Getting MCAT Accommodations (for Learning Disabilities/ADHD)
By George A. Velasco, Premedical Representative, AMSA Committee on Disabilities
- Read this article by UCLA learning disabilities specialist Dr. Sharon Teruya. It has many helpful pieces of advice that will help you in avoiding many common pitfalls.
- Begin working on your application for accommodations early. You will need plenty of time for two main reasons. First off, you need plenty of time to schedule any necessary tests (IQ type tests and learning disability tests) that need to be completed for the documentation requested. Secondly, in the event that you are denied accommodations you want to give yourself enough time to resubmit and appeal before the deadline.
- Go to the AAMC website and print out the rules and procedures for requesting accommodations. Give this to the learning disability specialist who will be writing a letter in support of your request. This set of procedures from the AAMC explicitly states the tests and types of documentation they require. Whoever is writing a letter of support for you should be able to tell you if you have completed all of the tests and documentation required by the AAMC in their procedures.
- More documentation is better than less. Try to include everything you can that supports the fact that you have a disability and REQUIRE accommodations. In addition to having documentation from your physician, get a letter from a learning disability specialist or your schools Office for Students with Disabilities.
- If you are taking the test again don't assume that just because you received accommodations a previous time that you will receive accommodations again. Make sure that all of your documentation is current (often the AAMC procedures require that documentation and testing be less than three years old).
- If you are denied accommodations after one request then contact the MCAT administration office and ask to speak to the specialist in charge of accommodations. Speak with him directly and ask for explicit reasons why your request was denied and what additional documentation he would like to see.
- In the event that you are still denied accommodations even though your documentation is complete, consider contacting an attorney to see if possibly the AAMC is again (they have done it before) violating federal ADA legislation by denying accommodations to a student with a valid request. Many times there are disability rights advocacy groups in your area which will provide you with an attorney at no charge. Check the internet or ask about it at your school's ADA compliance office. You may also call the ADA compliance info line. Useful information and the ADA info line can be found on the Department of Justice's webpage.