You must take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in order to gain admission to medical school. The MCAT is given many times and in many locations from January through September. Please see the chart below for upcoming MCAT dates. To be eligible to take the MCAT, you must be planning to apply to a school for health professions. In order to take the test, you must sign a statement of intent. In addition, you also must sign an Examinee Agreement in which you agree that you will neither discuss the content of your MCAT test nor disclose it in any other way.

Your MCAT score informs medical schools of your knowledge of science concepts as well as your knowledge of mandatory principles foundational for the study of medicine. Finally, the MCAT also tests problem solving, writing skills, and critical thinking skills. 

The four sections of the MCAT include three multiple-choice sections:
●Verbal Reasoning
●Physical Sciences
●Biological Sciences

In addition, the test includes a writing sample section. Since you are not penalized for guessing in the multiple-choice sections, you should do your best to answer every question. The raw score of these sections, which is the number you answer correctly, is converted to a scaled MCAT score ranging from one to 15. You will receive a scaled score for each of the three multiple-choice sections, so the highest possible total scaled score is 45. Two different readers grade the writing sample separately on a point scale ranging from one to six. These readers’ raw numerical scores then are converted into a letter scale ranging from J to T. Your final MCAT score features both of these components. For example, you might receive an MCAT score of 40R.

An applicant will need very high scores to get into a top ranked medical school. The average reported MCAT scores for entrance into Brown University were 10 on the verbal section, 11 on the physical science section, and 11 on the biological science section—resulting in a total score of 32. The average reported scores from Harvard were 10.76 on the verbal section, a 12.48 on the physical science sections, and a 12.36 on the biological science section—resulting in a 35.6 total. This information can help you set goals for your anticipated MCAT score. 

The registration cost for the MCAT is $235. You can take the MCAT up to three times in one year. For more information or to register, see the official testing website at www.aamc.org.

Test Date	Start Time	Begin Registration	Close Registration	Late Registration Deadline
March 23, 2013	8 a.m.	October 16, 2012	March 9, 2013	March 16, 2013
April 4, 2013	8 a.m.	October 16, 2012	March 21, 2013	March 28, 2013
April 26, 2013	8 a.m.	October 16, 2012	April 12, 2013	April 19, 2013
April 27, 2013	1 p.m.	October 16, 2012	April 13, 2013	April 20, 2012
May 11, 2013	1 p.m.	October 16, 2012	April 27, 2013	May 4, 2013
May 18, 2013	1 p.m.	October 16, 2012	May 4, 2013	May 11, 2013
May 23, 2013	8 a.m.	October 16, 2012	May 9, 2013	May 16, 2013
May 30, 2013	8 a.m.	October 16, 2012	May 16, 2013	May 23, 2013

In order to ensure that you receive your first pick regarding time and date of testing, the AAPC advises registering for the test 60-90 days ahead of your desired test date.