The Medical College Admission Test is a five-hour, computerized, multiple-choice test taken before entering medical school. The MCAT includes components of critical thinking, biology, physical science and verbal and writing skills.
Medical school takes four years or longer. Students begin medical school training in book work and laboratories for the first two years. They then progress to clinicals, and they train under an experienced physician. The final years include residency and licensing.
The residency period is the student's internship, during which she is assigned to a hospital and given special duties while working with patients. The entire residency is based on practical "hands-on" training, in which the medical student applies what she learned through her studies and clinicals.
The student must pass the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination and satisfactorily complete the residency before becoming a licensed physician.