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AAMC Releases Report on Conflict of Interest Guidelines Malpractice Update: States Say Federal Help Needed To Deal With Spiraling Costs Image Guided Surgery: Making "X-Ray Vision" A New Reality Medical Schools Branch Out: Regional Medical Campuses on the Rise Computer-Based MCAT Gets a Test in London "A Day in the Life of a Medical Student" A Word From the President
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Computer-Based MCAT Gets a Test in LondonT hirty-one undergraduate students in England tossed their pencils and took part in a pilot test to deliver the first computer-based version of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) last August. “The purpose of the pilot test was to give us experience in the practical issues involved in mounting the computer- based test,” says Ellen Julian, Ph.D., director of the MCAT. “No decision has been made to convert the MCAT to a computer-based mode. This was just a ‘big toe in the water’ to see how things might develop and to get an estimate of the costs involved,” says Julian, who is also assistant vice president for student applicant assessment services at the AAMC. The results from the pilot test have been encouraging, she says. “We concluded that the computer-based test (CBT) worked well, and that the level of satisfaction among test-takers was high,” says Dr. Julian. “They liked the fact that they did not have to wait on everyone else, and the proctor, to take their breaks or finish.” CBT test takers received their results in 30 days, approximately half the time it takes for paper-and-pencil MCAT scores to be reported. An additional advantage of the CBT is that it allows for more flexi-bility in test dates, says Steven Barkley, MCAT technology manager. Currently, the MCAT is offered twice a year, and a move toward CBT would allow the test to be offered more frequently and would give students the opportunity to register for the MCAT much closer to the test date. “We actually had students who missed the deadline for registration for the paper-and-pencil test and who were able to register to take the CBT test in London,” says Barkley. Every year, approximately 55,000 people worldwide wishing to study at medical schools in the United States or Canada take the MCAT. The pilot test was used to evaluate the feasibility of a global move from the paper-and-pencil test to the CBT. One reason behind the wish for this move is that it is relatively expensive to conduct paper-and-pencil MCAT sessions in foreign sites. Another reason involves the security risks of mailing test materials internationally. Expansion likely“We are interested in expanding the availability of MCAT testing sites internationally but have some reluctance to open additional paper-and-pencil test sites because of the added security risks involved in mailing and receiving back test materials,” explains Barkley. “In general, mailing materials to any of our testing centers and getting them back is risky, when the loss of a single form of the test [one person’s set of booklets from all four test sections] in one of the boxes costs more than one quarter million dollars to replace. Computer-based testing greatly reduces this type of security concern,” he says. The AAMC selected Thomson Prometric, a provider of technology-enabled testing and assessment services, to deliver the pilot CBT in its London testing centers. Simon Moore, Thomson Prometric general manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa has expressed delight at the AAMC’s choice. “We are hopeful that this is the start of a successful relationship with the AAMC to explore how CBT may benefit them, their testing candidates, and public health administration and management,” says Moore. Changes seen for 2003“If we are successful with some of the more forward-thinking psychometric approaches such as adaptive testing, we hope to eventually shorten test time and get more efficiency out of it, “ says Dr. Julian. “Another goal is to be able to do types of testing we can’t currently do. We’re in the midst of developing listening-skills and communication-skills examinations that may be part of the MCAT some day. That type of testing might be presented in a computerized video format, which is not feasible with the paper test,” she adds. Dr. Julian expects some changes for next year’s version as well. “We’re updating the science content, shortening the verbal reasoning section a bit, and changing the order of some items,” she explains. In keeping up with content currently covered in undergraduate courses and required by medical schools, questions on DNA and genetics will replace a few of the organic chemistry questions. In addition, under the MCAT’s new scoring policy, students will no longer have a choice on which scores to release to medical schools. — Suria Santana, ssantana@aamc.org |
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