![]() 7 However, the MCAT is designed to test foundational science knowledge rather than merely English proficiency. For instance, one study showed that non-native English speakers scored significantly lower than native English speakers, particularly in the verbal reasoning section in the previous version of MCAT. The MCAT is administrated only in English, and it is thus likely that English proficiency could affect MCAT performance to a large extent. Especially, we tested how the predictive value of practice exams was compared to students’ level of English proficiency. To further test the effectiveness of this practice-based curriculum, the current study investigated whether the performance of full-length practice exams could predict performance in the new MCAT exam. ![]() At least students would have fewer distracting thoughts about the testing environment and concerns about the testing time during the test day. We believed that doing the practice exams in similar testing conditions would help the students get used to the required environment, which would help minimize test anxiety. Students were also required to complete the 7.5-hour exam in one session and take scheduled breaks outlined by the AAMC. For example, students completed the exams at workstations with the option to use noise earplugs and/or headsets to assist noise reduction. 4 Furthermore, all the full-length practice exams were administered in conditions that were similar to those on the test day. However, cognitive psychological studies provided converging evidence suggesting that retrieval practice, which usually occurred during exams, could enhance learning even better than rereading materials. 4, 5 Traditionally, exams were only considered as a means to evaluate the outcome of learning. This curriculum is well supported by the advances of psychological studies on learning in the past two decades. The PMB program provides intensive training with formal lectures and review sessions on all 4 sections of the MCAT exam, and requires that students complete a minimum number of full-length practice exams, which were administered by its partner Kaplan, Inc. To bridge the gap between the preparedness of students and the new requirements of KU’s MD program, this institution developed a post-baccalaureate premedical program called the Pre-Medicine Bridge Program (PMB). However, to pursue their goal to become a physician through KU, they had to prepare for the MCAT in a short period. Most students in this region do not prepare for this test during their undergraduate studies. Second, the MD in KU is the first US-style medical program in the UAE that requires the MCAT. 4 First, most of them are not native English speakers. These challenges could be even more difficult for students in the UAE to overcome who are presumably less prepared for MCAT in their undergraduate education, as compared to their North American peers. With a longer testing duration, the score is more likely to be affected by non-cognitive factors such as tiredness, stress, and anxiety. Not only are there more subjects to review before the exam, but the testing duration was almost doubled, from 200 minutes for the previous version of MCAT to 375 minutes for the new version of MCAT. 3 These changes bring new challenges for examinees. In April 2015, the AAMC launched a new version of the MCAT, which incorporates even more natural and social science subjects such as biochemistry, psychology, and sociology. ![]() ![]() 2 There have been several versions of this exam since then. To do so, it has been designed to include a wide range of questions since the very beginning when the MCAT was administered in the 1920s. The MCAT aims to measure readiness for medical school. KU’s premedical post-baccalaureate was instituted 1 year earlier to the launch of the MD program to prepare students for the MCAT exam and potential entry into the inaugural MD class of 2019. An admissible MCAT score is thus required to enter KU’s Doctor of Medicine (MD) program for students in this region. In 2019, Khalifa University of Science and Technology (KU) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) took the initiative to introduce US-style medical education in the nation by establishing the College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS). It has been widely used as one of the requirements for medical school admission in North America, as well as many other countries. The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized, multiple-choice examination administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). ![]()
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