The Medical College Admissions Test was developed in order to predict which applicants would be most likely to succeed in medical school. Recent studies indicate that the exam does an excellent job of forecasting performance on the medical licensing examinations.

However, although MCAT scores are an important part of the medical school application, they are by no means the only component considered by the admissions department. In fact, the Association of American Medical Colleges asserts that MCAT scores receive only moderate emphasis in the consideration of an application.

Besides exam scores, a medical school admissions department will look at a candidate's college grades; breadth and difficulty of coursework; letters of reference; personal interview; state or country of legal residence; knowledge of health care issues and commitment to health care; extracurricular activities; and any health-related work or research experience. One of the main purposes of the MCAT is to give admissions officials a standardized measure so that they can interpret all of these other factors. When making admissions decisions, schools try to select those candidates who have both the intellectual framework and the personal qualities to survive the rigors of medical school. Also, since medical schools may have different specialties and areas of emphasis, many of them will try to select those candidates who best fit into the school's mission. For all of these reasons, it is unwise to consider MCAT scores as a foolproof indicator of application success or failure. It is typical for a medical school to select a candidate with inferior exam scores if that applicant has proven to be exceptional in another area.

MCAT Preparation information provided by Morrison Media LLC.

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