MCAT Test
The Association of American Medical Colleges administers the MCAT test through authorized test centers. The MCAT is consistent exam aiming at assessing the students’ problem solving, critical thinking and writing skills as well as their understanding of science concepts and principles essential for the study of medicine. The abilities tested are intended to promote students with wide-ranging educational backgrounds to reflect on taking up the health profession as a career.
The test consists of four sections:
- Verbal reasoning section
- Physical sciences section
- Biological sciences section
- Writing sample section
The questions are multiple-choice and the scores are graded individually for each section.
Apart from being a requisite for students seeing admission into medical colleges in the US, the MCAT scores are useful in the evaluation of a student when compared to other applicants and their respective colleges. The MCAT provided the college authorities with a common yardstick to measure student applying for admission in their college. Most medical schools will not accept exam results older than three years while considering a student for admission.
The MCAT scores are also useful in establishing the strengths and weakness of students and their scope of success through their years at the med school. Due to this reason most medical colleges have set a minimum cut-off score for admission into their college. Hence students are advised not to take the MCAT test lightly and prepare well for their MCAT exam. A high MCAT score would help the student to gain admission into medical college of his choice. Apart from the MCAT scores the other factors that the admission committee take into consideration for acceptance of a student are, undergraduate records, references and personal interviews. The main purpose of the MCAT test is to evaluate a student’s ability to think and analyze, rather than simply memorize