Final Recommendations for the 2015 MCAT Exam - AAMC's ...

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Fairness andBias3. Doesn’t a finding of differences in mean scores indicate that the MCAT is biased?No. As professional testing standards note, mean differences alone don’t permit a judgment as towhether a test is or is not biased.For example, a test of empathy that results in higher mean scores for women than men might meanthe test is biased, or it might accurately indicate that in this group of test takers women really are, onaverage, more empathetic.Thus when we observe mean differences, we need to examine whether test scores accuratelydescribe test-takers’ current level of the characteristic being assessed. The AAMC conductsextensive research to ensure that the MCAT measures the skills of interest, rather than is not biased(see FAQ #1 above).4. Does the MCAT show larger group mean group differences than other admissions tests?No. Differences on the MCAT parallel those on undergraduate, graduate, and professional schooladmissions tests. Thus there is nothing unique about the MCAT in this regard.44
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Fairness andBias5. What is the cause of the mean differences on the MCAT?Research has identified a large number of risk factors linked to lower academic achievement. Exposure tomany of these risk factors is higher for Black and Hispanic students than for White students. While thisresearch is on broad samples of the population, rather than on medical school applicants, we believe itoffers important insights.These include risk factors in various categories, including:Family (e.g., lack of parental participation at school; frequency of moving and changing schools)Environmental (e.g., lead exposure in early childhood)Neighborhood (e.g., living in high poverty neighborhoods)School (e.g., changing teachers in mid-year; fear and safety concerns at school)Thus we do not believe that there is one single determinant of the mean difference in MCAT scores acrossgroups. Rather, many factors contribute, and it is likely that we have yet to identify the full set of factors.6. Does stereotype threat bias scores on the MCAT?Many laboratory research studies show that making race or gender salient to test-takers can affect the testperformance of members of stereotyped groups.However, there is very little research examining stereotype threat in operational high-stakes testing settings.Research in such settings often does not find evidence of threat effects.We do not see evidence of systematic stereotype threat effects on the MCAT. If scores of stereotypedgroup members are lowered due to threat, then MCAT should underestimate the subsequent medical schoolperformance of students from these stereotyped groups. However, as noted in FAQ#1, MCAT researchdoes not find such underestimation.45
Page 3: Why did we review the MCAT exam?•
Page 7 and 8: What are the next steps?• Preview
Page 9 and 10: What are our goals for the 2015MCAT
Page 11 and 12: 11What are our recommendationsabout
Page 13 and 14: Preserve what’s best:• Two natu
Page 15 and 16: Preserve what’s best:• Question
Page 17 and 18: Eliminate what’s not:• Drop the
Page 19 and 20: Enrich the exam:The new section wil
Page 21 and 22: Additionally, we recommend:• Intr
Page 23 and 24: Resources for admission officers:
Page 25 and 26: Financial support for examinees:•
Page 27 and 28: Resources for advisors and otherfac
Page 29 and 30: Resources for advisors and otherfac
Page 31 and 32: Go beyond the MCAT exam to:Investig
Page 33 and 34: 33What are the reasons for ourrecom
Page 35 and 36: What are the reasons for ourrecomme
Page 37 and 38: MR5 Committee MembersSteven G. Gabb
Page 39 and 40: Innovation Lab Working Group Member
Page 41 and 42: Includes 4 test sections and report
Page 43: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) A
Page 47: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) A

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