Take them on paper while you can

[basupran]

Just a heads up, AAMC played around with computerized MCATs in London this year and last. They will convert to a computerized test in the States soon.

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[fonzy]

Is that bad?

 

[indo]

Can you imagine staring at a computer screen for that long? I wonder if it would give people headaches...
I bet it would be complicated to have so many people take a computerized exam because of a lack of computers. They'd probably run the exams over a month then tally up the scores and curve or whatever.

 

[hunhyung]

i bet there would be so many people trying to hack it somehow...

wouldn't that be too much of a risk? hackers can do anything these days... it sounds like too much of a risk.

 

[Wilford Brimley]

The GREs are computerized. What stinks about that is that you can't go back to check anything!

 

[Fermi]

Can you imagine staring at a computer screen for that long?

I took the MCAT 4 years ago and I figured they were computerized by now--guess not. The boards (USMLE Steps 1-3) are all taken on computer, and they are just as long as the MCAT; in fact, I had less break time on Step 1 than I did on the MCAT and I didn't get eye strain. If anything, the computer format might better prepare you for the boards environment. An additional advantage would be that the MCAT would have to be offered on a continual basis throughout the year, just like the boards, the GRE, etc., instead of just a couple dates per year. I much preferred the individualized testing date/environment because not everyone was going nuts studying on the same schedule, and on the test day I got to set my own pace for break times and lunch.

Speaking to the previous poster's point, I imagine the computerized MCAT would be more like the boards than the GRE in that you have a finite set of questions and you can go back to check your answers within the section.

 

[ItsGavinC]

The Dental Admission Test (DAT) is on computer, and the NBDE1 (board exam) will be on computer in 2 or 3 years. As was mentioned already, the GRE is on computer.

It's actually a great experience. With the move to computer comes the option of taking the MCAT on nearly any day of the year.

You guys should be cheering when it comes open on computer.

 

[evescadeceus]

Keep in mind that the cost of the GRE nearly doubled when it went onto the computer, and I bet plenty of folks are going to have trouble with a $350 MCAT, particularly if they have to take it two or three times.

Also, there will be no opportunity to skip a difficult passage if you routinely don't finish a section in time. There will be no opportunity to go back to a question that you get a sudden insight on, either.

On the GRE, if you do well on an easier question, you get a hard question. If you consistenly do well on a certain type of passage, every question you get is hard, and it slows you down and makes you more likely to run out of time. Can you picture an MCAT like that?

My score on the GRE dropped nearly 100 points when I went from paper to computer - plus I paid nearly double to watch it drop. Let the blessed MCAT stay on paper as long as possible.

 

[MeowMix]

AAMC says there is "no plan" to move the US MCAT to computer any time soon. Outside North America, it's on computer.

 

[doctorpepper]

A Computerized MCAT would NOT be a good option. If you get the questions correct, they continue to get harder and harder. No option to skip around. Plus you can't underline or circle words in the passages.
Let's hope this option is a LOOONNNNGG way off!!

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[WatchingWaiting]

If the MCAT is on computer AND if they switch to computer-adaptive testing (which is not done for the boards, even though they're on computer), then the questions getting harder phenomena you've described takes places. However, you're missing the point on the scoring. Instead of expecting you to get an 85-90% to get a good score, the computerized version only expects you to get ~50% of the questions correct, but your score is based in large part on how hard the questions it's asking you are.

One major benefit of the computer adaptive scoring is that careless errors become a lot less important and the alternation between mind-numbingly easy and quite hard questions tends not to occur. Regardless, there's plenty of research that backs up the accuracy of the computer administration.

 

[thackl]

Plus, if the MCAT is suposed to be a predictor of how we will perform on the USMLE's, then it should be taken on a computer (since the step exams are).