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AAMC Responds to MCAT Testing Glitch

For Immediate Release

Press Release

Contact: Retha Sherrod
202-828-0975
rsherrod@aamc.org

Washington, D.C., January 30, 2007 - The AAMC released the following statement today regarding a test publishing error in the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) during its administration on Saturday, January 27:

"The AAMC sincerely regrets that some examinees experienced an error in the test publishing process while taking the MCAT last Saturday. Fortunately, however, the AAMC will be able to provide valid scores to these examinees, based on their performance on other items in the test. If any examinee believes that his or her performance was substantially affected by this error, the AAMC will allow the examinee to "void" their test and receive a full refund. A letter, conveying this information, will be sent to the affected examinees over the next several days.

We are investigating the error to determine its cause. Test publishing errors have occurred before, although infrequently, and are not specific to the new computer-based format of the MCAT. In this instance, the new technology allowed our test administrator, Thomson Prometric, to instantly inform supervisors at the 341 test sites nationwide of the problem. Supervisors were then able to provide guidance to the examinees within minutes, which would not have been possible with the paper exam."

The AAMC has determined that of the 2,378 examinees who took the MCAT on Saturday, January 27, 787 received a form of the examination with this error. There were no test publishing problems with the administration of the MCAT on Monday, January 29.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 130 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and nearly 90 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 125,000 faculty members, 70,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.