Alex Elias

Transcription

1 The new world of the MCAT Alex Elias

2 What is the MCAT?

3 The MCAT Medical College Admission Test Offered by AAMC ( Required for entry into most Canadian medical and vet schools Computer based test In 2015, offered approximately 14 dates per year Receive scores after app. 30 days Can take it a maximum of 3 times in 1 year

4 Summary of MCAT 2015 Changes! New names for Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences and Verbal Reasoning A new section focusing on psychology, sociology and biology The test will be MUCH LONGER approximately 7.5 hours, including breaks. Greater emphasis on biochemistry New Scoring Scale: , centered around 500 New Computer Based Tools and Functionality Check out for more info!

5 Old MCAT Passages and Questions

6 Tools: Highlight, Strike Out & Mark

7 MCAT 2015 Passages and Questions

8 MCAT 2015 Passages and Questions

9 Content of the MCAT 2015: Physics Biology Gchem OChem BioChem Psychology Sociology

10 The MCAT 2015 Section 1: Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems (formerly known as Physical Sciences)

11 Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: The Essentials 95 minutes 59 questions total Passage Based Questions (75%) Retrieve info/data from the passage Apply info from the passage/make inferences Discrete Questions (25%) Topics covered in this section: General chemistry (30%) Physics (25%) Biochemistry (25%) Organic Chemistry (15%) Biology (5%) Scored from

12 The MCAT: Verbal Reasoning The MCAT 2015 Section 2: Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills CARS (formerly known as Verbal Reasoning)

13 CARS: The Essentials 90 minutes 53 questions Sample Humanities Topics: art, ethics, philosophy, literature Sample Social Sciences Topics: anthropology, economics, history, linguistics Passage Based (100%) No background knowledge required Tests: Reading skills Critical thinking Logical reasoning Scored from

14 The MCAT 2015 Section 3: Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems

15 Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems : The Essentials 95 minutes 59 questions total Passage Based Questions (75%) Retrieve info/data from the passage Apply info from the passage/make inferences Discrete Questions (25%) Topics covered in this section: Biology (65%) Biochemistry (25%) Organic Chemistry (5%) General Chemistry (5%) Scored from

16 The MCAT 2015 Section 4: Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior

17 Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior: The Essentials 95 minutes 59 questions total Passage Based Questions (75%) Retrieve info/data from the passage Apply info from the passage/make inferences Discrete Questions (25%) Topics covered in this section: Psychology (65%) Sociology (30%) Biology (5%) Scored from

18 Preparing for the MCAT Some important considerations

19 Student Questions and Considerations When should I take the MCAT? How should I study for the new Psych/Soc section? What will Medical Schools do with my old scores? Should I plan on taking the MCAT twice? How do I prep for the MCAT? Where to start?

20 The new world of the MCAT Alex Elias

21 The Princeton Review Preparation Options Start with a practice test! National Mock MCAT Day Saturday March 7 th across Canada! MCAT Ultimate course 123 hours of live instruction (105 In Person, 18 LiveOnline) 128 hours of LiveOnline office hours (16 per week) Team of expert instructors 4 to 6 instructors 12 practice tests (including all AAMC released materials) Online Tools (recorded lessons, Amplifire, diagnostic exams) Course books delivered as soon as you enroll! Satisfaction Guarantee Convenient Schedules Tuition: $2299+tax Private Tutoring and LiveOnline Options available as well!

22 How is MCAT 2015 different? As much as 50% of the content has changed. AAMC added a new section called Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior. This section tests your ability to understand sociocultural, biological and psychological influences on behavior and social interactions as well as how people process emotion and stress. You can understand why medical schools value these skills in applicants. The Biological Sciences section now includes an emphasis on biochemistry and is titled Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems. This new material covers the biochemistry content found in many first semester biochem courses. The test is longer All sections have increased both in time and number of questions. The addition of the new section and the increased length of existing sections will raise the seated time for the test from 5 hours and 10 minutes to 7 hours and 30 minutes. This will add almost 50% to the total testing time, making the test significantly more challenging. New score scale. Each individual section on the exam is scored using a 118 to 132 range, with a median score of 125. You'll receive a score for each section, plus an overall score. Total scores will be centered at 500, with ranges from 472 to 528