With the approaching launch of a new MCAT® designed to better
prepare tomorrow’s doctors for a changing medical environment, a new
Kaplan Test Prep survey of nearly 500 pre-med students* finds that
aspiring doctors have definite opinions about what their future
professional selves should know:
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Serious about Psychology: 73% of pre-meds say psychology—the
study of the human mind and behavior—is a relevant field of study for
future doctors. This consensus meshes well with the content of the new
MCAT, which will include a semester’s worth of college-level
introductory psychology.
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Digging into Data: Just over half (52%) say analytics and data
analysis are relevant areas of study for future doctors. This thinking
also aligns with the new MCAT, which will include a Research Design
section that focuses on the fundamentals of creating research
projects, research bias, faulty results, and variable relationships.
Additionally, there will be a Graphical Analysis and Data
Interpretation section that focuses on deriving conclusions and
drawing inferences from visual data, including figures, graphs, and
data tables.
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Se habla español: Almost half (48%) of pre-meds surveyed say
knowing Spanish is an important skill set for doctors to have. While
the new MCAT doesn’t measure test takers’ foreign-language skills,
pre-meds may benefit from squeezing in a few semesters worth of
Spanish classes. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Spanish is the
primary language spoken at home by almost 37 million Americans—more
than double what it was in 1990.
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Of lesser value...: The areas of study which pre-meds think are
less relevant to future doctors include sociology (46%),
anthropology/cultural studies (38%), and philosophy (14%).
“Today’s pre-meds recognize that science and healthcare are far
different fields than they were a generation ago and understand that it
may be necessary to measure their knowledge and competency as future
medical students and future doctors in different ways,” said Owen Farcy,
director of pre-health institutional partnerships, Kaplan Test Prep. “At
Kaplan we believe the new MCAT will better prepare students for medical
school and careers in medicine, but because of the additional content
and the marathon eight-hour length of the new exam, there’s no doubt
that the path to medical school will be more challenging. We continue to
advise pre-meds who can take the current exam to do so and reserve their
testing slot immediately, as space is limited.”
The new MCAT will include three additional semesters’ worth of material
in college-level biochemistry, introductory psychology, and introductory
sociology, increasing the number of prerequisite classes from eight to
eleven. The challenge for many pre-meds will be to fit these additional
courses into an already intense undergraduate course load. In fact, the
Kaplan survey finds that students think they’d have to sacrifice taking
humanity courses and other electives to fit them in. To help pre-med
students prepare more efficiently for the new MCAT 2015 content areas
without having to cram in three additional semesters of coursework
before their test dates, Kaplan has designed a one-semester course
called MCAT Foundations of Biochemistry and Behavioral Science for
Medical School. This course provides students an efficient path to the
content required for the new MCAT. Information can be found at www.kaptest.com/MCATFoundations.
*The e-survey included responses from 493 pre-med students who took a
Kaplan MCAT course and sat for the March 2014 or April 2014
administrations of the MCAT.
MCAT® is a registered trademark of the Association of American
Medical Colleges. The AAMC is not affiliated with Kaplan.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com)
is a premier provider of educational and career services for
individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the
world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of
online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital
products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests,
including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate
school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys,
physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and
graduate admissions consulting services. Additionally, Kaplan operates
new economy skills training (NEST) bootcamps designed to provide
immersive training in skills that are in high demand in today’s job
market and prepare participants for hire.
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Graham Holdings
Company (NYSE:GHC)
Copyright Business Wire 2014