MCAT 2015 Changes: Longer, Broader and Harder | Gold Standard MCAT - 0 views
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MCAT 2015 Changes: Longer, Broader and Harder
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When does MCAT 2015 take effect? • Comparison of the current MCAT and MCAT 2015 Important MCAT 2015 changes • College classes that are most helpful for MCAT 2015 preparation MCAT 2015 preparation advice
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If you are planning to apply to a medical school in the next two years or so, you have probably heard how the MCAT will change in 2015. Technically, the current version of the MCAT will be administered until January 2015, after which the revised version will take effect. MCAT2015 will be vastly different from the current MCAT. You can find out exactly what the changes will be in detail and how these changes will affect your preparation from the AAMC website. In the meantime, here is a summary of the major differences between the pre-2015 MCAT and MCAT2015. I. Table comparing the current MCAT and MCAT2015
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MCAT2015 will be longer. It will take you about five hours and 10 minutes to complete the current version of the MCAT. The revised MCAT will take around seven hours to finish. Yes, it will take longer to sit through it because instead of only three sections as in the current MCAT, there will be four sections in MCAT2015. Additionally, each section is expected to be longer. MCAT2015 will be broader but at the same time, it will be more in-depth in its approach to measuring your grasp of the sciences. Keep in mind that in real life, the boundary between sciences is artificial. A molecule does not know if it is a matter of physics, chemistry or biology. You were trained to put that molecule into a box depending on the course code. MCAT2015 blurs the boundary. After all, the molecule is physics, is chemistry, can be biology, and may have psychological or sociological implications. Thus MCAT2015 cuts across scientific disciplines (Physics, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Biology) which interact in living or biological systems. There is also a section which seeks to test your grasp of the interplay between Psychology, Sociology and Biology with the context being basic research methods.
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Effective Exam Dates 2013 - January 2015 after January 2015 Number of Questions 144 approximately 261 Number of Sections 3 4 Sections Physical Sciences; Biological Sciences; Verbal Reasoning Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems; Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems; Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior; Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills
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Total Content Time 4 hours and 5 minutes Approx. 6 hours and 15 minutes Total "Seated" Time Approx. 5 hours and 10 minutes To be determined Subjects Covered Physical Sciences: Physics and General Chemistry Biological Sciences: Biology and Organic Chemistry Verbal Reasoning*: Social Sciences, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Technology Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: biology (65%), biochemistry (25%), organic and inorganic chemistry (10%), basic research and statistics skills Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: organic and inorganic chemistry (48%), physics (25%), biochemistry (25%), biology (2%), basic research methods and statistics
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Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior: concepts in psychology (60%), sociology (30%) and biology (10%) that provide behavioral and socio-cultural determinants of health; basic research methods and statistics Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills*: comprehension, analysis and reasoning in ethics, philosophy, cultural studies, population health, social sciences and humanities
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MCAT 2013 - January 2015
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What college classes do you need to take to prepare for MCAT2015?
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The first two sections of MCAT2015 - namely the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems and the Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems - would benefit from a 2 semester introductory-level college course in biology, physics, organic and inorganic chemistry and a 1 semester introductory-level college course in biochemistry. In addition, the section on Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior would benefit from a 1 semester introductory-level college course in both psychology and sociology. The section on Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills does not require any specific college courses. A student who reads widely, from novels to reputable sources of opinionated news (i.e. The Economist, New York Times editorial pages), would have a distinct advantage for the exam in general, and this section in particular.
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In all these four sections of MCAT2015 you will also need to have a working knowledge of basic concepts in research and statistics. Preparation for this can be obtained in classes on research and statistics, which are offered as part of a science or social science curriculum in most colleges. However, no specific college course is required. The rationale is that it is expected that you would have been exposed to the level of understanding in research and statistics required for the new MCAT by having completed the recommended college courses in the sciences and social sciences. Also note that no specific college math course (neither algebra nor calculus) is required. Below is a table that gives you a guide as to the different classes to take while in college so as to ably prepare for MCAT2015. A thorough and in-depth preparation means two things: you have studied these concepts and understood them; you have grasped relationships between these concepts and how they apply to living organisms.
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MCAT2015 Preparation
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The emphasis of a good MCAT2015 preparation and for embarking on medical studies would be integration. First, you must have a solid grasp of definitions of concepts. Second, you must be able to grasp how concepts come together in the life processes of living organisms. Third, you must be able to integrate your knowledge and use it to reason. Ideally, you would set aside at least 3-6 hours per day for 3-6 months for your MCAT2015 preparation. You may require more or less time depending on whether you have completed all the courses mentioned in the table above, when they were completed, and of course, also depending on your performance in those courses. The next issue is regarding how best you should divide your time. Traditionally, students spend too much time reviewing and too little time practicing. We believe that the best preparation is one where you spend 1/3 of your time completing your review; 1/3 of your time completing practice questions to confirm your understanding; and finally, 1/3 of your time completing full-length MCAT practice tests to integrate and apply your learning under timed conditions. Each stage must include time to take very brief notes which you review several times each week.
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There will be many options for the review part of your MCAT2015 preparation: college textbooks, YouTube or Khan Academy videos, and many others. Gold Standard has been teaching MCAT for over 20 years and you can bet that we will be able to continue to provide you the option of top quality review books, teaching videos, MP3s, apps and more. Our focus will continue to be problem-based learning. For the practice questions part of your MCAT2015 preparation: We have been assembling 1000+ knowledge-based and conceptual understanding practice questions. You will have the option of accessing questions through our books or online so that you can choose the method where you learn best. The AAMC has a free study guide (downloadable pdf) which provides some sample questions for each section as well as a description of the new exam in detail. And finally, for the full-length practice test part of your MCAT2015 preparation: The AAMC plans to release one full-length practice test in 2014 and a 2nd exam in 2015. Gold Standard will be releasing full-length MCAT2015 practice tests online later this year. Spending one day immersed in a timed exam followed by a very careful question-by-question review for 1-2 days is the best way to improve your score over time. Of course, each post-exam period should include the taking of brief notes which are reviewed several times per week.
