Hypothetical Interview Chances For An Oop Student

[canucks_14]

Hey, so I believe Mac has only 10 percent of interview spots for oop students, but what I'm wondering is, does this fact make it considerably harder for an oop to get accepted there?

 

I know the criteria is mostly CARS, GPA, and Casper. But I'm wondering if I have a low 3.4 GPA by the deadline but if I score extremely well on CARS and Casper, then don't I have just as good a shot as anyone else?

 

I'm just trying to figure out my chances and best plan of attack. If cars really is that important for Mac then I'm thinking it might make more sense for me to spend 4 months studying for CARS to get an elite score, rather than doing courses in that time to boost my GPA by a very small margin. Not to mention if it all worked out anyways I'd still be saving time cause Mac is a 3 year program.

[criston]

Hey canucks_14,  if your combined CARS, GPA and CASPer are in the top 10% of OOP students, then by the time you get to the interview stage, you do have just as good a shot as anyone else.  

 

I'm sure you might have seen the Interview Invite stats from last year - this might give you a better idea of what has been done in terms of candidates with lower GPAs: http://forums.premed101.com/index.php?/topic/88674-mcmaster-interview-invitesregrets-2016/

 

According to the "z-score" statistical approach to determine who would get interviewed and receive acceptance, an extra point or two in CARS can do wonders (and likely would be a lot less effort than taking many courses)  http://forums.premed101.com/index.php?/topic/80322-mcmaster-medical-school-chance-me-a-statistical-approach/

 

If the decision is between studying for CARS and getting an improved GPA - probably studying for CARS and doing well would result in a stronger effect, as a year of courses can only affect your GPA by a limited amount.    

 

However, if you are also considering other schools apart from Mac - perhaps taking courses can help your last 2 / last 3 years GPA?   Or if you can, study for CARS and improve your GPA at the same time!

[Artier]

I don't think studying for 4 months for CARS is a good or realistic idea. It in no way guarantees you an "elite" score.

Let's say you write it and don't do as well as you wanted. Then what?

[canucks_14]

Hey guys thanks for the replies.

 

Artier, if CARS is a static thing that can't be improved upon with practice, then yeah extra time for CARS wouldn't make sense. But that is something I don't know anything about. I assumed the more I prepare then the better I would do, like everything else (virtually). But if this isn't true, then I will be sure to use caution in making my decisions.

 

If I could get some more input on whether cars can be improved upon with practice, or maybe in my case, an unusually long amount of practice, then that would be great.

 

Artier, do you think it's unlikely I would improve my cars score with extra practice? I know it doesn't guarantee an elite score, but if there's a chance it might help contribute to an above average score, I'm inclined to put in more time than usual. If an extra 2 months of prep leads to a one point improvement then I'm willing to do that.

[Artier]

CARS is definitely not a static thing that cannot be improved with practice. You absolutely can and should practice if you want a good score.

 

I think I misunderstood your question because I thought you were asking if it was a good idea to spend 4 months studying for and writing only the CARS section, which I think is way too excessive. But if you meant that the 4 months were for studying for the entire MCAT in general, then yes that's pretty common and you could definitely do that if you think you need it.

[canucks_14]

Oh yeah sorry I should've been more clear. I would definitely study for the entire MCAT for the 4 months, but I was thinking of devoting a month to CARS just for extra practice. And most of my basic sciences will have been completed in the 12 months leading up to the exam so those will all be fresh, which I'm hoping will streamline my studying for all the other sections. Also my timeline isn't super strict and if I spend an extra 2-4 weeks preparing to make it 4.5 or even 5 months of studying, then that doesn't really affect my timeline much and isn't really too much of a negative for me. That's why I'm open to spending extra time on cars and the MCAT in general.

 

I was thinking I probably wouldn't need any more than 5 months for the entire MCAT in my situation, unless I'm doing unusually poorly in studying and practice exams, but I don't expect that to be the case as no basic sciences have given me too much trouble so far.

[BernieMac]

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[canucks_14]

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[InstantRamen]

taking science courses fresh before taking the MCAT does not really help...the MCAT sciences test way differently than any course you have taken in university

Depends on the person. But it can. I know the sections I scored well in were the ones I took in undergrad. I can't speak for everyone though.