MBBS in USA Eligibility: MCAT Exam
The Medical College Admission Test is an examination that will help deserving students by getting into well-recognized med schools in the United States. AAMC or the Association of America Medical Colleges administrates the MCAT.
The MCAT exam generally scans the content knowledge of the applicants in Organic Chemistry, General Chemistry, Biochemistry, General Biology, Psychology, Physics, and Sociology. Furthermore, this exam examines the critical analysis along with the reasoning skills of the candidate. Thus, understanding the content is not just enough, and MCAT demands more than that.
Course duration
Most of the medical colleges and schools offer MD or Doctor of Medicine in the entire country. The course duration is about 4 years. It is considered equivalent to MBBS in India and is equally accredited on a global level. Furthermore, residency programs are offered by the USA’s Medical colleges, where both the MBBS/MD and residency programs are made to be integrated by the universities of America and can easily take up to 7-9 years.
Under this course duration, students need to give the USMLE exam I, II, III. The students need to all of the three exams to obtain an MBBS degree. This MBBS/MD degree in the USA is officially internationally accredited and accepted.
Eligibility criteria for MBBS in the USA
The following are the eligibility requirements that the students must
- Candidates must qualify for the English proficiency test to pass any of the three language tests such as IELTS, PTE, TOEFL.
- Candidate must qualify MCAT or Medical College Admission Test on numerous parameters
- For Indian students, it is mandatory to pass the NEET exam
Eligibility For MCAT
The following are the eligibility requirements that the candidate needs to meet before applying for the examination:
- Candidates planning to pursue careers in the Podiatric, Veterinary, Osteopathic and Allopathic are eligible to apply for this exam
- Candidates who are from Canada and U.S must have a U.G. degree
- In the case of international candidates, they must have either pursued or obtained the MBBS degree for sitting in the MCAT exam
- Candidates planning to take the MCAT exam to pursue a career in anything but the medicine must acquire special permission from the AAMC authorities.
MCAT Exam Pattern
MCAT is a computer-based examination that comprises multiple choice-based questions so that the aptitude, reasoning, and comprehension skills of the students can be thoroughly tested. The test lasts for about 7.5 hours and is generally conducted 15 times per year. When combined with the six sections, the maximum score is 528, and 500 is the median score.
Documents Required for Exam
The following are the documents that are required:
- Previous year study transcripts
- Foreign transcripts evaluation by a recognized agency
- Passport copy
- English proficiency test proof
- Student visa
- Resume
- Statement of purpose
- Letter of recommendation
- Criminal background check of the applicant
- Relevant test scores
Application Form
The following are the steps that the candidate should stick to apply for the MCAT exam:
- Step 1: Visit the official website that is students-residents.aamc.org
- Step2: Provide all the information asked and make an AAMC account
- Step 3: The candidate will receive a verification email in the registered email address that will contain the link. They need to click on the link and follow up by signing in.
- Step4: Give all the asked information such as biographical information, personal information, academic information, and more.
- Step5: Agree to the terms and conditions
- Step6: Click on the exam schedule and test center
- Step7: Proceed by paying the application fee
- Step8: This is the last step where the candidate will receive a confirmation email for the appointment at the registered email address.
Paper Pattern
In the MCAT exam, that will be sections of integrated sections. In a way, it can be said that the subjects are not entirely tested without depending on anyone though it includes overlapping areas of concentration.
This integrated content is broken down into the four following sections that the exam merely consists of:
- Critical Analysis and Reasoning skills
- Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
- Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
- Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems.
On the day when the MCAT exam is conducted, it nearly lasts for about 7.5 hours along with test-taking time along with limited optional breaks that include one break for lunch. To qualify for the exam, the candidate must score a range between 472-528.
Process of Licensing
To obtain a license in the medical field in the United States, the candidate must have a valid MBBS degree and appear for the certification exams provided by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. Thus, to get a valid medical license, the applicant must pass the exams that meet the medical, educational credential requirements of the ECFMG.