what are the materials covered on MCAT?

Question

If i think that the KAPLAN review MCAT book was easy will I do good on the MCAT test. They say that the MCAT test was made not for those people who know everything in biology,chem,orgo, and physics but was made to analyse a student's skills in using them analytically. What do you say?

Answer 1

First of all... RELAX.

The MCAT is a test which draws on a broad range of basic science topics at an entry level. The expectation is that students beginning medical school should be familar with concepts from the physical sciences and should have a pre-existing framework of knowledge into which medical-scientific facts and principles can fit. It is recognized that students from many disciplines will undertake the test, and that many will have no more than the core minimum of medical school prerequisites to draw on. The test reflects those things typically covered in lower division coursework in the sciences of biology, chemistry and physics. It draws on basic communication skills and calculation abilities. There is nothing fancy on this test!

That being said, the art of being a doctor involves being able to draw on a variety of mental and physical resources, and being able to do so quickly and efficiently. The MCAT requires no less of you. Some questions are quick to read and complete. Others are not. In order to complete the test, you will need to maintain a pace and you will need to make decisions and then leave them behind. The one above who suggested to do many review questions is entirely correct. I would add to it, however, that you should do so under self-imposed time pressure. Beat an average pace of 1 minute per question-and-answer routinely, and you will be much more comfortable when you take the actual test.

Remember, you're good. However, so is everyone else who takes this test! Whereas in all the other tests you've taken up till now, you have been accustomed to scoring in the upper percentiles above a heterogenous crowd, in this exam you will be facing all the other students who have consistantly placed beyond the bell-shaped curve just as you have. An "average" performance against this competition is tough enough; your job is to be outstanding.

Small differences in raw scores will separate the percentile groupings. The test is actually designed with multiple questions which have been studied to "discriminate" between top quartile performers and those below. Interestingly enough, these questions are called "descriminators"! The key to top performance on this kind of standardized test is to be meticulous enough and efficient enough to answer the bulk of nondiscriminatory questions quickly and correctly, averaging much better than 1 minute per question, so that the extra time can be allocated to spending on the descriminators when they are encountered.

Develop a plan and stick to the plan:

1) Read the question completely. If you know the answer and then you see it on the list of choices, answer it and move on.

2) When you encounter a tough question, slow down. Read carefully. Look at the answers. Eliminate stupid choices first, then start using your test-taking skills. Are there two choices such that if one of them was correct, then another one would also be? Neither of these are correct, if the question says "choose the best ONE..." etc.

3) If you can narrow down to two good choices, choose one and move on.

4) Don't second-guess yourself out of a right answer. There is no need to be suspicious about the test writer's hidden agenda! The questions are well crafted. It means what it looks like it means!

Good luck! I hope that helps.

Answer 2

The MCAT will test your learned knowledge in Biology, physio, chemistry, physics etc... You can have great analytical skills but if you dont know what the question is talking about your pretty much done for.

The verbal section is more about the way you think and the science sections are about what you know. The best advice i can give you is to do TONS of practice questions. Kaplan has online test questions you can buy and they're pretty good, a bit harder than the real test..but better to know more than less. Do practice questions, untill your nutty and study the questions you miss and find out why you missed it.

Hope it helps

Answer 3

what is the MCAT?? is it montana or massachusetts?? or what??