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MCAT Exam Prep: 5 Secret Med School Admission Tips - TopTestPrep.com - YouTube
Channel: Top Test Prep™ | #1 Admissions Experts and Test Prep Courses
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Mark: Hi, my name is Dr. Mark D'Agostino,
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and I'm on the admissions
team at Top Test Prep.
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Today we're gonna talk about
what is a good a MCAT score.
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The MCAT are the medical
college admission tests,
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is the most feared and
misunderstood aspect
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of the medical school admissions process.
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We are going to discuss 3 steps
to help to demystify the test.
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We want to 1, understand what it assesses,
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2, how it's scored,
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and then 3, we'll talk about the "3 B's."
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The Medical College Admission Test or MCAT
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is a computerized exam,
which is offered up to
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25 times per year at
Prometric test centers.
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There are 4 main sections
that are tested on the MCAT.
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In the following order.
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It's the Physical Sciences section,
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which is 52 questions over 70 minutes.
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The verbal reasoning section,
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40 questions over 60 minutes.
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And, there's a Writing
Sample, which consists of
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2 essays in which you are allocated
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60 minutes to complete those.
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And you conclude the test with
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the Biological Sciences section,
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which is 52 questions over 70 minutes.
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Now we'll talk about
how the MCAT is scored.
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The Physical Sciences,
the Verbal Reasoning,
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and the Biological Sciences sections
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are each scored numerically,
between 1 and 15.
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The Writing Sample is
scored from J through T.
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Therefore, the highest
score possible is a 45-T.
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Which would be a 15 in
each of the sections:
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Physical Sciences, Verbal
Reasoning, and Biological Sciences.
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As well as the maximum
score on the Writing Sample.
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Now, we are going to
discuss some of the data.
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In 2008, according to the AAMC,
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there were over 75 thousand test takers.
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The mean composite score,
meaning when you add the score,
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the Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning,
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and Biological Sciences
together was a 24.9,
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with a standard deviation of about 6.4.
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Which means that the average person scored
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approximately an eight in each section,
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and the standard deviation was between
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a six and a 10 in each section.
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The Writing Sample score,
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the average was an O on the J to T scale.
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The data for the matriculating students
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is a little bit different.
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In 2008, the average composite MCAT score
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of those admitted to any allopathic,
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which means schools that
grant the MD degree.
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Medical schools in the United States
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was approximately a 30.
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With a Writing Sample score of a P.
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The average for many medical schools
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is significantly higher than this.
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The 3 B's are Balance,
Better than the mean,
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and the best score possible.
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First we will discuss Balance.
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A Balance score is
arguably the most important
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component of a good MCAT score.
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For example, a perfectly
balanced 36-T which
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would be a 12 in all of the sections,
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plus a T on the Writing Sample,
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is unequivocally a great score.
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However, a balanced 29-R with a
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Physical Sciences score of
9, Verbal Reasoning of 10,
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Biological Sciences of 10,
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with a solid Writing Sample
score, may be preferable
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to a widely varied 33-J for example.
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When we say better than the mean,
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a good MCAT score generally needs to be
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approximately one standard deviation,
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which is about 6 points,
as we discussed previously,
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above the mean.
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This translates to roughly
a 10 in each section,
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and a P or Q in the Writing Sample.
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Now, when I say the best score possible,
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it sounds obvious, but to
assess this last factor,
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you really need to be
honest with yourself.
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Could you teach the MCAT
material to someone else?
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If not, then you may not
be ready to take the exam.
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Many people underestimate what it takes
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to succeed on the MCAT the first time.
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Investing the time and
investing in yourself is vital.
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If you fall short, you can recalibrate,
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you can develop a more detailed plan,
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and with our help you can make it happen.
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Top Test Prep can help you
improve your MCAT score.
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Call us at (800-501-Prep)
or visit us online
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TopTestPrep.com.
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