Medical College Admissions Test: Sample Questions for the Writing Section

If you’re applying to medical school, the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is on your to-do list. Most applicants stress about the writing portion of the MCAT, but it’s necessary to win admission to medical school. So how do you prepare an MCAT essay and gain admission to medical school? Examine a thesis, the antithesis, and attempt to create a synthesis between the two. See how this process works with this sample MCAT prompt:

Sample Question:
An understanding of the past is necessary for solving the problems of the present.
Explain what you think the above statement means. Describe a specific situation in which solving a current problem may not require an understanding of the past. Discuss what you think determines whether or not the past should be considered in solving the problems of the present.

Thesis
Your first task will be to fully explain the meaning of the statement, not simply paraphrase or restate it.

Reading an opening such as “Often we find we must look to the past to find solutions to conflicts we experience in the present day . . .” will certainly make the grader cringe. Explore the