My DD just got her MCAT 2015 score back yesterday. I would appreciate inputs on the rankings of the importance of each of the subgroups: C/P, CARS, B/B, P/S.
She got her best scores for CARS and P/S, second best score for C/P and worst score for B/B. The problem is she is aiming rather high, so a relatively low score on the B/B is a concern for her.
Thanks in advance.
According to the adcomms on SND, bio is the sub-score most closely scruntinized.
Also, check the MSAR to see what the MCAT sub-scores are for the various programs your D is considering applying to. Any sub-score that is at or below the 10th percentile for a specific school does not bode well for an acceptance.
http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/threads/adcom-analysis-of-mcat-scores.1156827/#post-16829166
Above is from SDN: I don’t think you’ll get an answer to your question. You can read thread but post #37 gets to difficulty in answering (ie, it just depends on school/adcom.)
As most current MSAR wouldn’t have a full year of 2015 MCAT scores, check out the following to see where D might stand (Note it does include April/May 2015 MCAT percentiles)
http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/threads/efles-mcat-2015-to-old-mcat-percentile-comparison-conversion-tables.1143689/
Good luck
Some more recent adcomm posts about minimum MCAT subscores
This in regard to WUSTL:
And this is about med schools in general:
As @Jugulator mentioned, for the MSAR, you will need to convert new MCAT score to percentile equivalents to compare the subscores with the old MCAT scores.
WayOutWestMom,
Thank you so much for your help.
In regard to WUSTL, based on the MSAR that I purchased yesterday, the biology median is 13 and the 10th to 90th percentile is 12 to 15. So I am not sure where the rumor 14 is a min biology score for WUSTL come from???
Jugulator20,
Thanks a lot for your help,
Based on the links that you and WayWestMom are kind enough to provide, unfortunately it looks like BS(old) or B/B(new) is the most important score. My D B/B is 130 (97%) which is equivalent to a 13? I looked up WUSTL and UPen on MSAR, their Biology medians are both 13, but the 90th percentile is 15. The question is should she apply to these schools or she should aim for schools with lower MCAT? As I mentioned above, I have heard from more than one source that WUSTL min biology score is 14. D got 525 overall, 132 for CARS and P/S, 131 for P/C. Her GPA is >3.95 from a top 5 school. Her ECs are just typical, 3 yrs research but no publication, doctor shadowing, clinical volunteering, club president…
Her scores are good enough for any school and will not be the thing that keeps her from getting an interview invite. The sum total of her application will matter at top 20 schools, not just her MCAT and GPA. She is in the ballpark with her academics- now it is her EC’s, LOR, and application (how she spins everything) that determine whether she strikes out or hits a home run (or anything in between). Of course, this really all depends on who actually reads the app and makes a decision on interview invite as well.
My D’s numbers were in the ballpark for any school, and she got interview invites from some top 20 schools and not from others. This is the same experience for many other people. You simply cannot determine anything based on numbers when you are talking top 20 schools and more than qualified applicants.
Schools will want to know if D can cut it academically. From your post the answer is yes. But it’s not just about being smart/having great numbers. They then will move on to see if applicant has characteristics that that school believes MDs should possess (eg altruism, compassion, leadership, team player, fit with school’s mission statement, etc), with academics taking a more back seat in process. From your post it appears D is lacking. This will be a problem especially for top schools as there will be many, many strong applicants with the complete package.
As D recently took MCAT, I’m assuming she’s a junior. One the one hand if she is a junior she could get more involved EC wise, but if she’s looking to apply at end of junior year this may come across as someone who’s desperately trying to pad app especially at top schools. On the other hand if she is a junior she could slow down, get more involved EC wise and wait to apply at end of senior year which could help produce a more polished app.
Keep in mind that all US med schools are good schools and getting into one is quite an achievement and can serve as springboard for whatever pathway she wants to go down in medicine. As almost 60% of applicants in last cycle failed to get in anywhere, when time comes D should apply broadly, her solid academics do not make an acceptance a sure thing. For that matter there are great applicants with very solid academics, ECs, etc who do not get in anywhere.
Well that’s clearly not possible if the median is 13.
I believe that they also evaluate if a student fit into their program and student body. And the applicant should do the same.
She does not know herself either at this point where she would fit the best. Some of this knowledge will be obtained from the interviews. In addition, my D. had to attend the Second Look events at both of her finalist Med. Schools. After these events, her decision has changed. MCAT score is jut one factor, it will not tell either side if the student/med. school is a good fit or not. D. withdrew from the highly ranked Med. School (that put her on hold among very many others as it was known for putting many on hold), because she did not believe that she belonged there. It was the highest ranked among her interviews. And at the end, the one that she choose was lower ranked than her second choice. Med. School ranking do not tell the whole story either.
I would still apply to any that she may like, you do not know which way it may go, numbers are just one aspect.
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She got her best scores for CARS and P/S, second best score for C/P and worst score for B/B. The problem is she is aiming rather high, so a relatively low score on the B/B is a concern for her.
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Ok, I don’t know what any of the new MCAT scoring means…lol…but the mention that she’s “aiming rather high” needs to be addressed.
It’s certainly ok and even recommended to throw out a few reach SOM apps, but be sure that your DD knows that any MD school is worth attending. The “aim” should be an acceptance to any US MD school, with a “secondary hope” of an acceptance of a favorite.
edit…it looks like your DD is a Calif resident. Is that true?
@WayOutWestMom If you know of a quick explanation of the scoring for the new MCAT, shoot me a PM…lol.
Thanks everyone for your very helpful info. D is a senior now and planning a gap year. It may still be too late to improve her ECs in a meaningful way. I pretty much agree with all of you that getting into any US medical school is a significant achievement. Getting into a top 20 is a bonus.
Mom2collegekids: D MCAT converted to old MCAT: total: 42, PS: 14, BS: 13, VR: 15.
Mom2collegekids: Yes, D is CA resisdent 
As was stated by others above, scores do not get people accepted, but they can get many rejected. Her score will not get her rejected from any school in the country.
42 will be accepted to any Med. School in the USA. My D. was accepted to 2 top 20s (at a time that she got in) with 35 and no gap year. I do not think that any single person in the world got 42 in D’s year and in few prior years, but I do not pursue internet statistics too much, not my thing.
iwannabe_Brown & MiamiDAP: Thanks.
I do not know if the conversion I used is correct or not. It is based on the percentiles:
100% percentile for the old MCAT: 39+
100% percentile for the new MCAT: 523+
Since 525 is kind of midpoint of 523 and 528, then it should be somewhere near 41-42??