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What is a medical college entrance exam?

Question:

What is a medical college entrance exam?

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Answer:

Most medical schools in the United States will require that applicants submit scores from the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). The MCAT is a standardized test developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), administered in a multiple choice format. The MCAT assesses the following skills and knowledge areas:

  • Problem solving
  • Critical thinking
  • Knowledge of behavioral, natural, and social science concepts

Essentially, the purpose of the test is to measure the applicant's skill level when it comes to things relevant to medical education. It can be a good indicator to colleges and universities of medical education specific competencies that the other application components may not be able to highlight, like general transcripts and GPA values. Some schools not requiring the MCAT in some cases include The George Washington University, Boston University Medical School, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and Penn State College of Medicine. However, schools who don't have the MCAT as a strict requirement often only waive it in special cases, such as if the applicant has already been admitted into another alternative program, like a combined Bachelor of Science/Doctor of Medicine or Bachelor of Arts/Doctor of Medicine program. Therefore, it will be most likely that taken the MCAT will be necessary in order to be eligible for admission to medical schools.

For more information on getting into medical school, check out this article: Requirements for Medical School

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