- The American University of Beirut (AUB) is one of two sites in the Arab region to administer this test in 2022.
Beirut, Lebanon, March 14, 2022: AUB concluded an agreement to resume administration of the Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®) in Lebanon, with AUB as the only testing site located in Lebanon and only one of two countries in the Arab region.
Through an agreement with Pearson VUE, the exam delivery partner of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the association who developed and administers the exam, AUB will contribute to providing MCAT exams in Lebanon after pausing for the past two years. AUB is able to achieve this important step with the aim of providing students and medical schools in Lebanon and the region the opportunity of utilizing the MCAT exam to improve the standards of the admission process.
The MCAT exam is a standardized, multiple-choice examination created to help medical school admissions officers assess students with problem solving, critical thinking, and knowledge of natural, behavioral, and social science concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of medicine.
President of AUB Fadlo R. Khuri said: “The MCAT exam is the essential standardized test for the entrance into medical school taken by me and scores of people before and after me. Its interruption during the pandemic limited vital opportunities for our students, at AUB and other universities in the country. We are proud to say that we have reached agreement to enable this test to be administered in Lebanon once more. This is a testament not only to the quality of our university but to the multi-generational trust built up between us and the Association of American Medical Colleges, an organization that has stewarded medical education for more than a century. I am delighted at this outcome, and give special thanks to AAMC leadership and Executive Associate Dean for Medical Education at AUB’s Faculty of Medicine Kamal Badr for their persistence in getting this done. This is a wonderful outcome for the future physicians of Lebanon.”
Raja N. Khuri Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Vice President for Medical Affairs at AUB Raymond Sawaya said: “After a two-year gap, AUB is delighted to welcome back the ability to administer the MCAT exam once again for all aspiring medical students in the region. AUB will be the only site in Lebanon, and one of only two countries in the Arab World that can offer this exam.”
Executive Associate Dean for Medical Education Kamal Badr commented on this agreement and said: “The return of the MCAT to Lebanon, and its hosting at AUB, provide a major service to local and regional medical schools and student applicants, and reaffirms AUB FM’s rootedness in the American system of medical education.”
The MCAT exam is crucial as a selection criterion for medical students, and brings AUB in line with US medical standards for medical students’ selection. This agreement is a unique achievement under very difficult circumstances for Lebanon. It also services other medical schools in Lebanon which require the MCAT exam, such as the Lebanese American University (LAU) and the University of Balamand (UOB), as well as students throughout the Middle East.
The 2022 MCAT administration dates in Lebanon are as follows: July 11-15 and July 18-21. During September, test dates will take place on September 8 and 9. Tests start at 8:00 am Beirut time. These appointments will be available for booking from March 1 at 5:00 pm Beirut time.
Despite tremendous challenges, AUB and its Faculty of Medicine continue to lead the country and the region in upholding the highest standards in medical education.
About AUB
Founded in 1866, the American University of Beirut bases its educational philosophy, standards, and practices on the American liberal arts model of higher education. A teaching-centered research university, AUB has more than 900 full-time faculty members and a student body of about 9,500 students. AUB currently offers more than 140 programs leading to bachelor’s, master’s, MD, and PhD degrees. It provides medical education and training to students from throughout the region at its Medical Center that includes a full-service 365-bed hospital.
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