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Abstract

The Association of American Medical Colleges is examining the desirability and feasibility of including an essay on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). This endeavor calls for administration of a trial essay with the 1985 through 1987 MCAT examinations. Research reported in this paper considered the construct validity of the essay and its effect on the measurement domain tapped by the operational MCAT. The objective was to examine the factor structure of the MCAT and pilot essay and compare it to structures observed for previous MCAT versions and examinee groups. Factor analyses of data for 2,876 Spring 1985 examinees yielded two factors: 1. a science/quantitative factor defined by the science tests and Skills Analysis: Quantitative, and 2. an analysis/communication factor including the two Skills Analysis exams and pilot essay. The addition of the essay caused the non-science factor observed in previous MCAT research to be more strongly defined. Factor analyses of data for male, female, black, white, Hispanic, and Asian examinees supported the invariance of factor content across samples.

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References

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Factor Structure of the MCAT and Pilot Essay

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