According to AAMC (the MCAT test maker), there are 1 MCAT test centers in Kazakhstan. Most testing centers are located inside a college or university. You can select a testing location that is nearest to you. Please note that you are able to choose a test center when registering for the MCAT.
ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN
American Councils for International Education
Kazibek bi 20a, 4th Floor
Near the corner of Kaldayakova
ALMATY, Kazakhstan 050000
More about Kazakhstan
Economy
Kazakhstan has rich oil and gas reserves and large reserves of hard coal inland. Uranium, tungsten, iron, gold and other ores are also mined. The wealth of raw materials favored the development of industry. Crude oil is processed in three large refineries and forms the basis for the chemical industry, e.g. plastics production. Kazakhstan holds part of the oil revenues in a fund return. As a result, the country wants to have financial reserves if the world market price for crude oil comes under pressure. Kazakhstan has a significant steel industry that uses the coal and iron ore deposits. The steel is mainly processed in heavy machinery construction. The Kazakh economic fields are not very diversified. The economy depends heavily on the oil price on the world market. Check 3rjewelry to see Kazakhstan Travel Guide.
Around a third of the total economic output is generated in the mining and industry sectors. Many companies are state-owned. In most areas of the economy there is a need for modernization and there is a shortage of skilled workers. In addition, corruption and bureaucracy hinder development. Kazakhstan benefits from neighboring China, which is investing a lot of money in expanding the Kazakh oil industry and building the “New Silk Road”. As a result, all land connections between China and Europe run through Kazakhstan’s territory. Besides China, Italy, Russia and the Netherlands are among the country’s most important foreign trade partners.
Although only a good 10% of the country’s area is arable, Kazakhstan is an important food producer. The share of agriculture in the national economic output is over 4%. In the 1950s, large areas of northern Kazakhstan were converted into arable land for growing wheat, sugar beets, sunflowers and tobacco. In the south, mainly cotton and vegetables are grown on artificially irrigated fields. Karakul wool comes from sheep breeding and, like local cotton, is processed in the textile industry.
History
From the first millennium BC. Riding nomads traversed what is now Kazakhstan. The country was conquered by the Mongols under Genghis Khan in 1219-21 and formed its own principality (khanate) from the 15th century. However, it soon split into three independent tribal associations (hordes): the Small Horde in the west, the Middle Horde in the center and the Great Horde in the east.
From the 8th century, Islam spread to the area. In the 18th and 19th centuries nomadic western Mongolian peoples repeatedly attacked the area. Therefore, the hordes sought protection from the Russian Empire and became part of the Russian Empire. In 1920 the country became part of the Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Republic and in 1936 it was declared an independent union republic within the Soviet Union.
From the 1930s onwards, the Kazakhs resisted being forced to settle down and work in kolkhozes. This policy cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of Kazakhs. Many fell victim to the Stalinist terror regime and ended up in labor camps. During the Second World War, J. Stalin arranged for Russian-Germans, Chechens and Crimean Tatars to be resettled in Kazakhstan. In 1991 the country declared its independence and joined the CIS. President Nursultan Nazarbayev (* 1940) established an authoritarian system of rule.
Culture
The Kazakhs lived as nomads until the 1930s. Equestrian games and hunting with trained eagles are still very popular today. Away from the cities, the worship of ancestral spirits and shamanistic rituals have been preserved. At the beginning of the 20th century, Russians invaded what is now Kazakhstan and exerted a strong influence on the culture.
The literature initially developed only in oral form. Traveling singers recited heroic songs, fairy tales and legends in the nomads’ tent camps. The poet Abaj Kunanbayev (* 1845, † 1904) wrote down these legends and was influenced by Russian literature. He is considered the national poet of Kazakhstan and the founder of Kazakh literature.
In Kazakhstan, the freedom of art and culture is severely restricted by censorship. The film industry therefore mainly produces period films in which the country is glorified and entertainment films from everyday life in Kazakhstan. Socially critical films are rather rare, but they often attract more attention abroad. The film »Harmony Lessons« by Emir Baigasin (* 1984) about the life of young people in Kazakhstan was presented at the 2013 Berlinale (film festival in Berlin). The actress Samal Jesljamowa (* 1984) received the Golden Palm of Cannes (France) in 2018 as best female leading actress for her role in the film “Ayka” by Sergei Dworzewoi (* 1962).
The music developed from the ancient songs of the nomads. Due to the long membership in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, Russian influences are clearly noticeable. The modern music that is played in the cities shows a stronger orientation towards American or European music (jazz, electronic music).
Football and ice hockey, weightlifting, boxing, wrestling and judo are very popular in sports. Professionally conducted competitive sport has a high priority in Kazakhstan. There are special schools for talented children with a focus on physical education. Kazakhstan has achieved international successes in boxing, weightlifting, rugby and cycling.