Which schools screen MCAT scores below 8

[Timus]

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very few people get interviews, let alone acceptances, at highly competitive schools with 7's. Search MDapps if you want some evidence for this. (No, it's not "official" data, but with about 11,000 applicants in the database by now, it's actually a decent-sized sample for spotting trends.)

You might want to invest 30-40 bucks in a MSAR (which actually is "official" data collected by AAMC) and check out the range of scores, in various sections of MCAT, for the accepted students. People below 7's do get accepted to competitive schools, sorry to burst your bubble.

 

[Medstudent85]

This post is to give hope to all those who have lost it.

I had a 7 in one of my subsections as I previously posted before. I was also told not to apply to certain schools by certain individuals because of "their" opinion. However, I knew I was strong in other aspects so I decided not to listen to all the pessimism.

Heres my layout.

I received 14 interviews (all MD's) including West Virginia University (oos) and U of Arkansas (oos). ---> For the post that said these schools screen, your wrong.

I received interviews at top 10 schools...---> For the post that said don't waste your money because it is nearly impossible, you were wrong.

I received an acceptance from a NY school... For the post that said that was a is completely farfetched.

If there is one thing I have learned from reading the posts on the SDN network, it's not to listen to everyone on here. Most people say things based on their opinions and not on actual experience. The opinions are usually biased and sophomoric, leading to a false view. Block them out, and continue to strive, and you can achieve your goals, just as I did.

Finally, I would like to end off with a side note. Not only is one acceptance possible with an 8 or lower in a section.. but multiple acceptances are possible. If you work hard enough and are able to compensate for apparent weaknesses, then don't sell your self out short and apply!

~~

👍 Agree 100 Percent here.

 

[student1799]

You might want to invest 30-40 bucks in a MSAR (which actually is "official" data collected by AAMC) and check out the range of scores, in various sections of MCAT, for the accepted students. People below 7's do get accepted to competitive schools, sorry to burst your bubble.

Yes, I do own the MSAR, and BTW it costs $25. In the latest edition (2009-10), the MCAT data shows the range from the 10th to 90th percentile for each school, rather than the absolute range of scores accepted. Using that data, there are 34 schools that have a 10th percentile at or below 7 for any section of the MCAT. None of these are in New York (state or city), 20 are state schools which admit very few or no OOS students, 3 are HBS, and 4 are on Puerto Rico (requires Spanish fluency). So that leaves a grand total of 7 schools which accept meaningful numbers of students from all states with 7's. (If a given school has accepted scores below 7, but the 10th percentile is at 7 or higher, that suggests that a very small number of students are involved, most likely URMs or very exceptional circumstances.)

Naturally, I applied to all 7, as well as 20 others where the MCAT ranges were higher than mine. I just got my first acceptance, but it was at one of the schools on record as taking students with 7's. I may get into one or two others (I'm on 3 waitlists, and have 2 decisions coming up), but all of those schools have MCAT ranges that go down to 7 or 8.

That doesn't suggest that students with 7's have great odds of getting into highly competitive schools. In fact, as KeyzerSoze noted in his post, AMCAS data on p. 25 of the MSAR shows that about 80% of students with 7's are not accepted to ANY med school.

My motto is: go for your dreams but know what you're up against, and be prepared.

 

[Timus]

Yes, I do own the MSAR, and BTW it costs $25. In the latest edition (2009-10), the MCAT data shows the range from the 10th to 90th percentile for each school, rather than the absolute range of scores accepted. Using that data, there are 34 schools that have a 10th percentile at or below 7 for any section of the MCAT. None of these are in New York (state or city), 20 are state schools which admit very few or no OOS students, 3 are HBS, and 4 are on Puerto Rico (requires Spanish fluency). So that leaves a grand total of 7 schools which accept meaningful numbers of students from all states with 7's. (If a given school has accepted scores below 7, but the 10th percentile is at 7 or higher, that suggests that a very small number of students are involved, most likely URMs or very exceptional circumstances.)

Naturally, I applied to all 7, as well as 20 others where the MCAT ranges were higher than mine. I just got my first acceptance, but it was at one of the schools on record as taking students with 7's. I may get into one or two others (I'm on 3 waitlists, and have 2 decisions coming up), but all of those schools have MCAT ranges that go down to 7 or 8.

That doesn't suggest that students with 7's have great odds of getting into highly competitive schools. In fact, as KeyzerSoze noted in his post, AMCAS data on p. 25 of the MSAR shows that about 80% of students with 7's are not accepted to ANY med school.

My motto is: go for your dreams but know what you're up against, and be prepared.

This year I was accepted to 2 New York schools with a score below 7 in one section. I am OOS (Non-URM) so it can definitely be done.