mcat 2015 stephanie myers premed advisor for chemistry & physics

MCAT 2015Stephanie Myers

Premed advisor for Chemistry & Physics

Why change? The current MCAT version has been used for 24 years.

It’s time for a review

It should reflect the current practice of medicine

Changes based on interviews with /surveys from

Medical school faculty

College (BS) school faculty

Medical students and residents

What’s on the new exam?

https://www.aamc.org/students/services/343550/mcat2015.html




MCAT2015 Test Sections

Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning Skills

Knowledge of scientific concepts & principles

Scientific reasoning and problem solving

Reasoning about the design and execution of research

Data-based and statistical reasoning

Overarching skills

Skill 1: Knowledge of Scientific Principles Skill 2: Scientific Reasoning and Problem Solving Skill 3: Reasoning about the design and execution

of research Skill 4: data based and statistical reasoning General mathematical concepts and techniques

Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems

59 items, 95 minutes

This section asks you to combine your knowledge of foundational concepts in the biological and biochemical sciences with your scientific inquiry, reasoning, and research and statistics skills to solve problems that demonstrate readiness for medical school.

Understanding the processes unique to living organisms, such as growing and reproducing, maintaining a constant internal environment, acquiring materials and energy, sensing and responding to environmental changes, and adapting, is important to the study of medicine. You will be tested on your knowledge of how cells and organ systems within an organism act both independently and in concert to accomplish these processes, as well as your ability to reason about these processes at various levels of biological organization within a living system.

Foundational Concepts—Biological Sciences

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 maintain life.


Highly-organized assemblies of molecules, cells, and organs interact to carry out the functions of living organisms.


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.

Discipline:

First-semester biochemistry, 25%

Introductory biology, 65%

General chemistry, 5%

Organic chemistry, 5%

Foundational Concept:

Foundational Concept 1, 55%



Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning Skill:

Skill 1, 35%

Skill 2, 45%

Skill 3, 10%

Skill 4, 10%

Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems


This section asks you to combine your knowledge of foundational concepts in the chemical and physical sciences with your scientific inquiry, reasoning, and research and statistics skills to solve problems that demonstrate readiness for medical school.

Understanding the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of tissues, organs, and organ systems is important to the study of medicine. You will be tested on your knowledge of the basic chemical and physical principles that underlie the mechanisms operating in the human body, and your ability to apply an understanding of these general principles to living systems.

Foundational Concepts—Physical Sciences


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.


The principles that govern chemical interactions and reactions form the basis for a broader understanding of the molecular dynamics of living systems

Discipline:

First-semester biochemistry, 25%


General chemistry, 30%

Organic chemistry, 15%

Introductory physics, 25%

Foundational Concept:



Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning Skill:

Skill 1, 35%

Skill 2, 45%

Skill 3, 10%

Skill 4, 10%

Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior


This section tests your knowledge and use of the concepts in psychology, sociology, biology, research methods, and statistics that provide a solid foundation for learning in medical school about the behavioral and socio-cultural determinants of health and health outcomes.

Understanding the behavioral and socio-cultural determinants of health is important to the study of medicine. You will be tested on your knowledge of the ways in which psychological, social, and biological factors influence perceptions and reactions to the world; behavior, and behavior change; what people think about themselves and others; the cultural and social differences that influence well-being; and the relationships between social stratification, access to resources, and well-being.

Foundational concepts—Social Sciences Foundational Concept 6

Biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors influence the ways that individuals perceive, think about, and react to the world.


Biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors influence behavior and behavior change


Psychological, sociocultural, and biological factors influence the way we think about ourselves and others, as well as how we interact with others.


Cultural and social differences influence well-being.


Social stratification and access to resources influence well-being

Discipline:*

Introductory psychology, 65% **

Introductory sociology, 30%


Foundational Concept:Foundational Concept 6, 25%





Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning Skill:Skill 1, 35%

Skill 2, 45%

Skill 3, 10%

Skill 4, 10%

Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills



This section asks you to critically analyze information from a wide range of social sciences and humanities disciplines. Specific knowledge of these disciplines is not required for this section; all of the information you will need appears in the passages provided. Among the areas from which content is drawn are ethics and philosophy, cultural studies, and population health.

Foundational Concepts—Critical Analysis Skill 1: Foundations of Comprehension

• Understanding the basic components of the text.

• Inferring meaning from rhetorical devices, word choice, and text structure.

Skill 2: Reasoning Within the Text

• Integrating different components of the text to increase comprehension

Skill 3: Reasoning Beyond the Text

• Applying or extrapolating ideas from the passage to new contexts.

• Assessing the impact of introducing new factors, information, or conditions to ideas from the passage.

Passage Types

Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills passages come from a variety of humanities and social sciences disciplines.

Comparison of Current vs. MCAT2015 Exam Current Exam

New Exam

Tests biology, physics, general and organic chemistry

X X

Tests biochemistry, psychology, sociology X

Tests problem solving with multiple disciplines X

Tests analytical reasoning X X

Tests analytical reasoning with an increased emphasis on population health, health disparities, ethics, and philosophy

X

Increases emphasis on scientific problem solving and data-based reasoning

X

Balances testing competencies in the natural, behavioral and social sciences

X

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MCAT2015 Concepts

Biology

General Chemistry

Organic Chemistry

Physics

First-semester biochemistry

First-semester psychology and sociology

At many colleges in introductory:

And concepts from:

Research methods and statistics concepts used in introductory science labs, psychology, and sociology

Course mapping toolFoundational Concept

Content Category Topic

Topic taught at your school

Topic On Current MCAT CHEM 1211 CHEM 1212 BIOL 1107 BIOL 1108

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1A Amino Acids Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1A Protein Structure Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1A Non-Enzymatic Protein Function Yes x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1A Enzyme Structure and Function Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1A Control of Enzyme Activity Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1B Nucleic Acid Structure and Function Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1B DNA Replication Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1B Repair of DNA Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1B Genetic Code Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1B Transcription Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1B Translation Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1B Eukaryotic Chromosome Organization Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1B Control of Gene Expression in Prokaryotes Yes x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1B Control of Gene Expresson in Eukaryotes Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1B Recombinant DNA and Biotechnology Yes X

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1C Evidence that DNA is Genetic Material Yes x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1C Mendelian Concepts Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1C Meiosis and Other Factors Affecting Genetic Variability Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1C Analytic Methods Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1C Evolution Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1D Principles of Bioenergetics Yes X

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1D Carbohydrates Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1D Glycolysis, Gluconeogenesis, and the Pentose Phosphate Pathway Yes x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1D Principles of Metabolic Regulation Yes

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1D Citric Acid Cycle Yes x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1D Metabolism of Fatty Acids and Proteins Yes X

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1D Oxidative Phosphorylation Yes X x

FC1 (E5*and parts of E8*) CC1D Hormonal Regulation and Integration of Metabolism Yes

FC2 (E6*) CC2A Plasma Membrane Yes X x

FC2 (E6*) CC2A Membrane-Bound Organelles and Defining Characteristics of Eukaryotic Cells Yes X x

FC2 (E6*) CC2A Cytoskeleton Yes X x

FC2 (E6*) CC2A Tissues Formed From Eukaryotic Cells Yes X x

FC2 (E6*) CC2B Cell Theory Yes x

FC2 (E6*) CC2B Classification and Structure of Prokaryotic Cells Yes X x x

FC2 (E6*) CC2B Growth and Physiology of Prokaryotic Cells NO! X

FC2 (E6*) CC2B Genetics of Prokaryotic Cells NO! X

FC2 (E6*) CC2B Virus Structure Yes X x

FC2 (E6*) CC2B Viral Life Cycle Yes X x

MCAT2015 Test Administration

MCAT2015 Test Day

Test Section#

Questions Time


59 95 min

Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills 53 90 min


59 95 min


59 95 min

Total Content Time -- 6 hr, 15 min

Total “Seat” Time -- 7 hr, 30 min

Test Section Number of Questions Time

Examinee Agreement -- 10 minutes

Tutorial (Optional) -- 5 minutes


59 95 minutes

Break (Optional) -- 10 minutes


53 90 minutes

Mid-Exam Break (Optional)

-- 30 minutes


59 95 minutes

Break (Optional) -- 10 minutes


59 95 minutes

Void Question -- 5 minutes

Satisfaction Survey (Optional)

-- 5 minutes

Total Content Time -- 6 hours, 15 minutes

Total "Seat" Time -- 7 hours, 30 minutes

NOTE: The total time does not include check-in time on arrival at the test center

MCAT2015 Logistics

30-minute mid-exam break and two 10-minute breaks

Examinees with extended testing time can test over two days

Hotel discount program

20

MCAT2015 Registration Fee

Registration Fee for MCAT2015: $300 Fee Assistance Program (FAP)

Discounted MCAT registration fee

Free MCAT test preparation materials

Scholarships for accommodated applicants needing updated evaluations

21

MCAT2015 Testing Calendar Registration will open in February 2015 Test dates in the months of April – September

No October or November test dates

January 2016 exams will be part of the 2016 testing year

Test dates still in line with academic calendar Carefully studied previous testing calendars

22

Same number of seats on fewer dates

23

• Fourteen dates with same number of seats

• All exams will start at 8AM

• No double-day administrations

• Mostly Friday or Saturday dates

MCAT2015 Score Scale and Score Reporting

Since old and new scores can’t be compared…

…the new MCAT scores will be

reported on new and different

scales

The scale for each of the four sections ranges from 118 to 132, and 125 is the “top of the section curve”

The new score scale ranges from 472 to 528, and 500 is the “top of the curve”

Applicants at the “top of the curve” are likely to do well in medical school

MCAT2015 Score Reports

New scores Total score 4 section scores

Tools to help interpret scores Percentile rank for each score Confidence band for each score A score profile to highlight strengths and

weaknesses

MCAT2015 Score Reports-An Example

Applicant: Tom Jones MCAT test date: May 2015 MCAT total score: 506

Interpretation tools Percentile rank: 76 Confidence band: +/- 2 Score profile: score in each

section

How does Tom’s MCAT total score of 506 compare?

Check the percentile rank!

Tom’s total score was the same or better than 76% of examinees who will take the new exam in a typical year

Percentile Ranks• Percentile ranks reported in the first year will be based on the

performance of examinees who test on the first few test administration dates in April

• We can “estimate” the percentile ranks for a typical year from those first few test dates

How accurate is Tom’s MCAT total score of 506?

Check the confidence band!

Every score has some uncertainty

Checking this uncertainty helps guard against over-weighing small score differences

37

While the best estimate of Tom’s score is 506, scores from 504 to 508 are plausible

What are Tom’s strengths and weaknesses? Compare his profile of scores

on the 4 new sectionsTom’s BEST score was from Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living SystemsSection Sectio

n Score

Chemical and Physical Foundations of Living Systems

125


127


130


124

MCAT2015 Prototype Score Report

39

A few words about “early” examinees For examinees taking the exam in April or May:

Scores will take longer than the 30-35 days to be reported due to additional score processing time needed.

However, these scores will be released before the first AMCAS® 2016 application release.

In addition, “preliminary” Percentile Rank estimates will be provided prior to the official score release

April test-takers will likely have scores released on June 16

May test-takers will likely have scores released on June 30

June test-takers will likely have scores released on July 21

July test-takers will likely have scores released on August 18

Incentives for April examinees

To help ensure that numbers of examinees are sufficient to support the analyses associated with the development of the new scales

Examinees taking the exam in April 2015 will receive a gift card from Amazon.com for $150 (equal to half the cost of registration)

How will medical schools interpret the new scores?

?

MCAT2015 Resources for Students

What’s on the MCAT2015 Exam? interactive tool

New!

www.aamc.org/mcat2015exam

Khan Academy MCAT Collection

• Collaboration with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

• Free instructional videos and review questions

• Will cover all natural and social science content on new exam

• Over 400 videos and hundreds of questions available now

• Over 30,000 views daily

www.mededportal.org/icollaborative/pre-health

Pre-health Collection within MedEdPORTAL’s iCollaborative

www.mededportal.org/icollaborative/pre-health

• Free, open access resources for MCAT2015 content

• For faculty to use in classrooms

• For student independent study

The Official Guide to the MCAT Exam (MCAT2015), Fourth Edition

• Includes 120 practice questions and solutions

• Online practice questions option• $35 for book and

online practice questions

• $30 book only• $10 online practice

questions only

www.aamc.org/officialmcatguide2015

New!

Official MCAT2015 Sample Test

• Available Fall 2014• Full-length test • Representative of

the new exam• Online test • Score report with

number correct• Estimated scores

not possible• Low-cost $25

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Official MCAT2015 Study Sets• Available early

2015• Reclassify previous

MCAT questions to MCAT2015

• Hundreds of questions grouped into study sets

• Offer lots of practice with actual questions

• Low cost

Official MCAT2015 Practice Test #1• Available Fall 2015 (NOW!) • Full-length test • Previously administered

questions• Low-cost resource

Additional Free Resources For Students The student website is a key resource for:

Links to all resources

Exam policies and procedures

Registration and Accommodations

Preparation resources

FAQ’s

Videos

Most up-to-date information

www.aamc.org/mcat2015

Questions?

mcat 2015 stephanie myers premed advisor for chemistry & physics

Documents

statistical reasoning

scientific inquiry

execution of research

overarching skills skill

chemistry physics slide

statistics skills

physical sciences

processes unique