The MCAT

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)  is a standardized, multiple-choice examination designed to assess the examinee’s problem solving, critical thinking, and knowledge of science concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of medicine.

Almost all U.S. medical schools and many Canadian schools require applicants to submit MCAT exam scores. Many schools do not accept exam scores that are more than three years old.

The MCAT exam is administered multiple times from late January through early September, and offered at hundreds of test sites in the United States, Canada, and around the world. Most students take the MCAT sometime between April and July of the year they are applying.

The AAMC launched the current MCAT exam in April 2015. The exam was updated to reflect the changes in medicine and science, but also to test examinees on not only what they know but how well they use what they know.

The changes to the MCAT exam preserve what works, eliminate what wasn’t working, and further enrich the exam by giving attention to the concepts tomorrow’s doctors will need.

There are 4 sections to the MCAT:

1. Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems,

2. Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems,

3. Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior.  The addition of this new section recognizes the importance of socio-cultural and behavioral determinants of health and health outcomes.

4. Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.  The addition of this new section reflects the fact that medical schools want well-rounded applicants from a variety of backgrounds.

Scores are reported out of 528 points. Each section has a maximum score of 132 and students receive a total as well as separate score for each section..

For more information about the MCAT, click here.

Registering for the MCAT

You should register 60 days or more in advance of the exam day for the best chance of getting a seat on the date and testing location you prefer.  Online pre-registration is required and walk-in registration is not available. To register, a student must first sign up for an AAMC account.

Preparing for the exam.

While there is no one way to prepare for the MCAT exam, making sure you give yourself adequate time to prepare is critical.  It is not unusual for students to take several months to prepare.  The amount of time you will need really depends on you. Before signing up, you should ask yourself the following

  • Have you completed all of the coursework associated with the MCAT content?
  • Do you feel confident in all content areas?
  • Are there sometopics or skill that you feel require more in-depth study or practice?
  • Are you comfortable wit the online testing format?

You may also find it useful to break down the studying into manageable chunks, realizing that you can’t tackle everything at once. This will also help give you a sense of the amount of time you will need so you can prepare at a comfortable pace. The best study plans are those that are tailored to an individual’s needs.

The MCAT website has all the official information you need about the MCAT exam, including practice exams.