Constants for MCAT?

[Kraazy]

Which constants do you guys think (or know) should be memorized for the MCAT? Should I be spending my time trying to memorize R, Avogadro's, the mass & charge of electons, etc...? According to EK many if not most of the constants will be given on the real MCAT, but I'm sure there are some I should memorize anyway.

Thanks!

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[mongrel]

mmmmm, I believe any constant you'd need should be given.

 

[AnEyeLikeMars]

Which constants do you guys think (or know) should be memorized for the MCAT? Should I be spending my time trying to memorize R, Avogadro's, the mass & charge of electons, etc...? According to EK many if not most of the constants will be given on the real MCAT, but I'm sure there are some I should memorize anyway.

Thanks!

I'm 99% sure you don't need to have any constants memorized.

 

[jochi1543]

I had questions/passages that involved the Planck's constant and it was given...along with the electron charge. Don't bother memorizing them. I don't think I even ended up using the constants (they DO sometimes give you info you don't need to confuse you).

 

[Shrike]

Not quite true that you won't need any constants, but they're very basic. For physics, you might need c = 3e8, pi = 3 (yes, I'm serious), the density of water, a couple others -- see the FAQ in the Study Question Q&A for more. For chemistry, you need Avogadro's number, 273K = 0C, maybe a couple of others; again, check the FAQ.

Good luck.

 

[CATallergy]

also wavelengths for red and violet light, speed of sound

 

[dochoov]

Don't memorize the acceleration due to gravity. On my MCAT they gave it to me.

 

[booji]

I believe the one constant they do expect you to know is the Universal Gas Constant (both in 0.082 and 8.314). This was not provided for me.

 

[J ROD]

What's the density of water?

Just kidding!!!

If you miss that one, then you are in real trouble!!

 

[rockyDoctora]

Wondering what constants are needed to be memorized. If any of this has been changed....

I'm taking Kaplan and they told me to memorize the Faraday's constant, speed of light, etc. so yeah...

 

[Melomare17]

Wondering what constants are needed to be memorized. If any of this has been changed....

I'm taking Kaplan and they told me to memorize the Faraday's constant, speed of light, etc. so yeah...

u dont need to memorize the constants really, they'll give you all that

 

[rockyDoctora]

Are you sure? would they really give you the speed of light when you need to calculate the frequency of an electromagnetic wave given its wavelength?

I feel like there is only a handful of constants that you need to know...

 

[rockyDoctora]

Anyone know where I can find a list of constants to memorize for the MCAT?

 

[Melomare17]

Are you sure? would they really give you the speed of light when you need to calculate the frequency of an electromagnetic wave given its wavelength?

I feel like there is only a handful of constants that you need to know...

yea in the passage or discrete question they give you the constant at the end of hte passage usually in parentheses

 

[ErinEmSee]

Anyone know where I can find a list of constants to memorize for the MCAT?

I found this list on another forum:

v sound = 343 m/s @ 20 deg. C, 1 ATM

h (Planck's constant) = 6.6 x 10^-34 J-s

F (Faraday's constant) = 96,500 C/mol

N sub A (Avogadro's #) = 6.02 x 10^23

R (universal gas constant) = .0821 L-ATM/mol-K

e (elementary charge) = 1.6 x 10^-19 C

specific gravity of water = 1000 Kg/m^3 or 1 g/cm^3

g = 10 m/s

G = 6.7 x 10^-11 N-m^2/Kg^2

 

[Guero]

I found this list on another forum:

v sound = 343 m/s @ 20 deg. C, 1 ATM

h (Planck's constant) = 6.6 x 10^-34 J-s

F (Faraday's constant) = 96,500 C/mol

N sub A (Avogadro's #) = 6.02 x 10^23

R (universal gas constant) = .0821 L-ATM/mol-K

e (elementary charge) = 1.6 x 10^-19 C

specific gravity of water = 1000 Kg/m^3 or 1 g/cm^3

g = 10 m/s

G = 6.7 x 10^-11 N-m^2/Kg^2

Much obliged! I wonder how many of these are truly necessary to memorize other than SG, g, the gas constant, and Señor Avocado-gadro's numero. (That's a nifty way to remember how to spell homie's name, btw.) I feel like the others will always be given. Better to always be safe rather than sorry, though. GL to those that still need to take this beast before it rolls over to a completely different exam in the next few years.

 

[Sports Junky]

I found this list on another forum:

v sound = 343 m/s @ 20 deg. C, 1 ATM

h (Planck's constant) = 6.6 x 10^-34 J-s

F (Faraday's constant) = 96,500 C/mol

N sub A (Avogadro's #) = 6.02 x 10^23

R (universal gas constant) = .0821 L-ATM/mol-K

e (elementary charge) = 1.6 x 10^-19 C

specific gravity of water = 1000 Kg/m^3 or 1 g/cm^3

g = 10 m/s

G = 6.7 x 10^-11 N-m^2/Kg^2

This list is probably sufficient, but there is one additional constant that I would add: Planck's Constant as 4 x 10^-15 eV*s

I seem to remember 2-3 questions on Full lengths where that conversion has come in handy. Sometimes the answers are in given in terms of eV, and you have to do additional conversions if Planck's constant is given in terms of J*s

 

[gettheleadout]

u dont need to memorize the constants really, they'll give you all that

Bumping this to point out that the AAMC actually does explicitly say you need to know some constants. Of course they don't say which ones, but I was wondering and stumbled upon this thread. Thought that might be good for current studiers to know.

https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/preparing/85568/preparing_psprep.html

 

[QrtrLifeCrisis]

For both MCATs that I took (4/26 and 5/11), I remember them giving us the constants, with the exception of maybe Avogadro's number. If I were still studying for this exam, as the case may be when scores come out in a few weeks , I would not waste my mental capacities committing these numbers to memory.

 

[gettheleadout]

For both MCATs that I took (4/26 and 5/11), I remember them giving us the constants, with the exception of maybe Avogadro's number. If I were still studying for this exam, as the case may be when scores come out in a few weeks , I would not waste my mental capacities committing these numbers to memory.

Ah, so sorry to hear you don't have unlimited mental capacities.

 

[QrtrLifeCrisis]

Ah, so sorry to hear you don't have unlimited mental capacities.

I know, right? I feel sorry for my future patients. Unfortunately, I don't have the god complex that some doctors and premeds tend to have.

 

[gettheleadout]

I know, right? I feel sorry for my future patients. Unfortunately, I don't have the god complex that some doctors and premeds tend to have.

You mean future M&M cases?

 

[QrtrLifeCrisis]

You mean future M&M cases?

Yep, I'll be 007.

 

[Melomare17]

i rest my case

 

[gettheleadout]

i rest my case

What case? The AAMC recommends we know the common constants. That's pretty much the word of law regardless of anyone's experience with particular exam administrations.

 

[brood910]

How about R in equations like PV = nRT and Vroot mean square = square root of 3RT/m ?

R value keeps changing, depending on what kind of equations you are using and this keeps messing me up.

 

[milski]

What case? The AAMC recommends we know the common constants. That's pretty much the word of law regardless of anyone's experience with particular exam administrations.

Word of law is really stretching it... I just went through all the practice AAMCs (excluding 9, which I have no access to) and there are only 3 constant that you would need to solve all the PS questions, one of them is consistently provided an AAMCs later than 4. Memorizing more obviously cannot hurt you but I would classify it as a waste of time.

While not exactly constants, what can really help you is being good at converting metric units, including areas and volumes. Things like cubic meters to liters, square centimeters to square millimeters and so on.

How about R in equations like PV = nRT and Vroot mean square = square root of 3RT/m ?

R value keeps changing, depending on what kind of equations you are using and this keeps messing me up.

I know R=8.314 for PV=nRT and none of the other units. If I had to take the test tomorrow I would not bother to learn either of them.

 

[gettheleadout]

Word of law is really stretching it... I just went through all the practice AAMCs (excluding 9, which I have no access to) and there are only 3 constant that you would need to solve all the PS questions, one of them is consistently provided an AAMCs later than 4. Memorizing more obviously cannot hurt you but I would classify it as a waste of time.

While not exactly constants, what can really help you is being good at converting metric units, including areas and volumes. Things like cubic meters to liters, square centimeters to square millimeters and so on.



I know R=8.314 for PV=nRT and none of the other units. If I had to take the test tomorrow I would not bother to learn either of them.

Just playing it safe! It's easier to know them and be that much more familiar with the numbers and units you'll be working with when you get a problem where you're given a constant you need.

 

[milski]

Just playing it safe! It's easier to know them and be that much more familiar with the numbers and units you'll be working with when you get a problem where you're given a constant you need.

I understand your point very well, just sharing my opinion. From what I've seen, AAMC seems to treat constants as a very auxiliary topic and tends to provide most of them. That combined with my strong dislike of memorizing arbitrary facts (Med School will be just the right place for me, don't you think?) is why I would not bother with anything but c and N_A. Everybody else is free to do as they please, of course.

Useless side note: In certain parts of physics we just set h=c=1 and life gets sooo much better.

 

[gettheleadout]

I understand your point very well, just sharing my opinion. From what I've seen, AAMC seems to treat constants as a very auxiliary topic and tends to provide most of them. That combined with my strong dislike of memorizing arbitrary facts (Med School will be just the right place for me, don't you think?) is why I would not bother with anything but c and N_A. Everybody else is free to do as they please, of course.

Useless side note: In certain parts of physics we just set h=c=1 and life gets sooo much better.

Didn't mean to seem badgering, by all means share whatever you like haha. It's funny, I actually like having an arsenal of discrete facts and terms at my disposal, it helps build my confidence I think.

 

[milski]

Didn't mean to seem badgering, by all means share whatever you like haha. It's funny, I actually like having an arsenal of discrete facts and terms at my disposal, it helps build my confidence I think.

Sounds way better than certain ideas we've seen in the forum.

 

[Mindbuffer]

Didn't mean to seem badgering, by all means share whatever you like haha. It's funny, I actually like having an arsenal of discrete facts and terms at my disposal, it helps build my confidence I think.

Agreed. I think knowing most of the constants is good for confidence if nothing else. I happened to have many of them memorized simply from doing so many practice problems. It was never a conscious effort.