Like all timed writing, tackling the Writing Sample section of the MCAT is matter of preparation, including knowing the format of the test, what constitutes a strong response, and how to manage your time well. Use the guidelines below to help you approach this particular context for writing.

The MCAT is the Medical College Admission Test. Everyone applying to a medical school in the United States must take this test as part of entrance requirements.

The MCAT is composed of four sections: Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences, and the Writing Sample.

About the Writing Section

You have a total of 60 minutes to respond to two prompts in essay format. The prompts include a topic sentence (printed in bold) and then directions for completing the essay. The first line for all prompts is a general instruction that states, "Write a unified essay in which you perform the following tasks." The responses required of you are three-fold. The first step for every essay is to "Explain what you think the above statement means." The second and third requirements are described with each topic sentence.

The directions typically follow the pattern of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. One of the graded requirements concerns you completing all three of these tasks. You can respond to each task in any order, but you must address each area. For the thesis portion, approach the statement from a specific stance to show you can both interpret its meaning and support your perspective. In the antithesis, examine examples contrary to your thesis--that is, you would entertain a differing interpretation of the prompt. The graders of these essays expect to see concrete examples and solid detail. In the third section, reconcile your thesis with the contradiction of your antithesis. This involves bringing some kind of larger insight to the prompt's meaning.

The topics are from general interest categories and do not deal with ideas from the other test sections, the field of medicine, religion, your reasons for choosing medical school, or other emotionally charged issues.

This part of the test is designed to assess skill in the following areas:

• developing a central focus
• synthesizing concepts and ideas
• presenting ideas cohesively and logically
• writing clearly
• following accepted practices of grammar, syntax, and punctuation consistent with timed, first-draft composition.

The writing portion is graded holistically--meaning it is given one grade based on the whole essay as opposed to several grades on each component.

Essays are rated on effectiveness, clarity, and cohesiveness. Because of the time constraints, some mistakes are expected. Minor grammatical errors will not prevent a solid rating. Separate readers grade your first and second essays based on a 6-point scale (with 6 being the highest score). The two numerical scores for each essay are combined into a letter score ranging from J (lowest) to T (highest).

School policies may differ so you may find that some schools will put less emphasis on the Writing Sample Score. Check the program requirements of the schools you're interested in to be sure.

Like any timed essay, the MCAT Writing Sample calls on certain writing strategies. First, you should take a few minutes to organize your ideas. Making a short outline so that you can stay on task as you are writing is a good idea. Check out the UWC's handout for writing exams for more tips.

Essentially, this essay should be a critical argument. You'll be taking an analytical position on the writing prompt, and exploring reasons for your perspective. In this respect, the UWC's handouts about writing arguments can be helpful.

The essay differs somewhat in that after putting forth a viewpoint about the prompt, you must then present the antithesis--the opposite view--in the same well-explained manner. Finally, you'll need to integrate these two pespective into some kind of higher insight. Again, the critical essay and argument UWC handouts can help.

Sample prompts: You can see an extensive list of writing prompts like those used on those on the MCAT on this website