What grades will the Ivy med schools be looking for in the new MCAT test? I know the range is from 472 to 528 but what should I be aiming for? And is it possible to get a full score (assuming I study for a year or so).
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Not all Ivy League colleges have med schools
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Those Ivies that do have med schools range in selectivity which mean their average accepted MCAT scores vary. (Also MCAT score is just one of many, many factors that adcomms consider when making interview invitations. Basically your GPA/MCAT, gets you to the door, but your soft factors get you invited in.)
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What do mean by “full score”? A perfect score? Answer: not likely
I feel as if my soft factors will be very strong (I’m starting college this fall). I already have a job as a medical scribe (starting the week after college starts), have talked to 3 physcians who are willing to let me shadow them, and have talked to the two different hospitals about letting me do volunteer work. I also plan on studying abroad, and doing mission work (with qualified missionaries). Also, i plan on participating in lots of ECs (4-5). Lastly, I have family connections to a few professors who might considering doing research with me (if i prove myself or something), also I have no idea how this research stuff works, guess ill just have to find out in college. Is this enough, or do I need to add something to make my “subjective” portfolio more appealing.
Honestly, Im just worried about the MCAT and my GPA, and with the changing on the MCAT, I really don’t know what score to aim for.
(P.s Thanks for answering! I appreciate your responses @WayOutWestMom )
The easiest way to get a feel for old MCAT vs new MCAT scores is to look at the percentile ranks for both tests.
https://www.aamc.org/students/download/378098/data/mcat2015scorescaleguide.pdf
p. 9 of this document has hypothetical scales for the 2015 MCAT (Actual scaled scores tables won’t be available until late summer 2015/early 2016.)
And here the percentile distributions for the 2013 MCAT:
https://www.aamc.org/students/download/361080/data/combined13.pdf.pdf
NOTE: actual score distributions vary slightly from year to year.
You need to considering adding community service (that is not medically related), teaching/tutoring/coaching (some schools really like this) and activities which demonstrate leadership skills.
Choose activities that are meaningful to you, not just something to fill a check box.