AM Last Page

AM Last Page: The MCAT Exam: Comparing the 1991 and 2015 Exams
Marc Kroopnick, MEng, PhD, Manager, MCAT2015 Development and Psychometrics, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)

In the spring of 2015, potential physicians will take the MCAT2015 exam, the newest version of the MCAT exam. The MR5 Committee (the advisory committee for the MCAT2015 exam) redesigned the exam to test the academic competencies* that tomorrows physicians will need to know to succeed in medical school. The design is based on survey responses from over 2,700 medical school and baccalaureate faculty members and feedback from expert panelists and participants in over 90 outreach events. The MCAT2015 exam will, like the current exam (the MCAT1991 exam, introduced in 1991), test concepts in the natural sciences, as well as skills in critical analysis and reasoning. Unlike the MCAT1991 exam, the MCAT2015 exam will also cover concepts from the behavioral and social sciences. The table below highlights the features the MCAT2015 exam shares with the MCAT1991 exam, as well as its new features.

How Are the MCAT1991 and MCAT2015 Exams the Same? Content
Concepts from biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics that are rated as important for success in medical school are tested; in fact, approximately 75% of questions on the MCAT2015 exam test concepts that also appear on the MCAT1991 exam. Questions require examinees to demonstrate their scientic reasoning and problem-solving skills. Two test sections focus on natural sciences concepts. This is a brand new test section.

Whats Different on the MCAT2015 Exam?

Biochemistry concepts that are rated as important for success in medical school are tested. Questions test scientic competencies* by asking examinees to solve problems about biological and living systems and to integrate concepts from multiple disciplines. Questions require examinees to use research methods and statistical skills to solve problems in the same ways that natural scientists do. Concepts from psychology and sociology (along with related biology concepts) that provide the foundation for learning about the behavioral and sociocultural determinants of health and health outcomes are tested. Questions test scientic competencies* by asking examinees to integrate knowledge from different disciplines (just like in the natural sciences sections). Questions require examinees to demonstrate scientic reasoning and problem-solving skills and to use research methods and statistical skills in the same ways that social and behavioral scientists do. Passages from the social sciences and humanities that emphasize cultural studies, population health, ethics, and philosophy are included. No natural sciences and technology passages are included. Questions test examinees analysis and reasoning skills using the most current science on cognitive processing.

Natural Sciences

Behavioral and Social Sciences

No specic content knowledge is needed to do well on this section. Passages include content from the social sciences and humanities. Questions require examinees to demonstrate a variety of analytical and reasoning skills (i.e., cognitive-processing skills). This section has been eliminated. Multiple-choice questions are predominantly prompted by passages and, in some cases, graphs, tables, or charts. Section scores and an aggregate total score are reported to examinees and medical schools. A computer-based testing format that has proven effective is used.

Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills

Writing Skills Test Administration and Score Reporting

Individual test sections include more questions than on the MCAT1991 exam; accordingly, the test day is longer by approximately two hours. Reliable comparisons of section scores for different examinees are made possible by the greater number of test questions.

*The natural sciences competencies tested on the MCAT 2015 exam align with the competencies described by the AAMC-sponsored Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians Committee. The behavioral and social sciences competencies tested on the MCAT 2015 exam build on the competencies that are described in the Institute of Medicines report, Improving Medical Education: Enhancing the Behavioral and Social Content of Medical School Curricula (National Academies Press; 2004; edited by Patricia A. Cuff and Neal Vanselow), and promulgated by the AAMC-sponsored Behavioral and Social Science Foundations for Future Physicians Committee.
Acknowledgments: The author would like to thank the following AAMC personnel for reviewing earlier drafts of this Last Page: Karen Mitchell and Cynthia Searcy. Author contact: mkroopnick@aamc.org

Academic Medicine, Vol. 88, No. 5 / May 2013

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