Student scores among highest in nation on medical school entrance exam

As Liberty University prepares to matriculate its first class of medical students next fall in its College of Osteopathic Medicine, undergraduate students in the Department of Biology & Chemistry are already standing out in the scientific community.

John Davy, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major, received a 40 on the Medical College Administration (MCAT) test (the entrance exam for medical school) in May, placing him in the 99.8 percentile for test takers nationwide. The average MCAT score for 2012 was 25.2.

Davy credits smaller classes, labs taught by caring professors, and his faith in helping him achieve the high score.

“The professors are fantastic and want to build a relationship with you as a student and are extremely invested in your success,” he said. “The Lord helped me do well on the test; I could not do anything aside from Him helping me and this definitely exceeded my expectations.”

The MCAT consists of three sections: physics/chemistry, verbal reasoning, and biological sciences. Each section has a maximum score of 15.

“The most important challenge when taking the MCAT is recalling everything you learned in classes,” said Davy, who has applied to several medical schools. “It measures everything you were taught and wants to see if you really recalled what you have read and learned.”

In 2012, about 86 percent of Liberty pre-med graduates were accepted into the medical school of their choice, and in 2011, 100 percent were accepted to their No. 1 choice.

Liberty’s pre-med program, under the School of Health Sciences, is identified as the biomedical sciences major. Classes are designed to prepare students for medical school, dental school, physician assistant school, and related medical fields.