The MCAT, the standardized test that students take to get into medical school, is getting an overhaul. The next version of the test should focus less on testing just for students’ scientific knowledge and instead emphasize their critical analysis and reasoning, according to preliminary recommendations released today by the Association of American Medical Colleges, the group that administers the MCAT. The AAMC recommends that the new science sections of the test include more biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology, areas in which research has exploded since 1990, the last time the MCAT received a complete review. But in addition, the test should assess other aspects of learning that are usually taught as part of a broader liberal arts education, such as ethics, philosophy, psychology and cultural studies. The recommended changes to the MCAT reflect the broader goal to come up with a more holistic way to assess medical school applicants, according to Steven Gabbe , chair of the

MCAT advisory committee and CEO of the Ohio State University Medical Center. “The sciences remain critically important but we’re looking at applicants who have those broader sensitivities,” Gabbe told the Health Blog. Though it’s too early to say exactly what changes will be incorporated into the new version of the test — slated to come out in 2015 — the revisions will likely lead to necessary changes in both the undergraduate curriculum and medical school coursework, according to Gabbe. The current admissions process relies heavily on the MCAT, almost too much so, according to some in the field. The test has traditionally assessed content-based achievement rather than skills-based aptitude,  according to Glenn Cummings , director of health professions advising at Princeton University. “The more they can include behavioral science, ethical issues, more evidence of critical thinking, the better it [the MCAT] can be,” says Cummings.

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The New MCAT: Less Science, More Critical Thinking?