Profession
MCAT takers face electronic fingerprint check
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted May 8, 2006
As the Medical College Admission Test rolls out computer-based testing, it also will begin using an electronic system to track the identity of test takers.
The new system will capture an examinee's fingerprint electronically instead of on paper, which is the current practice. Test takers will have their fingerprints checked before and after the test and when they arrive at medical school to ensure that the person who took the MCAT is the same as the student arriving at school.
More than 70,000 MCAT exams are administered each year. The computer-based testing and electronic identity verification system are expected to allow for a shorter test day, more test dates each year and faster score results.
Robert Jones, PhD, senior vice president at the Assn. of American Medical Colleges, which manages the MCAT, said the new technology would make checking a student's identity a simple matter of logging onto the Internet.
"We will use the biometric technology not only to improve the security of the MCAT but also to provide U.S. medical schools with biometric tools to verify the identity of newly arrived students," Dr. Jones said.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/05/08/prbf0508.htm.
