Major Field Test (MFT) in Biology

Most students in the Department of Life Sciences must take the Major Field Test (MFT) in Biology as a graduation requirement. Students should take this test during their senior year. Please note that the MFT is NOT offered during the Summer Semester!

To allow us to keep track of who has and has not taken this test, we have created a no-credit / no-cost web-based course for the MFT. Students should enroll in this course (BIOL 4085) in the semester during which they plan to take the MFT. This is a Web CT course, but the Web CT page gives the same information that you are reading here. Although you receive no academic credit for this course, you MUST actually take the test to receive a notation of "CR" on your transcript. For questions with regard to who should take the MFT or which subject you should register for, please consult your academic advisor.

Students can obtain more information about the MFT through the Academic Testing Center's website. (There is a link on this page to register for the MFT itself through the internet.)

http://falcon.tamucc.edu/~atcweb/mftinfo.html.

Fall Semester 2008:

Dates and times for testing:

7 November 2008 (Friday): 4:00 PM
8 November 2008 (Saturday): 11:00 AM
14 November 2008 (Friday): 4:00 PM

Registration is now open. There is a link on this page to register for the MFT through the internet: http://falcon.tamucc.edu/~atcweb/mftinfo.html.

Registration will close on 5 November for the 7 and 8 November test dates; it will close on 12 November for the 14 November test date. The Academic Testing Center will order tests on the day after the registration deadline, so applicants who miss the 12 November deadline for registration will not be able to take the test this semester!

Note that students register for the MFT only via the internet at the address above. Please do not attempt to register for this test by calling or visiting the Academic Testing Center, academic advisors, or faculty members.

Each exam date has limited seating.

On the day of the test, candidates should report to their assigned room with an admission ticket and a form of identification containing a photograph (driver's license, ID card, military ID, or passport). The labs on the second floor of Corpus Christi Hall are used for the administration of this test. A candidate's assigned room can be found on the admission ticket. Students should report to the exam site at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled test time. Latecomers will not be permitted into the testing room.

The following items are prohibited in the testing room: hand-held calculators, calculator watches, wristwatch cameras, digital cameras, dictionaries, books, pamphlets, reference materials, papers of any kind, slide rules, protractors, compasses, rulers, highlighter pens and colored pens and pencils, cellular phones/pagers, listening devices, copying and photographic devices, transmission or receiving devices, non-medical electronic devices (laptop computers, digital assistants), hats (unless worn as a religious requirement), food and drinks. Watch alarms or time reminders will need to be turned off.

Important Note: The MFT online system does not offer the usual accommodations (i.e., different color text, different color backgrounds, or enlarged font sizes) considered most helpful to sight-impaired students. The MFT exams are graphic-intensive. This means that enlarged fonts, in particular, would require excessive scrolling which could disadvantage these students. As an alternative, large-print and Braille versions of all MFT titles can be made available upon request, but these are not in stock and can take as long as six to eight weeks to create and be mailed to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. For this type of accommodation, a student should notify the Office of Academic Testing prior to the 12th class day of the semester in which they plan to take the MFT. If a student is registered with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities and would like to request additional test time, the request must be made with the Office of Academic Testing prior to the test day.

The Major Field Test (MFT) is an innovative undergraduate outcomes assessment designed to measure the basic knowledge and understanding achieved by students in a major field of study. Test results enable academic departments to better assess and refine curricula, gauge the progress of students compared to others in the program and those in similar programs at schools throughout the country. All MFTs are proctored, multiple choice exams designed to assess mastery of concepts and principles as well as knowledge expected of students at the conclusion of a major in specific subject areas. Many of the tests contain questions requiring interpretation of graphs, diagrams and charts based on material related to the field of study, and score reports may be used in making medium to high-stakes decisions. The test is a two-hour, computerized, multiple-choice examination. For test descriptions and sample test questions, please visit the Educational Testing Service Web Site.

LSCI Undergraduate Course Information Page