Lawmakers send a letter to AAMC questioning in-person MCAT testing

Leading members of Congress are now questioning the Association of American Medical Colleges' stance on mandated in-person MCAT testing this year. As I shared earlier this summer, Students for Ethical Admissions, has been calling for the AAMC to reconsider in-person MCAT testing due to the pandemic. At least 11 students tested positive for Covid-19 after going to an MCAT testing center, SEA tells me, and others have complained of poor safety measures, including inconsistent enforcement of mask requirements. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent AAMC a letter asking about safety protocols for students taking the nearly eight-hour-long test, the process for responding to complaints, and about offering an at-home MCAT test like other standardized tests have opted to do. In response, AAMC tells me that it believes the safety protocols it has put in place "minimize risk for examinees and are consistent with current public health guidance," and that the organization will respond to the lawmakers by the Sept. 15 deadline mentioned in the letter.