Medical College Admission

 Medical College Admission Test

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Direct admission

" redirects here. For other uses, see (disambiguation).

Medical College Admission Test

Whatsapp call : +91 7050599189 Call : +91 705099189 Office time - 10 : 00 am to 05:00 pm

 

Type Computer-based standardized test

Developer / administrator Association of American Medical Colleges

Knowledge / skills tested Physical sciences, biological sciences, verbal reasoning.

Purpose Admissions to medical colleges (principally in the United States and Canada; 15 other countries).

Year started 1928; 94 years ago

Score / grade range 118 to 132 (in 1-point increments) for each of the four sections (Chemistry and Physics, Biology/Biochemistry, Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills, and Psychology and Social Sciences). So a total score on scale of 472 to 528.[1]

Score / grade validity Usually 2 to 3 years (depends on medical college being applied to).[2]

Offered 25 times from January 2017 through September 2017.[3]

Restrictions on attempts Can be taken a maximum of three times in a one year period; four times in a two year period; and seven times for life.[4]

Countries / regions United States, Canada and 19 other countries.[5]

Languages English

Prerequisites / eligibility criteria Candidate must be preparing to apply to a health professional school (otherwise, "special permission" is required).[6] Fluency in English assumed.

Fee Gold zone (registration about 1 month or more prior to test date): US$310

Reschedule fee: US$75 Cancellation refund: US$155

Silver zone (registration about 3 to 4 weeks prior to test date): US$310

Reschedule fee: US$135 Cancellation refund: n/a

Bronze zone (registration about 1 to 2 weeks prior to test date): US$360

Reschedule fee: n/a Cancellation refund: n/a International testing: US$100 in addition to above.[7]

("Fee Assistance Program" available to U.S. citizens, permanent residents or refugees, demonstrating financial need.[8])

Scores / grades used by Medical colleges (mostly in United States and Canada).

Website students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/taking-mcat-exam/

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT; /ˈɛmkæt/ EM-kat) is a computer-based standardized examination for prospective medical students in the United States, Australia,[9] Canada, and Caribbean Islands. It is designed to assess problem solving, critical thinking, written analysis and knowledge of scientific concepts and principles. Before 2007, the exam was a paper-and-pencil test; since 2007, all administrations of the exam have been computer-based.

The most recent version of the exam was introduced in April 2015 and takes 7.5 hours to complete. The test is scored in a range from 472 to 528. The MCAT is administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).[10]

Contents

1 History

1.1 Moss Test: 1928–46

1.2 A simpler test: 1946–62

1.3 Status quo: 1962–77

1.4 Phase four: 1977–91

1.5 New changes: 1991–2022

1.6 MR5 and the 2015 test

2 Administration

3 Test structure

3.1 Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems

3.2 Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS)

3.3 Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems

3.4 Psychological, Social and Biological Functions of Behavior

3.5 Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning Skills

4 Scoring

4.1 2017 scoring percentiles

5 Policies

6 Preparation

7 Relevance

8 See also

9 References

10 Further reading

11 External links

History

Moss Test: 1928–46

In the 1920s, dropout rates in US medical schools soared from 5% to 50%,[11] leading to the development of a test that would measure readiness for medical school. Physician F. A. Moss and his colleagues developed the "Scholastic Aptitude Test for Medical Students" consisting of true-false and multiple choice questions divided into six to eight subtests. Topics tested included visual memory, memory for content, scientific vocabulary, scientific definitions, understanding of printed material, premedical information, and logical reasoning. The score scale varied from different test forms. Though it had been criticized at the time for testing only memorization ability and thus only readiness for the first two years of medical school, later scholars[who?] denied this. In addition to stricter medical school admission procedures and higher educational standards, the national dropout rate among freshman medical students decreased from 20% in 1925–1930 to 7% in 1946.

A simpler test: 1946–62

Advancements in test measurement technology, including machine scoring of tests, and changed views regarding test scores and medical school readiness reflected the evolution of the test in this period. The test underwent three major changes. It now had only four sub tests, including verbal ability, quantitative ability, science achievement, and understanding modern society. Questions were all in multiple-choice format. Each subtest was given a single score, and the total score was derived from the sum of the scores from the subtests. The total score ranged from 200–800. The individual scores helped medical school admission committees to differentiate the individual abilities among their candidates. Admission committees, however, did not consider the "understanding modern society" section to be of great importance, even though it was created to reward those with broad liberal arts skills, which included knowledge of history, government, economics, and sociology. Committees placed greater emphasis on scores on the scientific achievement section as it was a better predictor of performance in medical school.

From 1946 to 1948, the test was called the "Professional School Aptitude Test" before finally changing its name to the "Medical College Admission Test" when the developer of the test, the Graduate Record Office (under contract with the AAMC) merged with the newly formed Educational Testing Service (ETS). In 1960, the AAMC transferred its contract over to The Psychological Corporation, which was then in charge of maintaining and developing the test.[citation needed]

Status quo: 1962–77

From 1962 to 1977, the MCAT retained much of its previous format, though the "understanding modern society" section was renamed as "general information" due to its expanded content. Handbooks at the time criticized the test as only a measure of intellectual achievement and not of personal characteristics expected of physicians. Admission committees responded to this criticism by measuring personal characteristics among their applicants with various approaches.

Phase four: 1977–91

During phase four, the MCAT underwent several changes. The "general information" section was eliminated and a broader range of knowledge was tested. At this point, topics tested included scientific knowledge, science problems, reading skills analysis, and quantitative skills analysis. Individual scores were reported for biology, chemistry, and physics rather than a composite science score, thus six different scores for the whole test were reported. The score scale changed to 1–15 as opposed to 200–800 from previous versions of the test. Cultural and social bias was minimized. Though the AAMC claimed the new version intended to evaluate "information gathering and analysis, discerning and formulating relationships, and other problem-solving skills," no research supported this claim.

New changes: 1991–2022

In 1991, the test changed again. Though the test was still divided into four subtests,[clarification needed] they were renamed as the verbal reasoning, biological sciences, physical sciences, and writing sample sections. Questions retained the multiple-choice format, though the majority of the questions were divided into passage sets. Passage-based questions were implemented to evaluate "text comprehension, data analysis, ability to evaluate an argument, or apply knowledge from the passage to other contexts." A new scoring scale was also implemented. The total composite score, which ranges from 3–45, is based on the individual scores of the verbal reasoning, biological sciences, and physical sciences, which each have a score range of 1–15. The writing sample, which consists of two essays to be written within 30 minutes for each, is graded on a letter scale from J-T with T being the highest attainable score.

On July 18, 2005, the AAMC announced that it would offer the paper-and-pencil version of the MCAT only through August 2006. A subset of testing sites offered a computer-based version of the full-length exam throughout 2005 and 2006. A shorter, computer-based version of the test debuted in January 2007. The exam was at that point offered numerous times annually, and scored more quickly.[12][13]

Although many medical schools will not accept MCAT exam scores after three years, this version of the MCAT will continue to be reported by the AAMC until the 2019 AMCAS application cycle.[14]

MR5 and the 2015 test

The MR5 advisory committee was appointed by AAMC in fall 2008 to conduct the fifth comprehensive review of the MCAT exam and to recommend changes for the new exam set to be released in 2015.[15] The advisory committee had 21 members including medical school deans and administrators, basic and clinical science faculty, pre-health advisors, one medical student and a medical resident.[15] The recommendations determined were also based on responses from 2,700 surveys, over 75 meetings and conferences, and 90 outreach events to solicit input.[16] The recommendations considered the content and format of the MCAT, the resources that should be provided relating to the exam, and the changes that should be made to medical school admissions in general.[15]

Ratings of the Importance of Natural and Behavioral Sciences Topics for Mastery of Future Medical School Curricula[17]

To determine the content that should be tested for the exam, the MR5 committee surveyed medical school faculty, residents, and medical students, and asked what concepts entering students need to know to be successful in current and future medical school curricula.[18] Three separate surveys were sent asking about concepts in the natural sciences, research methods, and behavioral sciences. The MR5 committee also consulted various expert committees from within and beyond the AAMC.

The largest changes in the exam consist of testing in biochemistry, psychology and sociology concepts. The addition of biochemistry material follows survey results placing biochemistry concepts as highest importance for success in future medical school curricula.[17] The addition of behavioral and cultural material was recommended to provide a solid foundation for learning of these concepts in medical school. According to the committee, psychological science should be understood by medical students as an essential aspect of healthcare.[19] The writing sample section was also removed, since data showed that these scores were not used by most admission committees.[15] These changes were revealed in 2012 so that undergraduate premedical advisers studied the MR5 documents to translate tested core competencies into premedical course recommendations at their campuses.[15]

This version of the MCAT has been administered since March 2022, and is expected to be in place until 2030.