MCAT Test basis FAQs

Hello, I am posting this Qs just for myself to understand .My D is taking the MCAT soon

  1. Is it true at the end of the test , MCAT test taker can void and not submit . On that case is it counted as 1 attempt out of 7 total attempts
  2. Will colleges see the voided attempt
  3. What is average MCAT score required for Asian Indian with 3.80 GPA.?
  4. Some states Med schools shows lower MCAT score like puerti rico . Does it mean is ther any Reservation for OOS students with lower score apply to Purtirico?
  5. What is the difference between Caribbean med school

1)Yes, at the end of the exam, test-takers have the option to void the exam. Yes, a voided exam counts as 1 attempt against your lifetime max. So does a no-show.

  1. Medical schools will not see that a student has voided an exam. It is not reported on the score report med schools receive.

  2. There is no way to answer that question. AMCAS no longer reports the median GPA/MCAT scores broken down by ethnic groups. Also much depends on the other factors. State of residence is very important. CA applicants need higher stats to gain an in-state admission because the pool of CA applicants, in general, has higher academic achievement than other states. Also some states have highly protected in-state admissions. IOW, some states simply will not consider OOS applicants for admissions at all; whereas, others states don’t favor in-state applicants as much and will consider OOS applicants (usually of they have significantly higher stats than In-staters do).

Please also be aware that MCAT/GPA is only one screening factor used by med school. All it does is it keeps your application from getting rejected by the computer screen algorithm before some live person reads it.

  1. All US medical schools follow the same basic curriculum and all US medical students have to take the same national, standardized qualifying exams.

Graduates of schools in Puerto Rico or other states that have lower MCAT/GPA averages are US MD graduates and have the same opportunities as any other US MD grads. They are able to pursue any residencies they qualify for anywhere in the US and are able to be licensed in all 50 US states.

Note: Puerto Rican medical schools require a moderately high level of Spanish fluency. While classes are taught largely in English (though the textbooks used may be written in Spanish), most clinical instruction and patient interactions are conducted in Spanish.

  1. Caribbean medical schools are NOT accredited by the LCME–which is the accrediting body for all US MD schools–or by COCA–which is the accrediting body for all US DO schools.

All graduates of Caribbean med schools are considered IMGs (International Medical Graduates). IMGs cannot be considered for US residencies without first registering with and being approved by the ECFMG, and taking the USMLE STEP 1, 2CK and 2CS exams. There is significant prejudice against IMGs during the residency interview and matching process. Many program will not interview IMGs. Fewer than 50% of IMGs who apply for US medical residency end up being placed in ANY residency–including a preliminary surgery or preliminary medicine residency --which are one year, non-renewable, dead-end jobs which do not qualify one for a medical license or for further residency training.

Caribbean medical schools are all private, for-profit businesses whose business model depends on failing out a significant proportion of their entering students. (30 to 60% fail out rates are common) because they do not have sufficient US clinical rotation sites for all students.

@WayOutWestMom,
Thanks so much for your detailed answers . I really appreciate the time you took to answer individual questions to educate me on this in quick time

According to AAMC data, with a GPA >= 3.8 and MCAT > 517 applicants have nearly 88% chance to get into at least 1 medical school. It may not be a T20 medical school.

Why would anyone take the MCAT 7 times?