What is the MCAT?
The Medical College Admission Test is a standardized test assessing knowledge of college level chemistry, biology, physics, and social sciences, as well as critical analysis and reasoning skills. For a brief overview and introduction to the MCAT, see this video by AAMC.
What is on the MCAT?
Everything you ever learned in undergrad. Basically a final exam of all of college. Just kidding. It's not that serious. There are four sections on the MCAT:
- Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
- Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
- Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
- Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills
How Do I Study for the MCAT?
To be best prepared for the MCAT, you should have knowledge of the content of:
- 2 semesters of Biology
- 2 semesters of General Chemistry
- 2 semesters of Organic Chemistry
- 2 semesters of Physics
- 1 semester of Biochemistry
- 1 semester of Psychology
- 1 semester of Sociology
To study content
Visit Khan Academy. It's absolutely free and has great reviews about the clarity and coverage of MCAT need-to-know material, and did I mention it's free? AAMC even suggests Khan Academy, saying it covers ALL MCAT material.
AAMC even provides a FREE Roadmap to MCAT Content in Sociology and Psychology Textbooks, which can be found here.
Other study materials with great content include: Barron's New MCAT test prep; Exam Krackers, and Princeton Review's test prep book.
To practice test questions
I HIGHLY suggest AAMC's practice exams. They are created by the makers of the MCAT and they can be taken on the computer formatted exactly as you'll take the real exam, giving you the most realistic testing experience.
