The MCAT

Medical school applicants must take the Medical College Admissions Test–the MCAT. For some MD/PhD programs you must also take the GRE (Graduate Record Exam). The MCAT is offered twice a year, in April and August. The deadlines for this year’s MCAT are:

The DAT and GRE, Computer Based Testing, is offered year-round. Register early to get your preferred test date. For more information visit:

General Information about the MCAT

The MCAT heavily emphasizes reasoning and problem solving. Factual knowledge of the basic sciences is assessed primarily by your ability to solve problems. The test has four sections: verbal reasoning, physical sciences, biological sciences, and a writing sample. Quantitative assessment is incorporated into the two science sections. The physical sciences section tests general chemistry and physics; the biological sciences section tests biology and organic chemistry. Note: You are expected to know information from the introductory levels of the courses mentioned—the test does not presume advanced knowledge of science. However, alumni of the colleges have found it helpful to have taken one additional year of upper division biology courses such as Genetics, Physiology and Biochemistry.

If you will be finished or virtually finished with your premed courses by the end of the spring semester, you are strongly advised and should plan to take the April MCAT. This is because many medical schools have rolling admissions. Admissions deans at schools with rolling admissions agree that students who take the spring MCAT have an advantage over the August takers because their applications are completed earlier.

For those entering medical school in 2005, the average scores were Verbal Reasoning--9.5 (scale 1-15), Physical Sciences—9.9 (scale 1-15), Biological Sciences--10.2 (scale 1-15), and Writing Sample—P (scale J-T). If you do not do as well on the MCAT as you had expected, and if you are contemplating retaking the test, please talk with the Pre-health Advisor, Ms. Jodi Olson, and see the section titled “Should I retake the MCAT”.

Registering for the MCAT

MCAT registration is done online. Be sure to apply well in advance of the deadlines. There are no exceptions made for missed deadlines. The registration form will give you the option of releasing your scores to your health professions advisor. Please release your scores to us.

If you plan to apply for a fee assistance, please go to the AAMC website (http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/fap/start.htm) to fill out a fee assistance application. AAMC must receive fee reduction applications by February 19th. The regular cost of the MCAT last year was $180. If your fee reduction request is approved, the fee should be reduced to $75. When you apply for a fee-assistance you are applying for both the MCAT registration and the AMCAS fee reductions for applying to medical school. It is important to get this done early because it takes them a long time to process.

If you are planning to request special accommodations during the MCAT, please see www.aamc.org/students/mcat/about/accommodations.htm. The MCAT program office must receive web requests no later than the late registration receipt deadline. If you cannot take a Saturday test, consult the MCAT instruction booklet for instructions on how to arrange a Sunday test.

Once you have sent in your MCAT registration, SAVE THE INSTRUCTION BOOKLET AND BE SURE TO TAKE IT WITH YOU TO THE TEST (see below).

Photographs

During the medical school application process you will be asked to provide numerous photos. The first such photograph is required when you register for the MCAT when you make your MCAT ID card you will need a “2 x “2 photo. As you begin to receive secondary applications you will be asked to submit more photos; some schools will want you to bring photos to the interview. If you pay the standard price for passport photos can be as much as $8.00.
You may want to try this alternative that brings the price per picture down to 20-30 cents:

1. Get a set of passport photos (2 pictures or so) from any standard passport photo location. Dress nicely for these pictures.
2. Take your photo to a well-established photocopying facility.
3. Ask to have a color copy of the photograph made and replicated (or pasted) to fill a single page. This way you can have your photograph copied up to 30 times on one page.
4. Ask for a several copies of this multiple image page on “hard stock” paper. These copies are about $4.00 each. The hard stock paper gives the image a “photograph-like” feel. I think you can also ask for photo quality paper.
   (A skilled duplicating service may need a full day or two to do this job, so plan accordingly.)

A better quality option is to use a Kodak photocopier. These machines can be found at photo and camera shops. The multiple-image copy is on Kodak camera paper and the copies are nearly impossible to differentiate from photographs. The price per sheet is about $6.00 or about 50-60 cents per picture. (There are many ways to lower the cost per picture. Just find one that presents your image professionally.)

Also, you may be able to take your own picture with a digital camera and produce it in an appropriate program with a good quality color printer and photo quality paper.

Preparing for the MCAT

Plan to prepare thoroughly for this test. Think of it as an additional academic class and study throughout the semester (14-17 hours per week). The MCAT packet has helpful preparation guidelines, MCAT review books fill the bookstores, and prep courses are available. How you prepare is up to you, but you must prepare.

The MCAT Student Manual has extensive preparation materials, sample questions and full-length practice tests. If you are preparing on your own, be sure to purchase this book. There are also six additional practice tests available—you can order them through the AAMC.

At http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/about/wsitems.htm you will find many MCAT writing sample prompts with essay instructions. Each writing sample will ask you to complete 3 tasks per essay. Make sure you read the instructions carefully. This prompt list contains samples which may appear or be very similar to the MCAT you will be taking this coming year.

Self-Study Resource Materials List:

1. AAMC Materials http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/
   • MCAT Student Manual, which contains a working definition of each content term or area.
   • Practice Tests: I, II, III, IV, V, VI—Tests III-VI reflects most accurately what the test will really be like. The Verbal section of Test III is reported to be the most challenging. The most recent tests can either be purchased to take as an on-line computer exam or as written tests you can keep. Earlier exams I-III are only available in hard copy. Many of these tests along with a new Practice Test VII are available to take on-line after purchase.
   • Practice Test expanded answers optional (can be too detailed)
   • Practice Problems for Verbal, Physical and Biological Sections—these questions are a little different than the actual MCAT test questions used but can be helpful.
2. Review Science Materials: (you should only buy one - all preparation manuals have errors)
   • Complete Preparation for the MCAT-published currently by Lippincott (the book originally written by Flowers).
   • Preparation for MCAT-Silver and Flowers
   • Kaplan MCAT Prep Materials—not as organized as the above two.
   • ExamKrackers Complete MCAT Study Package, 5th Edition by Jonathan Orsay
3. Science Textbooks:
   • One in each area of the sciences to review for specifics; far to detailed for general study
4. Study Skills Materials:
   • Problem Solving and Comprehension-Whimbey/Lochead (recommended highly)
   • Memory Aids-several books available; all are helpful
   • Time Management-several systems available to personalize schedules
   • For those students with weak backgrounds and poor standardized test taking skills use 10 SATs by the College Boards-(only covers math/verbal sections)
5. General Reading: To prepare for the verbal section you should be trying to read non-science materials at least one hour a day and up to two hours if you have particular problems with verbal standardized tests.
   • New York Times Book Review*
   • New York Review of Books*
   • Atlantic Monthly
   • Harpers
   • New Yorker
   • Wall Street Journal
   • Economist
   * Similar size articles to MCAT verbal section. They have a range of subject matter, and you should read them with a critical eye.
6. Study Group Membership and Study Sessions:
   Many students benefit from studying together. You want at least three and ideally four people per study group. Within the group you can divide the content terms up between individuals so that each team member would be the resident expert on those areas. Each expert is responsible for being able to solve problems that involve those content terms. Ask key faculty to help you when you have tried everything to solve a problem and it still doesn’t make sense.
   Make sure that each member of the group is similarly motivated to study, is committed to time management, and has a good sense of humor. Make sure you do regular timed passages for each subject area and complete at least 2 mock exams during the eight weeks before the target MCAT date. Make sure to study Test I-II take test III, study test IV and take test V and VI. We will proctor Test V and VI in February and March to assist your preparation.
   The MCAT does not test how well you calculate; many times numeric answers are rounded up. There is no scratch paper on the exam. Think back to your concept area when looking at the answers. Devote at least a course work’s worth of time to preparation (3 hours of lecture + 4 hours of lab time + study time for the course, 10-15 hours per week). Maybe have at least 8 of those hours in group study activity and timed passages and the rest on your own doing your 1-2 hours of reading and additional preparation and timed passages. Fine tune as you and your group develop your work habits and figure out what works best for you.
7. MCAT Test Taking Tips: Some passages and questions can be termed reference questions where the answer can be read directly from the previous passage. Some questions are inference questions and no matter of re-rereading will give you the answer. Then there are free standing questions where you have no passages. Generally in multiple choice tests, try to eliminate at least two of the answers and if you can narrow it down to two-it is ok to guess. Unlike the SAT, you are not penalized for a wrong answer so guessing is favorable to leaving a question blank.

On the Day of the Test

Know how to get to the test site, where to park, etc. If necessary, make a dry run so that you will not be confused on the test day. Dress in layers so that you will be comfortable in any room temperature.

Bring tissues, a bag lunch and energy bars (just in case). Please keep in mind that food cannot be eaten during the exams. The bag lunch and snacks are for your breaks.

Once you have completed the test, it will be scored and those results will reside permanently in the AMCAS database. You cannot cancel those scores. The scores are reported to you and to other institutions or agencies only if you authorize them to be released. You would do this by marking yes on any one of a series of six release questions. Three of these questions are asked on your registration materials, and three are available on the day of the exam in the test center review questionnaire, you fill out at the end of the test.

You should never take an official MCAT as a practice. You can only take the exam three times. Medical schools regard taking multiple tests poorly.

How Do Schools Receive Your MCAT Scores?

AMCAS schools automatically receive your MCAT score; however, you must have them sent to non-AMCAS schools.

Should I retake the MCAT?

After you receive your scores you may wonder whether or not you should retake the exam. The answer is not just a matter of what you scored on the test. There are several things you should be considering:

Can I do better?

Some students feel that they were as prepared as they could have been the first time they took the test, and that even with more studying, they feel that they could not do better. Other students feel that they did not put enough time and effort into studying. If you feel like you can be much more prepared for the next test then it may be worth the time and effort (and money) you’d spend over the next two months to retake the test. It is important to note that in large populations of applicants who retake the MCAT after receiving 10’s in each section, only half show an improvement in their scores. Consult your Pre-Health Advisor.

Is my score adequate?

The national average total MCAT score of applicants admitted is about 30. However, each school has its own average. You should check the average score for each school to which you plan to apply. Keep in mind that averages are only guidelines! Just because you scored higher than average does not mean that you will be accepted and just because you scored below average does not mean you won’t. To look at some important data collected by AMCAS on average retest performance go to http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/scores/examineedata/tables.htm.

Are are my grades adequate?

What is your GPA – overall and BCPM (science GPA calculated by AMCAS)? If you apply through AMCAS you can get a printout of how AMCAS calculates your GPA. If your GPA is lower than the averages of the schools to which you are applying, then IDEALLY you would want an MCAT score higher than their averages. If your GPA is higher than the averages, then you MAY get away with an MCAT score SLIGHTLY lower than their averages, although a higher MCAT score would of course be better. The average undergraduate GPA of applicants accepted to the 2003 entering class was 3.62, and the average BCPM was 3.55. A note about grades: THERE IS NO FORMULA. You cannot ask, “If I have an X.YZ GPA, what MCAT score would I need to get in?” Everything in your application should be as strong as possible.

Is the rest of my application adequate?

If you’ve got a lot of extracurricular activities, and you think your letters of evaluation are really strong, then these factors will add to the quality of your application. If you think these areas are weak, then you would want other factors (GPA, MCAT) to be as strong as possible.

How important is it to get accepted this year?

This seems like a stupid question. Obviously, if you are applying to medical school right now, you want to get in this time and not have to deal with reapplying next year, taking a year off school, etc. However, students do have different perspectives on this. Some students are extremely focused on getting into medical school as soon as possible and in doing absolutely everything that is humanly possible to make this first application as close to perfect as it can be. On the other hand, some students, while they of course want this application to be the best that it can be, are willing to risk applying “as-is” (with a good-but-could-be-better application) and worry about retaking the MCAT if they do not get accepted. This is something that you should discuss with your advisor.

Completing the AMCAS, Non-AMCAS, AACOMAS, TMDSAS, ADSAS, VMCAS and Secondary Applications

AMCAS: Most of the 125 allopathic medical schools use a centralized application service known as AMCAS. (American Medical College Application Service.) This means that instead of completing 10 different lengthy applications and requesting your transcript 10 times, you complete one fairly short application online, which is processed by AMCAS and then sent on to the schools you designate. If you have specific questions about the AMCAS application, you may call the AMCAS student hotline at 202-828-0600 or e-mail them at amcas@aamc.org. But check the AAMC website first—it’s very helpful. If you have any problems or common questions they will have links to a FAQ and common glitches section

Non-AMCAS Schools: Write to non-AMCAS schools for applications; addresses are available on the web. Also, some applications are available on the web. You will have to arrange to have individual transcripts sent to all non-AMCAS schools. Schools which do not participate in AMCAS are: Brown, U of Missouri-Kansas City, , U of North Dakota and all Texas schools except for Baylor. If you are interested in applying to a non-AMCAS school you must contact the school directly to request an application. Non-AMCAS schools begin accepting applications on varying dates. We recommend sending in these applications no later than mid-August.

TMDSAS: Five of the Texas medical schools are part of the University of Texas and have their own centralized application. It is available at http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas.

ACOMAS: The osteopathic medical schools also use a centralized application—AACOMAS (American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service.) The AACOMAS application is available online in the spring at (www.aacom.org).

Both AMCAS and AACOMAS will begin accepting applications on June 1, 2006. We recommend that you complete the AMCAS/ACCOMAS/and Texas Applications by late June or early July so as to take advantage of the rolling admissions process. Even if you will not take the MCAT until August, it is important to file your application early.

Check the admissions requirements of the schools you are considering.

Occasionally, schools have requirements beyond the regular premedical course work. You can plan to take the courses during the application year. Indicate your intentions on the Academic Record portion of the application by checking the box Current/Future. (For special requirements see the Appendices A & B, “Math Requirements” and “Upper Level Biology Requirements.”)

Be sure all your college bills have been paid. The Registrar will not send out transcripts for students with outstanding balances, nor will we send out letters of recommendation.