Mcat

[Guest leonardo love jen]

Hi! I was wondering how important Mcat scores are compared to GPA and reference letters to med admission (both Canadian and US)?

 

Any info would be much appreciated! Thanks!

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[Guest aneliz]

In general, most Canadian schools look at the MCAT only as a flag. If you make the cut offs, you are good to go, if you don't, your application won't be considered further. Once you make the MCAT cuts, having a score that is substantially higher really doesn't really matter. Most schools do not give you points for your MCAT score so having an especially high score will not give you any advantage over someone that just made the cut offs.

 

In general, most Ontario cut offs are around 9-10 in the numerical scored categories, and P-Q in the WS. Some are lower, (8's and N at UofT) and they are always subject to change with each application cycle. If you can get 10's and a Q, you should be good to go. Having 15's and a T doesn't give you a big advantage in Canada.

 

MCAT's are a bigger deal in the USA...although I never applied there so I can't give you any more specific details.

[Guest Chieka]

Aneliz is on the ball with Canadian schools. American schools, as she noted, are a different story. Many don't have MCAT cut-offs, per se, and aren't as rigid as Canadian schools; they prefer to look at the application holistically.

 

That said, American schools are more concerned with AVERAGE MCAT scores. You'll need averages of at least 11 to get into the higher ranked schools (Harvard, Yale). Averages in the high single digits (9s) will get you in a decent school, especially if you have a strong GPA (3.5 and up, I'd say). The odd schools will accept lower averages (7s etc). Generally, though, if you want a good shot, a minimum of 30 on the MCAT is needed in the states, though you can still get in with lower scores and can still be rejected with higher scores.

 

Check the American schools section of this forum for more info re: American schools. Also, there are the forums on studentdoctor.net; those forums are specifically for students applying to American schools.

 

C.

[Guest leonardo love jen]

Thanks for all the valuable information!!

[Guest UWOMED2005]

Actually, I think U of T has raised their MCAT cutoffs since Aneliz (and myself) applied. Last I heard, they were using 9/9/9 and ? as the cutoff, but I very well could be wrong.

[Guest doctorfunk]

You're right '05:

 

9/9/9/N (but the consensus is that if you have an 8 in one of the numerically scored sections you are still considered for an interview).