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MCAT Offers Trial Section as AAMC Prepares for 2015 Test Changes

Posted by Scott Harrah
June 28, 2013

Big changes are coming to the MCAT in 2015, and those taking the exam this year and in 2014 are being offered a sample test of what’s to come—and a nice “thank you” gift for completing it. We take a look about what's changing for this standard test to gain admittance to U.S. and Caribbean medical schools.

As of January this year, the test day is shorter. You no longer spend an hour writing MCAT essays. Prospective medical students are asked to “test out” 32 new questions in biochemistry, biology and chemistry; and physics or in psychology, sociology and biology. It is the last section of the test and takes 45 minutes to complete.

The AAMC’s MCAT website says there is no need to prepare for the Trial Section. The AAMC explains, “You will get questions based on the answers that you provided during MCAT registration about the courses that you’ve taken. Whenever possible, the AAMC will assign questions from courses you’ve already completed. You don't have to worry about not doing well; just try your best. No one will know how well you did but you; not the medical schools or your advisor. Your answers on the Trial Section will not contribute in any way to your MCAT score.”

Those who volunteer to participate will get an opportunity to preview content that medical school admissions officers want to know. In addition, volunteers will receive:

  • A $30 Amazon.com® Gift Card* Claim Code** e-mailed to you within 3-4 weeks.
  • Feedback on your performance that will allow you to compare yourself to others who participated in the Trial Section.

AMMC says people cannot pre-register for the Trial Section. Test takers will be invited to take the Trial Section only after :

  • Completing the core “scored” sections of the exam
  • Selecting, “I wish to have my MCAT exam scored.”
  • Answering “yes” to the statement, “Please indicate below if you would like to participate in the Trial Section”.

MCAT 2015 Changes

AAMC says the MCAT 2015 exam will address concerns of the growing senior population in the U.S. and Canada. The 2015 exam “preserves what works about the current exam, eliminates what isn’t working, and further enriches the exam by giving attention to the concepts that tomorrow’s doctors will need.”

The MCAT 2015 exam will be broken down into four main sections:

  • Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
  • Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
  • Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior
  • Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills

The “Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills” is the most significant change to the MCAT 2015. It tests the reasoning and analysis skills needed for medical school. You will be required to read passages and answer questions, making you demonstrate how you comprehend, evaluate and utilize the passages, primarily the social sciences and humanities, such as ethics and cross-cultural studies.

For more information on the 2015 MCAT changes, please visit the following website: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/mcat2015/

(Top photo) Photo: Deposit Photos


About UMHS:

Built in the tradition of the best US universities, the University of Medicine and Health Sciences focuses on individual student attention, maintaining small class sizes and recruiting high-quality faculty. We call this unique approach, “personalized medical education,” and it’s what has led to our unprecedented 96% student retention rate, and outstanding residency placements across the US and Canada. 

Posted by Scott Harrah

Scott is Director of Digital Content & Alumni Communications Liaison at UMHS and editor of the UMHS Endeavour blog. When he's not writing about UMHS students, faculty, events, public health, alumni and UMHS research, he writes and edits Broadway theater reviews for a website he publishes in New York City, StageZine.com.

Topics: Admissions

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