The medical college acceptance test (MCAT), alongside GPA, is the most important factor in determining if a student will be admitted into a medical school. Like my first post about GPA, this post will be the first of many about the MCAT.   

The MCAT, until 2015, is a 4.5 hour test (including 30 minutes worth of breaks).  The test consists of three sections:  physical sciences (physics and chemistry), verbal reasoning, and biological sciences (biology and organic chemistry).  In its entirety, it consists of 144 questions, all of them multiple-choice.  You can learn more about the MCAT on http://www.aamc.org

The best score one can attain is 45 (around five people per year earn a perfect score).  Through my perspective, the only scores that matter are 30-36.  A 35 or 36 will allow you to apply to any school, including top tier elite, with a strong competitive edge.  A 33 or 34 won’t give you a strong chance of getting into a top elite school, but definitely a good chance for other highly ranked schools.  A 31 or 32 won’t give you a shot at a high ranking school, but a strong chance of getting into any other medical school.  A 30 gives you a decent chance of getting into a medical school.  I don’t mention 37-45 because less than 2% of people score that well.  I have come across schools recommending students reallocate any efforts towards raising their score past 36, towards something else; probably because a score of 36 is already exceptional.  For scores below 30, it would be unlikely for an application to be accepted by the majority of medical schools.  There are always exceptions, perhaps if a student has impressive qualifications to compensate for his or her low score. 

Compared to the many other obstacles set for every pre-med student to overcome, the MCAT is considered the one that filters out the most potential applicants; only approximately 33% earn a score that gives them a good likelihood of being accepted into medical school.  Hard working students who had been doing exceptionally well in their classes, have been known to fail to meet the expectations necessary to score well.  You will come across students who are convinced that the MCAT is keeping away potential doctors; a poor performance on a single test should not prohibit a student from becoming a doctor.  Unlike applying for undergraduate programs that allow students to take their preference of the SAT or ACT, applying for medical school only has the MCAT. 

The MCAT shows things about a student which their GPA cannot.  For one, everyone takes the same MCAT.  What I mean is that the level of difficulty for every MCAT is relatively the same; there is no way for students who found easier ways to boost their GPAs, such as by finding easier professors for their courses, to do the same for getting past the MCAT.  In addition, this test does a fine job assessing mental analytical skills expected in a potential physician.

This post will be the first of many about Grade Point Averages (GPAs).  There are many aspects of GPA I wish I could explain within this post. The problem is that I have a cap for how long these posts can be and as a result, I am restricted from how much I can elaborate.  To remedy this, I will have posts that are dedicated to a specific topic regarding GPA.  This will allow me to clarify and expand my opinions and perspective on the topic.  But for now, this post is meant to touch base on several aspects of GPA that will be covered deeper in future posts. 

What GPA is:  GPA is meant as an indicator of what a student is capable of accomplishing.  For medical school, alongside the Medical College Acceptance Test (MCAT), a pre-med student’s GPA is generally the most important factor in determining whether or not he or she will be admitted. 

What many may not realize is that achieving an impressive GPA is more than simply studying to no end; working hard does not simply mean studying hard.  Consider these obstacles students can face when it comes to earning perfect grades.  First, students need to overcome classes where the subjects are not their strong suit.  Second, students face the dilemma of having to take courses with the intolerable professors.  Third, they cannot falter on studies during times of poor health.  Fourth, they need to stay focused and determined on school despite what occurs outside of class:  whether it involves family, friends, a relationship, extracurricular activities, a favorite hobby, etc.  These are nothing more than a small handful of obstacles that many students will have to overcome for a GPA fit for medical school.      

It can prove excruciatingly difficult to meet these expectations.  There’s a pretty funny saying in regards to college students that they only have time for two of these three things:  good grades, a social life, and sleep.  Sadly, there can be moments when students feel forced to surrender both, sleep and their social lives, to keep their grades where they want them. 

Many people probably realize or after having read what I have written above that possessing a high GPA takes tremendous amounts of work and intelligence; however, despite this, these same people may not agree that a person’s GPA can indicate someone’s potential of becoming a good doctor, especially by the score itself.  Medical schools acknowledge this.  If they did not, the application would consist of filling out your personal information and then inserting your GPA at the end.  One of the problems with GPA is that there are easier ways than others to achieve an outstanding GPA.   These easier methods weaken the correlation between a student’s work ethic in school and their GPA.  It is when a student’s GPA is complimented with his or her MCAT score and extracurricular activities (including research and community service), that an admissions committee will be able to picture the individual behind the application.  

What I find challenging about getting into medical school is that it seems you have to satisfy a long list of expectations. This list consists of a remarkable GPA, a stellar MCAT score, active participation in scientific research, involvement in community service, a somewhat-strong connection with at least two professors, evidence that you possess decent social skills/proof you are, or at least can be, a people-person, and have a satisfactory amount of time spent in a healthcare environment that convinces your medschool interviewers that you have an idea of the field you’re getting yourself into.

With a list this long, it is not much of a surprise to find pre-med students demonstrating a daily commitment throughout their undergrads.  In my opinion, it is motivation more than anything that will determine if someone can make their way into medical school.  Brilliant  people can lose their interest quickly and the hardest of workers can burn out long before it is time to turn in their applications and from what I hear, motivation is a factor that most medical schools are curious about, as it comes in the form of a common interview question:  why do you want to become a doctor?