Students make a science out of MCAT preparations

Friday, April 19, 1996

Time, money invested into improving test score By Rachanee
Srisavasdi

Daily Bruin Staff

After months of dedicated studying and pent-up stress, thousands
of pre-med school students nationwide plan to take the Medical
College Admissions Test (MCAT) Saturday.

To some students, the MCAT is the most important test of their
lives.

"The (MCAT) can either make you or break you," said Eddy Nguyen,
a fourth-year biochemistry student who takes the MCAT Saturday.
"It’s the test that gets you where you want to be."

The test, which lasts about seven hours including breaks, is a
vital component considered by medical school admissions
officials.

Because of the MCAT score’s weight, some students said they have
been studying several hours a day, attending MCAT classes ­
and in the process often ignoring their schoolwork to make more
time to study.

"Most people feel they need more time," said Keivan Sarrafzwdeh,
a fourth-year microbiology and molecular genetics student. "But
then others think that no matter how much they study, the test
won’t be any easier."

There are even students who have taken the quarter off in order
to study for the test full-time, he added.

Hitting the books for several hours a day is not the answer,
according to some MCAT instructors.

"Students are studying far too much for this exam," said Bill
Kerr, an instructor for Princeton Review, which offers preparation
classes for the MCAT. "A lot of the time, students feel if they
know everything, they’ll do well."

Students should be spending more time taking practice exams,
rather than trying to cram information in their heads, Kerr
suggested.

Some students are hoping that high scores will help them gain
acceptance into top medical schools.

"If you’re going to take the test just once, you want to do
well," Nguyen said. "High scores count a lot to Ivy League medical
schools."

Nguyen added that he hopes to get into at least a top 20 medical
school.

Admission into medical schools has become much more competitive
in recent years due to an increasing applicant pool. For the
1995-96 academic year, more than 46,000 students applied to about
16,000 medical school slots, according to the American Association
of Medical Colleges.

The quality of the applicants is also improving. Average MCAT
scores slightly rose last year, to a score of almost 10 in the
biology, physical science and verbal sections.

Test preparation is taken very seriously by students, many of
whom take costly preparation classes for the test. Test centers,
such as KAPLAN or Princeton Review, offer months-long MCAT
preparation classes that can cost students up to $1,000.

Juggling MCAT preparation classes and school adds to the stress
of many students taking the exam.

"It’s very hectic," said Christina Tan, a fourth-year
microbiology and history student. "You have to balance school, work
and find a way to study."

The American Association of Medical Colleges believes that the
test should cover not only basic science skills but also general
problem-solving, critical thinking and communication skills.

The test consists of four, individually scored sections: verbal
reasoning, physical sciences and biological sciences. Each is
scored on a scale ranging from one to 15, with 15 as the
highest.

But while the MCAT is designed to test a student’s future
success in medical school, some instructors think it fails to
accurately judge a student’s knowledge.

"It tests your ability to think like the test-makers want you to
think," Kerr said. "But it’s not the end-all of what it takes to be
a good medical student."

Depending on their selectivity, medical schools generally
consider scores of eight to 10 to be decent, though students
maintained it takes scores of 12 or 13 to get into top medical
schools.

Still, medical students who took the exam in the past advised
not take the test, or the results, too seriously.

"If you do well, there’s still no guarantee," said Taya Tillis,
a first-year UCLA medical student who took the exam last year.
"Even with a high GPA and high scores, no one is guaranteed
admittance."

See related pages:

Princeton Review