ATTN:
Association of American Medical Colleges
AAMC Board of Directors (Chair: Joseph Kerschner, M.D.)
AAMC Member Institutions
CC:
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
Texas Health Education Service

We are a concerned group of premedical students writing today to request that the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) consider the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) canceled for the 2020 testing year, and that no MCAT scores be transmitted for any applicant to the medical school class of 2025 (members of the 2021 application cycle).

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique set of challenges that has worsened the disparities already present in the medical school admissions process. While we recognize that the AAMC was at no fault for the emergence of a novel coronavirus that spread in an unprecedented manner, they are responsible for the creation of a cohort of physicians, scientists, and physician-scientists who can help lead us through similar public health crises in the future.

However, instead of accommodating for the changes and dangers present in applicant’s lives, the AAMC elected to shorten the MCAT exam (which, as a result, allows applicants less time per question), removing the lunch break, and removing the tutorial period (which is used for students to write down formulas they will need on the exam). In addition, they required students to log into their rescheduling student from 6 am-noon EST on May 7, 2020, only to have their system crash. At 2:30 pm, when the system did reopen, a wait of up to 12 hours quickly formed. Students, some of whom had woken up at 3 am local time to register, spent their entire day attempting to register for an exam that could determine their career, only to find that there were no seats left in their immediate area. Therefore, they had to register for exams several hours from their homes, effectively negating social distancing and shelter in place orders. The number of examinees affected by this will continue to grow, as students with approved accommodations were told that they will not get to select a date and time until at least Monday, May 11, 2020, after the non-disabled students. It is inevitable that these students, many of whom are receiving accommodations due to a disability that results in an immunocompromised state to travel.

We are additionally concerned about the following factors affecting this year's MCAT exam and admissions cycle:

• The assertion that the exam was standardized because examinees had “about” the same amount of time per question, despite it not being the same, the exam is offered at non-working hours, and the removal of significant portions of break and seat time
• The AAMC’s unwillingness to release a free practice test that meets the same time constraints as the new exam
• The financial difficulties students faced from COVID-19 being exacerbated by a day spent off work to register for the MCAT, purchase new practice materials, and travel to the exam site
• The close quarters present in testing centers that will make disease transmission highly likely
• Financial challenges placed on students by universities and jobs closing for the remainder of the school year and into the fall
• Difficulty obtaining letters of recommendation and transcripts due to the closure of universities
• Uncertainty regarding when students may take the exam, as opening protocols vary immensely at the state and local levels
• The inability for students with disabilities to register for their exam online, as non-disabled students could, leaving them with the final choice of available dates and times
• Students having to travel to take exams, despite even the AAMC saying that it will likely be unsafe for interview travel this fall

We recognize that an admissions cycle without an MCAT may feel unfair to those who have already tested. However, the events of the last 5 months have been unprecedented, and requiring students to take an exam that could endanger their health and wellbeing is equally inequitable.

This has been a difficult period for us all. We, the members of the class of 2025, respectfully ask the Association of American Medical Colleges to cancel all MCAT exams for the remainder of 2020 and to refrain from the transmission of any MCAT scores in the 2021 admissions cycle. 

Sincerely,
The Students of the 2021 Admissions Cycle

Contact information:
Twitter: @StudentsPremed
premedstudents2021@gmail.com