Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is the umbrella organization that administers the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS®) and the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).
The AAMC represents all 131 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; approximately 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and nearly 90 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 125,000 faculty members, 75,000 medical students, and 106,000 resident physicians.
For a list of the U.S. and Canadian medical schools that confer M.D degrees, click here.
AMCAS
The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS®) is a non-profit, centralized application processing service for applicants to the first-year entering classes at participating U.S. medical schools. Most medical schools use AMCAS as the primary application method.
Regardless of the number of AMCAS schools to which you apply, you submit just one application to AMCAS via the Web. AMCAS assembles your application file, verifies it and forwards the application to your designated medical schools. AMCAS also sends your MCAT scores for tests taken since April 1991, provided you have released them to AMCAS.
Applications for the 2013 Entering Class: The AMCAS 2013 Application is not yet available. Typically, the on-line application is made available to students May 1.
Applicants to medical schools that do not participate in AMCAS should contact schools directly for application instructions. You should also contact schools directly for application information regarding joint or special programs, such as M.D./Ph.D.
MCAT
The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized, multiple-choice examination designed to assess the examinee's problem solving, critical thinking, writing skills, and knowledge of science concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of medicine. Scores are reported in Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, Writing Sample, and Biological Sciences. Medical colleges consider MCAT exam scores as part of their admission process.
Almost all U.S. medical schools require applicants to submit MCAT exam scores. Many schools do not accept MCAT exam scores that are more than three years old.
The MCAT exam is administered multiple times from late January through early September, and offered at hundreds of test sites in the United States, Canada, and around the world.
The MCAT website has all the official information you need about the MCAT exam, including practice exams. You can even take a free practice exam.