History of the MCAT

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madame99

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I found this on the AAMC website (look now even my procrastination somehow leads back to this exam lol)...


The first phase of the MCAT was developed and implemented by physician and psychologist F.A.Moss and his colleagues between 1928 and 1946. The test was divided into 6 to 8 subtests that focused on memory, knowledge of scientific terminology, reading and comprehension, and logic. Results were reported as a single norm-referenced score that ranged in value from 0 to 385. The principal outcome of this early period of medical aptitude test development and use is that the national medical student attrition rate decreased.

The second phase, which was developed between 1946 and 1962, was reduced to 4 categories: verbal and quantitative skills, science knowledge, and added a category called understanding modern society. A single score was derived and reported for each subtest rather than for the test as a whole. The norm-referenced score scale was also revised to range from 200 to 800.

The third phase (1962 - 1977) of MCAT evolutions is more remarkable for its maintenance of the status quo in aptitude measurement rather than for any major changes. The basic structure and substance of the MCAT were retained from 1962 through 1977, although the major difference in the third version expanded the test's understanding modern society section to a broader test of general information. This suggests an even greater commitment by test designers to encourage a broad-based liberal education among prospective medical students.

Phase 4 (1977 - 1991) of MCAT evolution represented a major change from former approaches to measuring aptitude for medical education. MCAT content coverage was simultaneously expanded to cover a broader sample of scientific principles, reading skill, and quantitative skill while eliminating coverage of general liberal arts knowledge. Individual scores were reported for biology, chemistry, and physics rather than a composite sciences achievement score. The score scale was changed to 1 to 15 from 200 to 800in earlier versions. Test development gave direct and consistent attention to minimizing cultural and social bias.

The current version, beginning in 1991, has undergone another significant change. The current test has 4 sections, each with a representative subtest and reported score: verbal reasoning, biological sciences, physical sciences, and writing sample. Although it does not contain independent measures of either liberal arts or numeracy as separate categories, quantitative skills are needed to solve some of the problems in biological and physical sciences. However, its principal innovation is the writing sample section that requires each examinee to construct an original written response that is scored using expert judgment


Sooo....
1. We can all thank physician and psychologist F.A.Moss
2. I wonder what was on the "understanding modern society" section?

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...The third phase (1962 - 1977) of MCAT evolutions is more remarkable for its maintenance of the status quo ...

Phase 4 (1977 - 1991) of MCAT evolution...

"Evolution," eh? They talk about this test like it's a living organism. (Oh, it is one all right: a pathogen ...)

The language of this "passage" about the history of the MCAT reminds me more than anything of Chairman Mao's Little Red Book. Or maybe "1984" ("In the third phase of MCAT evolution, Eurasia was at war with Eastasia ...").

I guess it's strangely appropriate, considering their command-and-control approach to everything.
 
...The current version, beginning in 1991, has undergone another significant change. The current test has 4 sections, each with a representative subtest and reported score: verbal reasoning, biological sciences, physical sciences, and writing sample. Although it does not contain independent measures of either liberal arts or numeracy as separate categories, quantitative skills are needed to solve some of the problems in biological and physical sciences. However, its principal innovation is the writing sample section that no school except Canadian ones care about requires each examinee to construct an original written response that is scored using expert judgment...

Fixed.
 
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