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MCAT® FAQs

Get answers to your questions about MCAT® registration, scores, and more.

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Test Preparation

  1. Visit www.aamc.org/mcatprep.  
  2. Click on the “MCAT Official Prep Hub” on the right side of the page.
  3. Sign in using your AAMC username and password.
  4. Watch a brief video on how to access your products.

We strongly recommend developing a study plan. Research suggests that students who create and stick to a study plan perform better on the MCAT exam. The AAMC has developed the guide “How to Create a Study Plan for the MCAT Exam,” which offers tips, worksheets, and strategies for organizing your preparation from start to finish. The guide also offers suggestions for how to use AAMC free and low-cost resources at each step.

Be sure to also visit How I Prepared for the MCAT Exam to learn how students of varied backgrounds prepared for the exam, resources they used, and how they scored. Watch a recorded webinar on how to strategically prepare for the MCAT exam using AAMC free resources.

Finally, consult with your pre-health advisor about preparing and applying to medical school. If you do not have a pre-health advisor, the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP) has volunteer members who can help answer your questions. Go to www.naahp.org and under Student Resources, you will find more information about their “Find an Advisor” service.

The What’s on the MCAT Exam? Content Outline provides an overview of concepts and skills tested on each of the four sections of the MCAT exam. You can view the foundational concepts and skills tested and sample questions with explanations of the correct answers. A pdf of the entire Content Outline is available to download and print.

The AAMC offers a number of low-cost and free resources. The guide to “How to Create a Study Plan for the MCAT Exam” includes suggestions for how to use all of the AAMC MCAT Official Prep resources.
 
Watch a tutorial of AAMC MCAT Official Prep free resources. These free resources are designed to help you understand what is tested on the exam, prepare a study plan, and get ready for test day. The AAMC offers additional low-cost products such as practice exams and question sets written by the developers of the MCAT exam.

Visit the AAMC MCAT Official Prep Hub to access both the low-cost products and free resources. To access the Prep Hub, visit www.aamc.org/mcatprep. Then follow the steps below.

  1. Click on the AAMC MCAT Official Prep Hub button.
  2. Sign in using your AAMC username and password.
  3. Go to the “Free Resources” section. 

There are multiple ways to prepare for the MCAT exam. Some examinees prepare for the exam through self-study and do not enroll in a test prep course. Others prefer to study in a more structured setting and enroll in commercial MCAT prep courses or choose to take a preparation course offered at their academic institution. Regardless of the study path you choose, the AAMC provides free and low-cost MCAT Official Prep resources including a free guide on How to Create a Study Plan for the MCAT Exam.

Each product has unique questions, and the questions are not repeated across products. However, the Online Questions from The Official Guide to the MCAT Exam are the same questions as the printed book.

The AAMC offers a “Practice with Exam Features” tutorial among the Free Resources in the MCAT Official Prep Hub that allows you to simulate the functions and features of the actual MCAT exam. All MCAT Official Prep Practice Exams and the MCAT Official Prep Free Sample Test have the same look and functionality as the actual MCAT exam. To access the Hub, visit www.aamc.org/mcatprep. Then follow the steps below.

  1. Click on the AAMC MCAT Official Prep Hub button.
  2. Sign in using your AAMC username and password.
  3. Go to the “Free Resources” section and select the Practice with Exam features tool or the MCAT Official Prep Sample Test.

Keyboard shortcuts are available for MCAT Prep practice products, but they are different depending on the type of product.

For practice sets such as Question Packs, the Section Bank, and Online Practice Questions from The Official Guide to the MCAT Exam, the following shortcuts are available:

  • Alt + h to highlight text
  • Alt + shift + h to remove highlight from text
     

The full-length practice exams (Sample Test and Practice Exams), like the actual MCAT exam, allow for keyboard shortcuts as functionality short cuts. There are two sources available for you to practice with these shortcuts:

  1. The Practice with Exam Features tool, which is a free resource within the MCAT Official Prep Hub. To access the Hub, go to aamc.org/mcatprep and select the MCAT Official Prep Hub button. You will need to sign-in with your AAMC account credentials.
  2. The full-length practice exams available at the AAMC Store. The Free Sample Test and Free Practice Exam are available in the MCAT Official Prep Hub.
     

The MCAT exam gives you the option to use the keyboard shortcuts below. You do not need to memorize the shortcuts. The shortcuts are indicated by an underlined letter within a word and are available on relevant screens.

Available for individual questions and moving between questions:

  • Alt + n to advance the screen to the next question or to answer “No” in a pop-up screen
  • Alt + p to return to the previous screen
  • Alt + v to open the navigation window
  • Alt + h to highlight text in yellow or remove the highlight added to text*
  • Alt + s to draw a line through any text or remove the line added to the text
  • Alt + t to open the periodic table
  • Alt + c to close the Navigation window or periodic table
  • Alt + f to flag a question for review

*Note that in the actual MCAT exam, to remove highlight using the alt + h keyboard shortcut, press alt + h, select the text from which you want to remove the highlight using your mouse, press the down arrow key twice to select Remove Highlight, and press the spacebar to remove the highlight.

Available within the Section Review:

  • Alt + e to end the review of a section or the exam
  • Alt + w to return to Section Review after reviewing an individual question
  • Alt + a to review all questions
  • Alt + i to review incomplete questions
  • Alt + r to review flagged questions
  • Alt + y to answer “Yes” in a pop-up screen
  • Alt + o to answer “OK” in a pop-up screen

The AAMC offers several discounts for MCAT Official Prep products.

The AAMC is committed to providing all individuals with an opportunity to demonstrate their proficiency on the MCAT exam, and to practice with the same accommodations they are approved for on test day.

We currently offer paper versions of all AAMC MCAT Official Prep products to examinees with approved paper-form accommodations.

To request the paper version of any MCAT Official Prep practice products, you must already have access to the materials you are requesting by purchasing through the AAMC Store or by electing to receive MCAT Prep benefits as a part of the AAMC MCAT Fee Assistance Program or AFMC Fee Assistance Program. If you do not currently have access to the product(s), you may first purchase the online version of the practice products(s) through the online store (or call 202-828-0600) and then email mcatprep@aamc.org or call 202-828-0043 to request the paper versions of the product(s) you purchased. We will ship paper versions of any product you request and have access to in the MCAT Official Prep Hub. Individuals are limited to one paper copy of each requested product.

We currently offer one print product, The Official Guide to the MCAT Exam, Fifth Edition. All of the other MCAT Prep products are available online in the MCAT Official Prep Hub. 

The MCAT Official Prep products available have not been changed since their publication. You will be able to identify when new MCAT Official Prep products are introduced because of the new title, detailed description or edition.  

AAMC MCAT Official Prep products may be included in some test prep courses. Check with the course administrator before purchasing this product, as refunds and exchanges are not offered. 

All products expire one year from purchase. We do not offer extensions—only subscriptions of one year of access. We cannot pause subscriptions. The expiration dates for your products are displayed in the MCAT Official Prep Hub. If you purchase a product again, all previously completed activity, including score reports, will still be available. 

Contact us with questions you have regarding the MCAT exam or preparation. 

Your feedback about AAMC MCAT Official Prep resources is important. Your feedback will inform future products and enhancements. We invite you to take our five-minute survey. 

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