On February 12, 2020, the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) announced that the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 will transition to a pass/fail exam starting January 2022. In this post we’ll walk you through: What the change from numerical score to pass/fail entails Why they are changing Step 1 of USMLE […]
Archive | Medical School
Are There Medical Schools That Don’t Require the MCAT?
We tend to put a lot of emphasis on the MCAT for being the gate-keeper for medical school admissions. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just skip taking the MCAT all together? You may be surprised to know that some medical schools that don’t require the MCAT to get in. SPECIAL NOTE FOR […]
The Importance of Basic Sciences in Residency
When studying chemical equations, molecules, and Newtonian physics, it’s sometimes hard to appreciate how this has any relevance to people and taking care of actual patients. The application of biology and biochemistry may seem readily apparent, but what about the other basic sciences? While it may seem like balancing equations and learning about electrical currents […]
Should I Do a Post-Bacc Before Med School?
An increasing number of applicants are doing a post-bacc before medical school. For students in college, there might be a concern about whether or not doing a post-bacc would be beneficial. This post will hopefully help answer some questions about post-baccs, especially if you are asking yourself, “Should I do a post-bacc before med school?” […]
What Are The Most Important Criteria For Medical School?
The MCAT is a huge part of medical school admissions, but it’s just a piece of your application. These are the most important criteria for medical school.
Good GPA Low MCAT
The MCAT is tough obstacle for many pre-medical students. Even the brightest students can struggle to score well on the exam. When a student with a high GPA gets a low MCAT score, what do they do? Well, it depends on what the MCAT score actually is. Sometimes, the GPA may be enough to carry […]
Is There a Correlation Between Major and MCAT Score?
No one would question that good physicians need to know their science. However, do students need to be science majors to go to medical school? The answer is no! There are plenty of doctors that studied different subjects in college. This is actually becoming more common as the number of career changers increases. You might […]
Is Research for Medical School Required?
Many students do research for medical school, but does time in the lab guarantee you a spot in the class?
Low GPA High MCAT – What Are My Chances?
Many pre-medical students can be overwhelmed when they first come to college. The classes are many times more difficult than those from high school and the grading curves are much less generous. In addition, pre-medical students find themselves busy all the time with extracurricular activities. They frequently became so focused with obtaining clinical, volunteer, and […]
Getting Strong Letters of Recommendation for Medical School
We all know that GPA and MCAT score are the two biggest factors that influence your med school acceptance chances. Admissions committees also highly value the quality of your letters of recommendation when they are looking over applications. Letters of rec provide the reader a chance to gauge your interpersonal skills, work ethic, critical thinking […]