The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized, multiple-choice, computer-based test that has been a part of the medical school admissions process for more than 90 years. Each year, more than 85,000 students sit for the exam. All medical schools in the United States and many in Canada require MCAT scores for regular admission to medical school. Many health profession schools and graduate programs also accept MCAT scores in lieu of other standardized tests. The MCAT exam tests examinees on the skills and knowledge that medical educators, physicians, medical students, and residents have identified as key prerequisites for success in medical school and practicing medicine.
The content is divided into four sections:
The current MCAT consists of 230 questions over 6 hours and 15 minutes—double the length of the previous version of the test.
The first three sections of the MCAT are organized around “big ideas” in the sciences. According to the AAMC, these sections “reflect current research about the most effective ways for students to learn and use science, emphasizing deep knowledge of the most important scientific concepts over knowledge simply of many discrete facts.”
The MCAT will also test additional skills, including research design, graphical analysis and data interpretation. Kaplan claims that the “passages will be restructured to test all of the natural sciences within biological systems,” giving the test a more medical focus by showing the application of the sciences to medicine.
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior Section
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems Section