MCAT b/b section minimum

[aloeplant]

Hi all, should I bother applying to Western if I have a 125 in b/b as a non-SWOMEN? My CARS and GPA are both well above the minimum, and I think I have a fairly strong ABS. Thanks!

 

[anonymouspls]

From a cost benefit analysis i don't think its worth it as western requires dedicated time to complete the 9 essays for the abs, and they're very unlikely to drop any of the score requirements. This is because of the nature of the applicant pool getting more competitive with time.

[Pakoon]

At the same time, if your CARS is high enough for western as a non-SWOMEN, you probably have a decent shot at McMasters. So if you're gonna apply to a school anyway, you might as well take your shot at Western. I banked getting into western on a MCAT score drop and I made it in somehow. If money isn't an issue, take your shot.

[anonymouspls]

True, I also got in off the back of a CARS score drop off. Honestly I was pretty surprised that Western's B/B cutoff was so low in our year, historically western tends to favor the verbal and B/B sections. 

 

Generally I think it's best to apply everywhere possible that you aren't outright disqualified from (from not having pre-reqs for example), unless money or time constraints are an issue. Western has a fairly time-demanding application process, so if you're short on time it might not be worth it, but if that's not an issue then there's little point in not applying. 

[aloeplant]

I should take a shot at Western even though my b/b score (125) is lower than the minimum (126)? I guess what I'm asking is if the minimum mcat section scores are solid cutoffs or flexible.

[Moonlight2]

No, they're not always solid. For example Western had a lower cutoff for CARS and B/B (I'd double check the 2nd one) last year than they had 2 years ago.

[aloeplant]

38 minutes ago, Moonlight2 said:

No, they're not always solid. For example Western had a lower cutoff for CARS and B/B (I'd double check the 2nd one) last year than they had 2 years ago.

Yikes. I wish they would just give us a hard minimum for the current application cycle so we're not stuck in the dark. Thanks!

[Pakoon]

4 minutes ago, aloeplant said:

Yikes. I wish they would just give us a hard minimum for the current application cycle so we're not stuck in the dark. Thanks!

The minimums are set based on what the applicant pool looks like. So it's variant