How do the board exams compare to the Mcat exam in podiatry school?

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A

AnkleGuy

I took the Mcat and I'm curious to how the Mcat compares to boards. What Mcat equivalent score would you need to be able to pass boards?

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I like the 3,3,3 rule for boards study. Part I study time is 3 months, Part II is 3 weeks and part III is 3 days.

If you are accepted into podiatry school you are expected to pass boards. There is no way to compare the MCAT to boards. These two exams are completely different. Different style of test and different subjects. Once you get into pod school you can forget about the MCAT.
 
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I like the 3,3,3 rule for boards study. Part I study time is 3 months, Part II is 3 weeks and part III is 3 days.

If you are accepted into podiatry school you are expected to pass boards. There is no way to compare the MCAT to boards. These two exams are completely different. Different style of test and different subjects. Once you get into pod school you can forget about the MCAT.

I'm not comparing the Mcat to the board exam in terms of material. I'm asking how does the difficulty of the board exams compare to the Mcat. So what score on the mcat, in terms of difficulty, would be the equivalent of passing boards? I heard someone say one time that a 22-24 on the Mcat is like passing the boards but I want to know the opinions from you guys.
 
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Due to the difference in material and type of test, it could be harder or easier. You are trying to compare apples to oranges. In fact, part I and part II are quite different and both require a slightly different approach to study. I am sure there are those who have failed boards that had a high MCAT. Like I said, if you are admitted to podiatry school it is assumed that you are able to pass boards.
 
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They're completely different in that regard. One is written with the intent of being a scaled exam (MCAT) and the other a pass/fail minimal competency exam (APMLE).

What you should know is that the APMLE (boards) is much more like the standard tests that you're used to. No intricate passages or complex question styles to work out. If you know the material you should pass the APMLE. If you know the material tested on the MCAT, that doesn't necessarily mean you're gonna do well on the MCAT.

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The boards are just pass / fail so there's no numerical or alphabetical value to distinguish the top percentage, lower percentage, etc etc

It's just pass / fail
 
Speaking for my school only, those who had very poor MCAT scores (<20) were the ones who failed boards. There is probably a correlation in that people who typically do not perform well on high pressure standardized tests will struggle with passing boards.
 
Speaking for my school only, those who had very poor MCAT scores (<20) were the ones who failed boards. There is probably a correlation in that people who typically do not perform well on high pressure standardized tests will struggle with passing boards.

Thanks for this. I asked about the correlation in another thread!

Pass / Fail is not as high pressure as the MCAT where there are actual numbers. If passing is set at maybe 65% you just have to get the bare minimum -- 65% -- and you're ok. No one will know whether I passed with 65 and you passed with 98. MCAT has more pressure because even before the exam you access your GPA and other things and calculate what score range you'll need to hit to have a good chance at acceptance
 
Speaking for my school only, those who had very poor MCAT scores (<20) were the ones who failed boards. There is probably a correlation in that people who typically do not perform well on high pressure standardized tests will struggle with passing boards.

I got a 494 on the Mcat so where does that place me? At a 21? Be honest
 
Thanks for this. I asked about the correlation in another thread!

Pass / Fail is not as high pressure as the MCAT where there are actual numbers. If passing is set at maybe 65% you just have to get the bare minimum -- 65% -- and you're ok. No one will know whether I passed with 65 and you passed with 98. MCAT has more pressure because even before the exam you access your GPA and other things and calculate what score range you'll need to hit to have a good chance at acceptance
Considering the pathetic scores podiatry schools accept on the MCAT I didn't really have any pressure when I took my mine. Failing boards means possibly getting kicked out of school after 2 years of effort. That to me was more stressful. But regardless taking any exam like this is difficult and some people struggle to perform under pressure.
 
So AKA if I keep up those study habits from my 494 Mcat then I'm not passing. Fantastic
Most of the people on this thread haven't taken the board exam or aren't even in pod school yet.

Most people pass the board exam (step 1 I assume we're talking about) on their first attempt. Even if they don't there is more than one attempt available. The general consensus is that step 1 is the more difficult component and steps 2 and 3 require much less preparation in comparison.

Again, the style of the exam is nothing like the MCAT so the two shouldn't be compared except in terms of stress.

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There's a new rule going into effect next year that only people who scored an EVEN number on their MCAT can sit for boards. The people that scored an odd number just have to drop out of school
 
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There's a new rule going into effect next year that only people who scored an EVEN number on their MCAT can sit for boards. The people that scored an odd number just have to drop out of school

It's my lucky day
 
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No matter what you do. You need to study for both. So it's impossible to compare.
 
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