MCAT with ACCOMMODATIONS, has anyone taken it or is going to take it?

Since when can you take the MCAT with accommodations? No offense but I think that it is joke if someone did. The MCAT is a test designed particularly for students to preform under pressure similar to how doctors perform under pressure.

If you cant do this then how the hell are you suppose to meet the standards that have been held for doctors in the past.

On what grounds are you planning on applying for special accommodations? Please know that the AAMC is notorious for denying applications for special accommodations despite the applicant providing a bevy of psychological testing results as well as years and years of documentation showing accommodations being granted from elementary school through college as well as on any and all standardized tests even taken. While the AAMC presumably complies with the American's with Disabilities Act, the litmus test that the AAMC applies requires proof of disability in all aspects of life, with special emphasis, on difficulties OUTSIDE of learning and and testing.

are accommodations made which allow people to write the test on paper rather than on the computer?...i.e. same test, same day, different format

i almost applied for accommodation because i have rheumatoid arthritis, and in the past needed extra time on tests because my hands freeze up and hurt under stress... but then i realized its not a good idea, not worth it. and i do better on typing than written.. i just took a whole lot of tylenol before my mcat to make sure nothin happened 😀

haha i always laugh at people who might request accommodations.

dont get me wrong, you might have a testing disability such as ADD or arthritis or something to that extent,

but as a doctor, there is no lease or extension on the life of a patient. most of the time, you HAVE to meet time constraints. its not like surgeons can say "oops, i have a disability. lets take more time to operate today!"

bruceleehiiiyaa said:

haha i always laugh at people who might request accommodations.

dont get me wrong, you might have a testing disability such as ADD or arthritis or something to that extent,

but as a doctor, there is no lease or extension on the life of a patient. most of the time, you HAVE to meet time constraints. its not like surgeons can say "oops, i have a disability. lets take more time to operate today!"

Click to expand...

ADD I can understand if AAMC feels quite iffy about, but people with pretty bad arthritis should be given accommodations without much fuss at all. Not every doctor wants to become a surgeon. Definitely some specialties out there that are friendly for these types of people.

OP, did you apply for accommodations? If you haven't you better do it ASAP, it says pretty clearly on their website that you should apply for it very early.

Btw op, if you do have ADD don't take my last post as being judgmental about the condition. I understand it can be quite difficult to live with, even though most people you run into may not always see it. It's just tough to get this sort of accommodation for this exam.

For accommodation, the only way to get it (in my opinion) is to prove to AAMC that you are disadvantaged compared to the general population. You may prove to them that you have a disability. But having a disability does not warrant accommodation. I think it is next to impossible for any serious premed to prove that they are disadvantaged when compared to the general population. This is the ultimate test that they use. From people who got rejected, this is usually the oft cited reason. But if you think you might need accommodation, then no harm in applying for it.

Also there is a difference between a test and real-life. Some people may claim that if you can't do well on a test and need accommodation then you can't do well in real-life, due to the lack of accommodation. MCAT isn't really medicine. In medicine one usually works in a team. Is the same true for the MCAT? In medicine you often get second opinion from experts within a field. I can keep going, but I think you get the point.

And if you have ADD then they most likely will reject it, since they will say that medicine, such as Ritalin should be sufficient to overcome the disadvantage you have. If you have any form of LD then you will need to prove that the test conditions give you an unfair advantage when compared to the general population, not when compared to the average pre-med test taker.

I got approved for extra time. As to whether I will be able to take the pressure as a doctor, I really don't think this test proves anything in that regard. I mean, I know a resident neurosurgeon who took the MCAT with accommodations, and he is doing fine. In fact, being fast depends on what type of field you are going into. If you are going into ER surgery, then, by all means, you need to have speed, but if you want to be a brain or heart surgeon, I don't think speed is such a requirement.
All I am asking is if anyone has taken the test with accommodations as I have yet to take it.

Hopanoid said:

I got approved for extra time. As to whether I will be able to take the pressure as a doctor, I really don't think this test proves anything in that regard. I mean, I know a resident neurosurgeon who took the MCAT with accommodations, and he is doing fine. In fact, being fast depends on what type of field you are going into. If you are going into ER surgery, then, by all means, you need to have speed, but if you want to be a brain or heart surgeon, I don't think speed is such a requirement.
All I am asking is if anyone has taken the test with accommodations as I have yet to take it.

Click to expand...

How much extra time did you get?

Troll