For 800 unlucky students on Jan. 27, the Medical College Admissions Test proved a test of nerves rather than a test of knowledge.
A testing error in the most recent MCAT examination - which was also the first computerized version of the exam - left test-takers confused and has students now concerned about the validity of the new system.
In the verbal-reasoning section of the exam, students taking the test read a passage on robotic fish but then had to answer questions about songbirds.
The 800 students will have the chance to cancel their scores and get a full refund, or receive a score that doesn't include the erroneous section, said Robert Jones, senior vice president of the Association of American Medical Colleges, the organization that administers the MCAT.
Jones added that technological issues did not cause the mistake.
"An error like this occurred in 1998," he said. "We have an elaborate system for proofreading. This one was staring us in the face, and we missed it."
But the testing errors may have broader implications for students and administrators concerned that switching to a new system will do more harm than good.
Brown University senior Daniel Sonshine, who was one of the students affected by the error, said he has lost faith in the computerized version of the test.
"I like taking notes on my exam. I like the physical engagement with the exam," he wrote in an e-mail. "Although the computer-based exam increases the number of opportunities to take the test and the efficiency of test conduction, I don't think the increase is significant enough to warrant a change from the paper and pencil exam."
The AAMC had to overcome numerous technological issues, such as incompatibility between programs and the possibility of computer crashes, before switching to a computerized version of the test, Jones said.
MCAT's transition to a computerized test represents a larger trend in standardized testing, Penn Career Services Associate Director Peter Stokes said.
Administrators "can process and get grades quicker," he said. "There was a time when more of these tests were pencil and paper."
The computerized version of the MCAT reduces exam time by over two hours and allows the AAMC to offer the test more often.
"From a standpoint of convenience, it's great," said third-year Medical student Judah Greenberg. "When I took [the MCATs], they only offered the exam during April and October."
And while the error may have proved frightening for students, College freshman Jonathan Sotosky, who plans to take the test after his junior year, said he's not worried.
"There are always bugs with new systems," he said. "I have a while until I take it, and they'll probably get the problems ironed out by then."
The MCAT was administered solely in its computer form for the first time on both Jan. 27 and 29 to over 4,000 students at roughly 628 testing sites.
