MCAT Preparatory Course Policy

The Combined BA/MD Degree Program requires that all students complete a Kaplan MCAT preparatory course during the Spring or Summer of their 3rd year in the Program. The purpose of the MCAT prep course is to both assist in preparing students for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in content review and standardized test taking strategy. The MCAT prep course also provides valuable help in preparing for standardized tests, principally the MCAT, but these strategies will also be useful for Step 1 and Step 2 in medical school. As such, the Program requires that all students take the class. All students are required to register, via the BA/MD advisors, to take a MCAT prep course by November 1^st  of their junior year.

For these reasons the Program requires students to choose from either a regular “on‐site” Kaplan MCAT prep course offered in the Spring or the “BA/MD” Kaplan MCAT prep course which is offered during the summer (May and June). Of these two options, the Program recommends the Summer option for two reasons:

• • The student will not be trying to manage a full course load with an intensive preparatory course.
  • Students will then have completed all SOM admission pre‐med course pre‐requisites.

However, to allow for curriculum flexibility, if the spring course is chosen, students must have completed or be concurrently enrolled in all SOM admission pre‐med course pre‐requisites. If the summer course is chosen, students must have completed all SOM admission pre‐med course pre‐requisites.

Students must attend all Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) preparatory classes and practice exams, with no more than two absences for any reason. Any missed classes and/or exams should be made up. Students are required to complete the assigned homework online each week. The course is paid for by the BA/MD Program. The BA/MD Program will only pay for one MCAT preparatory course. If a student does not complete (attend all classes, complete all readings, quizzes and practice exams, etc.) the prep course, they will receive a professionalism violation and be responsible for repaying the cost of the prep course to the Program unless they have achieved a score equal to the most recent available average matriculant score of the UNM School of Medicine.

MCAT Preparatory course policy regarding petitioning out:

The deadline to sign up for the MCAT preparatory course is November 1^st of the junior year. Students may not petition to place out of the MCAT prep course earlier than their junior year.

Students may petition to place out of the MCAT prep course if they have achieved a score equal to the most recent available average matriculant score of the UNM School of Medicine by November 1^st of their junior year.

MCAT Testing and Score Policy:

The BA/MD Program follows the testing cycle policy of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) who administers the MCAT.  The policy allows students to take the MCAT up to 3 times per annual testing cycle, 4 times in two consecutive years, and 7 times in a lifetime.

Students must earn a score on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) consistent with the minimum acceptable threshold for admission into the MD Program at the UNM School of Medicine in their seventh regular semester (fall semester of fourth/final undergraduate academic year) due by October 15th.

Be advised that a student taking the MCAT early (before the minimum acceptable threshold is set for the year of their admission) will still need to meet the new minimum acceptable threshold for that year.

Upon completion of their eighth regular semester in the Program, students who fail to earn a score on the MCAT consistent with the minimum acceptable threshold for admission to UNM SOM will be released from the Program.