<p>If a school, like Emory, has a grading scale as such:
A 4.0 93-100
A- 3.7 90 - 32
B+ 3.3 87-89
B 3.0 83-86
B- 2.7 80-82</p>
<p>How is the GPA calculated for medical school admission. In other words, let's say that at X school, the undergrad has an A (90 average and is given 4.0), but at Y school, the undergrad has an A- (90 average but is only given 3.7).</p>
<p>How do medical schools calculate the GPA of these students? Is X student given 4.0 but Y student given 3.7 OR do they take all the letter grades and give them equal weight - by giving them both a 4.0?</p>
<p>AMCAS -- the centralized bureau which standardizes GPAs for medical schools -- will use +/- information in their calculations*. A student who is assigned an A- will be at a disadvantage compared to a student who is assigned an A.</p>
<p>Ideally, such a student would also be balanced out on the other side, as well: that the school which assigns A-'s also assigns B+'s.</p>
<p>Remember, however, that these scales are very rarely standardized by schools. Usually, they vary according to professors. And, furthermore, unlik high school, many courses are graded on a curve, such that you end up with a curve where a 74-76% or more is an A-, 71-73 is a B+, etc.</p>
<p>*(The only exception is the A+, which is treated as equivalent to an A.)</p>