When people think of a future doctor, they often picture a brilliant young student who puts in extra hours at a clinic or saves lives as EMTs. But a recent study done by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions suggests that hitting the books may be more useful than experience for getting accepted to medical school.
In a survey of admissions officers at 83 U.S. medical schools, 34 percent of admissions officers view MCAT scores as the most important factor in admissions, while 43 percent said they were second most important component of an application. Similarly, 39 percent said an applicant's undergraduate GPA is the most important factor and 36 percent believed it was the second most important factor.
Matt Fidler, MCAT program manager for Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, explained that this almost equal importance allotted to both MCAT scores and GPA gives medical school applicants an opportunity to really strengthen their applications, even towards the end of their undergraduate education.
"By the time you take the MCAT, your GPA is pretty set," Fidler said. "As [the MCAT is] a stand-alone entity, it can have a tremendous impact if you prepare."
In contrast, only 14 percent of medical admissions officers surveyed believe hands-on experience is the most important factor in admission. For some pre-med students, such as freshman Neha Wadekar, the emphasis placed on GPA and MCAT scores, and not on field work, is discomforting.
"It's intimidating because it means no matter how hard you work and what else you do, it ultimately comes down to your numbers. I think it's an incentive for people to just do their work and not extend themselves to get involved off campus, in the field," Wadekar said.
But according to Co-President of Tufts Pre-med Society Prakhar Agarwal, who also serves as the regional pre-med director for the American Medical Students Association, there may be more to medical school admission than the study suggests. He said he's seen more students take time off between graduating from college and starting medical school to gain real-world experience, and that some schools are beginning to notice.
"It's a tough question," he said. "I think a lot more medical schools now are looking at non-quantitative indicators ... other things are starting to creep in."
"The study might not be completely indicative of what's going on right now," he added.
Agarwal said it's hard to judge how much weight a school will put on test scores and GPA as compared to other factors.
"Many schools are different from each other ... it varies from school to school, the importance of MCATs," he said.
Fidler stressed that GPA and MCAT scores can really make an application stand out, but agreed that different medical schools weight components of the application differently.
"[The application process] requires people to do a lot of research and be in communication with their target medical school to best understand which aspects are most important to that school," he said.
Because it found MCAT scores to be so important to medical school acceptance, Kaplan additionally asked admissions officers when they suggest taking the MCAT. According to the study, 39 percent of admissions officers recommended taking the test in April and 27 percent recommended taking them in January.
Agarwal said that, for standardized tests, sooner is always better.
"Obviously you should take your MCATs early," he said.
Regardless of when they choose to take the test, Fidler said students should start preparing for the MCAT four to nine months before their testing date. He recommended prep courses or practice tests like those provided by Kaplan.
"One thing that is highly recommended is attending a free practice test that Kaplan sponsors. It provides anyone interested in the MCAT the opportunity to take a sample test, to understand how the questions are structured, and receive personal feedback," Fidler said.
In addition to its findings about increased reliance on test scores, Kaplan's survey found that medical school admissions is growing increasingly more competitive. According to the survey, 60 percent of admissions officers reported that medical school admissions is more competitive than five years ago, and 24 percent thought that it was "much more competitive."
Fidler said that the increased interest in attending medical school, paired with the unchanging number of about 17,000 available spots, is partly responsible for the intense competition.
"Getting into medical school is much more competitive primarily because the seats available in medical school are not growing as fast as the demand to go to medical school," Fidler said.
Agarwal said he feels admissions programs should continue to "push for more qualitative indicators" in admissions to accommodate for the increasing competition. But in the meantime, he acknowledged that test scores and GPA are still important deciding factors for most schools.
"The MCATs are an important thing," he said. "If you're planning to do a career in medicine you have to take a bunch of standardized tests ... to make sure that you understand the basic information."
Luke Burns contributed reporting to this article.
