Demystifying
the MCAT
Presented by:
San Francisco State University’s
Pre-Health Post-Bac Program
Presentation outline
Making a
Study
Schedule
Passage
Based
Studying
Choosing
Resources
Introduction
to the MCAT
MCAT format
10 min break 30 min break 10 min break
Section
Chemical and
Physical Foundations
of Biological Systems
(C/P)
Critical Analysis and
Reasoning Skills
(CARS)
Biological and
Biochemical
Foundations of Living
Systems (B/B)
Psychological, Social,
and Biological
Foundations of
Behavior (P/S)
Questions
44 passage-based
15 independent
53 passage-based 44 passage-based
15 independent
44 passage-based
15 independent
Time (7 hrs)
95 min 90 min 95 min 95 min
MCAT format takeaways
● You can plan your study schedule to mimic the internal timing of
exams: study blocks of 95 minutes with 10-30 minute breaks in
between.
● It’s good to have at least one day a week (or more) where you
include four of these study blocks totalling 7+ hours. This may help
prepare you to concentrate for the amount of time required by the
MCAT.
MCAT content
Three of the MCAT’s four sections (all besides CARS) require you to to
have a basic understanding in the natural, psychological and social
sciences. This content should be covered in the following courses:
Takeaway: when you take these courses, put them as top priority.
*Starred courses are typically required at most med schools
One year with lab (2 semesters or 3 quarters) One term (1 semester or quarter)
Gen Chem*, Organic Chem*,
Gen Bio*, Physics*
Biochemistry*, Psychology,
Sociology
MCAT CARS topics
Humanities and social sciences:
Takeaway: For CARS, the concepts you need to know will be provided within
the passage - be cautious of using outside knowledge. You don't need to take
these courses, but do need to be a strong reader and critical thinker.
● Architecture
● Art
● Dance
● Ethics
● Literature
● Music
● Philosophy
● Popular Culture
● Religion
● Theater
● Studies of
Diverse Cultures
● Anthropology
● Archaeology
● Economics
● Education
● Geography
● History
● Linguistics
● Political Science
Financial burden of taking the MCAT
Costs:
• MCAT registration fee: $335
• AAMC Bundle: $320
• BluePrint* (Qbanks + Full
length): $319
*BluePrint is one of a handful of
companies offering scored full
length practice exams.
MCAT reschedule fees:
• >60 days before exam: $50
• 30-59 days before exam: $100
• 10-29 days exam: $200
MCAT cancellation refund:
• >60 days before exam: $165
• 30-59 days before exam: $165
• 10-29 days before exam: $0
Fee Assistance Program (FAP)
Financial support for MCAT and medical school applications for those that qualify
(financial need-based):
• Discounted MCAT registration from $335 to $140 and free MCAT prep material.
• Free MSAR subscription and free AMCAS applications (up to 20 schools).
• While you may qualify for the FAP up to five times, the free MCAT prep material
is only given once.
• If your benefits are approved on any date in 2024, your benefits will expire at
the end of 2025.
Fee Assistance Program (FAP)
MCAT Passages
Anatomy of an MCAT passage (see next slide)
● The passage is taken from the AAMC MCAT sample exam
● Passages are shown on the left and may contain figures and tables.
You have to scroll to see the whole passage. You can highlight and
strikethrough text.
● 4-7 questions on the right, presented one at a time.
● You can flag a question for review (come back to it later). You can
navigate to any question (its passage will be shown on the left).
MCAT passages and questions
● A passage and its roughly 5 questions might take 10 minutes to
complete.
● Many elements of a passage will not be reflected in its questions.
● However, many of the questions cannot be answered without
recognizing a key idea buried within the passage - it's often more
difficult than locating a fact. You may have to reason through a
broad concept implied by the passage.
Example passage
● Here is an example passage from the bio/biochem section.
● Take one minute to quickly skim it (I will provide a brief summary
afterwards).
The myocellular transmembrane Na+ gradient is important for proper cellular function. During septic shock,
disruption of Na+ homeostasis often occurs and leads to decreased membrane potential and increased
intracellular Na+. It has been found that failure of cellular energy metabolism is a common symptom in septic
patients who do not respond to therapeutics. Because normal intracellular levels of Na+ are maintained by the
Na+K+ATPase, it is important to understand how metabolic energy production is linked to cation transport.
Researchers are interested in whether the energy used for ion transport is derived from glycolysis or oxidative
phosphorylation. This information would provide a better understanding of myocellular damage that occurs
during critical illness. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of glycolytic inhibition on cellular
Na+ and K+ concentrations and lactate production in rat skeletal myocytes.
Rat skeletal muscle fibers were extracted and incubated in normal media (control), glucose-free media (G(–)),
and glucose-free media with various concentrations of the glycolytic inhibitor iodoacetate (IAA). IAA directly
prevents the formation of 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate. After one hour in the media, the muscle tissues were
assayed for intracellular Na+ and K+ content and lactate production. Cellular viability was determined by
measuring the amount of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) released, as LDH release is an indicator of cell death.
The results are displayed in Figure 1.
The researchers also examined the effect disruption of oxidative phosphorylation had on Na+ and K+ content.
Inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation was caused by carbonyl-cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), an
ionophore that allows protons to move freely through membranes. No correlation between Na+ and K+
content and oxidative phosphorylation was found.
Figure 1 Effects of glycolytic
inhibition on intracellular Na+ and
K+ content and lactate production
with cellular viability measured by
LDH release. (Note: The * indicates
p < 0.05 versus control.)
My passage summary
● Septic shock leads to increased intracellular Na+ (muscle cells)
● Research question: does energy used for ion transport come from
glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation?
● Rat muscle cells incubated in 1) control, 2) glucose-free and 3)
glucose-free with glycolysis inhibitor IAA
● Cells evaluated for Na+, K+, lactate and LDH - an indicator of cell
death (figure 1)
● Disruption of oxidative phosphorylation did not alter Na+ and K+
content
My figure summary
● Intracellular Na+ increases with the glycolytic
inhibition but not glucose restriction.
● Lactate production slows with presence of
inhibitor but not glucose restriction.
● Glycolytic inhibition leads to cell death
(correlates well with increased Na+)
● Bottom line: inhibition of glycolysis leads to
increased intracellular Na+
The benefits of summarizing
● Being able to create your own summary is an important preparation
strategy because it helps you read carefully and think critically about
what you are reading. Also, by identifying the locations of key ideas
in the passage or its figures, you are training your
information-locating skills.
● We recommend you create a summary for each passage you
practice before looking at its answer key.
Example question
3. If the effects of IAA treatment in nerve cells are the same as those
observed in myocytes, which feature of an action potential would be
most affected by IAA treatment?
A) Initiation of depolarization
B) Rising phase of depolarization
C) Falling phase to undershoot
D) Return to resting potential
Reasoning through the question
● Reasoning within the passage (what it tells you): Glycolysis
inhibitor IAA increases intracellular Na+.
● Reasoning outside the passage (knowledge you need to bring in):
Na+ enters a neuron during an action potential and is pumped out
during its return to rest.
● Which phase of an action potential would be most affected by
increased intracellular sodium?
https://students-residents.aamc.org/prepare-mcat-exam/biological-
and-biochemical-foundations-living-systems
Step A
(10 min)
Step B
(5-60 min)
Step C
(0-15 min)
Timed passage and
questions
Untimed passage,
question and content
review
Consult the answer
key
Passage practice routine
Step A
● Helps prepare you for the pace required by the MCAT right from the
start.
● Helps you develop and refine your quick reading and critical thinking
skills.
● Reinforces the truth that passage information comes from the
paragraphs and from the tables/figures.
● Helps you practice finding the relevant information quickly.
Step B
● In Step B, you can review content and revisit your answers (from
step A) before consulting the answer key. Make your own passage
summary and answer key.
● Helps you develop the ability to figure the answer out yourself.
● Helps you learn the content in context of how information is used
on the exam.
Step C
● Provides further information on how you did in step B and helps you
to evaluate your content knowledge and analytical reasoning.
● While looking at the answer key is beneficial, especially in the
beginning, we wonder if an overreliance on the key hampers
students’ progress. After all, you will never see the key of the official
MCAT you take. Might it be a good idea to take some passages and
ask a friend to say how many questions were answered right
without saying which ones?
MCAT Prep Schedule
MCAT 2024 dates
Jan Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
12 9 12 4 1 13 2 5
13 22 13 10 14 26 17 6
18 26 11 15 23 13
26 27 16 22 24 14
24 27
MCAT registration
• Registration for the next year’s dates opens in October. Seats at your
desired location might go fast, so have a plan in mind for the date
you want and register as soon as it opens.
• Once you know your testing center, you can consider traveling to it
beforehand so the trip and location are familiar.
General prep strategy
• Before dedicated test prep: focus heavily on the relevant courses
when you take them, seek to develop your reading speed and
comprehension.
• Right before test prep: minimize distractions, adjust responsibilities.
• During test prep: emphasize learning through passages, take many
(10+) full length practice exams, take care of your physical, mental
and emotional health.
When to take the MCAT?
• We believe that students should take the required courses listed
earlier before starting their MCAT prep.
• We’ve seen too many students take the MCAT before they were
sufficiently prepared, often because they were following their peers or
a recommendation from someone who were not aware of the
student’s responsibilities or circumstances.
• There isn’t one size fits all answer for when you should take your
MCAT. It might be a worthwhile idea to consult a pre-health advisor at
your school.
How long to study/prepare?
• We’ve observed students take anywhere from 3 months to a year or
more preparing for their MCAT.
• Because there is such variation in the amount of prep time needed,
we encourage all student not to compare themselves to others!
• We think it wise to study for the MCAT during a time when you have
reduced other responsibilities, so that you can put the MCAT as your
primary focus with as few distractions as possible.
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
Standalone Passages
+ Content Review
Standalone Passages
+ Full Length Exams
+ Content Review
Full Length Exams +
Content Review
Preparation timeline
Phase 1
• You’ll be doing a lot of content review here (in step B while working
through passages), but it will be in the context of passages and their
questions.
• We recommend the three step procedure outlined earlier.
• We recommend distributing the various subjects throughout the
week, rather than studying all of one subject for weeks before
moving on to the next.
Phase 2
• Phase 2 is similar to phase 1, in that you will be doing standalone
passages and performing the three-step method on them.
• Phase 2 adds in full length practice exams at a suggested rate of
about 1 per week.
• A full length exam takes a day to complete and one or two days to
review.
Phase 3
• Phase 3 consists mostly of full length practice exams and their
review.
• Aim to complete 10+ practice exams along your preparation journey
(split between phases 2 and 3)
• We recommend two practice tests per week in phase 3.
The AAMC bundle
AAMC complete bundle
● Contains practice passages, independent
questions and six full length exams.
● It’s a little light on practice psych/soc passages,
so you may need to supplement with Khan
Academy or similar.
● We think it’s a good idea to start with the AAMC
practice passages and questions (but save their
full length exams until a little later in the
preparation timeline).
AAMC materials
● Section banks (passages from C/P, B/B and P/S).
● Question packs (passages from C/P, B/B and CARS).
● Independent question banks (questions from C/P, B/B and P/S).
● CARS diagnostic (passages from CARS).
● Official guide (passages from all sections)
● Full length practice exams (1 unscored and 5 scored)
Dividing the AAMC bundle into 3 phases
● In this example, we will take the AAMC material and divide its
contents into the three study phases.
● Phase 1 will consist of AAMC practice passages.
● Phase 2 will consist of AAMC practice passages and full length
exams (most likely from a third party like BluePrint).
● Phase 3 consists of full length AAMC practice exams and
supplementary full length exams from a third party.
C/P Sec Bank (12)
B/B Sec Bank (12)
P/S Sec Bank (12)
CARS Diag (30)
Chem Q Pack
(18)
B/B Q Pack 1
(18)
Physics Q Pack
(18)
B/B Q Pack 2
(18)
CARS Q Pack 1
(18)
CARS Q Pack 1
(18)
C/P Off Guide (5)
B/B Off Guide (5)
P/S Off Guide (5)
C/P Indep
B/B Indep
P/S Indep
CARS Off Guide (5)
P/S Khan Acad
Phase 1
Full length exams
(3rd party)
Phase 2
Full length exams
(3rd party first,
followed by
AAMC)
Phase 3
Planning the phase 1 schedule
● Let’s take the components we planned for phase 1, break them into
smaller pieces and arrange them in a study order.
● We will alternate the content area topics, but include CARS every
session.
● In our example, phase 1 will take four weeks, but it could take
between 1 and 4 weeks, depending on how much review you need.
P/S Sec Bank (4)
CARS Diag (2)
C/P Off Guide (5)
B/B Off Guide (5)
P/S Off Guide (5)
C/P Indep
B/B Indep
P/S Indep
CARS Off Guide (5)
C/P Sec Bank (4)
C/P Sec Bank (4)
C/P Sec Bank (4)
B/B Sec Bank (4)
B/B Sec Bank (4)
B/B Sec Bank (4)
P/S Sec Bank (4)
P/S Sec Bank (4)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
C/P Sec Bank (12)
Section banks
broken down into
smaller chunks
Phase 1
Example phase 1
● If we had four days per week to study, we could arrange the
components as follows.
● Of course you can adjust the pace to meet your needs.
● You might find that you can more passages than what we will be
showing. Our example is just intended to convey the idea of how to
break a set of passages up into a daily study plan.
Mon Wed Fri Sat
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
P/S Sec Bank (4)
C/P Off Guide (5)
B/B Off Guide (5) P/S Off Guide (5)
C/P Indep
B/B Indep P/S Indep
CARS Off Guide (5)
C/P Sec Bank (4)
C/P Sec Bank (4)
C/P Sec Bank (4)
B/B Sec Bank (4)
B/B Sec Bank (4)
B/B Sec Bank (4)
P/S Sec Bank (4)
P/S Sec Bank (4)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2) CARS Diag (2) CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2) CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2) CARS Diag (2) CARS Diag (2) CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2)
CARS Diag (2) CARS Diag (2) CARS Diag (2)
Passage/question subject area
● When reviewing your AAMC questions, you will notice that the
content area is shown. Read the bottom right (next slide) as “physics
content category 4C” which you can find on the Jack Westin outline;
just go to the physics section and find 4c.
● The AAMC also has an outline (without content descriptions) and a
module within their bundle that walks you through it.
https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/9261/download
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Faltiustestprep.com%2F&psig=AOvVaw3p0tm2famAlPT2iDqCjWQB&ust
=1702063820717000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBIQjRxqFwoTCMjTjYGI_oIDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
MCAT Preparation Resources
AAMC prep materials
• 6 full length exams, question banks
Extra practice exams
• Blueprint, Altius
Extra question banks (optional)
• Khan Academy, UWorld, BluePrint, Kaplan,
Altius, Princeton Review
Study Flashcards
● Anki
Stay in touch!
IG: @sfsupostbac
email: pbadmit@sfsu.edu
Presented by:
San Francisco State University’s
Pre-Health Post-Bac Program
