Concept of the diversity of people associated with different brains for MCAT accommodations.

Here are five important things to remember when applying for MCAT accommodations:

  1. Accommodations can be made for learning differences, physical needs, or both.
  2. Make sure to allow several weeks for the process.
  3. You will need to provide documentation.
  4. You cannot register for the MCAT until a decision has been made on your application.
  5. Preparation and practice will be different and need to align with your accommodations.

Types of MCAT Accommodations

  1. Time and a half for each section of the MCAT: even if you have received additional time for other tests or academic evaluations, it is extremely difficult to get for the MCAT. If you are granted time and a half, your test will be given over the course of two days.
  2. Additional break time: this is often given as a pool of time that students allocate as needed in the sections of their choice.
  3. Assistive technology: this includes audio interpretation of written text.
  4. Admittance of service animals: service animals would need to support physical concerns such as vision loss or seizures as opposed to being an emotional support animal.

Documentation

If you have received accommodations for a learning difference in high school and/or college, you’ll need to provide documentation describing those accommodations.

If you received accommodations in high school but let them lapse in college, it is still worth applying, but it is typically very challenging to have them reinstated for the MCAT.

  • You will need to provide neuropsychological evaluation documentation that is no more than three years old.
  • You can be privately evaluated; let your evaluator know that it is specifically to meet AAMC regulations.
  • You may also be evaluated by the psychology department of your current university (or another in your area). Psychology graduate students need to practice administering these evaluations. This can be a time-consuming process, however, because your results would first be reviewed by the department before being delivered to you.
  • Documentation for physical needs can be obtained through your medical team.

Registering for the MCAT

Once your accommodations are approved, you can select your MCAT location and date. The dates for accommodations are in a similar time span as standard MCAT dates, but often differ by a week or so. You will not know your exact test dates until this process is completed.

Preparation using Accommodations

  1. Timing

    A core principle of MCAT strategy is efficient, effective use of time.

    • Identify how much time you have for each passage. In a standard scenario, CARS passages should take roughly 10 minutes and science passages should take roughly 7.
    • Calculate how much time you would have with a time and a half accommodation: this would be 15 minutes for a CARS passage and about 11 minutes for a science passage.
    • Use practice materials to work your way down to these time limits. Until your accommodations are approved, be sure to practice using the standard timing expectations. If you wind up with additional time, it will be easier to use more of it than it will be to work faster.

  2. Practice

    If your accommodations are granted, take all practice MCAT exams under those conditions, including timing, breaks, and number of testing days. It is important that your practice matches your testing.

    For example, if your test will now be taken over two days, you will need to set aside that time for each full practice test. If you are allocated an additional pool of break time to draw on, try out different ways of taking that time to see what works for you.

    • Do you find that you need regular, shorter breaks throughout the section? Consider taking break time after completing chunks of three passages.
    • Do you find that you need a longer break taken later in a section? See how far you can get in a section before taking that break.

  3. Studying

    If you are someone with a learning difference, you have likely already had to put real effort into figuring out the study methods that work best for you. You will want to draw on all of that hard- won experience to facilitate your MCAT learning.

    • Is it easier for you to learn through listening than reading? Try to find audiobooks or free text-to-speech apps that can read material to you.
    • Need to memorize high-yield content but flash cards don’t work for you? You might benefit from repetitious writing, having someone else quiz you, or recording the content and listening to it.
    • Have you thought about creating a study group , either virtual or in-person? If you know anyone else who has similar learning differences, you may find more support by learning with those who think like you do.
    • Lean into what works well for you, even if others don’t seem to understand why you need to study that way.

    A final note: the MCAT is given using an external mouse. If you are someone who always uses a trackpad, borrow or buy an external mouse and use it for all of your MCAT practice. This applies for all test takers, accommodations or not!