The Biological Sciences Section of the MCAT
The Biological Sciences section of the MCAT evaluates knowledge of basic biology and organic chemistry, as well as testing one's ability to understand advanced material and solve problems based on it.
Theoretically, two semesters of introductory college biology and of organic chemistry should provide you enough information to score well on this test. But colleges differ widely in the content of biological science courses, so it's important to check whether you've learned enough about each topic that will be tested on the MCAT. In fact, the variation in colleges creates the need for the MCAT: admissions counselors want to know whether you've learned enough to succeed in med school. If you haven't, or if you need a refresher, be sure to study the important underlying principles of biology and organic chemistry.
The MCAT won't test you on biology "facts," per se - but it will evaluate whether you understand the role of different proteins and information molecules in biological activities; it will evaluate whether you understand the structure, development, and replication of microorganisms and vertebrates; and it will evaluate your knowledge of body systems ranging from the immune to circulatory systems. You will profit from putting all of the disconnected bits of biological knowledge you've learned into a greater context, so that you have a background for solving problems in advanced topics that you may have never seen before.
This section also tests your knowledge of the functional groups and reactions of organic chemistry. So you'll need to brush up on what you learned over the course of your 2 semesters of orgo, because the MCAT will evaluate whether you're competent in understanding how organic compounds and reactions work.
The MCAT contains 10 or 11 problems sets in the biological sciences, each consisting of a short passage or data set followed by 4-8 multiple-choice questions. It also includes 15 questions that stand alone without a passage. Overall, you will have 100 minutes to answer 77 questions.
Theoretically, two semesters of introductory college biology and of organic chemistry should provide you enough information to score well on this test. But colleges differ widely in the content of biological science courses, so it's important to check whether you've learned enough about each topic that will be tested on the MCAT. In fact, the variation in colleges creates the need for the MCAT: admissions counselors want to know whether you've learned enough to succeed in med school. If you haven't, or if you need a refresher, be sure to study the important underlying principles of biology and organic chemistry.
The MCAT won't test you on biology "facts," per se - but it will evaluate whether you understand the role of different proteins and information molecules in biological activities; it will evaluate whether you understand the structure, development, and replication of microorganisms and vertebrates; and it will evaluate your knowledge of body systems ranging from the immune to circulatory systems. You will profit from putting all of the disconnected bits of biological knowledge you've learned into a greater context, so that you have a background for solving problems in advanced topics that you may have never seen before.
This section also tests your knowledge of the functional groups and reactions of organic chemistry. So you'll need to brush up on what you learned over the course of your 2 semesters of orgo, because the MCAT will evaluate whether you're competent in understanding how organic compounds and reactions work.
The MCAT contains 10 or 11 problems sets in the biological sciences, each consisting of a short passage or data set followed by 4-8 multiple-choice questions. It also includes 15 questions that stand alone without a passage. Overall, you will have 100 minutes to answer 77 questions.