Conquering the MCAT is a big block on the road to med school, but you don’t have to face it alone. This medical school entrance exam has four main sections, each testing different areas of your knowledge. While some medical schools may not require the MCAT sections, majority do.
In this article, we will walk you through each MCAT section, one step at a time. We’ll explain what you can expect, what skills they’re looking for, and how long each section lasts.
If you’re determined to pursue a career in medicine, now is the time to start making the required preparations. A solid MCAT score will increase your chances of getting into your ideal medical school.
So, consider this your go-to basic guide to mastering the MCAT sections and achieving medical school success.
Table of Contents
- About MCAT
- What are the MCAT Sections Exams Testing?
- Structure of the MCAT Sections
- MCAT Sections What are They?
- What is a Sufficient MCAT Score?
- Is the MCAT Long?
- When is the MCAT?
- What is the Cost of Taking the MCAT Sections?
- How Many Questions Are on the MCAT Sections?
- Is the MCAT Sections Multiple-Choice?
- MCAT Sections Breakdown Time
- Achieving MCAT Sections Preparation
- CARS MCAT
- FAQs on MCAT Sections
- Conclusion
- References
- Recommendations
About MCAT
MCAT, sometimes known as the Medical College Admission Test, is more than just a requirement for medical school admissions. To get admitted to medical schools in the US and Canada, candidates must pass a multiple-choice, computer-based exam.
The MCAT is created and administered by the Testmaker Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which gives medical schools standardized metrics to compare applicants’ credentials and readiness for medical school.
Med school admissions committees consider your MCAT score, academic record, and supporting documentation to evaluate your potential for a successful medical career.
What should we take away? Your MCAT score will directly and favorably affect your application to medical school.
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What are the MCAT Sections Exams Testing?
The MCAT tests your comprehension of material in general chemistry, organic chemistry, general biology, biochemistry, physics, psychology, and sociology and also evaluates your ability to think critically.
Thus, a basic knowledge of previous material is insufficient to pass the MCAT. The MCAT measures students’ critical reasoning abilities and gives them points for applying test material. The secret to getting a high MCAT score is to analyze and solve complicated situations.
Structure of the MCAT Sections
The MCAT is a computer-based, multiple-choice exam used as a standard. Trial questions are provided in each area but are not included against your final score because they are for future MCAT tests. Of course, you won’t be able to distinguish between trial and graded questions.
MCAT Sections What are They?
The MCAT Sections have integrated portions, which implies that topics are not assessed independently but rather with overlapping areas of focus, just as you would in medical school.
Below are the MCAT sections in order. The four test portions that make up the MCAT are divided into four categories of integrated content:
- Chemical and Physical Underpinnings of Biological Systems
- Critical Thinking and Reasoning Abilities
- Biology and Biochemistry of Living Systems
- The Biological, Social, and Psychological Foundations of Behavior
The MCAT has four portions, each with a score between 118 and 132, with 125 serving as the mean and median. Accordingly, the overall score is 472 to 528, with 500 serving as the mean and median. See more information about the MCAT’s scoring below.
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Chemical and Physical Underpinnings of Biological Systems: MCAT Sections
You must integrate your understanding of the fundamental physical and biological sciences to pass the MCAT’s Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems (Chem/Phys) part.
It is crucial to have a fundamental understanding of the physical and chemical principles that underlie the mechanisms working within the human body and the capacity to extend this knowledge to other living systems.
While Chem/Phys can seem like a division that only assesses the physical sciences, it covers more ground. In contrast to how we often learn these sciences, the physical sciences are assessed in the context of the biological sciences. This part contains a substantial amount of biochemistry as well.
The undergraduate courses in the Chem/Physics component of the MCAT are Introduction to General Chemistry (30%), Introduction to Physics (25%), Introduction to Organic Chemistry (15%), and First Semester Biochemistry (25%).
This exam also covers Introduction to Biology (5%) material. A periodic table is given during the MCAT, but a calculator is not. 15 of the 59 questions on the MCAT’s Chemistry/Physics portion are discrete, stand-alone questions that are not part of a passage.
The remaining MCAT section questions are from passages available on the exam and call for passage-specific knowledge and additional outside content.
MCAT Sections: Critical Thinking and Reasoning Abilities
This area is formally known as Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills. We’ll call it CARS because that’s a mouthful. The CARS component doesn’t test any prior topic knowledge, even if the other three sections contain information to understand.
The paragraph contains all the details required to respond to the questions. You are tested on your ability to analyze arguments and identify the underlying assumptions and inferences in the CARS section.
The section lasts 90 minutes and consists of 53 questions related to a different passage.
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Biology and Biochemistry of Living Systems: MCAT Sections
Understanding the fundamental processes that support life, such as expanding, reproducing, getting energy, and more is necessary for the MCAT’s Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems (Bio/Biochem) portion.
Understanding the independent and cooperative actions that cells and organ systems within an organism take to carry out these processes is equally crucial to the study of medicine.
Although Bio/Biochem would seem like a division testing biological sciences, it covers more ground.
The MCAT’s Bio/Biochem part focuses on biology and biochemistry, but also includes some questions on general chemistry and organic chemistry because those topics serve as the foundation for biochemistry.
The undergraduate courses that reflect in the Bio/Biochem MCAT sections are Introduction to Biology (65%), First-Semester Biochemistry (25%), Introduction to General Chemistry (5%), and Introduction to Organic Chemistry (5%).
Additional biology courses like Cell Biology, Genetics, Anatomy, Physiology, or Microbiology are not necessary, although they can be beneficial. Of the 59 questions on the MCAT’s Bio/Biochem section, 15 are discrete, stand-alone questions not based on passages.
The questions in the remaining portion are drawn from passages in the exam and call for both passage-specific knowledge and outside subject matter.
The MCAT’s Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior (Psych/Soc) portion examines sociological and psychological issues concerning biology. Due to their growing significance in medical education, these are the newest topics evaluated on the MCAT.
The MCAT suggests taking one semester of introductory psychology and sociology classes, even though the medical schools do not require these disciplines as part of their necessary coursework.
This MCAT Section is crucial because it evaluates your capacity to apply research and statistical concepts to the field of behavioral and sociocultural factors influencing health and health outcomes.
You must integrate the biological, sociological, and psychological underpinnings of behavior and relationships.
The following college courses are required for the Psych/Soc section of the MCAT: introductory Psychology (65%), introductory Sociology (30%), and introductory Biology (5%).
On the Psych/Soc section of the test, 15 of the 59 questions are discrete, stand-alone, and not to the passage.
The remaining portion’s questions, which are based on passages in the exam, call for both passage-specific knowledge and knowledge of outside subject matter.
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What is a Sufficient MCAT Score?
It’s always a good idea to look at the requirements—or minimums, if applicable at the medical schools you’re applying while deciding on your MCAT score objective.
Also, the following information regarding MCAT scoring can assist you in determining your desired score:
The scores on the MCAT’s four portions range from 118 to 132, with 125 as the mean and median. Accordingly, the overall score is 472 to 528, with 500 as the mean and median.
Why are the numbers odd? The AAMC highlights that this scale places less emphasis on the high end of the scale and instead emphasizes the significance of the middle of the score distribution, where students score about 125 in each area or 500 overall.
On the new exam, the AAMC applies the entire scoring range.
| Percentile | Scaled MCAT Total Score |
| Top 10% of all test takers | 514 to 528 |
| Top 25% of all test takers | 508 to 513 |
| Top 50% of all test takers | 500 to 507 |
| Below 50% percentile of all test takers | 499 to below |
Is the MCAT Long?
Plan on taking the exam on MCAT Test Day for a little over 7.5 hours, including test-taking time and optional breaks, one of which should be for lunch.
This time does not include the time you checked in at the testing facility. Being on time and well-prepared is crucial. The Test Day schedule is provided by the AAMC as follows:
| MCAT Sections Time Duration | |
| Examinee Consensus 7 minutes | |
| (Optional) Tutorial 10 minutes | |
| Biological System Foundations: Chemical and Physical 95 minutes | |
| Break (if desired) 10 minutes | |
| Critical Thinking and Reasoning Capabilities 90 minutes | |
| The break between exams (optional) 30 minutes | |
| The Biochemical and Biological Basis of Living Systems 95 minutes | |
| Break is optional 10 minutes |
When is the MCAT?
Between January and September, the MCAT is around 25 times annually. At least a month after the date of each test, results are typically made public.
What is the Cost of Taking the MCAT Sections?
The MCAT Sections cost $310 during AAMC’s regular registration period, but the fee rises if you register after that time or need to reschedule.
Some test takers can be affected by cancellation and foreign expenses. You must pick the appropriate MCAT test date and exam preparation to avoid having to pay the price again.
How Many Questions Are on the MCAT Sections?
There are 53–59 questions in each MCAT section. Each question is worth about two points on average. While some MCAT questions are distinct, the majority are passage-based.
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Is the MCAT Sections Multiple-Choice?
There are four multiple-choice sections on the MCAT. For a perfect MCAT score, 132 points is awarded for each segment.
The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a multiple-choice, computer-based test that is standardized and has been used in the admissions process for medical schools for over 90 years.
More than 85,000 pupils take the test each year.
MCAT Sections Breakdown Time
The exam itself lasts for six hours and fifteen minutes. In addition to the testing time, there are additional time slots for the examinee agreement, optional testing instruction, optional breakdown times, void questions at the end of the test, and an optional satisfaction survey.
These slots total four minutes, ten minutes, fifty minutes, and three minutes, respectively.
The MCAT Sections exam day now lasts seven hours and thirty minutes, or 95 minutes for each segment. The sections appear in the following order:
- Foundations of Biological Systems: Chemical and Physical.
- Critical Analysis Reasoning Skills (CARS).
- Foundations of Living Systems: Biological and Biochemical.
- Social, psychological, and biological.
- Principles of Behavior
To shorten the day, the optional 50-minute intervals could be omitted. It should be entirely up to you to organize your test day, although I’d suggest taking the breaks at the scheduled times and maximizing them.
Achieving MCAT Sections Preparation
The amount of content you have mastered from your MCAT sections prep book or course is not the only factor in determining your MCAT score.
Instead, it’s about using your knowledge of the subject matter during an (admittedly) extremely long day!
The MCAT Section is a marathon, not a sprint, just like studying for it. But with the appropriate mindset and preparation, you’ll be able to pass it and continue with the next step in your application for medical school!
CARS MCAT
The last part of the exam is called CARS, and it is comparable to other reading comprehension exams you may have completed in your academic career.
It does not evaluate your scientific knowledge but your ability to analyze issues and use logic to proffer solutions.
Many of the verbal reasoning assessments you have completed during your academic career will be similar to the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills component of the MCAT exam.
It contains passages and inquiries that gauge your reading comprehension.
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FAQs on MCAT Sections
MCAT BREAKDOWN
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems (BBLS)
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems (CPBS)
PSBB (Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior)
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS).
On what does the MCAT test? In addition to testing your comprehension of material in general chemistry, organic chemistry, general biology, biochemistry, physics, psychology, and sociology, the MCAT also evaluates your ability to think critically.
The MCAT is a 7.5-hour test with four sections: Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills, Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior, Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, and Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems.
The MCAT Test Section That Is The Most Difficult
The average results published by AAMC support the claim made by many students that the CARS component is the most challenging. CARS has the lowest overall and matriculant average section scores.
Conclusion
This blog post has discussed the duration of the MCAT Sections, the material covered in each portion, and strategies for overcoming the test’s hard length.
You have taken the first step toward ensuring that you enter your MCAT confidence in the format and are prepared to ace the test by being aware of the length of the test and how time will be divided on test day!
References
- zdnet.com – What is the MCAT?
- aucmed.edu – MCAT Test Sections
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