fourwinds Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 I was wondering how heavily the MCAT is taken into account for admissions. I was really sick in my first year which is dragging down my overall GPA as well as my pre-req GPA although I've done pretty well since. I've taken the MCAT and I'm not sure whether I should try again this summer. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanis Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 I've heard from many people that at UBC the MCAT holds very little weight. I've heard it's used as a flag (below 6-7 on any section is a flag) and/or that it is used as a last resort to decide between close candidates. The first I heard form a UBC med student, the second I heard from this forum. Either way, if you got 30 or above, don't bother (for UBC anyways). Other schools it might matter more, but not UBC. I've heard it's even quite common for 28 to be fine with UBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medisforme Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 a first year med student told me its worth 3% of your overall score, post-interview. I have absolutely no idea where she got that information, so I don't even know if it is true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monster Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 hm..what else did she tell you? did she say anything about the weighting of other parts of the application like the interview especially? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medisforme Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 no, the focus of our conversation was only on the mcat and how it is evaluated by ubc. from people i have met and talked to an 8,8,8 24 mcat really wouldn't hurt you that much. some have scored lower and been accepted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrodranco Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 My impression is that at UBC one's MCAT score really only plays a role if there's a "tie" (I'm not sure I understand how this can happen), and when a particularly low score raises a red flag. I think getting a 9, and possibly an 8, is okay, as long as the corresponding courses are in the >80% range. It's impossible, obviously, to know exactly what constitutes a red flag, and I definitely don't think an applicant should stress too heavily about a lowish MCAT score. That said, if an applicant has a GPA and/or last 60 credits on the lower end of the scale for applicants invited for an interview (~80 or lower), then I definitely think a high MCAT score can be advantageous, and a low MCAT score definitely won't help. I'm trying to understand why so many applicants have applied what seems like multiple times, and had interviews, and still don't get it. I doubt it's because of a low MCAT score. To me, it seems like the NAQ and interview portion of an applicant's file are the easiest areas to make appreciable improvements from year to year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finks Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Ok so if the MCAT is not weighted very heavily, then is it worth while to take it again this summer ? I had a low score but I don't really want to study for it again and I need to register soon so I won't know if I got in or not until well after I need to register.....any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanis Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 I think Astro has some sound advice. If your GPA is low, especially in the pre-reqs, and your MCAT is low, then you might want to think about what kind of picture that paints for the admission committee. Of course, it depends on how low or high each one is. Think about this: if it takes 200 hours to prepare for the MCAT, which isn't used very heavily, wouldn't it be better to get 200 hours in a hospice? Or tutoring? Or 100 hours of each? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedBC Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 I agree. One of our classmates had an MCAT of 3, 4, 6 L (or something like that) and he still got in to Prince George! Go figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewB Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 I agree. One of our classmates had an MCAT of 3, 4, 6 L (or something like that) and he still got in to Prince George! Go figure. What? That's like...hard to do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanis Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 What? That's like...hard to do... Really hard to do. Like, show up to write it drunk and high... and blind-folded... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanyeezy Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 actually that seems almost impossible to do...i thought the lowest you can get is 4's in everything...impressive...my 16 year old sister probably could've done better by chance in all honesty... anyways, i've had people ask me that question before ("should I retake it or not") and my answer is always to set your goals and don't ever leave yourself room for regret. So, if you are willing to put all your eggs in one basket (i.e. UBC Med), then go ahead; but you might regret it later! If you are really determined to go to med and will be applying to other schools then I would definitely put in the effort and redo it, since just about every other school in Canada/US will look at the MCAT MUCH more heavily (especially if you are applying OOP) and not even look at the rest of your application if you don't meet their cut-offs! that being said - i would say 200 hrs for a 2nd MCAT is a huge over-estimate - i took it twice, and the second time i just tweaked my studying towards what i wanted to improve in (VR) while maintaining my knowledge in the sciences and did like 4-5 full practice exams and i met my goal the second time! However, I took both times in the same summer, so if you are doing it a year later it might be different! I suggest downloading (or purchasing, up to u) the examcrackers audio tracks and just listening to em a **** load...you'll absorb alot of knowledge that will refresh your mind (this is the only science prep i did the 2nd time) so yeah, sorry this is so long but just thought i'd give my opinion! good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
premedic Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 That person might actually be very smart. Knew all the right answer, but deliberately choose the wrong ones. Admission saw his potential and chose him... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanyeezy Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 how smart could he actually be if he deliberately chooses to mess around with his MCAT mark and play around with his future? i'm not saying something emergency didn't happen, or that he didn't retake it, but the point is the idea of "deliberately" choosing wrong answers on a rather important test could never be labeled as "smart" in my eyes....daring? yes. but not smart... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOC_Ma Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 What? That's like...hard to do... total of 13? wow !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TankMasterFlex Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 how smart could he actually be if he deliberately chooses to mess around with his MCAT mark and play around with his future? i'm not saying something emergency didn't happen, or that he didn't retake it, but the point is the idea of "deliberately" choosing wrong answers on a rather important test could never be labeled as "smart" in my eyes....daring? yes. but not smart... ................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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