Applying to Medical School

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

Website: http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/start.htm

What is the MCAT?

The MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) is a standardized exam required for entry to most U.S. medical schools. Beginning in January, 2007, the MCAT will be administered exclusively on computer.  The test is used to assess the applicants’ aptitude for scientific problem solving, critical thinking, understanding scientific concepts and writing skills. It consists of four subsections: physical sciences, verbal reasoning, writing sample, and biological sciences.

The Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, and Biological Sciences Sections consist entirely of multiple choice questions with four possible answer choices for each question. For each of the two Writing Samples, students are given a single statement and asked to explain how the statement is true, under what circumstances the statement might be false, and what guidelines one might use to determine the veracity of the statement for a given circumstance.

The Physical Sciences Section

The Physical Sciences Section consists of a series of passages on physics and inorganic chemistry topics. Each passage is followed by a set of multiple choice questions with four possible answer choices. In addition, there are 10-15 free-standing multiple choice questions. The science background knowledge required is equivalent to the knowledge acquired by taking first year undergraduate physics and chemistry courses.

The Verbal Reasoning Section

The Verbal Reasoning Section consists of a series passages with an average of 600 words per passage. Each passage is followed by a set of multiple choice questions with four possible answer choices. Most questions require an understanding of the main idea of the passage. No outside knowledge is required.

The Biological Sciences Section

The Biological Sciences Section consists of a series of passages on biology and organic chemistry topics. Each passage is followed by a set of multiple choice questions with four possible answer choices. In addition, there are 10-15 free-standing multiple choice questions. The science background knowledge required is equivalent to the knowledge acquired by taking first year undergraduate biology and organic chemistry courses.

Test Day Itinerary (5 ½ hours appointment time, 4 1/3 hours actual test taking time)

Physical Sciences Section

Optional Break (10 minutes)

Verbal Reasoning Section

Optional Break (10 minutes)

Writing Sample

Optional Break (10 minutes)

Biological Sciences Section

Scoring the Test

Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning and Biological Sciences

There is no penalty for guessing.  Your raw score is the sum of each of the multiple choices you answered correctly.  Raw Scores are converted to a scaled score of low (1) to high (15).  So you may have PS-10, VR-9, BS-11.

Writing Sample

Your raw score on the writing sample is the sum of four individual scores.  Two readers score your first essay and two different readers score your second essay.  Each individual raw score ranges from 1 to 6.  Your raw score is converted to an alphabetical scaled sore ranging from low J to high T.

What the Scores Mean

The total score is the sum of the multiple choice scaled scores and the scaled writing sample score, for example 30M or 40T.  Medical school admissions committees use various criteria in determining the type of candidate they choose, and although the MCAT is important, there are other considerations. Therefore, it is difficult to say with certainty what a good score is and what is not. However, it is generally considered that scores in the 10-11 range on each subsection of the exam are competitive. If you are applying to a very prestigious medical school, your scores may need to be higher. For example, the mean score in recent years for those granted admissions to Stanford University School of Medicine were VR–10, PS–12, and BS-12.

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How to Register

Registration

The MCAT is administered 22 times a year.  Early registration is encouraged as test centers have limited capacity and registrations are processed in the order in which they are received.   There is no walk-in registration. Registration is only available online at http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/registration.htm

You will be able to register on the website approximately 12 weeks prior to each test date.  The regular registration deadline is 14 calendar days prior to test date. 

Registration Fees

The regular registration fee is $210, with additional costs for such things as date changes, cancellations, etc.  AAMC offers Fee Assistance Programs (FAP) that aid individuals with extreme financial limitations who could otherwise not take the exam.  You will learn more about this at the time of your registration.

When to take the MCAT

You will want to take the exam the year in which you will apply for medical school.  For example, if you are applying in 2007 for entrance to medical school in 2008, you should take the exam in 2007.  Although you are encouraged to take the MCAT 18 months prior to attending medical school, you should not do so until you are ready and you have taken all the required coursework.  It is much easier to review material than to learn new material for the MCAT. 

The 2007 exam schedule is as follows.

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TEST DATE Local Test
Starting Time 		REGISTRATION OPENS
on or about 9 am 		REGULAR REGISTRATION
CLOSES 11:59 pm 		LATE REGISTRATION**
CLOSES 11:59 pm 		EXPECTED SCORE RELEASE
January 27 8:00 a.m. November 15,2006 January 13, 2007 January 20, 2007 February 28, 2007
January 29 12:00 p.m. November 15 January 15 January 22 February 28
April 7 8:00 a.m. December 27 March 24 March 31 May 9
April 12 12:00 p.m. December 27 March 29 April 5 May 16
April 16 12:00 p.m. December 27 April 2 April 9 May 16
May 11 12:00 p.m. December 27 April 27 May 4 June 13
May 16 8:00 a.m. December 27 May 2 May 9 June 15
May 25 8:00 a.m. December 27 May 11 May 18 June 27
May 31 12:00 p.m. December 27 May 17 May 24 July 3
June 15* 8:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m. Begins February 14 June 1 June 8 July 18
July 13* 8:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m. Begins February 14 June 29 July 6 August 15
July 24 12:00 p.m. Begins February 14 July 10 July 17 August 23
August 6 8:00 a.m. Begins March 22 July 23 July 30 September 5
August 9* 8:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m. Begins March 22 July 26 August 2 September 12
August 14 12:00 p.m. Begins March 22 July 30 August 7 September 12
August 16 8:00 a.m. Begins March 22 August 2 August 9 September 19
August 20 12:00 p.m. Begins March 22 August 6 August 13 September 19
September 7 12:00 p.m. Begins March 22 August 24 August 31 October 10
September 8 8:00 a.m. Begins March 22 August 25 September 1 October 10

All administration times are in Eastern time

Where to take MCAT

Thus far, MCAT testing is only offered at two locations in Montana, Billings and Helena.  However, you can take the MCAT at any testing facility.  For a complete list of MCAT testing sites please visit http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/sitelisting.htm

MCAT Preparation

Overview

Start Early! The very first thing you should do in preparation for the MCAT is to become familiar with their website (http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/start.htm), and download the MCAT Essential which can be accessed from their website. This pamphlet is full of all the information you will find on this page plus much, much more.

The MCAT along with your GPA is used by the admissions committees at medical schools to help determine your academic capabilities. Good scores on this test can help get you an interview. The MCAT is a test that you can study for and it is important to set aside some time to prepare. Start your preparations early; you can not “cram” for this test. Be aware that you are not allowed to use any note cards with formulae or equations and calculators are not permitted. Study without continually referring to and using these tools in order to improve your skills. Improve your mental math, long division, and multiplication skills as well as your familiarity with logarithms and fractions.

Begin with a careful review of the information available on the MCAT web site.  In particular, take note of the “Preparing for the MCAT” page (http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/preparing/start.htm), and “Preparing for the MCAT FAQ” page (http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/preparing/prepfaq.htm). The “Preparing for the MCAT FAQ” includes sample topics, a description of skills assessed, test items, and answer keys for the Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, and Biological Sciences sections of the exam. The Writing Sample section includes sample essays and score explanation, and describes how to organize and compose responses.  In addition, you will also need to review relevant course outlines, notes, and textbooks, particularly in the sciences.

Study Materials

A number of commercial review courses and other review materials are available to help prepare students to take the MCAT. The materials available range from study guides, formal courses, video-based courses, online courses, to private tutoring. These materials are expensive. Only you can determine if it is worth the extra cost to pursue this avenue of study. On-site (classroom) courses are not offered in Montana, but a self-study (video-based) Kaplan course is available through the Mansfield Library (www.kaplan.com). Enrollment in commercial review courses is not necessary to do well on the MCAT, but some individuals report that they benefit from the structured review of these courses.
Some notable study materials are the Kaplan books and the Examkrackers Complete Study Guide (http://www.examkrackers.com).  You can find and research these materials online. (http://www.amazon.com/).

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Practice MCAT

Practice! Practice! Practice!  One of the most important things you can do in preparing to take the MCAT is to familiarize yourself with the test so there will be no surprises when test day comes.  After you have familiarized yourself with the material you should take one or more of the official practice MCAT practice tests located on the MCAT website.  When you take the practice test, try to replicate the actual testing environment as closely as possible.  Minimize distractions, time yourself, and take the sections in their standard order.

In addition, a free practice test is available online at www.e-mcat.com. This practice test provides optional interactive feedback that candidates can turn on or off, automated scoring, and a sophisticated diagnostic summary report across content areas. It also permits candidates to select an entire examination or a section only, and to customize items selected by content area, type of skill, type of reading passage, or item difficulty.

Other practice tests can be found by searching online.  Also, Professor Judd has many paper format tests available in his office that you can use to practice.  Furthermore, the Pre-Med Club occasionally offers practice MCATs during the school year.   If this is something you are interested in you should visit the Pre-Med Club page.

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Still have questions?

One important thing to remember throughout your application/MCAT process is that there are always people willing to help you out.  If you still have any questions at all regarding the MCAT you should contact Professor Judd or your friendly neighborhood Pre-Med Club.  If you would simply like to sit down and to talk to someone who has been through the process already and would be able to offer advice, the Pre-Med Club can put you in contact with someone who can help.  These resources are here to help you and you should take advantage of them.

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