MCAT Writing Sample - Not Something to Take Lightly

The MCAT Writing Sample required on the MCAT exam is not terribly hard, yet is not something that you want to completely blow off.

There actually two samples that you write based on the prompt that you will receive on your MCAT test day.

This portion of the MCAT exam is designed to assess your analytical and reasoning ability. Be prepared to provide a writing sample based on a prompt or broad area in areas such as:

Political science
History
Arts
Ethics

You won't need outside knowledge of the topic you will be asked to write about in-order to generate high MCAT scoring. You simply need to be able to think critically and show a capacity for intellectual organization. These are the two areas you will be judged on in the Writing Sample portion of the Medical College Admissions Test.

MCAT Writing Directions

You will be asked to write two essays with an allotment of 30 minutes to complete each writing sample. To beat the average MCAT score you need to complete three specific tasks.

The first task: Explain what you think the above statement means.

The second and third tasks will vary from prompt to prompt but generally follow a similar pattern: describe a situation which contradicts the statement and determine a resolution to this inherent contradiction.

Writing Strategies

Brainstorm and Outline: take about five minutes to brainstorm how you will respond to all parts of the prompt before beginning any writing. This will allow you to craft a coherent and unified MCAT writing sample.

Complete the tasks in the order they are presented.

Use transitional words, phrases, and sentences between paragraphs. This helps the reader make sense of your essay and determine the sequence of your essay.

Only use sentence constructions and words which you are comfortable. You are allowed to make a few minor grammatical and spelling errors, but don't make unnecessary ones by trying to write in a manner which you are not familiar. Additionally, if you cannot spell a word choose a simpler one you can spell.

Take three minutes at the end to read over your MCAT writing sample checking for grammatical and spelling errors, you will not have enough time to rewrite a paragraph.

The Writing Samples should not add undue stress to your MCAT preparation.

Follow the directions and be serious and you should do fine. Please remember you cannot prepare for the specific content which you will be asked to write on test day.

Have Confidence in Your Writing Skills

As a Political Science major during undergrad I have done my fair share of writing so completing the MCAT Writing Sample really was not a challenge for me. But enough about me, you're here so you can excel on the samples too.

If you have a fear about completing a MCAT question under timed conditions without knowing the topic I am going to show you what you can accomplish.

To ease your nerves I am posting what I was able to do on a full-length MCAT practice test under real testing conditions. To answer your unspoken question...Â…

Yes, I spent many Saturday mornings and well into the afternoon taking a MCAT exam because this is the only way you can get good MCAT scores.

Here are my actual writing samples which were: