An aspiring medical student must submit an application to each medical school he may want to attend. He must provide all medical schools with official school transcripts. Although an undergraduate student can apply, he must have completed at least three years of undergraduate school. However, most applicants have a bachelor's degree or higher. An aspiring medical student must also have completed coursework that medical school admission committees consider important, including undergraduate courses in organic chemistry, biology, physics and math. In addition, the aspiring medical student must provide the schools with letters of recommendation and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores.
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), a person considering admission into medical school should start studying for the MCAT in her third year of undergraduate studies. The MCAT is a standardized test with multiple-choice questions on verbal reasoning, biological sciences and physical sciences. Test takers must also complete a writing sample. The MCAT doesn't test medical knowledge, but instead tests skills needed to study medicine such as critical thinking, understanding of science, problem solving and writing skills. Each of the three multiple-choice sections is measured on a 15-point scale (15 is the highest possible section score). The essay is scored on a letter J to T scale. According to the Princeton Review, medical schools typically look for a combined score of at least 30 and a writing score of a P or Q.
Although medical schools set their own deadlines for the admission process, they may require an aspiring medical student to submit her application via the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). The service is only for first-time medical students and collects all required information such as transcripts, MCAT scores and letters of recommendation.
An aspiring medical student can apply to the Early Decision Program (EDP). The EDP allows a prospective student to receive a decision on whether he was admitted into the medical schools of his choice by October 1. As of 2010, approximately 79 medical schools participate in EDP, according to AAMC.