The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)
The MCAT is a long (over 6 hours!) arduous standardized exam, offered twice a year (in April and August) that all medical school applicants must take. You should take it at least by the April of the year that you apply to medical school, thus if you are going to apply in the fall of your senior year you should take the test in the spring of your junior year. The test has four sections: Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences (General Chemistry and Physics), Biological Sciences (Biology and Rrganic Chemistry), and a writing sample. If you take the science courses on our list of recommended courses for a premed student, you will be prepared for the test, but you should also allow several months for review and practice. Most students find it helpful to form study groups, to use MCAT preparation texts that are available at most bookstores, and to take several practice tests under realistic test conditions.
Your MCAT score is a very important part of your medical school application, and is given considerable weight by admissions committees.
Just about everthing you need to know about the test is contained in the MCAT website . There is also a very nice introduction to the MCAT on St. John's University's premed website (click here to get to it).