As a continuing part of its validity studies, the Association of American Medical Colleges commissioned a study of the speediness of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). If speed is a hidden part of the test, it is a threat to its construct validity. As a general rule, the criterion used to indicate lack of speediness is that 80% of the…

Measurement specialists routinely assume examinee responses to test items are independent of one another. However, previous research has shown that many contemporary tests contain item dependencies and not accounting for these dependencies leads to misleading estimates of item, test, and ability parameters. In this study, methods for detecting…

To provide a better understanding of the structure of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and to determine if there are structural differences across selected groups of MCAT examinees, several dimensionality analyses were conducted on data from recent administrations of the MCAT. The first set of analyses focused on the global structure of…

Changes were studied that occur when the correlations between the six Medical College Admission Test scales and the scores on the Part I examination of the National Board of Medical Examiners are corrected for restriction of range. (MLW)

Information is presented to help applicants to Canadian medical colleges realistically assess their chances for gaining admission. The guide is also intended for career counselors in high schools and higher education. One section provides statistics on the following characteristics that are associated with being selected: sex, age, Medical College…

Ten specific recommendations regarding the admissions policies and practices of medical schools are presented. Recommendations involve: an applicant's undergraduate major and other courses (the premed major should be abolished), the Medical College Admission Test, the B.A. degree, grades, early admissions, and admissions committees membership.…

The relationship between the new Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and the criterion of grades achieved in the freshman year for the entering class of 1978 was studied. From this analysis, a new index was created and used in screening the entering class of 1979 at the University of California, Irvine. (MLW)

Statistical information regarding applicants for the 1978-79 first-year medical school class are reported. The data include numbers of applicants, numbers accepted, men and women applicants, minority applicants and acceptees, and scores on the New Medical College Admission Test and acceptance status for selected subpopulations of the applicant…

The study with 497 majority and 82 minority medical students found that grade point averages for undergraduate science courses and a composite Medical College Admissions test score based on science and reading subtests were both valid and equally predictive of scores on the National Board of Medical Examiners Examination, Part I. (Author/DB)

A comparison of the qualifications of medical school examinees, applicants, and accepted candidates with humanities majors and natural science majors is presented. Humanities majors have a higher acceptance rate (50 percent) than natural science majors (45.7 percent). (MLW)

The extent to which income and race, viewed independently, affect selection factors is examined, based on data collected by the Association of American Medical Colleges on applicants to the 1976-77 entering class. Factors associated with race had a far more significant influence on applicants' credentials. (Author/LBH)

This revised and updated handbook written by recent medical school graduates offers a firsthand account of successful strategies for the medical school admissions process. Six chapters discuss the following topics: (1) premedical preparation (planning undergraduate study and picking the right college); (2) power techniques for higher grades…

A description of the standardized, multiple-choice Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and how to use it is offered. Medical school admissions officers medical educators, college faculty members, and practicing physicians are active participants in selecting content, drafting test specifications, and authoring questions for the exam. The MCAT is…

Changes were analyzed using both Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores and grade point average. Modest gains were shown: in the men and women applicants' scores on the MCAT biology, chemistry, physics, and science problems subtests; in all age categories except over 32; and for all ethnic or racial groups except blacks. (Author/LB)

Suggests college students preparing for medical school should be informed about how changes in the health care system, expansion of biomedical knowledge, and new technologies are affecting medical practice, medical curricula, medical school admission criteria and tests, and the shape of undergraduate preparation for medical education. Discusses…