Medical School Application
MCAT (MEDICAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS TEST)
In
preparation for applying to medical school, you will be required to register, take
the MCAT, and submit results as part of the medical school application. Tips to
be aware of:
- Registration
for the MCAT is $240. AAMC Fee Assistance Program (FAP) if you demonstrate
financial challenges in paying for your application.
- You
may register for the MCATs online via AAMC. The exam is offered about 20 times
in the year (September is the latest the MCAT is offered).
- Do
not take the exam later than June of the year that you are applying. Ideally,
take the exam by April/May.
- There
are certain physics, biology, and chemistry classes you should plan to take
before taking the MCAT. See an advisor at the Pre-Professional Health Committee
for more information.
- AAMC
has more information about the MCAT, including how to prepare, practice tests,
and tips for you during the day of the exam.
MCAT PREPARATION STRATEGIES:
Focused study groups
Study with friends or other classmates who are also planning to take the MCAT. Also,
check-in with on-campus clubs or organizations geared toward the health field (see Resources) to find others who are
planning to take the exam.
Look For Tutors
Hire a personal tutor or take a MCAT preparation program (such as through
Kaplan or Princeton). Ask questions around the average scores of past clients,
as well as services and products that may be included, and whether individual
tutoring is available. In addition, check out the MCAT study guide by AAMC or
purchase/review MCAT guidebooks such as Petersons or Kaplan.
Independent study
Purchase guidebooks and develop a strict strategy to study independently. If
you choose to study on your own, allow yourself plenty of time! As a suggestion,
plan to study for one hour a day, every day, and do a practice exam every other
Saturday.
MCAT CONTENT AND FORMAT
The MCAT is
broken up into 4 sections:
TEST SECTION
|
QUESTIONS
|
TIME
|
Tutorial
(Optional)
|
|
10 minutes
|
Examinee
Agreement
|
|
10 minutes
|
Section 1: Physical Sciences - Tests knowledge of basic concepts
and physically related chemistry.
|
52
|
70 minutes
|
Break
(Optional)
|
|
10 minutes
|
Section 2: Verbal Reasoning - Includes prose
passages from the humanities, social and natural sciences.
|
40
|
60 minutes
|
Break
(Optional)
|
|
10 minutes
|
Section 3: Writing Sample - Contains two essay
questions.
|
2
|
60 minutes
|
Break
(Optional)
|
|
10 minutes
|
Section 4: Biological Sciences - Tests knowledge of the basic
concepts with problem solving in biology and biologically related chemistry.
|
52
|
70 minutes
|
Void
question (allows you to void the exam)
|
|
5 minutes
|
Survey
|
|
10 minutes
|
Total Content Time
|
|
4
hours, 25 minutes
|
Total “Seat Time”
|
|
5
hours, 25 minutes
|
Each section
on the MCAT receives a maximum of 15 points -- the three sections are Verbal
Reasoning, Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences.
RETAKING THE MCAT
Retaking the
MCAT multiple times is not usually a recommended strategy since most
individuals who do this do not dramatically
improve scores or may even receive lower scores over time. 35 is considered a
good score, but 30 is still sensible enough to use in applying for medical
school. Also, typically your writing score is not as important unless your
verbal scores are low.
