Computerized MCAT

[nwhilk]

[If this thread or a similar one has already been done, I apologize, and wonder if someone could please point me to it? Thanks! ]

Any thoughts on taking the computerized version of the MCAT -- good idea, bad idea, depends? I'm pretty comfy with using computers, so don't think I'll have a prob adjusting or anything. (I took the GRE on a computer, and didn't have any probs, and did quite well.) But the MCAT is a different beast.

For example, I saw these two benefits on the computerized MCAT on the AAMC website:

"The computerized test day will be about half as long as the paper-and-pencil administration day, primarily because there is less administrative overhead."

"Beginning in 2007, the number of questions will be reduced by about one-third (without changing the content representation), and the allowed testing time will be reduced by about 30 percent. Research showed that a shorter MCAT exam would retain its predictive power."

Do you think this will be a good thing or a bad thing for us, the MCAT test takers? It seems at least to me like the questions will probably be much harder to make up for the reduced time (not that they were easy in the first place)? That is, that it will based less on knowing certain things and more on other skills like critical thinking, analysis, interpreting facts and figures, etc.?

Although I assume we can't really change how we study for it at this point.

Anyone have any other thoughts? Just wondering. Thanks.

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[Jonassen]

It's a good thing. I hate wasting time bubbling and erasing answers, just really slow at it, while some people take only one second and have a perfectly filled bubble. And most new test series are initially easier (curved better) I think. The new SATs were initially easier (so I hear) than the old SATs. The early 90s MCATs were a joke too.

The boards are computerized already. Might as well get used to it.

 

[.surgical.]

the positives seem to greatly outweigh the negatives.

the only negative, in this case, being uncertainty

 

[Jonassen]

the positives seem to greatly outweigh the negatives.

the only negative, in this case, being uncertainty

It's not like people going to the paper test were any more certain lol. "How much physics?" "Will there be a lot of Orgo?" "Please no angular momentum!" "Will Verbal passages be easy yet questions tricky or will passages be arse long with rather straightforward questions?"

Yeah.

 

[alwaysaangel]

Overall its going to be good.

Eventually they're aiming for a 14 day report time - which would be awesome.

The shorter test is good in terms of not killing you for 8 hrs, but bad in terms of having fewer gimme questions to boost confidence. But on that same note the ridiculously hard questions that few people got right will be gone too.

Not being surrounded by 60 other neurotic premeds seems like a plus to me, but then I enjoyed chatting with the guy from my prep course during lunch so I guess I would miss that.

There is some uncertainty because its different and whenever something is this different you can't be sure whats going to happen. If people will suddenly do better or worse. I personally wouldn't want to take the January one, simply because there are probably still kinks to work out.