How to prepare yourself for the MCAT and ace it!

In order to get into any medical college, one must first get through the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) and be successful too while they are at it! There is plenty of hype surrounding the MCAT, but it is not quite difficult to ace the examination is one is prepared and have studied adequately for the same. Here are some tips and guidelines regarding how to study for the MCAT examination:

1. As with any other standardized tests, one should always prepare in advance. Last minute cramming doesn’t always work. If you are serious about your career in medical science then you have to take MCAT seriously. Start by prepping yourself two or three months in advance. If you are a person with a busy schedule then fix a certain time period as to when you want to start your preparation. Give yourself enough time to study.

1. When studying for the MCAT, try and take a lighter class load. Don’t overburden yourself with too many things.

1. Your study schedule must be developed for the long run. Determine a deadline for each subject to be covered and try to stick to it. This can help you to remain focused and instill a sense of urgency into your mind.

1. Go for mock tests. If you are prepared for something better, you might be able to come out of it successfully. Hence take full-length mock tests, don’t cheat yourself, schedule the time to undertake such exams under the real test conditions. You can take three mock tests to assess where you stand. First, at the beginning of your studies to determine your position. Next, in the middle of your preparation so that you can assess your progress. And finally take a mock test after all your preparation to assess your readiness for the MCAT.

1. Purchase official resources for studying and for reference. You can buy the study materials offered by the AAMC such as the MCAT Student Manual or the practice tests, etc. They are easily available in most of the bookstores and libraries. However, if you have too much trouble finding it then you can also purchase online. These books will help you a lot to achieve your goal and to successfully pass the MCAT.

1. You might also want to consider getting a study guide for the MCAT. Get suggestions from friends or teachers as to which guides are the best.

1. Go for prep course, register early. You’ll be thankful that you did later! Prep courses can be quite expensive at times; hence you should go for the one that suits your budget and your needs.

1. Two’s always a company! Get a close friend or a study partners and fix timing for group research and group studies. This way you not only share the misery but can also prep yourself the social way!

1. Try to pay attention in class and do not disregard the notes provided. Forty five minutes of classroom learning is equivalent to days of learning all by yourself. Hence pay attention in class, it pays off in the long run! Good Luck!

Tips for applying to Medical School or College

Applying to medical colleges or schools can be quite a challenging task and one has to be prepared accordingly in order to successfully get admission in one’s dream college or medical school. This article provides all the tips and tricks and the things you should keep in mind when applying to medical schools or colleges. There are three stages in order to be successfully enrolled in a college, these are discussed as follows:

A. STAGE 1 – The Application

1. First things first, obtain the application form, either the hard copy or the electronic application form issued by the AMCAS, which is the acronym for American Medical College Application Service. You can do this by logging on to their official site aamc.org.

1. Next fill out the AMCAS application. One just has to fill a single form but remember to check off the names of all the medical schools or college where you would like to study in. A number of medical schools and colleges follow the centralized application process which is coordinated by the AMCAS and hence there is no need of filling numerous forms.

1. Make sure you have filled all the four pages of the application form and included personal details like your background, scores, grades, interests, etc.

1. Time is precious, act fast! Send out your application in June or July because this is the most preferable period. Most colleges enroll students on the “first come first served” basis, hence if you want your chances of acceptance to be higher, then you should send out your primary application forms early as well.

1. Now for the secondary application form, if all goes well then you would receive your secondary application form. And like the first, you should also fill it up and send it out in a timely manner.

B. STAGE 2 – Transcripts and Letter of Recommendation

1. Sometimes, certain medical schools ask for transcripts from the colleges and university which you have attended previously, hence send them out if prompted.
2. Get your letters of recommendations ready too. It is advisable to send out the ones which highlight your facets. Don’t bombard the committee with too many unnecessary recommendations. Be sensible and select only the important ones and ones which you think highlights your various qualities.

STAGE 3- The Interview.

This is the most important stage that can make or break your admission to the medical college of your choice. Hence, take it seriously and arrange your travel plans in time as well as prepare yourself mentally. Practise talking in front of the mirror about the common topics like your interest in medicines, healthcare and bioethics, etc. Make sure you wear the proper semi-formal attire. If you want to boost your confidence during the interview then you might want to go for a mock interview prior to the actual one. Check with your school’s career centre and find out whether they offer such services.

Top 5 Medical Schools in the world

Looking to get into a medical school but confused about which one to enroll in? We have the answer for you. In this article we are going to discuss about the top five medical schools in the world, which would help you to decide which medical college is most suitable for you.

1. Harvard University – Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this is the most famous and well-known medical college. Established in 1636, this private Ivy League university is the first corporation that has been chartered in the US (United States) and is also one of the oldest institutions. In fact, in comparison to any other school in the world on the basis of financial endowment, Harvard is the clear winner. Estimated to have a financial endowment of $26billion in September 2009, this medical school has been ranked by the media as one of the leading academic institution consistently. It is also one of the most easily identified school of the world, with it s famous crimson colour.

The tuition fees of Harvard for an academic year alone will burn a hole of $33,696 in your pocket! The total fees including room, boarding, and student service would cost about $48,868 as reported for the academic year 2009-10. The Harvard Medical School Department offers about 263 courses and a number of healthcare professionals all over the world have enrolled in Harvard. So hurry, if you want to be one of them too!

1. University of Pennsylvania – Located in the Philadelphia, this is one of the oldest universities in America and is also a member of the Ivy League and is the second best medical school according to the survey. The university offers different courses for medical students; the core courses being biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, English, mathematics and physics. The course is segregated into semesters and some even come with the laboratory facility. The application fee is $80 and the total tuition fee for an academic year is approximately $42,472.

1. Yale University – This University is located in New Haven in Connecticut. Yale University is a noted medical college. It has produced five U.S presidents, several foreign heads of state and seventeen U.S Supreme Court Justices! Yale is home to a highly sophisticated and up to the standards medical centre. This comprises of dozens of institutions, the School of Medicine, etc. The approximate tuition fee for a year is about $43,850.

1. Johns Hopkins University – You might also consider enrolling in this medical college located in Baltimore, Maryland. It offers both undergraduate as well as graduate degrees. The annual fee here is about $39,500.

1. University of California – Another world class medical college, this one is located in San Francisco. In the year 2009, the total medical school enrollment in this university was about 631 students! And the annual fees here is comparatively lower, only $27,708.

Evolution of the MCAT

The MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) has certainly evolved a lot since the time it was introduced. Previously, it was a paper based examination, however from 27^th January 2007 onwards, the MCAT has become computer-based. Let’s take a look at the evolution of the MCAT in detail:

1. The Moss Test

This existed in the period between 1926 and 1946. During the early 1920s there was a sudden rise of the rate of dropouts in the US medical schools, from a mere 5% to a shocking 50%. This lead to the need for developing a test that would be able to measure the student’s readiness for entering the medical schools. F.A Moss, a physician, along with the help of his colleagues formulated a test known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test for Medical Students. This test mostly comprised of multiple choice questions and true or false questions on various topics such as scientific definitions, visual memory, scientific vocabulary, logical reasoning, premedical information, etc. This test helped to bring down the level of dropouts among the freshman medical students.

1. A simpler test

There was an evolution of the test in the period of 1946-62 due to the advancements in test measurement technology. There were introduction of machine scoring for the tests and also the views regarding test scores and readiness for medical college changed. There was also a decrease in the subtests of the exams; it became simpler with only four subtests which were quantitative ability, science achievement, understanding modern society and verbal ability. Things became much simpler and easier for the students with the total score ranging from 200 to 800 only.

Later on in the 1940s, the simpler test was given the name “Professional School Aptitude Test”. However, later on it was again changed to MCAT (Medical College Admission Test by the Graduate Record Office, who was, at that time, under the contract with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

1. Status quo

The third stage in the evolution of the MCAT was from the year 1962 to 1977. The format of the MCAT remained pretty much similar to its previous format; minor changes such as the section “understanding modern society” was renamed into “general information”.

1. The fourth phase

Taking place in the period between 1977 and 1991, this fourth phase witnessed MCAT undergoing several changes. The general information section from the third phase was eliminated and new topics were introduced. The score was also made simpler and ranged from 1 to 15 instead of the previous 200-800. The social and cultural bias was reduced and the AAMC claimed that the new version of this examination was better.

1. Finally the fifth stage in the evolution of the MCAT, which began in 1992 and continues to this day. The MCAT format we see today is a result of further modifications that took place in the fifth stage.

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) – Its format

MCAT which stands for Medical College Admission Test is a standardized examination that is basically computer based. This examination is taken by prospective students who are pursuing their careers in medical science. The MCAT is a specially designed examination which assesses critical thinking, scientific knowledge, writing skills and concepts or principles of the medical students. Before 19th August 2006, MCAT was a written test. At present the administration of such examinations have become entirely based on computers. In Canada and the U.S, in order to get admission in medical schools, it is mandatory for all the applicants to undertake MCAT examination and emerge successful. In fact the MCAT scores are also required to be submitted in the application process. Hence the MCAT must be taken seriously if one wants to get admission in a medical school. The duration of the MCAT is usually 5 to 5 and a half hours and it covers a large variety of topics such as organic chemistry, physics, introductory biology, chemistry, etc and also assess the writing skills and the comprehending skills of the medical students. In North America, the MCAT is held for about 14 times a year in all testing centers and it is administered by AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges). In order to take this test, all the registrations must be done in advance because thousands of medical students appear for the exams and hence in order to ensure availability, the students have to register in advance. The format of the MCAT is very simple and straightforward. There are four sections and for each section, a specific time period is allowed. The first section is Physical Sciences, which covers both physics and chemistry topics. There are 52 questions in this section and the time allowed is seventy minutes. The next section is Verbal Reasoning, it has comparatively less questions (only 40) and the time allowed is an hour. Next is the Writing Sample section where the students are expected to write two essays and the time allowed is thirty minutes for each essay. The last section is Biological Sciences, which deals with Organic Chemistry and Biology; this section has 52 questions and seventy minutes are provided for writing the answers. The resources that can be used to prepare for this examination can be found both online or in textbooks. Because it is illegal to sell the real MCAT questions which belongs to AAMC, many companies prepare sample test questions that are written in house. Hence the only resource that offers questions from the real MCAT examinations is the AAMC practice test that can be accessed online at their site. A lot of students rely on university textbooks as well as free web resources for their preparation for MCAT.