Planning to take the MCAT in 2013...I heard they were eliminating the essay section and replacing it with an "experimental section"... voluntary, but resulting in "compensation"...
Anyone else planning to take this? Moreover, what is this experimental section???

I think this experimental section is Biochem and Physiology stuff.
Being someone who will also write in 2013, the loss of the essay section makes me glad!

Anyone know how this will affect med school's decisions to look at writing scores this year?

Whoops, I was wrong. Apparently they are cutting the writing section immediately, even though the exam won't be changed officially to the new version until 2015. It's a shame they are cutting any evaluation of written communication.

https://www.aamc.org/students/applyi...erentexam.html

HOLY MOLY...this is innnteresting

Originally Posted by arathbon

Whoops, I was wrong. Apparently they are cutting the writing section immediately, even though the exam won't be changed officially to the new version until 2015. It's a shame they are cutting any evaluation of written communication.

the current writing sample doesn't really evaluate writing skills too well. it tests whether you can follow a formulaic approach to expository writing and back it up with real world examples. many people study for this section by just reading news articles about current issues so that they have something to reply to the prompts about. the point of the MCAT is to be an indicator of future success in medical school, and i think most american schools don't even care about the writing sample because it just isn't a good predictor of anything.

I'd imagine the ontario schools will stop looking at writing samples after the 2012/2013 cycle so writing next summer may be a sweet spot with one less section to study before they completely revamp it and everyone has to shell out bucketloads of money for the 'new and improved' study materials with the psych sections and whatever else.

Originally Posted by yoni

the current writing sample doesn't really evaluate writing skills too well. it tests whether you can follow a formulaic approach to expository writing and back it up with real world examples. many people study for this section by just reading news articles about current issues so that they have something to reply to the prompts about. the point of the MCAT is to be an indicator of future success in medical school, and i think most american schools don't even care about the writing sample because it just isn't a good predictor of anything.

I'd imagine the ontario schools will stop looking at writing samples after the 2012/2013 cycle so writing next summer may be a sweet spot with one less section to study before they completely revamp it and everyone has to shell out bucketloads of money for the 'new and improved' study materials with the psych sections and whatever else.

I agree the current section doesn't test it very well. (I mentioned this before I edited my post). According to the AAMC that is not the purpose. I strongly disagree with eliminating it, as opposed to attempting to assess the ability to write. (As a complete side note) I am terrified by the fact our schools have turned out a generation of illiterates, who lack the ability to write anything comprehensible beyond that which is necessary for the most basic of communication. I only became a capable writer once I had taken latin. It is sad that three latin courses taught me more about the written English language than 14 years of English language public schooling.

Also, the experimental is the new stuff. Psych, Sociology, Biochemistry etc. Not really sure what they're expecting you to have learned though. Psych is an interesting one for sure, mainly because it is extremely relevant (both in terms of understanding how individuals interact with health care providers and deal with illnesses, and in terms of the basis of such a wide variety of disorders).

Indeed...and "critical reasoning and analysis" (or something along those lines) scarcely sounds like standard textbook information...

Originally Posted by arathbon

I agree the current section doesn't test it very well. (I mentioned this before I edited my post). According to the AAMC that is not the purpose. I strongly disagree with eliminating it, as opposed to attempting to assess the ability to write. (As a complete side note) I am terrified by the fact our schools have turned out a generation of illiterates, who lack the ability to write anything comprehensible beyond that which is necessary for the most basic of communication. I only became a capable writer once I had taken latin. It is sad that three latin courses taught me more about the written English language than 14 years of English language public schooling.

I think the writing sample is a needless obstacle. The ability to write isn't really measured by the writing sample - as someone said earlier it just measures the ability to follow instructions and think of real world examples. Not that those aren't important, but I think overall you could have more relevant sections to use as criteria for determining medical school candidates.

If you're talking about the importance of being able to understand and excel in critical thinking in terms of written communication then I would say that's the purpose of verbal. And I think it's fair to say anyone who can do extremely well on verbal would be able to write acceptably (maybe not amazingly but still, not too badly).

I heard that, during this 'freebee" period, the experimental section will be like a less time-constrained Verbal Reasoning (since they can't reasonably expect people to have studied the content in depth). The Critical Reasoning and Analysis part, that is.

I'd like to see a brief numerical reasoning section on the MCAT... I'm not saying they need to do calculus or anything (though I could see a very definite use for it, arguably, not every doctor needs to know it), there are too many current med students I know who can't multiply two numbers together, or add properly. S: We're not only turning out a generation of illiterates, but also math-phobic students.

God help them when they try to convert things from mL to cubic centimeters or the like...or increase the dosage because someone weighs 300 lbs instead of the standard for tylenol 2 (whatever that may be).

EDIT: Actually I remember a time when I was 7 years old, my sister (a few years older, at that age a few years make a big difference in size) and I had the flu. My doctor prescribed us the same meds, but gave me a dosage that was greater than hers (which I assume could only be a math error) for some reason, I took it and OD'd...that wasn't a fun night at the emergency room haha.

Originally Posted by Incognitus

I heard that, during this 'freebee" period, the experimental section will be like a less time-constrained Verbal Reasoning (since they can't reasonably expect people to have studied the content in depth). The Critical Reasoning and Analysis part, that is.

I'd like to see a brief numerical reasoning section on the MCAT... I'm not saying they need to do calculus or anything (though I could see a very definite use for it, arguably, not every doctor needs to know it), there are too many current med students I know who can't multiply two numbers together, or add properly. S: We're not only turning out a generation of illiterates, but also math-phobic students.

God help them when they try to convert things from mL to cubic centimeters or the like...or increase the dosage because someone weighs 300 lbs instead of the standard for tylenol 2 (whatever that may be).

EDIT: Actually I remember a time when I was 7 years old, my sister (a few years older, at that age a few years make a big difference in size) and I had the flu. My doctor prescribed us the same meds, but gave me a dosage that was greater than hers (which I assume could only be a math error) for some reason, I took it and OD'd...that wasn't a fun night at the emergency room haha.

It's not like implementing that into the MCAT will make doctor's math whiz's, we will just forget it after the test. If anything, implementing it into medical school every year could help, but if it isn't used in their practice on a daily basis then it will also be forgotten.

I don't really see that as a big deal anyways

No one's saying a doctor needs to be a math whiz... but there is a basic mastery of "common sense" arithmetic expected of, frankly, all professionals. In this case, if I'm being prescribed a drug, I want the confidence that the doctor has portioned things out appropriately for my, hypothetical, severely underweight baby. I don't want to have to double check a doctor's calculations.

If you're a health sci student and don't see overdosing an infant or underdosing an obese individual as a potential health threat... because as I mentioned, I went to the emergency room and had my stomach pumped as a child because of (what I strongly believe was) a mathematical error.

Then I have no choice but to show you the optometry exam, complete with a QR, or Quantitative Reasoning, section. https://www.ada.org/oat/oat_sample_test.pdf (Page 31) I'd want something roughly this level of difficulty, or perhaps even a bit easier.

We're expecting this of our eye doctors, but not our family physicians?

Originally Posted by Incognitus

No one's saying a doctor needs to be a math whiz... but there is a basic mastery of "common sense" arithmetic expected of, frankly, all professionals. In this case, if I'm being prescribed a drug, I want the confidence that the doctor has portioned things out appropriately for my, hypothetical, severely underweight baby. I don't want to have to double check a doctor's calculations.

If you're a health sci student and don't see overdosing an infant or underdosing an obese individual as a potential health threat... because as I mentioned, I went to the emergency room and had my stomach pumped as a child because of (what I strongly believe was) a mathematical error.

Then I have no choice but to show you the optometry exam, complete with a QR, or Quantitative Reasoning, section. https://www.ada.org/oat/oat_sample_test.pdf (Page 31) I'd want something roughly this level of difficulty, or perhaps even a bit easier.

We're expecting this of our eye doctors, but not our family physicians?

The quantitative reasoning section isn't math. Yes you can calculate everything in there, but that's not what the section is designed for. The time limit they give you is so short that you have to... quantitatively reason your answer. But I do agree that this section is important because it tests a person's common sense and logic.