The Medical College - Page 2
4. You still have the option of retaking the
examination in the fall if you missed it
in the spring or if you feel that the scores,
for some reason, did not reflect your
true capabilities.
5. A significant number of places may already be
filled by the time the schools
receive the scores from the fall exam (usually
after Thanksgiving).
6. You can get a necessary hurdle out of the way
and you can then concentrate bet-
ter on your studies.
Students who have not had basic courses in
chemistry and biology and who plan to
take these courses during the summer and
students whose academic record is B– or less
and who will have additional time to study for
the examination during the summer and
therefore may perform better on the exam in the
fall should give serious consideration to
the later test administration. In any event,
the exam should not be taken in the spring as
if it were a trial run, with the intention of
taking it definitively in the fall since medical
schools are aware that the exam is taken twice
and can secure both sets of scores.
Test scores are sent to the student usually
four to six weeks after the test is taken.
The student also receives a copy to be given to
his or her advisor. The advisor receives a
computer printout of the scores from those
students electing to release them.
IMPORTANCE OF THE MCAT
The MCAT scores provide admissions committees
with nationally standardized mea-
sures of both academic ability and achievement.
This permits comparison of applicants
even though they have widely different academic
backgrounds and attend different col-
leges. The scores attained on the MCAT do not
by themselves determine admission and
are supplemental in interpreting the academic
record, since they help to shed light on
the academic abilities of the applicant. The
extent of their importance varies among
medical schools because committees place
different degrees of stress on the scores. In
general, the MCAT scores are significant in
relation to the academic record of the indi-
vidual. When the scores are high or low for a
student with a good or a weak record,
respectively, they simply confirm the academic
record. When they are significantly dif-
ferent from the student's record, they raise
questions that can be critical in determining
admissions. Thus students with poor records and
high scores may have greater potential
than their records indicate. In such cases,
more intensive evaluation may be warranted,
and the applicants may be called for an
interview that they otherwise may not have been
granted. At the interview, the discrepancy
between the academic record and the MCAT
scores can be clarified, and the applicants
will have the opportunity to "sell them-
selves," perhaps significantly improving their
chances for admission.
On the other hand, when the academic record is
high and the MCAT scores are low,
the applicant's interview will not be
perfunctory but will be aimed at clarifying the dis-
crepancy. He or she will have to convince the
interviewer of potential ability and over-
come the uncertainty that has been created. One
way of doing this is to retake the test
and perform significantly better.
In summary, the implication of your MCAT score
is as follows:
Table 5.1
RELATIONSHIP OF MCAT SCORES TO
ADMISSION
GPA
MCAT
Impact on Admission
High (3.7)
High (12)
Confirmatory; enhances chances
High
Low
Diminishes chances
Average (3.5) High
Supportive; improves chances
Average
Average (10) Status unchanged
Average
Low (9)
Diminishes chances
Low (3.3)
High
Improves chances
Low
Low
Confirmatory, seriously diminished
User Comments Add a comment…