it, and turned h20 into ETOH I could get in with a 1.7, and make a 45

My only problem would be how do I cause myself to levitate while in a cloud that is rising... hmm....

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

nvm Sector's data has already been posted/cited.

 

[notbobtrustme]

Both are equally important, which gives you some idea of how important the MCAT is.

A 5 hour 30 minute test is weighed as much as 4 years of classes.

 

[flodhi1]

Don't feed the troll please. Why is it that every God damn week we have a MCAT vs GPA thread or something about Affirmative action / URM. The sad part is all of you fall for it and start pouring hours into your replies to these threads. Folks calm down and do something more productive.