Do I need to know trivial information for the MCAT?

[leaveit2rani]

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I have been doing the PR Science workbook and came across two questions that required me to know that:

-mature erythrocytes have no nucleus (so they can't undergo mitosis)
-cancerous cells can respond to hormonal control (i.e. breast cancer therapy)

Do I need to know stuff like this?

 

[LaughingMan]

I have been doing the PR Science workbook and came across two questions that required me to know that:

-mature erythrocytes have no nucleus (so they can't undergo mitosis)
-cancerous cells can respond to hormonal control (i.e. breast cancer therapy)

Do I need to know stuff like this?

The RBCs I wouldn't even call that trivia--thats something you should know IMO. I believe it came up in both EK and Kaplan Bio books.

Cancerous Cells to hormonal control, I never came across taht in my content review, but I would imagine something like that would be included in the passage. The former would not.

 

[dudewheresmymd]

dude the erythrocytes thing is something that you should remember...i agree with laughingman. also, they don't have mitochondria, golgi app, or ER...the principle behind this is so that they can maximize their oxygen binding ability (less organelles --> more oxygen unloaded at body tissue) --> your oxygen deprived body wins! hope this helps.

 

[osprey099]

I have been doing the PR Science workbook and came across two questions that required me to know that:

-mature erythrocytes have no nucleus (so they can't undergo mitosis)
-cancerous cells can respond to hormonal control (i.e. breast cancer therapy)

Do I need to know stuff like this?

Erythrocytes not having membrane bound organelles is definitely something you should know. Cancer cells can respond to hormones is something you should know as well.

 

[janutt345]

I was also wondering about this, more specifically with regards to biology. Knowing the silly and trivial differences between stuff like "osteoblasts" vs "osteoclasts" vs "osteoprogenitor cells" vs "osteocytes" is lame.

 

[mcloaf]

I was also wondering about this, more specifically with regards to biology. Knowing the silly and trivial differences between stuff like "osteoblasts" vs "osteoclasts" vs "osteoprogenitor cells" vs "osteocytes" is lame.

The difference between osteoclasts and osteoblasts is definitely not trivial.

 

[dudewheresmymd]

while it may be lame right now, you never know what may show up on a physiology passage 😉

 

[osprey099]

I had a discrete on my MCAT last summer asking about something I had never seen/heard of. It's always best to know as much as possible even though some things may sound irrelevant.

 

[LaughingMan]

The difference between osteoclasts and osteoblasts is definitely not trivial.

Yeah--again this isn't something that is trivial.

This is in my Princeton Review and Kaplan Review Quick Sheets. If it was important enough for that---it's important enough for the MCAT.

 

[dudewheresmymd]

I was also wondering about this, more specifically with regards to biology. Knowing the silly and trivial differences between stuff like "osteoblasts" vs "osteoclasts" vs "osteoprogenitor cells" vs "osteocytes" is lame.

can't tell if trolling or serious

 

[Spinach Dip]

The thing about erythrocytes: Absolutely yes.

About cancer cells: Yes. You should know that cancer cells have lost their ability to control their cell cycle, thus multiply constantly. They rarely lose their identity or stop responding to extracellular signals (such as hormones).



Basic cell biology.

 

[NickNaylor]

can't tell if trolling or serious

Yeah, and if they're serious, they're going to hate medical school. Medical school consists 95% of learning those "trivial" differences (and ones that are even more trivial).

 

[survivordo]

You have to make sure you absolutely have the basics down first. Then continue to review the basics as you add in more and more detail. This will help you continue to re-enforce your knowledge of the absolute core concepts as well as make the "trivial" details easier to remember because you should be relating them back to these core concepts. I know it is often when I learn one of these "trivial" details that I have a lightbulb moment and think "oooo that's how that works" and it all makes sense

Survivor DO