What is the most heavily tested subject on the MCAT?

Asked by: Jett Christiansen  |  Last update: October 24, 2023
Score: 4.9/5 (26 votes)

On the MCAT, biology (at 65% of the Bio/Biochem section) will be by far the most important of the four “classic” MCAT subjects, followed in importance by general chemistry (30% of the Chem/Phys section); physics (25% of the Chem/Phys section); and finally organic chemistry (15% of the Chem/Phys section).

What is the most tested subject on MCAT?

As you can see in the percentage numbers above, some subjects just get a bit more attention on the MCAT. If these subjects are difficult for you, you may want to focus extra on them. The highest number of questions on the test are about biology, followed by psychology and biochemistry.

What are the hardest subjects on the MCAT?

If you're not able to answer a question that includes information from physics, biology, and psychology, for example, you might struggle. The section students tend to find most difficult deserves its own difficulty analysis entirely: CARS.

What is the highest yield topic on the MCAT?

What are the high-yield topics?
  • Biological sciences: Biochemistry of proteins, enzymes, amino acids, DNA, molecular biology, oxidative phosphorylation, and general cell biology.
  • Physical sciences: Thermodynamics, chemical reactions, oxidation reduction, and acids and bases.

What is the hardest section to improve MCAT?

The MCAT is a hard test, but for many premeds, the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Section (CARS) can be the most mysterious and difficult section of the exam to prepare for. How do you prepare for a section that may give you a passage on topics that range all the way from history to philosophy?

MCAT SCORE REACTION 2023

29 related questions found

What is the easiest subject on the MCAT?

MCAT CARS is often considered the easiest section of the MCAT since it does not test specific knowledge in any particular subject. However, this does not mean that MCAT CARS does not require preparation.

What is the top 90% MCAT score?

90th percentile – total score: 515; score for each section: between 128-130. 99th percentile – total score: 523; score for each section: between 131-132.

What is the highest level of math on the MCAT?

What math is covered on the MCAT? The MCAT is primarily a conceptual exam, with little actual mathematical computation. Any math that is on the MCAT is fundamental: just arithmetic, algebra, and trigonometry. There is absolutely no calculus on the MCAT.

What is the top scorer on the MCAT?

What is the highest MCAT score ever recorded? A 528 is the highest MCAT score that you can achieve by scoring a perfect 132 in each of the four MCAT sections. Each of the four MCAT sections is scored from a 118 to a 132, and when you add these four sections up, you can score anywhere between a 472 and a 528.

What is the lowest competitive MCAT score?

Anything lower than 490 is very unlikely to be acceptable. It should be noted, though, that very few test-takers score in this range. According to the data from the most recent years of MCAT test-takers, the average MCAT score overall is around 506.5.

Is the MCAT mostly memorization?

You do, of course, need to memorize some things for the MCAT, but by and large, the MCAT is about recall and association: drawing the connections between subjects. This format actually mirrors how memories are organized in the brain: in semantic networks.

What is a mediocre MCAT score?

Average MCAT Scores

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the average MCAT score was 501.5 for those who took the test between May 1, 2021 and April 30, 2022. MCAT scores range from 472-528.

What percent of MCAT is memorization?

MCAT Memorization Strategies. Memory questions make up 25% of science questions on the MCAT.

What is the average MCAT score of all test takers?

MCAT Score Statistics

The average MCAT total score is 502 with a standard deviation of 10.8, while the 90th percentile score is 515. As of 2023, there are 44,565 men and 51,890 women in medical school according to the AAMC. In the graphic below, we highlight some important MCAT score statistics.

Is it easy to get 500 in MCAT?

Attaining a score of 500 on the MCAT means you performed in the 53% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred.

Is the MCAT curved?

The MCAT exam is not graded on a curve. Instead, the MCAT exam is scaled and equated so that scores have the same meaning, no matter when you test or who tests at the same time you did.

What score is 100% on MCAT?

What is the highest MCAT score? 528 is the highest possible MCAT score, which corresponds to the 100th percentile. Anything above a 524 is also a 100th percentile score, and a 522 or 523 is a 99th percentile score.

Has anyone gotten a 45 on the MCAT?

But Graham Wehmeyer, a senior microbiology major, was walking into the dreaded MCAT, or Medical College Admission Test, completely prepared. Seven and a half hours later, Wehmeyer became one of the few examinees to receive a perfect 45 on the MCAT.

Should I retake a 516 MCAT?

While going from 515 to 517 looks good, going from 498 to 502 looks great. So statistically speaking, unless you're already in the very highest tier of test takers, chances are that retaking the MCAT will result in a better score and will ultimately benefit your application.

What is the average old MCAT score?

The old MCAT was scored on a scale from 3-45 with an average MCAT score of 25.2. On each section you could earn 1 to 15 points. The new MCAT is scored on a scale from 472-528 with a mean score of 500. On each section you can earn 118 to 132 points.

Is the MCAT the hardest graduate exam?

Well, there's no reason to sugar coat it – the MCAT is an extremely difficult exam. In fact, it is perhaps the toughest graduate school entrance exam in the US. However, the good news is that while difficult, it is manageable. The average score for students admitted to medical school is 510 to 511.

Is the MCAT getting harder?

The MCAT is not getting harder over time. The MCAT did change in 2016 in which some people say it is harder, but it remains relatively consistent. Even so, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) normalizes scores based on the scores of a particular MCAT.

Is it possible to pass the MCAT without studying?

The MCAT is not like the SAT or ACT that you can take in high school without studying and do fine. The MCAT covers 8+ semesters worth of college-level classes, most of which students take in their 1st or 2nd year of college. That's a lot of material (that most students have forgotten)!