Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
What is the MCAT? How is the MCAT different from the GAMSAT?
The Medical College Admission Test or MCAT is a standardised test administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) for prospective students seeking to study medicine in medical schools in the United States and Canada. In contrast, the GAMSAT, or Graduate Medical School Admissions Test, is a requirement for graduate medical programmes in the UK, Ireland and Australia. It is developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in conjunction with the Consortium of Graduate Medical Schools.
Duke-NUS accepts both MCAT and GAMSAT scores. Your MCAT or GAMSAT results are a critical component of the Duke-NUS Medical School’s admissions process for the MD and MD-PhD programmes.
What is the format of the MCAT?
Introduced in April 2015, the current MCAT has 4 multiple-choice sections:
1) Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems;
2) Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems;
3) Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behaviours; and
4) Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.
The total content time for the current MCAT is 6 hours and 15 minutes. Applicants should note that, unlike previous years, you may only attempt the MCAT for a maximum of 7 times in a lifetime, and not more than 3 times per year. For the most updated information, please refer to the official MCAT website.
When should I sit for the MCAT?
You should start to plan for the MCAT a year before submitting your application. If you are applying for early acceptance, you should sit for the MCAT no later than end-July for your scores to be reported to us before the early acceptance deadline. We strongly encourage you to register at least 60 days in advance of your desired test date, as seats are limited in test centers outside the US.
• After selecting a test date, please register on the AAMC site to reserve your seat for the exam.
• Duke-NUS will accept MCAT results taken within the last four years from the date of admission.
• MCAT results are generally released 6 weeks after the test date. Please check the MCAT website for expected release dates. Once you have received your MCAT test results, you may release the scores to Duke-NUS via the MCAT Score Reporting System.
• If you are unable to register for the MCAT before our admissions deadline, please contact us at admissions@duke-nus.edu.sg.