What are the different sections of the MCAT exam?
How to approach each section of the MCAT exam
The MCAT exam is comprised of various topics some of which overlap in various ways. The exam doesn’t directly test the knowledge of these topics but rather the understanding and application of these topics within varying circumstances.
All content of the MCAT exam is separated into four different sections, each of which include different sub-topics.
Chemical and physical foundations of biological systems (CHEM/PHYS)
The first section of the MCAT exam, Chemical and physical foundations of biological systems, is a combination of chemistry and physics topics. It requires the ability to comprehend and combine information from both topics and use this understanding for the practical application of the topics. It is also comprised of a large sum of biochemistry topics.
This section of the MCAT exam demands basic undergraduate-level knowledge of general chemistry (30%), introductory physics (25%), introductory organic chemistry (15%) as well as basic biochemistry (25%) and introductory biology (5%).
This section consists of 59 multiple choice questions to be answered in 95 minutes. 44 of the questions are based on passages, which means they only require basic knowledge of the general concepts. These questions test the student’s reasoning skills, ability to derive the answer from the passage given and capacity to recall some basic assumed information. The other 15 questions are stand alone and discrete which means they can basically be answered quite quickly if you improve your reasoning ability and efficiency by familiarising yourself with the basic knowledge of the various topics and consistently complete practice questions under exam conditions.
For more information on how to Master Section I of MCAT, read the tips and put them into practice.
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Critical analysis and reasoning skills (CARS)
The second section of the MCAT exam, Critical analysis and reasoning skills, consists of 53 multiple choice questions to be answered in 90 minutes. This section does not test any prior knowledge of MCAT exam content. All the questions in this section are based on passages. The answers can be derived straight from the passages. As the name suggests, it test students’ reasoning skills. The best way to tackle this section is through consistent practice under MCAT exam conditions. The best tip for this section is PRACTICE makes perfect.
For more information on how to Master Section II of the MCAT, read the tips and put them into practice.
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Biological and biochemical foundations of living systems (BIO/BIOCHEM)
The third section of the MCAT exam, Biological and biochemical foundations of living systems, consists of 59 questions to be answered in 95 minutes. 44 of the questions are based on passages, which means they only require a basic knowledge of the biological and biochemical concepts related to life, reproduction and growth as well as cells, organs and organ systems, and the ability to apply that knowledge to the scenarios given in the passages. These questions test the student’s problem solving and comprehension skills and capacity to derive the answer from the passage given. The other 15 questions are stand alone and discrete which means they can basically be answered quite quickly if you improve your reasoning ability and efficiency by familiarising yourself with the basic knowledge of the various topics and consistently complete practice questions under exam conditions.
This section of the MCAT exam demands basic undergraduate-level knowledge of biology and biochemistry, comprising specifically of introductory biology (65%), introductory general chemistry (5%), introductory organic chemistry (5%) and general biochemistry (25%). Some knowledge of genetics, anatomy and physiology would also be valuable and can increase efficiency in the exam.
For more information on how to Master Section III of the MCAT exam, read the tips and put them into practice.
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Psychological, social and biological foundations of behaviours (PSYCH/SOC)
The last and final section of the MCAT exam, Psychological, social and biological foundations of behaviours, contains 59 questions in total to be answered in 95 minutes. 44 of these are passage-based and require the understanding and application of basic psychology and sociology in the context of the biological sciences. This section tests reasoning skills and ability to apply knowledge of various psychological topics and disorders to a hypothetical situation outlined in the passage. The other 15 questions are stand alone and discrete which means they can basically be answered quite quickly through a process of elimination and also consist reading of books and trying to integrate and grasp information in the books in a timely manner.
For more information on how to Master Section IV of the MCAT exam, read the tips and put them into practice.
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