Biological Sciences

The Biological and Physical Sciences sections on the MCAT are very similar in their structure and format. 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, stereochemistry, spectroscopy, hydrocarbons, amino acids and proteins, laboratory techniques, and hydrolysis and dehydration.

Passages describe experiments, situations, or ideas from which questions are drawn. The information may be presented in the guise of journal or textbook articles, experimental research, data analysis, or scientific-style editorials. This passage-and-question based structure allows you to demonstrate many skills, including understanding the science presented in the passage, no matter how obscure or foreign and confidently connecting elements of your scientific repertoire to new situations. In addition the format tests your ability to quickly assess the kinds of situations feasible given the information in the passage.

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