MCAT Review

Preparing for the MCAT is no easy task. That's why we are here to help. We offer MCAT Review and MCAT Prep online for free. Comprehensive, to-the-point review notes for each of the officially tested MCAT topics are listed below. In addition, we also provide strategies and an on-going project to crack the MCAT. Don't take the MCAT without visiting MCAT-Review.org!

Physical Sciences Section

General Chemistry Review

• Electronic Structure and Periodic Table
• Bonding
• Phases and Phase Equilibria
• Stoichiometry
• Thermodynamics and Thermochemistry
• Rate Processes in Chemical Reactions - Kinetics and Equlibrium
• Solution Chemistry
• Acids/Bases
• Electrochemistry

Physics Review

• Translational Motion
• Force and Motion, Gravitation
• Equilibrium and Momentum
• Work and Energy
• Waves and Periodic Motion
• Sound
• Fluids and Solids
• Electrostatics and Electromagnetism
• Electronic Circuit Elements
• Light and Geometrical Optics
• Atomic and Nuclear Structure

Biological Sciences Section

Biology Review

• Molecular Biology: Enzymes and Metabolism
• Molecular Biology: DNA and Protein Synthesis
  • DNA
  • Protein Synthesis
• Molecular Biology: Eukaryotes
• Genetics
• Microbiology
• Generalized Eukaryotic Cell
• Specialized Eukaryotic Cells and Tissues
• Nervous and Endocrine Systems
• Circulatory, Lymphatic, and Immune Systems
• Respiratory System
• Skin System
• Digestive and Excretory Systems
  • Digestive System
  • Excretory System
• Muscle and Skeletal Systems
• Reproductive System and Development
• Evolution

Organic Chemistry Review

• The Covalent Bond
• Molecular Strucure and Spectra
• Separations and Purifications
• Hydrocarbons
• Oxygen Containing Compounds
  • Alcohols
  • Aldehydes and Ketones
  • Carboxylic Acids
  • Acid Derivatives
  • Keto Acids and Esters
• Amines
• Biological Molecules
  • Carbohydrate
  • Amino Acids and Proteins
  • Lipids
  • Phosphorus Compounds

Verbal Section

• Comprehension
• Evaluation
• Application
• Incorporation of new information

Writing Section

• Developing a central idea
• Synthesizing concepts and ideas
• Presenting ideas cohesively and logically
• Writing clearly, following accepted practices of grammar, syntax, and punctuation, consistent with timed, first-draft composition

Source: Official testing topics were obtained directly from the AAMC.

How to Review for the MCAT

You want to review for the MCAT in the most efficient way. First, review only the topics that will be on the exam. Second, review these exam topics with the test in mind. What this means is that you must do content review in conjunction with working real exam questions.

If you just do content review alone, then you'll end up forgetting most of what you went over. However, if you work MCAT problems while doing content review, you'll retain most of what you learned. Incidentally, the stuff that you retain will be the stuff that will be tested on the MCAT.

There's only so many concepts an introductory course can cover, and there's only so many ways one can test these concepts. So, if you know the aamc topics, and you do enough past MCAT questions, then you'll figure things out.

What this means is that a question may at first appear to be very difficult because of the way it's worded, or because it is given in the context of a strange experiment that you've never heard before. But then you'll realize that the MCAT doesn't test you on strange experiments that are not covered in a basic introductory course. After realizing this, you'll be able to see right through the strange experiment and realize that the question is simply testing you on some very basic concept, like Le Chatelier's principle, just disguised in the context of some unfamiliar situation.

To sum things up, review for the MCAT effectly by going over the official test topics published by the AAMC. Use the online notes here to guide your studies. And remember, do not wait until the last minute to take past MCAT exams. Start doing MCAT questions as early as possible, in conjunction with content review. Have fun reviewing for the MCAT!