MCAT syllabus 2018

MCAT syllabus 2018 – Conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the MCAT^® 2018 syllabus covers the first-semester undergraduate courses on a variety of sections. Medical College Admission Test^® (MCAT^®) is designed to evaluate the problem solving, critical thinking, and knowledge of natural, behavioral, and social science concepts and principles of a candidate required to the study of medicine. MCAT is a standardised multiple-choice computer-based exam. MCAT tests the aspirants various abilities like intuitive and critical thinking skills. AAMC is in charge of developing and administering the MCAT exam in conjunction with its member medical schools. MCAT, conducted multiple times in the year, can be taken in USA, Canada and a few other centres across the world. This article gives the aspirants a section-wise MCAT Syllabus 2018.

MCAT 2018 Syllabus – Section wise

There are four main test sections of MCAT syllabus 2018. They four sections are listed below:

• Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems

• Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems

• Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behaviour

• Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills

The duration of MCAT is 6 hours 15 minutes and the total seated time is 7 hours and 27 minutes. The four sections of MCAT exam cover a total of 472 to 528 marks. Below are the sections in detail:

MCAT Questions and Allotted Time

MCAT Syllabus 2018

Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: This section tests a candidate’s knowledge in physics and chemistry. It assesses a candidate’s knowledge of introductory courses taught during the first-semester in biology, organic chemistry, physics and biochemistry. A substantial number of the questions are asked from descriptive passages with multiple-questions from each passage. Some questions are not passage-based and are independent. A total of 59 questions are asked from this section.

MCAT Test pattern - Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems

Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: Basic Biology and organic chemistry questions are asked in this section. It tests basic knowledge of biochemistry, molecular biology, organic as well as inorganic chemistry. Out of 59 questions, there are seven passages with four to seven questions each. The Biology section focuses on concepts and information related to the life processes of organisms.

MCAT Test pattern - Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems

Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behaviour: This section tests a candidate’s understanding of psychological, sociological and biological concepts. Students are also expected to know about basic statistical concepts.

MCAT Test pattern - Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behaviour

Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills: This section is similar to a verbal reasoning test as it tests students’ reasoning and verbal ability. Candidates are made to read to analyse passages from a wide range of disciplines like social sciences and humanities.

MCAT Test pattern - Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills

Official Syllabus and content-wise details for MCAT

MCAT Sections and Scores:

• All the four sections of MCAT are scored in the range of 118 – 132. Aspirants can get a total score in the 472–528.

• The aspirants are not penalised for guessing answers in the MCAT exam.

• The MCAT 2018 scores include each section score as well as a percentile score. All percentile ranks and the section scores of the recent three years will be updated from 2018 onwards.

The Association of American Medical colleges (AAMC) conducts the MCAT examination. The exam is a computer-based test and the scores are used for admission to medical institutes in the US, Canada and a few other countries. Candidates aspiring to pursue a medical degree at a health professional institute are required to apply for MCAT.