What should my GPA, MCAT goals be in premed?

[Guest Dockrh]

Where could I get in with a 3.8 GPA? What MCAT scores should I aim for?

 

dockrh

[Guest treehuggingbiologist]

Aim for a 45 in the MCAT. Thats what you need to get in.

[Guest AH800]

Aim for a 45 in the MCAT. Thats what you need to get in.

 

Exactly! Just try your best man...there's no point in trying to figure out the minimum score you need to achieve. Try to achieve the highest score and worry about the minimums after you take the test.

[Guest HP]

It's not so black and white. AFAIK, you COULD get in anywhere with a 3.8. With the MCAT, some schools do have score cutoffs, but there isn't a magic number that will guarantee anything. Grades are just one of the tools used to assess you, and you can have a 4.0 and 45T and still be rejected.

 

What you should have to be competitive depends on what applicant pool you are in. As a general rule of thumb though, a GPA of 3.7 or higher and an MCAT score of 30 or higher will make you competitive, at least as far as grades go. Balanced MCAT scores (10-10-10) are generally better than varied ones that add up to the same total (6-13-11). The written score on the MCAT does not appear to be as important as the numerical scores (it isn't as strongly correlated with actual performance in med school), but some schools have cutoffs for it, and it could be a red flag if it's low.

[Guest straightalker]

Aim as high as you can! but also remember to maintain a balance between academics and extra-currics/volunteer/social life.