What’s up with the disproportionate amount of people that want to score 520+?

[TwoHighways]

Are there really that many people out there trying to get into Stanford or Johns Hopkins? Is a 515 vs a 520 really going to be the deciding factor on whether you get in or not at your state MD program if you interview poorly or have other holes in your application?

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[Cornfed101]

The MCAT is a unique thing because it is weighted almost the same as GPA in importance (slightly less), but it only takes 7 hours to complete. It requires a ton of dedicated study, but I think premeds see it as something that can make up for other deficiencies (which is definitely not always true). A good MCAT never hurts though and can only help.

A wonderful MCAT doesn’t make up for a poor interview though. I don’t know of any school that doesn’t look at applicants holistically. They try and look at the whole package and judge all of it together.

There isn’t much difference between a 515 and a 520 in my opinion. Both are over ~93rd percentile, and there is really only a few questions difference between them. On the other hand, there is a big difference lower in the scale, say a 505 vs 510 (70th percentile vs 84th percentile)

 

[deleted480308]

Are there really that many people out there trying to get into Stanford or Johns Hopkins? Is a 515 vs a 520 really going to be the deciding factor on whether you get in or not at your state MD program if you interview poorly or have other holes in your application?

How are you confused by this?