The MCAT (or Medical College Admission Test) is required by most
Medical Schools to be taken in the
spring or
summer before application (which takes place in the
fall).
The principal sections of the MCAT are
Verbal Reasoning,
Biological Sciences,
Writing Sample, and
Physical Sciences.
The
Verbal Reasoning section takes place first and is 85 minutes long. Although it is scaled on a 1-15 scale, the highest score possible was a 13 (thus the scale was skewed) until 2002. For the 2003 MCAT, a score of 14 or 15 will be possible. This section consists of a series of approximately nine to eleven passages on
natural science,
social science, and
humanities topics, followed by
multiple choice questions testing the student's vocabulary, reasoning, and analytical skills.
The
Physical Sciences section consists of a similar series of passages, usually a few more than the
Verbal Reasoning section. It takes place second, and lasts for 100 minutes. The Physical Sciences section includes General Chemistry (
analytical chemistry,
stoichiometry,
solution chemistry,
electrochemistry,
nuclear chemistry,
environmental chemistry,
acid-base chemistry,
chemical kinetics, and
chemical thermodynamics) and Physics (
kinematics,
statics,
dynamics,
electricity and
magnetism,
electromagnetic waves,
sound, and
optics). This section also includes discrete questions not based on a passage. It is scored on a scale of 1 to 15.
The
Writing Sample consists of two essays, timed separately at 30 minutes each. The student is given a statement, such as "People get the government they deserve." They are then asked to explain the statement, describe a situation in which it isn't true, and discuss what determines when it is and isn't true. This section is scored on a scale of J-T, with J the worst and T the best.
The
Biological Sciences section is the final one and follows a format similar to
Physical Sciences. It tests
organic chemistry (structure, reaction mechanisms,
spectroscopy) and
biology (
viruses and
bacteria,
evolution and
ecology,
physiology). It is also scored on a scale of 1 to 15.
The composite MCAT score consists of the sum (not the average) of the three numbered sections, with the letter score appended. Thus the best possible score is a 45T.