The MCAT has four sections:
- Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
- Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
- Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
- Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
This section asks you to solve problems by combining your knowledge of chemical and physical foundation concepts with your scientific inquiry and reasoning skills.
It tests your understanding of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of human tissues, organs, and organ systems. It also assesses your knowledge and application of the basic chemical and physical principles that underlie the mechanisms operating in the human body.
A periodic table is available during the MCAT, but a calculator is not.
- Number of MCAT questions: 59
- Time: 95 minutes
- Types of questions: Passage-based (44) and free-standing (15)
- Content covered:
- Biochemistry, 25%
- Introductory biology, 5%
- General chemistry, 30%
- Organic chemistry, 15%
- Introductory physics, 25%
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
This section tests your knowledge of fundamental concepts that govern processes unique to living organisms. It also assesses your understanding of how cells and organ systems accomplish these processes, as well as your ability to reason about these processes.
- Number of MCAT questions: 59
- Time: 95 minutes
- Types of questions: Passage-based (44) and free-standing (15)
- Content covered:
- Biochemistry, 25%
- Introductory biology, 65%
- General chemistry, 5%
- Organic chemistry, 5%
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills
This section asks you to read and think about passages from a wide range of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities, followed by a series of questions that lead you through the process of comprehending, analyzing and reasoning. This section will require no specific content knowledge. Complex, thought-provoking passages will be excerpted from books, journals, and magazines. Each passage is around 600 words long and you will need to read and absorb information quickly to score well in this section.
- Number of MCAT questions: 53
- Time: 90 minutes:
- Content covered:
- Humanities, 50%
- Social Sciences, 50%
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
This section tests your ability to solve problems by combining your knowledge of psychological, social, and biological foundation concepts with your scientific inquiry and reasoning skills. It assesses your understanding of how concepts in psychology, sociology, and biology apply to the sociocultural and behavioral aspects of human health. You will also need to demonstrate your ability to use research methods and statistics.
- Number of MCAT questions: 59
- Time: 95 minutes
- Types of questions: Passage-based (44) and free-standing (15)
- Content covered:
- Introductory psychology, 65%
- Introductory sociology, 30%
- Introductory biology, 5%