!!Oregon!State!University!Guide!to:!! !MCAT!2015!€¦ · !MCAT!2015!! Abetter!test!for!...
Transcript of !!Oregon!State!University!Guide!to:!! !MCAT!2015!€¦ · !MCAT!2015!! Abetter!test!for!...
Oregon State University Guide to:
MCAT 2015
A better test for tomorrow’s doctors
In spring of 2015, the Association of American Medical Colleges will be releasing MCAT 2015. The new exam is designed to help prepare tomorrow’s doctors for the challenges, advancements, and reformations of our future health care system.
Excerpts from a letter to future physicians, from Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., AAMC President and CEO:
Dear future physician,
What will the health system of the future look like? What kind of physicians will it require? While no one can answer these questions precisely, important shifts under way in health care make our response more relevant than ever. Our profession increasingly recognizes that our current health care model needs to do more to promote prevention and wellness for patients. Our nation is growing, aging, and becoming increasingly diverse, so physicians of the future must be more culturally competent. And patients, especially those with chronic conditions, will need a “medical home” in which their providers work as unified teams to coordinate their care, instead of the current fragmented approach. In short, the health system of tomorrow will require a different kind of physician. And that is why, in 2015, there will be a new Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®).
For the complete letter see https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/mcat2015/
What is the timeline for taking the new exam? The first applicants to sit for the MCAT2015 exam will be those who apply to medical school in 2015, for the fall 2016. What will the sections on the new exam be?
1. Biological & biochemical foundations of living systems
2. Chemical & physical foundations of biological systems
3. Psychological, social & biological foundations of behavior
4. Critical analysis & reasoning skills
The material in this guide from The Preview Guide for the MCAT 2015 (Second Edition) www.aamc.org/MCAT2015 was reprinted by permission. What OSU courses will help me prepare for the new exam?
Natural Sciences (a major part of the exam content will be from biology and biochemistry) BI 211 series BI 314 CH 231/261 series CH 331 or 334 series PH 201 or 211 series BB 450, 451 (or 490 series)
Social Sciences (about 20% of the exam content will be from psychology) PSY 201, 202 SOC 204 Quantitative courses MTH 111, 112 ST 351 (and 352) or ST 314 Other courses which can help H 225 H 210 H 319 H 312 H 320 EXSS 312 HDFS 447 HDFS 201 SOC 312 SOC 350 Classes in ENG, PHL, PSY, ANTH, WGSS, etc. On the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills section, what will the content of passages be?*
50% will be from humanities (art, architecture, dance, ethics, literature, music, philosophy, popular culture, religion, theater). 50% will be from social science (anthropology, psychology, sociology, cultural studies, economics, education, geography, history, linguistics, political science, population health). *Note: prior knowledge of these subjects will not be necessary. What is a typical course schedule to prepare for the new exam? It will depend on your major, but here is the basic order: MTH courses
CH 231/261 series PSY and SOC classes, other classes with broad reading
BI 211 series CH 331/334 series BI 314
ST 351 (352) or ST 314 PSY and SOC classes, other classes with broad reading
PH 201 or 211 series BB 450/451 or 490 series Other classes with broad reading See also the Program in Medical Humanities http://oregonstate.edu/cla/medical-‐humanities/.
• The soonest you would be prepared to take MCAT 2015 would be at the end of your junior year. • Many students will not be prepared until the end of their senior year. • NOTE: OHSU also requires Genetics, BI 311 (or MB 310). • NOTE: many medical schools will not specifically require all of these courses; there will be other ways to learn
some of the material, especially the social science. • You should plan to save some of your textbooks.
To see sample questions and learn about more about the exam, got to:https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/taking-mcat-exam/.