MCAT Test Pattern

Duration: The MCAT is a 5¾ - hour test
There are four sections of the test. Two sections are given in the morning followed by the remaining two after a lunch break.

The schedule for the test day and allocated times for each section are as follows:

Section	Question	Time (in Minutes)
Physical Sciences	77	100
Break
Verbal Reasoning	60	85
Lunch Break
Writing Sample	2	60
Break
Biological Sciences	77	100

Verbal Reasoning

The Verbal Reasoning section of the MCAT is designed to assess your ability to understand, evaluate, and apply information and arguments presented in prose texts. The test consists of several passages, each 500 to 600 words long, taken from the humanities and social sciences and from areas of the natural sciences not tested on the MCAT Physical and Biological Sciences sections. Each passage is accompanied by 5 to 10 multiple-choice questions based on the information presented in the passage. Since the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences include a vast range of subjects and since courses in these areas differ greatly in content, test questions will not cover a specific set of topics. You will not be tested for specific subject knowledge in the disciplines covered on the test.

The Writing Sample consists of two items, each composed of a brief topic statement and a set of writing tasks designed to elicit a unified, coherent, first-draft essay exploring the meaning and implications of the statement.

The Physical and Biological Sciences sections contain multiple-choice questions. Most of the questions accompany brief informational passages; a smaller number are independent of any passage and of each other. Questions assess knowledge of basic concepts in biology, chemistry, and physics through their application to the solution of science problems.

The content tested on the physical sciences section of the MCAT is drawn from physics and general chemistry. Questions are roughly divided between the two and are mixed throughout the section. Tested physics concepts include Newtonian mechanics, thermodynamics, magnetism, light and optics, nuclear physics, and atomic phenomena. Chemistry concept that you can expect to see include quantum numbers, the Periodic Table, bonding, phases of matter, and acids and bases. In mathematics you need to know are the basics, like algebra, exponents, logs, and a bit of trigonometry. There isn't any calculus, differential equations, or matrix mechanics.

Questions in the Biological Sciences section are drawn from biology and organic chemistry, with a slightly greater emphasis on biology. Tested biology concepts include cell division, muscular and skeletal systems, the lymphatic system, respiratory and circulatory systems, enzymatic activity, viruses, and the nervous system. Organic chemistry concepts that you can expect to see include nomenclature, spectroscopy, hydrocarbons, amino acids and proteins, laboratory techniques, and hydrolysis and dehydration.

Paper	Time (In Minutes)	Format	Topics
Physical Sciences	100	77 total questions 10-11 passages 4-8 questions per passage 15 stand-alone questions	General Chemistry Basic Physics Analytical Reasoning Data Interpretation
Verbal Reasoning	85	60 total questions 9-10 passages 6-10 questions each	Critical Reading
Writing Sample	60	Two 30-minute essay questions	Critical Thinking Intellectual Organization Written Communication
Biological Sciences	100	77 total questions 10-11 passages 4-8 questions each 15 stand-alone questions	Biology Organic Chemistry Data Interpretation Analytical Reasoning