The fastest way to not get accepted to med school is to think that your GPA doesn’t matter. It does, in fact, matter quite a lot, as it’s the way medical schools can see how ... Read more
Linda Abraham
Updated June 26, 2022 by Linda Abraham
The AMCAS application to medical school asks for a lot of information about yourself. It includes biographical information, courses taken, and work experiences just to name a few. The application also requires you to include ... Read more
AAMC Staff
Updated June 26, 2022 by AAMC Staff
Nowhere else on your medical school application will you have the chance to represent your personality and goals as strongly as you do in your AMCAS personal statement. Your personal statement is one place to ... Read more
Cassie Kosarek
Updated June 26, 2022 by Cassie Kosarek
By Michelle Finkel, MD Whether you are a candidate for medical school, residency, fellowship, dental school, or post baccalaureate programs, you will cringe when you read the following true story: A well-meaning candidate I know ... Read more
Michelle Finkel
Updated June 26, 2022 by Michelle Finkel
The personal statement is the centerpiece of a medical school application. The space given, which varies from 5300 (AMCAS) to 5000 (TMDSAS) to 4500 (AACOMAS) characters, represents an opportunity to tell your “story” to the ... Read more
Liza Thompson, M.Ed.
Updated June 26, 2022 by Liza Thompson, M.Ed.
Updated December 1, 2021. The article was updated to correct minor grammatical errors and to update formatting. Medical school, for some, remains the ultimate “glass ceiling” — the unseen yet unbreakable barrier that stands in ... Read more
Coalition for Disability Access
Updated June 26, 2022 by Coalition for Disability Access
Dr. Matt McCarthy is an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and an assistant attending physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He graduated from Harvard Medical School and went on to complete his ... Read more
Christy Duan
Updated June 26, 2022 by Christy Duan
In 2014, the American Association of Medical Colleges announced that the MCAT 2015 would be the first of a new kind of admissions tests to assess the fitness of students to enter into medical school. ... Read more
Brian Wu
Updated June 26, 2022 by Brian Wu
Stephen Aichele, PhD, is a research scientist in Switzerland in University of Geneva’s Psychology & Educational Sciences Department. Aichele received his bachelor’s degree in biopsychology from University of California, Santa Barbara (1994), followed by a ... Read more
Juliet Farmer
Updated August 31, 2022 by Juliet Farmer
Preparing for an exam is the same as preparing for any other major event you might encounter. Just like a football player prepares for Friday night’s game or a pianist practices for their upcoming recital, ... Read more
Iowa State University Dept of Biomedical Sciences
Updated June 26, 2022 by Iowa State University Dept of Biomedical Sciences
Studying for the boards overwhelms most people. The sheer amount of information to know is staggering. And while being a good doctor will require you to know much more than what is covered on a ... Read more
Patrick C. Beeman
Updated June 26, 2022 by Patrick C. Beeman
For most pre-meds taking the MCAT, the CARS section proves to be one of the biggest obstacles standing between them and admission to the medical school of their dreams. The CARS section is a highly ... Read more
Nick Zehner
Updated June 26, 2022 by Nick Zehner
The MCAT looms large on the horizon of many would-be medical students – and there is a lot of anxiety over choosing preparation courses and books and in finding different ways to achieve the highest ... Read more
Brian Wu
Updated August 8, 2022 by Brian Wu
Reposted from here with permission. As I sat in my institution’s white coat ceremony this past fall, I listened to our dean describe the process of selecting the newest batch of future doctors. I’m an MD/PhD student, ... Read more
Amanda King
Updated June 14, 2019 by Amanda King
MCAT History Back in the olden days (like prior to 2007), the MCAT was only offered a few times a year, and test-takers took the paper exam with a No. 2 pencil. There was also ... Read more
Linda Abraham
Updated June 26, 2022 by Linda Abraham
1. Set a goal As the saying goes, “being begin with the end in mind.” Before you begin preparing for the USMLE Step 1, you should consider where you are with your knowledge base and ... Read more
Elsevier
Updated June 26, 2022 by Elsevier
Do you know of a colleague who is extremely good at their job, yet cannot pass the professional exams required to ascend the career ladder? Or an exceptionally bright friend – who seems to fall ... Read more
OUPBlog
Updated June 26, 2022 by OUPBlog
Physiology is different! If you’re in the midst of learning physiology, either in a traditional or systems course, you’ve noticed that it feels different from biochemistry and anatomy. There are several reasons. First, the stakes are ... Read more
Elsevier
Updated June 26, 2022 by Elsevier
The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is one of the most well-known entrance exams in all of higher education. It is known for many things: difficulty, length, bizarre scoring systems, and the breadth of subjects ... Read more
Brent Schnipke
Updated June 26, 2022 by Brent Schnipke