I have taken quite a few practice MCAT's and I still have not seen 1 passage on embryology or fetal development/respiration/circulation. I have seen passages regarding hormones and how they would effect development but not on the blastula gastrula morula etc. Is this tested heavily on the MCAT? I have not seen much of it( I have taken 6 exams) but I do not want to be the person who shows up on test day with questions regarding embryology and I am SOL. What shoul I know as I feel Kaplan goes in depth to the extreme when it comes to chapter 5 Embryology in thier book.
Embryology.
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It is to some degree.
You must know what gastrulation is etc.
Also what tissues is derived from mesoderm or endoderm etc.
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yep, i saw this on one practice exam. it was a stand-alone. and like a total *******, i missed it, even though i got a 97 on my graduate embryology exam. (like, two months ago.) my brain is turning to jello, i swear.
but yeah if you really are having issues with embryo i wouldnt focus too much on it, i don't think there would be more than one question, tops.
It's not that its troubling its that I'm trying to study efficiently. I don't want to waste time on things that I wont be seeying. I will study the formation of a fetus etc. and what tissues came from what etc. thank you
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sometimes when i see a passage on something i think, 'well, now that it was on the practice one, there's won't be a really similar one on the real thing.' so based on that backwards logic alone, i'd probably study something more if i had yet to see it on a practice exam. then again maybe i am just paranoid.
you can never be too careful . . . i figure if it's on the list, i better study it, because it would be just my luck that the two or three things i kind of gloss over would be exactly what was on my exam. but i think the testmakers are tricky. any hard passage that i mess up on a practice exam, then take my time to go over and understand, i bet i'll never see anything on that topic again . . .- Joined
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I know there was a whole passage on one of the AAMC's-it was
#5 or 6-it was the frog development one...but I think they
test it a lot bc how easy it is to relate it to experiments.
#5 or 6-it was the frog development one...but I think they
test it a lot bc how easy it is to relate it to experiments.
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TPR tests LOVE embryology. I took a class in embryo, so I thankfully knew what the Acrosome Reaction was, for example.
AAMC tests don't really touch on it too much. It's mostly the basics. Definitely KNOW the big stages (morula, blastula, gastrula) as well as the derivatives of ecto (nervous system, skin...), meso (muscles, bones...), and endoderm (GI tract). It couldn't hurt to see how some interesting structures form, like eyes, lungs, bones, and blood vessels.
Another important thing is to be able to tie this in to reproduction. Like the fact that the egg is usually fertilized in the fallopian tube but travels to the endometrium to implant at the blastula stage. Stuff about the placenta is key too.
My real MCAT had some passing references to embryology but not too much.
AAMC tests don't really touch on it too much. It's mostly the basics. Definitely KNOW the big stages (morula, blastula, gastrula) as well as the derivatives of ecto (nervous system, skin...), meso (muscles, bones...), and endoderm (GI tract). It couldn't hurt to see how some interesting structures form, like eyes, lungs, bones, and blood vessels.
Another important thing is to be able to tie this in to reproduction. Like the fact that the egg is usually fertilized in the fallopian tube but travels to the endometrium to implant at the blastula stage. Stuff about the placenta is key too.
My real MCAT had some passing references to embryology but not too much.
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just curious, does anyone have a mneomic or easy way to remember what the meso, ecto, and endo -derms develop into?
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The names literally mean the tissues they derive..
Ex) mesomorph is someone who is naturally lean and muscular. Mesoderm produces primarily skeletal muscle
Endoderm = many inside(inside) organs etc
You got this
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IT DOES SHOW UP.
I took the May 2nd MCAT, and I distinctly remember a developmental biology passage which several people complained about since it never makes an appearance on the AAMC CBT's.
You are definitely expected to know in general what develops from the endoderm, mesoderm, ectoderm, what determination and induction are. You also have to know embryology, especially the order like morula, gastrulation, blastocyst, neuralation etc (these arent in order). I remember having to know the order in which an embryo developed to answer a question.
Basically what ive learned about the MCAT after taking it twice is; expect *Everything*, every single word/section/concept/obscure equation etc can and will be tested; in fact things you've never even heard of can and will be tested. Thats why its important to have simple stuff like embryology down cold; because I gaurantee if you get a passage on it, its not going to be as simple "Sensory organs develop from _________________", they will be much tougher.
I took the May 2nd MCAT, and I distinctly remember a developmental biology passage which several people complained about since it never makes an appearance on the AAMC CBT's.
You are definitely expected to know in general what develops from the endoderm, mesoderm, ectoderm, what determination and induction are. You also have to know embryology, especially the order like morula, gastrulation, blastocyst, neuralation etc (these arent in order). I remember having to know the order in which an embryo developed to answer a question.
Basically what ive learned about the MCAT after taking it twice is; expect *Everything*, every single word/section/concept/obscure equation etc can and will be tested; in fact things you've never even heard of can and will be tested. Thats why its important to have simple stuff like embryology down cold; because I gaurantee if you get a passage on it, its not going to be as simple "Sensory organs develop from _________________", they will be much tougher.
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Kaplan's is pretty good:
Endoderm:
Think Endernal (internal) lining/layer - Organs: Digestive and Respiratory tract, liver, thyroid, pancreas, and bladder.
Mesoderm:
Think "Means-O-Derm" (i.e., means of getting around) : Musculoskeletal, circulatory, excretory, and reproductive.
Ectoderm:
Think "Attract-O-Derm" (things that make you attractive): Eyes, epidermis, inner ears (good listener), nervous system (smarts).
OK THANK YOU!! I will know it cold. The reason I made this thread is because I have taken many kaplan/AAMC exams and I have YET to see anything on it. This is my second time doing content review(the more I review the more I retain) so I was skeptical as to whether I would really need to know it. This has made me think differently.
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I don't have a mnemonic for the layers, but I do have one for the stages of development:
Ok, so it goes:
Zygote, Morula, Blastula, Gastrula, Neurla.
"Zikes! Martin is a Big Giant Nerd."
Idk...helps me lol
Ok, so it goes:
Zygote, Morula, Blastula, Gastrula, Neurla.
"Zikes! Martin is a Big Giant Nerd."
Idk...helps me lol
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thanks for all the mneumonics. they're pretty useful.
im also wondering if anyone could help me out with this? What exactly is content DNA? Like 1C 2C 4C? how would you know if a cell had such C valyes?
im also wondering if anyone could help me out with this? What exactly is content DNA? Like 1C 2C 4C? how would you know if a cell had such C valyes?
