MCAT Test

The MCAT, or Medical College Admission Test, is the standardized test generally required as an adjunct to admission to any medical school in the United States. It may also be requested for admission to other health profession institutions, such as allopathic, osteopathic, podiatric, or veterinary medicine schools. It is administered by the AAMC, the Association of American Medical Colleges. The MCAT provides a standardized method of assessing how successful an individual will be in medical school and subsequently as a physician. It concentrates on the measurement of basic knowledge in the biological and physical sciences as well as verbal skills. The potential medical school applicant is encouraged to take the MCAT 18 months prior their anticipated start date.

Beginning in 2007, the MCAT will be offered in a computer-based format only, with 22 test dates available per year, on both weekdays and Saturdays. The sessions can be either morning, afternoon, or in some cases an overlap of the two, and are a little less than 5 hours in length with breaks. They will be administered only at Thomson Prometric Centers. Canadian and overseas sites are also available.

MCAT Practice Tests

MCAT Test Information

MCAT Test Study Guide

MCAT Exam Flashcards

The MCAT consists of 4 sections. Three of the sections pose multiple choice type of questions, Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning, and Biological Sciences. There is also a Writing Sample portion. The order of testing is Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning, Writing Sample, and then Biological Sciences. The Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences sections each have 52 questions with 70 minutes allotted for completion. In the Physical Sciences section, you will be tested on your basic knowledge of general chemistry and physics. In the Biological Sciences section, your grasp of basic biology and organic chemistry will be evaluated. Both of these portions have basically two types of questions, either independent questions requiring general knowledge of the subject area or ones where you read a passage and solve a problem based on what you have read.

In the Verbal Reasoning section, again multiple choice, you are presented with a text to read and then asked questions about that passage. There are 40 questions to be answered in 60 minutes. These questions evaluate your ability to process, evaluate, and apply the information presented in the passage. All 3 multiple choice sections are graded similarly; they measure only the number of answers that you complete correctly and then convert that raw score to a scaled score of 1 to 15 (best) based on the difficulty of your particular test.
The Writing Sample portion consists of two 30 minute essays. You are given two different topics to explain. The topics are general in nature and not about medicine or sensitive issues. The purpose of this section is to look for your ability to develop a central theme, integrate concepts and ideas in a cohesive and clear manner, and utilize standard English effectively. Two trained readers read and evaluate each essay on a scale of 1 to 6 which may be converted to an alphabetic system.

The basic fee for the MCAT is $210, or $270 overseas. Registration, which opens approximately 4 months prior to a particular test date, is done online at www.aamc.org/mcat/cbt.htm. You will be assigned to a convenient test site. An individual must be applying to medical school or another health professions school and will be asked to sign a release to that effect at the test site. The MCAT can be taken up to 3 times, after which special permission for additional testing must be obtained. In addition, to avoid fraud, you are required to bring a government issued ID with photo and signature to the test.

Prometric centers are committed to delivering online scores in 30 days or less. Scores will automatically be released to the examinee and to the AAMC and its institutions through the AAMC centralized processing service, the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Any institution belonging to the AAMC can then obtain your report. The MCAT is only one factor in obtaining admission to medical school, and it is evaluated differently by each institution.

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