Students with multiple MCAT scores were compared with peers who only took the MCAT w/r/t performance on the USMLE.
Students with 2, 3 and 4 MCAT attempts were compared using all 4 scoring approaches.
wowmom: conclusions of study state: Using the average score is the best approach for considering repeaters’ MCAT scores in medical school admission decisions.
How do you think this works out if applicant has old and new MCAT scores?
Med adcomms have already indicated they will be using percentile rankings to compare old MCAT scores to new MCAT scores for the next few cycles so the process shouldn’t be too difficult.
Both scores are converted to a percentile ranking, the resultant percertiles are averaged, then compared to other students’ scores.
Oooooh, D was a three-peater. I’ll have to report back in a couple of years after her step 1 to say if she is a cautionary tale or a success story! 
Hmmm…son only took it one time. He’ll take Step 1 this spring.
However for Step I he is studying!
=D>
They refer to MCAT to STEP 1 score. Is there a chart somewhere of this relationship?
Why “one and done: is best for MCAT
http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/threads/re-applicant-with-higher-mcat-but-lower-gpa-what-will-adcoms-think.1117677/
gyngyn (post 15):
Yes, bad advice, not taking good advice, mental or physical illness, social problems, substance problems, poor preparation, good preparation poor execution…
These and many more things are considered. That’s why a single strong score is so much better.
I’m not saying that multiple takers can’t get in. They should know however, that they open themselves to the type of speculation that does not benefit them, even when the second score is higher.
“They refer to MCAT to STEP 1 score. Is there a chart somewhere of this relationship?”
below posts have adcoms discussing relationship between MCAT and Step 1.
http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/threads/from-4th-year-med-student-mcat-score-does-not-step-scores.1055558/#post-14909066
lizzym posts 7,11; goro post 8
http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/threads/med-school-admissions-more-than-just-numbers-aamc-article-w-data.862752/#post-11711303
lizzym post 44
http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/threads/why-are-do-schools-more-lenient-on-gpa-mcats.840549/page-3#post-11320198
lizzym post 138
There is a chart of the relationships for the specific students included in the study in the original article.
PubMed lists these articles about the predictive relationship between MCAT and USMLE scores:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17198300
The predictive validity of the MCAT for medical school performance and medical board licensing examinations: a meta-analysis of the published research. (MCAT scores are moderately predictive of USMLE score)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20135567
Strategies for identifying students at risk for USMLE step 1 failure. (Low BS MCAT score predictive of failing USMLE)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8615936
Prediction of students’ USMLE step 2 performances based on premedical credentials related to verbal skills.(Student with high verbal aptitude score higher on Step 2)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20068426
The predictive validity of three versions of the MCAT in relation to performance in medical school, residency, and licensing examinations: a longitudinal study of 36 classes of Jefferson Medical College. (All forms of the MCAT are predictive of students’ passing/failing USMLE)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12377692
Undergraduate institutional MCAT scores as predictors of USMLE step 1 performance.[No Abstract available]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11031165
Prediction of students’ performances on licensing examinations using age, race, sex, undergraduate GPAs, and MCAT scores.[No Abstract available]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17987399
Impact of preadmission variables on USMLE step 1 and step 2 performance. (uGPA and BS Scores predictive of USMLE scores)
Actually there are years and years of academic journal articles about this. (A cursory search turn up about 120 articles on the topic.)
The MCAT appears to be reliably and consistently predictive of a student’s ability to pass the USMLE or COMLEX. It’s less useful for predicting what a student’s score will be (other than passing/failing).
Wow…did you see that post!!!
[QUOTE=""]
[/QUOTE]
I am a re-applicant this cycle who improved my MCAT from a 25 to a 37. However, my GPA dropped from a 4.0 to a 3.97 non-science, 3.96 science GPA after I got one B in this biochemistry course that left my senior GPA as 3.75. Do you think the drop in my GPA will be looked down upon or will it not matter much at all? I’m interested in top 10 schools especially. I’m glad to know what you guys think. Thanks.
[QUOTE=""]
[/QUOTE]
who the heck goes from a 25 to a 37???
[QUOTE=""]
1) I had a panic attack 2) I only did 2 practice tests (so yes, I ran out of time to study) 3) I was dealing with some personal issues and I couldn't concentrate when I did try to study.
[/QUOTE]
Something doesn’t sound right here…if someone had a panic attack, wouldn’t they just immediately cancel their score?
Anyway…gyngyn responded:
[QUOTE=""]
These reasons (and others) are all part of the differential that we consider when we see a split like this. This is why the first score is not merely disregarded.
[/QUOTE]
“Oooooh, D was a three-peater. I’ll have to report back in a couple of years after her step 1 to say if she is a cautionary tale or a success story!”
- the correlation MCAT / Step 1 is somewhat predictable under condition that student prepares for both.
If worst section has always been Verbal / Reading, then Step 1, Step 2 scores will be in a higher percentile than MCAT. No Verbal / Reading seciton there, thank goodness!!!
I believe that everybody prepares for Step 1 much harder than MCAT (beside the point that Step 1 is way way more difficult) You can re-take Step 1 only if failed. If you score lower than desired, you are stuck with this score, and some doors will be closed, cannot re-take Step 1 because of the low score.
^^I’m not sure your first assertion (about verbal scores) is true.
Higher verbal scores scores on the MCAT are actually associated with higher Step 2 scores. (See journal article #3 listed above.)
As for the poster with wildly disparate MCAT scores--all the adcomms have talked about how applying with a poor or very late application or taking the MCAT when unprepared as being signs of poor judgment. And poor judgment is not a characteristic desired in future physicians. Hopefully all will work out OK for D. 1st time, she bought a lot of prep books and self studied. She got shingles 3 days before the MCAT. Her score wasn’t dismal, but according to her premed advisor, it was a score that would put her app on the back burner. She didn’t finish the PS section. She thought if she just took it again, finished the whole test and of course didn’t have shingles, her score would be better. So she took it again a few months later, but she didn’t have time to study a lot more. So her score was a couple of points lower. She was discouraged, felt she shouldn’t even apply this cycle, but her premed advisor told her everything else in her app was “robust”. She needed to take the MCAT 1 more time (in August) and really prepare. The best thing she did was take a prep course (Kaplan) She immediately realized their test strategies were completely different from how she approached the test. She followed their strategies and came out with a score that got her 3 October II and acceptances.
Her take away lesson - she will use test prep material for any standardized tests in med school. And since she got 96 percentile in both VR and BS - PS is her downfall - hopefully her step 1 score will be good enough to get her where she wants to go.