The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is to test the skills and knowledge of students who are applying for medical school and the practice of medicine. The students of following types of schools: allopathic, osteopathic, podiatric, and veterinary medicine, usually have to take MCAT test.
Almost all medical schools in USA and Canadian require MCAT exam scores for admission. Many of them refuse scores of 3 years ago.
The test consists of three multiple-choice sections, is a standardized examination designed to assess the problem solving, critical thinking, and knowledge related to the study of medicine. Scores are reported in Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning, and Biological Sciences.
Although MCAT has 3 sections, this website will focuses on Verbal Reasoning. As a matter of fact, verbal reasoning of MCAT isn’t generic verbal reasoning; it is designed for medical students. It means the contents or materials in test are related to background of students.
The main topics are:
Humanities
Passages are from excerpts in architecture, art, literature, music, philosophy, popular culture, religion, and theater.
Social Sciences
Passages focus on anthropology, archaeology, economics, education, history, linguistics, political science, psychology, and sociology.
Natural Sciences and Technology
Passages center on factual knowledge of astronomy, botany, computer science, ecology, ethology, geology, meteorology, technology, and zoology.
The main verbal reasoning skills in MCAT test are
Comprehension
- Identify the Central concern of a thesis
- Identify the reasons or evidence of a thesis
- Identify the background knowledge
- Identify comparative relationships among ideas
- Identify stated or unstated assumptions
- Recognize appropriate questions of clarification
- Recognize an accurate paraphrase of complex information
- Determine the meaning of significant terminology or vocabulary from context
Evaluation
- Judge the soundness of an argument
- Judge the credibility of a source.
- Judge whether a conclusion follows necessarily from the reasons
- Appraise the strength of the evidence for a generalization, conclusion, or claim
- Distinguish between supported and unsupported claims
- Judge the relevance of information to an argument or claim
Application
- Predict a result based on specific facts about a hypothetical situation
- Use given information to solve a specified problem
- Identify the probable cause of a particular event or result
- Determine the implications of conclusions or results
- Identify a general theory based on given information
Incorporation of new information
- Judge the bearing of new evidence
- Recognize methods or results that would challenge theories in given information
- Recognize alternative hypotheses or solutions.
More information is in its official website.
MCAT Test