Header
Institution name, course or program, exam title, and administration date clearly shown at the top for version control and auditability.
A standardized template reduces formatting errors, ensures consistent candidate information capture, and documents consent and security controls for each administration. It supports clear scoring rules and retention-ready records for compliance with educational privacy and institutional review policies.
Each group adapts the template to institutional policies, accessibility needs, and data retention requirements.
Institution name, course or program, exam title, and administration date clearly shown at the top for version control and auditability.
Fields for full legal name, institutional ID or AAMC ID, date of birth, and contact email to link completed forms to candidate records.
Standardized directions for timing, permitted materials, and accessibility accommodations to ensure consistent test administration.
Question text, answer choices, correct key, discipline tags, and difficulty metadata to aid scoring and item analysis.
Clear point allocations, partial-credit rules, and mapping to MCAT competencies to support objective grading and reporting.
Designated area for candidate acknowledgement, proctor signature, and timestamp to document consent and completion.
| Field | Configuration |
|---|---|
| Signers | Role-based order: candidate first, proctor second, administrator optional |
| Authentication | Email link with optional SMS code or institution SSO for stronger identity proof |
| Required Fields | Make candidate ID, DOB, and signature required to prevent incomplete submissions |
| Retention | Enable audit trail and exportable PDF with timestamp for institutional records |
Confirm the platform’s ability to produce an audit trail and export signed, tamper-evident copies for institutional recordkeeping.
Complete at least 14 days before administration for review and approvals.
Send confirmations 7–10 days before test date to allow logistics planning.
Scheduled date when proctoring and identification checks occur.
Allow 3–7 business days for grading and quality checks.
Retention period begins on the administration date for recordkeeping purposes.
Create and peer-review items and instructions to finalize content.
Obtain departmental sign-off and accessibility clearance before release.
Conduct the exam with identity checks and signed acknowledgements.
Export signed PDFs and logs to institutional storage with retention metadata.
A testing office finalizes an exam packet and assigns proctor roles
A prep company builds practice exams mapped to MCAT competencies
The coordinator prepares the template, verifies candidate identity fields, ensures accessibility markers are applied, and signs to certify the packet is complete before distribution.
The director or delegated reviewer approves final scoring rubrics and signs the master copy to confirm institutional acceptance and retention routing for candidate records.
| Criteria | MCAT Template | Standard Exam Form |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | psych/soc focused | broad academic |
| Scoring | mapped to mcat competencies | generic point totals |
| Accessibility | built-in accommodations flags | often ad hoc |
| Signature Capture | e-sign + audit trail | varies by provider |
| signNow | DocuSign | Adobe Sign | PandaDoc | HelloSign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $8/user/mo | $15/user/mo | $14/user/mo | $19/user/mo | $15/user/mo |
| Free Trial | 7-day free trial | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies |
| Bulk Send | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Audit Trail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA Compliant | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |