Medical College Admission Test
(MCAT)
The
MCAT
is taken preferably in the fall of your junior year of undergraduate
school. However, in some cases the student, after
discussions with the Pre-Professional advisor, may choose to take the MCAT during the
spring semester of his/her sophomore year.
The MCAT is a five and one-half hour self-paced
computerized exam. Optional breaks are including during the exam. The exam
is divided into four parts: verbal reasoning (40 questions lasting
60 minutes), biological sciences
(52 questions lasting 70 minutes), physical sciences (52 questions lasting
approximately 70 minutes), and writing sample (approximately 2 questions
lasting
60 minutes).
The approximate cost is $210.00. Additional
fees such as late registration, change of testing site, or rescheduling fees
can be included in the total cost.
There is no penalty for guessing; which means
that if you are unsure of your answer, you should guess rather than leave
the question unanswered. Unanswered items are incorrect, but there are no
additional score reductions for answers that you guess incorrectly. The
scores range from a low of 1 to a high of 15 for each of the three
multiple-choice sections of the test. Writing Sample essays are rated by a
group of trained readers. Your raw score on the Writing Sample is the sum of
four individual raw scores ranging from 1 to 6. Your total raw score is
converted to an alphabetic scale ranging from J (lowest) to T (highest).
For the most current information on cost,
review the MCAT web site.
Graduate Record Examination
(GRE) and
GRE Biology Subject Test
The
GRE
is a three hour computer-based general test is
composed of verbal reasoning (30 minutes consisting of 30 questions),
quantitative reasoning (45 minutes consisting of 28 questions), and
analytical writing sections. The analytical writing section is always first
and is
split between an issue task and argument task. For the issue task, two
topics will be presented and you will choose one. The argument task does not
present a choice of topics; instead, one topic will be presented. In
addition, one unidentified un-scored section may be included, and this
section can appear in any position in the test after the analytical writing
section. Questions in the un-scored section are being tested for possible use in future
tests, and answers will not count toward your scores. The verbal and
quantitative sections may appear in any order. Treat each section presented
during your test as if it counts.
Three scores are reported on the General
Test:
- Verbal Reasoning score reported on
a 200-800 score scale, in 10-point increments.
- Quantitative Reasoning score
reported on a 200-800 score scale, in 10-point increment.
- Analytical Writing score reported
on a 0-6 score scale, in half-point increments.
Official scores will be sent to you and the
professional schools you designated within 10 to 15 days after you take the
test. Any section in which you answer no questions at all will be reported
as a no score (NS).
The approximate cost is $140.00. Additional
fees such as late registration, change of testing site, or rescheduling fees
can be included in the total cost.
The
GRE Biology Subject Test consists
of approximately 200 five-choice questions
organized into three major areas: cellular and molecular
biology, organismal biology, and ecology and evolution.
Approximately equal weight is given to each of the three areas.
In addition to the total score, a subscore in each of these
subfield areas is reported.
The approximate cost for the GRE Biology Subject
Test is $130.00. Additional
fees such as late registration, change of testing site, or rescheduling fees
can be included in the total cost.
For the most current information, review the
GRE web site.
