Alastriss Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 A question about the MCAT and med schools How big of a deal is it if you do really well? Can it compensate for a low GPA at some canadian schools? I know for the united states the MCAT is significantly more important because GPAs can vary across schools but the MCAT is standardized. but for schools like UT where they use it as a flag..does that mean that if u have a good MCAT score all that it means is that u WON'T be looked down on? or can a high mcat score compensate for a low GPA at such schools? Alastriss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennethToronto Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 The MCAT is only marginally helpful in Canada. It can open a few doors...but it won't get you through it. In my opinion, there is no difference between someone who achieves a 30 or a 40. But in the states, I hear that can make a very big difference indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuantum Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 The MCAT is only marginally helpful in Canada. It can open a few doors...but it won't get you through it. In my opinion, there is no difference between someone who achieves a 30 or a 40. But in the states, I hear that can make a very big difference indeed. Ya...that's true. It can probably increase your chances of securing an interview...but it won't get you into med. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tan008 Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 in canada the mcat is really a flag to see who will get an interview and who won't, but if your gpa is on the low side then you have a lower chance overall...they're using the two scores to select from all the applicats (and this year it was a phenomenal number) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bane Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 like what Kenneth said.... for ontario (and prety much CAN at large) 11,11,11,Q a 33Q (being generous here) is just as good as 14,14,14,T a 42T. we all know its way harder to collect a 42T, but thats another story. for uofT, UWO and Queens thats past cutoff, so its good. and thats about all you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennethToronto Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 Just to further contribute to this since I would've appreciated having this knowledge while I was studying for the MCATs (way too much stress about having to do well) Getting 30+/Q is really all you need in Canada. Assuming your GPA is competitive, it'll get you through the door at the two cut-off schools (Queen's and UWO). As someone pointed out, UofT only uses the MCAT as a "flag", and from what everyone is saying, you'll have to score really low on a given section to actually raise a flag. Ditto for UofO/Mac which don't even consider the test. Out of province (for me), the game changes a bit. I know some west coast schools (UManitoba / UofC?) where the MCAT *can* make a big difference because they have weighting formulas for deciding who secures an interview / gets an offer of admission. In those cases, the higher the better and the benefit here is the formulas allow you to balance out a mediocre GPA. Nevertheless though, most applicants end up maxing out the GPA/MCAT slice of the formula so it ends up coming down to the interview/essay/sketch anyways. For places like McGill, I'm sure a high MCAT would help (pretty sure that's how I landed an interview there). But it won't do much afterwards I think. Good luck and don't stress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daemos Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 Depends on the school... Manitoba is 10% GPA 50% mcat 40% PAS. As long as you apply with the bare minimum of the required GPA and MCAT (and you are IP) you get an interview. With this system a high MCAT or a kick ass PAS can easily make up for a high GPA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon01 Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 Like a few others have said, most schools use the MCAT as a cutoff tool. If you don't meet their cutoffs you don't get an interview. But if you score a 45Z it doesn't really put you at an advantage (at most schools - some exceptions). Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffp Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 J I know some west coast schools (UManitoba / UofC?) LOL... This reminds me of my family (in Calgary) insisting that I live in "Eastern Canada" now that I'm in SK! :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfette Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 Yeah, in Canada, you're generally better off with a more even score overall than a high score in all areas except one. I found out the hard way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justkidding Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Depends on the school... Manitoba is 10% GPA 50% mcat 40% PAS. As long as you apply with the bare minimum of the required GPA and MCAT (and you are IP) you get an interview. With this system a high MCAT or a kick ass PAS can easily make up for a high GPA. What does PAS stand for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madz25 Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 What does PAS stand for? PAS = personal assessment score (includes essay, interview etc.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FELON Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 LOL... This reminds me of my family (in Calgary) insisting that I live in "Eastern Canada" now that I'm in SK! :p umm...there are just 6 med schools in Canada , right? just 6? or is it just 6 in ontario? what's UofC\manitoba that you mentioned? [the post above you] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FELON Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 umm...there are just 6 med schools in Canada , right? just 6? or is it just 6 in ontario? what's UofC\manitoba that you mentioned? [the post above you] o i think i'm wrong..sorry i'm a newbie..just read some of the other threads, but would still like to confirm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 o i think i'm wrong..sorry i'm a newbie..just read some of the other threads, but would still like to confirm That's okay, don't need to say sorry. There are 17 med schools in Canada. If you look at each forum on p101, each one belongs to a different medical school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FELON Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 That's okay, don't need to say sorry.There are 17 med schools in Canada. If you look at each forum on p101, each one belongs to a different medical school. Thankyou so much, i sure got lots of research to do on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miss_sunshine Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 the importance of the mcat depends on which province you are from. If you have ontario residency, a high mcat doesn't mean that much. As was stated above, as long as it's above cutoffs, it doesn't matter if you have a 42 or a 33. Applying to another province is a different issue, here the MCAT can matter much more. If you are from a province that favors it's own residents (Quebec and BC, amonst a few others), then MCAT matters even less or not at all (some Quebec med schools) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nima123 Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 Judging from the profiles of people who got into McGill this year, the MCAT seems to be quite a big deal here. I had a good GPA and a 31R MCAT, decent letter, extracurriculars and interview, but was waitlisted as in-province. Now I'm taking the MCAT, because it was the only visible mediocrity in my profile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.