Remerciez-le!

Remerciez @Admin pour avoir partagé cet document gratuitement, de la manière la plus simple, en partageant sur les réseaux sociaux.

Using MCAT ® Data in 2019 Medical Student Selection Medical College Admission T

Using MCAT ® Data in 2019 Medical Student Selection Medical College Admission Test MCAT® is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges www.aamc.org/mcat Using MCAT® Data in 2019 Medical Student Selection Association of American Medical Colleges Washington, D.C. © 2018 Association of American Medical Colleges. May not be reproduced or distributed without prior written permission. This is a publication of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The AAMC serves and leads the academic medicine community to improve the health of all. www.aamc.org. Association of American Medical Colleges iii Contents Letter to Admissions Officers v What does the MCAT exam measure? 1 How is the MCAT exam scored? 3 Who takes the MCAT exam? 4 How do examinees prepare for the MCAT exam? 5 How well do examinees score on the MCAT exam? 6 How precise are examinees’ MCAT scores, and how should they be interpreted? 8 How do examinees’ scores change when they retake the MCAT exam, and how do admissions officers use scores for applicants who test more than once? 11 How do admissions officers use MCAT scores and other application data in the holistic review of applicants’ qualifications? 13 How well do undergraduate GPAs and MCAT scores predict students’ performance in medical school? 16 What else will we learn about the fairness, impact, use, and predictive validity of the MCAT exam? 22 What is the timeline for releasing key findings from the MCAT validity research? 26 Notes 27 References 27 Appendix A. Description of the Foundational Concepts, Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning Skills, and Information-Processing Skills Tested on the Four Sections of the MCAT Exam 29 Appendix B. Summary of MCAT Total and Section Scores 34 Association of American Medical Colleges v My advice to you in 2019 student selection This guide offers recommendations for using MCAT scores in conjunction with all the information provided by each medical school applicant. It also describes how medical schools work with MCAT scores in the context of holistic review. Applicants provide admissions committees with rich information about their experiences, attributes, and academic backgrounds through their applications, personal statements, and interviews. Letter writers also provide information about applicants’ academic and personal competencies. Your institutional mission, goals, and priorities provide a framework for using this rich and varied information in holistic ways to evaluate applicants and admit a class of capable, caring students who bring diverse interests, talents, and experiences to your institution. Holistic review practices provide the foundation for selecting applicants with the academic and personal competencies that future physicians need. It is important to remember the following recommendations for considering data about academic preparation in the context of all the information collected during the admissions process. • Carefully consider the rich and assorted data that applicants provide. Weigh these data about applicants’ experiences, attributes, and academic preparation in ways that help you meet your institution’s goals. • Triangulate score information from the MCAT exam with information about applicants’ course completion, grades, grade trends, institutions attended, research experience, and other academic indicators. You should look for consistencies and inconsistencies in the stories these data tell. • For MCAT scores in particular, consider the precision with which total and section scores measure applicants’ academic preparation. When making decisions about whom to interview and accept, remember: scores that are close together are not meaningfully different. • Scores from the MCAT exam should not outweigh other application data in deciding which applicants will get secondary application invitations, interview invitations, or acceptance offers. Considering these recommendations and the data presented in this guide will help your admissions committee construct a class that meets the academic, clinical, service, and research missions of your medical school. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to MCAT staff at mcatvalidity@aamc.org with questions. Sincerely, Theodore Hall, MD The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Associate Dean for Admissions Director, Medical Student Education in Radiology Chair, AAMC Group on Student Affairs Committee on Admissions (COA) Association of American Medical Colleges 1 Using MCAT Data in 2019 Medical Student Selection What does the MCAT exam measure? The MCAT exam is designed to help admissions committees select students who are academically prepared for medical school. MCAT scores are among many sources of application data that admissions committees use in student selection. The scores help admissions officers interpret grades and other academic data coming from undergraduate institutions that have different curricular emphases and grading standards. The MCAT exam tests the foundational concepts and reasoning skills needed to be ready for today’s medical school. The MCAT exam has four sections: 1. Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems 2. Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems 3. Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior 4. Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Shown in Figure 1, the two natural sciences and the behavioral and social sciences sections of the MCAT exam test 10 foundational concepts and four scientific inquiry and reasoning skills that are the building blocks for learning in medical school. These sections ask test takers to combine their knowledge of concepts from courses in first-semester biochemistry, psychology, and sociology and year-long courses in biology, chemistry, and physics with their scientific inquiry and reasoning skills to solve problems presented in passages and test questions. The resulting scores provide information about applicants’ readiness to learn in medical school. The Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills section tests how well test takers comprehend, analyze, and evaluate what they read, draw inferences from text, and apply arguments to new ideas and situations. The passages are drawn from the humanities and social sciences. All the information test takers need to respond to the questions on this section appears in the passages or in the questions themselves (see Figure 1). Appendix A provides more detailed descriptions of the concepts and reasoning skills tested by each of the four sections of the exam. Association of American Medical Colleges 2 Using MCAT Data in 2019 Medical Student Selection Figure 1. Foundational concepts and scientific inquiry and reasoning skills tested on the MCAT exam. Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning Skills MCAT questions on these three sections ask test takers to solve problems using the following scientific inquiry and reasoning skills. Knowledge of Scientific Concepts and Principles • Demonstrating understanding of scientific concepts and principles • Identifying the relationships between closely related concepts Scientific Reasoning and Problem Solving • Reasoning about scientific principles, theories, and models • Analyzing and evaluating scientific explanations and predictions Reasoning About the Design and Execution of Research • Demonstrating understanding of important components of scientific research • Reasoning about ethical issues in research Data-Based and Statistical Reasoning • Interpreting patterns in data presented in tables, figures, and graphs • Reasoning about data and drawing conclusions from them Foundational Concept 1 Biomolecules have unique properties that determine how they contribute to the structure and function of cells and how they participate in the processes necessary to sustain life. Foundational Concept 2 Highly organized assemblies of molecules, cells, and organs interact to carry out the functions of living organisms. Foundational Concept 3 Complex systems of tissues and organs sense the internal and external environments of multicellular organisms and, through integrated functioning, maintain a stable internal environment within an ever-changing external environment. Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems Foundational Concept 4 Complex living organisms transport materials, sense their environment, process signals, and respond to changes using processes that can be understood in terms of physical principles. Foundational Concept 5 The principles that govern chemical interactions and reactions form the basis for a broader understanding of the molecular dynamics of living systems. Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior Foundational Concept 6 Biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors influence the ways that individuals perceive, think about, and react to the world. Foundational Concept 7 Biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors influence behavior and behavior change. Foundational Concept 8 Psychological, sociocultural, and biological factors influence the way we think about ourselves and others. Foundational Concept 9 Cultural and social differences influence well-being. Foundational Concept 10 Social stratification and access to resources influence well-being. Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Examinees demonstrate their information processing skills in three areas. Foundations of Comprehension • Understanding basic components of the text, such as the main idea and conclusions • Inferring meaning from rhetorical devices, word choice, and text structure Reasoning Within the Text • Integrating different components of the text to increase comprehension or analysis Reasoning Beyond the Text • Applying or extrapolating ideas from the passage to new contexts, situations, possibilities, alternatives, options, or proposals • Assessing the impact of introducing new factors, information, or conditions to ideas from the passage Association of American Medical Colleges 3 Using MCAT Data in 2019 Medical Student Selection How is the MCAT exam scored? The section and total score scales are centered on memorable numbers that draw attention to the center of the scales. Scores on the four sections of the exam are reported on numeric scales centered at 125 and ranging from 118 to 132. uploads/Geographie/ mcat-guide.pdf