Students taking the MCAT next semester are facing the added stress of being the first group required to take the standardized exam in an electronic format, requiring ambitious students to study the program’s technical quirks along with the test material.
Starting in January, the Medical College Admission Test will be administered only in its computer-based format, which had previously only been offered as an option at selected testing locations, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, which administers the exam.
MCAT Director Ellen Julian said the transition to the computer-based format had been 10 years in the making.
“The primary motivator was convenience for students,” she said.
The new format will cut the test to about half the time and allow the AAMC to return scores in 30 days instead of 60. It will also increase the flexibility of testing times, allowing the test to be administered in both the morning and afternoon and on 22 different days each year, compared to only two before.
“We added morning and afternoon sessions so the night owl doesn’t have to take the most important test of their life at a bad time,” Julian said.
The computerized MCAT, which is being administered by electronic testing company Thomson Prometric, will allow students to highlight passages, go back to review the section one is working on and use scrap paper as needed. Noise reduction headsets will be offered for students to block out keyboard sounds.
Josh Roth, a junior physiology and neurobiology major, is planning to take the MCAT next semester and is happy with the changes that have been made to the exam.
“The test is now a five-hour test instead of an eight-hour test,” Roth said. “People taking the test will have greater control over when they are allowed to take a break during the test, which I’m happy about.”
Julian said the new format will not be the last change the AAMC makes to the exam. The association will look at the content of the exam over the next decade to see if changes need to be made.
“It’s just exactly the way I dreamed it would’ve been,” Julian said. “Maybe I would’ve liked it a little quicker.”
Matt Fidler, MCAT program manager for Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, said the computerization is a huge change that will require extra time and effort to learn new skills, but he stressed that shortening the test will not change its content.
“Students still need to know everything,” Fidler said. “They haven’t eliminated anything.”
While Kaplan has not completely reinvented its courses, it spent a great deal of time and effort adding instructions on mastering the new skills needed to receive the “most realistic practice.”
Due to the increased number of testing dates, a drastic decrease in seats has occurred for each particular test. Fidler said it is vital for students to take more responsibility for test logistics and register as soon as possible.
“It would be a sin to have students locked out of testing dates and locations,” he said.
The College Park Kaplan Center, located above Wawa in the College Park Shopping Center, has seen a substantial increase in student awareness about the changes to the MCAT and in early registration, said Eric Chiu, marketing manager for the MCAT at the College Park location.
“Classes are filling up earlier than ever before,” said Chiu, who said even freshmen are putting down deposits for preparation classes.
“The best advice is to not procrastinate so that you can be better prepared,” he said.
The closest testing locations for university students are in Bethesda, Columbia, Lanham and Baltimore. Registration has already begun for the January test; students can begin registering for the April and May tests on Dec. 13 at 12:01 a.m.
Complete computerized practice tests are available for free at www.e-mcat.com and www.kaptest.com/mcat.
Contact reporter Caren Oppenheim at newsdesk@dbk.umd.edu.
