TESTS |
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Dental applicants take a computerized DAT at a Sylvan Testing Center. Though the computerized DAT can be taken at the student's convenience, it is recommended that applicants take the DAT in the spring of their junior year (or the spring of the senior year if you plan to take a year off after graduation). Click here for a statement regarding the timing of the DAT. |
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Computerized MCAT Exam Registration and Scheduling*June is the latest applicant test date for utilizing the UNH Committee review and letter. Online registration for each of the 22 testing dates will usually open six months before a scheduled test date. Thomson Prometric will reserve seats for MCAT examinees until 60 days before each testing date. Typically, if registration is completed 60 or more days prior to the exam date, an examinee is guaranteed a seat at a site within 100 miles of their requested site. However, there is no assurance for an examinee who registers less than 60 days prior to the exam. Early registration is encouraged to guarantee a test site in your desired city. |
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The Optometry Admission Test (OAT) is offered in a computerized format. Testing is available year round. Scores are received immediately after completion of the test. Schools receive official scores within two weeks. It is recommended that applicants take the OAT no later than the end of June of their junior year (or their senior year if they plan to take a year off after graduation) |
*There are additional MCAT exams offered through September but these exams are generally used as a makeup exam for students who score poorly on an earlier exam. It is not advisable to wait until August to take the MCAT for the first time. In addition it will be difficult to make informed medical school selections on the AMCAS application with out an MCAT score. Examinees may take the MCAT a maximum of three times per year, but can only register for one exam at a time.
MCAT
Fee Assistance Program (FAP) for MCAT
and AAMC:
The
AAMC Fee Assistance Program (FAP) was created to assist
MCAT® examinees and AMCAS; applicants who, without financial
assistance, would be unable to take the MCAT or apply to AMCAS-participating
schools.
AACOM Fee Assistance: The FAP application must be completed before submitting the AACOM application. Once at the site, click on “Before Applying”
DAT
None for the exam but available for the AADSAS application.
The Fee Reduction Program Application Form will be available on the AADSAS website starting May. However, it is mandatory that an applicant to the program first complete their AADSAS Application and pay the application processing fee. FRP Applications will not be accepted, considered, or reviewed until after the pre-requisite has been met.
Fee Waivers: Computer Test
Partial fee waivers for the computerized OAT are available to
examinees in cases of severe financial hardship. The waiver is
50% of test fees and includes the fee for the test and the five
official transcript reports. There is the customary charge for
all transcripts beyond five.
Fee waivers must be requested in writing by the examinee. A financial information form will be provided to the examinee. This financial information form should be completed and submitted with the application and pre-optometry advisor's letter at least two months before the testing date. The Optometry Admission Testing Program will review all fee waiver requests. The Optometry Admission Testing Program will make the final decision regarding the fee waiver.
Please note that only a very limited number of fee waivers are available. Fee waivers are granted on a first-come basis to eligible examinees that have submitted their request with a completed OAT application, completed fee waiver financial information form and letter from their pre-optometry advisor. Examinees who have previously received a fee waiver or who have taken the OAT before are not eligible for a fee waiver.
Testing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
The web pages below provide information about the process for
requesting accommodations. Be sure to read the information carefully.
Start the process early. Extensive documentation is required and
it may take a very long time to go through the approval process.
Do not assume that documentation you have provided to the ACCESS
office (http://www.unh.edu/access/) will be enough. You may be
asked for more current documentation. You must show that your disability
substantially impacts your ability to take the test and the accommodation
is directly related to the disability.
MCAT: Medical College Admissions Test : Examinees with Disabilities
DAT: Dental Admission Test Click on the DAT Examinee Guide and got to Special Accommodations Examinee
OAT: Optometry Admissions Test
Exam Preparation
There are also numerous commercial prep businesses such
as Kaplan, Princeton
Review, Examkrackers ,Scholarware and
CLEaRS for MCAT,CrackDAT, Study Guide Zone: MCAT, Dr. Flowers MCAT, www.MCAT-prep.com . In addition there is a lot of free on-line advice
and help. Just take a look at MCAT Pearls (http://www.mcatpearls.com/
) or Student
Doctor Network You can purchase study materials and practice
exams without taking a course. Organize a study strategy that will
extend over a period of at least four months and include significant
study time each week. In addition to content knowledge, it is essential
that you are familiar with the types of exam questions asked and
the time requirements of each segment. When taking a practice test,
try to replicate an actual testing environment as closely as possible.
Remember: as you set up your study schedule, if you were to take
a commercial prep course you would have around 100 hours of classroom
and testing time over a period of 3 months, not including out of
class study time.
Click here to see the American Association of Medical Colleges' position on commercial review courses.
Self-Study Resources:
Start studying early - fall semester. Don’t
wait until spring.
Official test prep materials and practice tests are available
from MCAT, DAT, OAT etc. Your first stop should be the official
test prep material from these organizations. (Check their web sites)
MCAT
The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized,
multiple-choice examination designed to assess problem solving,
critical thinking, and writing skills in addition to the examinee's
knowledge of science concepts and principles prerequisite to the
study of medicine. Scores are reported in each of the following
areas: Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, Writing Sample, and
Biological Sciences. Medical college admission committees consider
MCAT scores as part of their admission decision process.
It is available as either a written or computerized test for 2006. In 2007 it will only be offered as a computer test.
From MCAT Essentials:
Your preparation for the MCAT exam should begin with
a careful review of the information on the MCAT website, and in
the MCAT Student Manual, also available on the website. Note the
reasoning, writing, and problem-solving skills assessed by the
MCAT exam and the science topics covered on the test. Particularly
in the sciences, you should review relevant course outlines, notes,
and textbooks. After you have covered the material online and reviewed
course materials, you should take one or more of the official MCAT
Practice Tests in order to help determine the areas in which you
may need further study. When taking a practice test, try to replicate
an actual testing environment as closely as possible. Minimize
distractions, time yourself, and take the sections in their standard
order (Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning, Writing Sample, and
Biological Sciences).
Official MCAT Practice Tests are comprised of items that were developed exclusively for the MCAT and are currently available for purchase from the AAMC. Using the provided raw-to-scaled score conversion tables, candidates can estimate their likely MCAT exam score, plus or minus one scaled score. A free online practice test is available online at www.e-mcat.com. This practice test provides optional interactive feedback that can be turned on/off by the examinee, automated scoring, and a sophisticated diagnostic summary report across content areas. It also permits candidates to select an entire examination or a section only, and to customize their item selection by content area, type of skill, type of reading passage, or item difficulty. Web and paper tests are available from MCAT.
Check out “Top 10 FAQs About MCAT Practice Tests...”
There are four examinations included in the Dental Admission Testing Program: Survey of the Natural Sciences, Perceptual Ability, Reading Comprehension, and Quantitative Reasoning. The examinations are comprised exclusively of multiple choice test items presented in the English language. Each edition of an examination is developed according to the examination outline. The entire program requires just over one half day for administration.
A tutorial is available that will familiarize the DAT candidate with the mechanics of taking the DAT on computer. The tutorial does NOT include sample DAT content, but it does provide the opportunity to become familiar with the basic steps involved in proceeding through the test. The tutorial requires Microsoft Windows 95. Tutorials can be obtained by ordering a copy. To order a copy on diskette or CD, the candidate should write a letter, include a money order for $15, and address the letter to:
DAT Tutorial
Department of Testing Services
211 East Chicago Avenue
Suite 1846
Chicago , IL 60611
Another resource for students to practice perceptual ability testing is:
Mechanical Aptitude and Spatial Relations Tests, 3rd
Ed. 1996
by Joan U. Levy, Ph.D. and Normal Levy, Ph.D., published
by ARCO, a division of Simon and Shuster obtained through Macmillan
General Reference; A Simon and Shuster Macmillan Company; 1633
Broadway; New York, NY 10019-6785. ISBN # 0-02-860600-0.
The Optometry Admission Test (OAT) is a standardized examination designed to measure general academic ability and comprehension of scientific information. The OAT is sponsored by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) for applicants seeking admission to an optometry program. All schools and colleges of optometry in the United States , and the University of Waterloo, Canada require the OAT.
The computerized OAT is a multiple-choice format and includes: Survey of Natural Sciences, Reading Comprehension, Physics, and Quantitative Reasoning tests.
You can request a free OAT candidate guide information booklet and a test application form by contacting the Optometric Admission Testing Program, 211 East Chicago Avenue , 6th Floor, Chicago , IL 60611-2678 , (800)232-2159. Only the printed edition of the OAT Candidate Guide contains samples of the four tests used in the Optometry Admission Testing Program.
