The 2018 MCAT calendar and testing locations are now available online. Registration for the first half of the 2018 testing year (January – June) will open late October; AAMC will announce the date in the coming weeks. Follow them on Twitter @AAMC_MCAT for regular updates and announcements.

In the AAMC’s continuing efforts to improve the MCAT exam and the testing experience for students, they recently reviewed their test administration services. The review was part of the AAMC’s due diligence for students, the pre-health community, and medical school admissions officers. After a competitive proposal process and comprehensive review of the companies that bid, the AAMC selected Pearson VUE to administer the MCAT exam in its Pearson-owned Professional Centers beginning in 2018.

This transition in test administration providers will, of course, bring changes in testing locations. The full list of 2018 centers can be found here. For the vast majority of students, these centers are in convenient locations. But, unfortunately, a small number of students will need to travel farther to test in 2018 than they did last year.

Many of these gaps are in remote locations that were previously served by university-based centers. Newer technical capabilities being used to administer the MCAT exam in Pearson-owned centers are not available at other sites. To ensure a smooth transition in 2018 and to provide a consistent testing experience for students, AAMC will not be administering the MCAT exam at university-based or other third-party sites next year.

The AAMC is deeply committed to the needs of students with disadvantages. Though it doesn’t cover travel costs, the AAMC’s Fee Assistance Program covers the cost of MCAT practice materials, the Medical School Admission Requirements, and up to 16 medical school applications. Additionally, it significantly reduces registration fees for the exam. Information about the Fee Assistance Program is available on the AAMC’s website.