AAMC has published its summary report of the Post-MCAT Questionnaire (PMQ), a survey that collects information from MCAT test-takers in order to help med schools and medical educators better understand their prospective students. Here are some highlights from the PMQ, from questionnaires filled out in 2013-2014.
• There were 40,820 PMQ respondents in 2013 and 37,677 respondents in 2014.
• In both years, the most commonly reported native/functionally native/advanced proficiency language other than English was Spanish (29.7% in 2013 and 30.3% in 2014). This is followed by Chinese (11.7% both years), French (10.9% in 2013 and 10.3% in 2014), Hindi (6.5% in 2013 and 7.1% in 2014), and then Arabic (5.7% in 2013 and 5.9% in 2014).
• Just under one-third of respondents (30.2% in 2013 and 31.3% in 2014) reported that they had decided to study medicine during high school or before college.
• More than one-half of respondents (54.7% in 2013 and 56.5% in 2014) were taking college courses at the time that they took the MCAT.
• Most respondents (93.0% in 2013 and 93.3% in 2014) were full-time students while undergraduates.
• More than two-thirds of respondents (71.5% in 2013 and 70.3% in 2014) said they had used an MCAT prep book (hard copy) to prep for the MCAT. In both years, 42.1% of respondents who had used an MCAT prep book said that it was “Very useful.”
• Nearly half of respondents (46.3% in 2013 and 47.4% in 2014) indicated that no one helped them prepare for the MCAT.
• 85% of respondents in 2014 and 85.1% in 2013 reported that they were “Very likely” to apply to an MD-granting medical school.
• In both years, “Finding a medical school where I will feel comfortable” was most often cited as the thing that would encourage applicants to apply to med school. “Grades, MCAT scores, and other academic qualifications” was the most commonly cited concern that would discourage respondents from applying to med school.
• 56.2% in 2013 and 56.4% in 2014 reported having no college/pre-med debt.
• For those who reported undergraduate loan debt, $25,000 was the median education debt in 2013 and 2014.
See the full PMQ report for more details.
Related Resources:
• The New MCAT: What’s Hype, What’s Real, and What You Can Do Today
• First Scores From The New MCAT
• What You Need To Know About The New MCAT