SIDEBAR: Can you say MCAT?

Responding to years of criticism that the MCAT's focus has favored science ability at the cost of humanitarian qualities, the makers will introduce a new version this spring that will devote one half of the day-long exam to probing verbal skills. Although most medical schools already stress the importance of humanitarian and verbal skills for medical school admission in their literature, the new test is expected to increase emphasis in these areas. Meanwhile, two medical schools -- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Rochester Medical School -- have for some time not required MCAT scores for application. Hopkins Medical School Dean of Admissions Norman Anderson has written widely about what he calls "the mismeasure of medical education." In addition to fears that MCAT preparation disrupts a college education, Admissions Coordinator Nancy Albert said last week that Hopkins is interested in aptitude, not the acheivement that the MCAT is designed to measure. Hopkins requires applicants only to submit scores from among a choice of common standardized tests. -- Samuel Engel

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