Quick Facts About the MCAT Exam
For you who are keen to study medicine, here are some quick facts about the MCAT Exams for admissions to MD programs.
1) The Medical College Admission Test of MCAT is a standardized examination administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) for prospective students seeking to study medicine in United States and Canada.
2) Popularly known as the MCAT, the test was first developed in 1928 to improve the screening process by medical schools to admit students who would be able to cope with a challenging medical program.
3) The new 2015 MCAT has been adopted based on recommendation of an advisory committee appointed by AAMC in 2008. The review included over 2700 surveys received from various stakeholders.
4) The first version of the test had 6 – 8 subtests on reading and comprehension, memory, logic among others.
5) The 2015 MCAT has 4 multiple choice sections. These include: Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living System, Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behaviors and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.
6) The total content time for the 2015 MCAT exam is 6 hours and 15 minutes.
7) From April 2015 onwards, one may attempt the exam up to a maximum of 7 times in a lifetime.
8) The 2015 MCAT has a total score ranging from 472 to 528, with 500 as the midpoint score one may have.
9) In Singapore, MCAT result can also be used to apply for the MD program at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore.
Sources:
1) http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=195259
2) http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/highest-mcat-score-in-aamc-history.117689/
3) https://www.aamc.org/students/download/63060/data/mcatessentials.pdf
4) https://www.aamc.org/initiatives/mr5/
5) https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/scores/414286/scores.html
6) http://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/?utm_campaign=Forumz