When I am first talking to a new student about BS/MD programs, they often say that one of the reasons they are interested in these programs is the waiver of the MCAT. But do these programs really waive the MCAT?
It depends.
There are a number of BS/MD programs that do indeed waive the MCAT for students in the program. Most of the BS/MD programs do not waive the MCAT. However, it is important to understand the requirements for the MCAT of those programs that require it.
Generally, those programs that require the MCAT to advance to the medical school want to see a score of about a 30 on the old MCAT. While a 30 is a solid score on the MCAT it is not exceedingly high. When I am working with students that are applying to medical school through the traditional route I typically tell them that they want to have at least at 30 to be competitive for medical school and higher is better.
Thus, the MCAT score of 30 for the BS/MD programs that require the MCAT is requiring the minimum score you would need to even be competitive for medical school through the traditional route. In the BS/MD program you don’t have to worry about getting the highest possible score for medical school because you just need to get the basic minimum score.
Many of the BS/MD programs that require the MCAT also provide test prep for the MCAT as part of the program. If you are looking at one of the programs that require the MCAT ask if this is the case at that program.
Of course, you will still need to spend time studying for the MCAT and some students want to avoid the test completely. If so, you still have the programs that don’t require the MCAT.
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