University of Wisconsin pre-med students have more to think about as the Association of Medical American Colleges has made significant changes to the Medical College Admission Test, commonly known as the MCAT.
Pre-med students now have to decide whether to take the current MCAT or to take the new MCAT, which medical schools think is more challenging and will produce better medical students, Eric Chiu, Kaplan Test Prep’s executive director of medical programs, said.
According to the AAMC, the changes scheduled to take effect April 2015 will make the test more relevant for the next generation of doctors and medical practitioners.
The MCAT revisions reflect the significant changes in the practice of medicine, as practitioners need to know far more than they did a generation ago, Chiu said.
Chiu said the last time the MCAT experienced a change was in 2007 when it moved from a paper-and-pencil format to a computer-based format. However, the last time the exam’s content changed significantly was a couple of decades ago, he said.
“The test change comes at a time when the entire face of healthcare is changing,” Chiu said. “As we consider the roles of physicians and patients, of insurance and compensation, and of preventative care and health maintenance, the MCAT must adapt to train physicians who will operate in the healthcare system of the future.”
Some of the changes to the MCAT include tests on college level biochemistry, introductory psychology and introductory sociology, in addition to restructured passages to include natural sciences within biological systems.
They will also increase the length of the test from 144 questions in three hours, 20 minutes to 230 questions in six hours, 15 minutes. A new scoring scale will also be introduced.
Kaplan Test Prep recently conducted a survey that showed 44 percent of medical school admission officers said it makes no difference which test score is submitted, 28 percent recommended taking the current MCAT and 27 percent recommended taking the new test.
“Students should take whichever version of the MCAT for which they’ll be better prepared. However, Kaplan strongly recommends taking the current MCAT if you can since it will be much shorter and the new one more challenging,” Chiu said.
According to the AAMC, 495 UW undergraduates applied to medical school last year, making UW one of the largest sources of medical school applicants from any college in the US.
Brianna Young, a pre-med sophomore at UW, said she’s more likely to take the new MCAT, as she feels it gives her an edge. She said she also doesn’t think she’s ready to take the MCAT yet and, as the last possible time to take the current exam is in January, she’s turning her focus to the new test.
“Medical schools are always looking for standout applicants, and if I can do extremely well in the new test, I’ll have another thing that sets me apart from many other applicants,” Young said.
The AAMC said most medical schools will continue to accept scores from the current MCAT through the 2017 application cycle.
