MCAT Content Vs. Class Content

[Detective SnowBucket]

Hi all, I've just started studying for the MCAT and already I've noticed that there is a large discrepancy between what we have to know for class and what is suggested for review by review texts.
I noticed this first with physics so I'll just use that as an example. I did all of Newton's laws and forces and conservation of energy and work and power in one sitting in ~1 hour out of a review book (Kaplan) but this took us weeks to cover in lecture. Not that the material was so much more in-depth, but that that there were just so many more equations and aspects in lecture.
So my question is: is this normal? Are you just tested on fewer things (though still a metric **** tonne, as to be distinguished from the Standard or Customary **** ton in the U.S.) or is the review book only going over the highest-yield stuff?

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[persistenceofmemory]

Hi all, I've just started studying for the MCAT and already I've noticed that there is a large discrepancy between what we have to know for class and what is suggested for review by review texts.
I noticed this first with physics so I'll just use that as an example. I did all of Newton's laws and forces and conservation of energy and work and power in one sitting in ~1 hour out of a review book (Kaplan) but this took us weeks to cover in lecture. Not that the material was so much more in-depth, but that that there were just so many more equations and aspects in lecture.
So my question is: is this normal? Are you just tested on fewer things (though still a metric **** tonne, as to be distinguished from the Standard or Customary **** ton in the U.S.) or is the review book only going over the highest-yield stuff?

I second this question! I've noticed that too.

 

[freedoctor17]

The review books give you the background knowledge you need to be able to answer the many experimental based questions once you get to the actual MCAT. They obviously can't cover every single possible thing but they do a good job of getting most of the content you'll need. I used Kaplan and felt like they covered everything really well. Once you start doing practice exams you'll get a better feel for the MCAT.

In short it's enough for content review but make sure to do a ton of practice as well.

 

[persistenceofmemory]

The review books give you the background knowledge you need to be able to answer the many experimental based questions once you get to the actual MCAT. They obviously can't cover every single possible thing but they do a good job of getting most of the content you'll need. I used Kaplan and felt like they covered everything really well. Once you start doing practice exams you'll get a better feel for the MCAT.

In short it's enough for content review but make sure to do a ton of practice as well.

So could one say that the prep material covers the foundational knowledge, and the exam itself requires mastery of the application of said knowledge in a scientific context? I am finishing up my requirements and I'm not sure if using MCAT prepping material during my courses would benefit me in anyway in regards to long term retainment of the material.

 

[MedicalDoge]

Yes, the MCAT does test on "less", and the Kaplan books go through the highest yield concepts. I did Kaplan as well for my prep, and think that they did a very good job. In fact, I think they went much more in depth than what is actually needed to answer questions on the MCAT. The only physics questions on my MCAT were really only conceptual questions, but this is probably not the norm, as I had a very chemistry heavy chem/phys section. For physics especially, the MCAT loves concepts that can be translated to medicine/medical equipment (fluid dynamics, circuits, etc). Just my 2 cents!

 

[freedoctor17]

Yes, the MCAT does test on "less", and the Kaplan books go through the highest yield concepts. I did Kaplan as well for my prep, and think that they did a very good job. In fact, I think they went much more in depth than what is actually needed to answer questions on the MCAT. The only physics questions on my MCAT were really only conceptual questions, but this is probably not the norm, as I had a very chemistry heavy chem/phys section. For physics especially, the MCAT loves concepts that can be translated to medicine/medical equipment (fluid dynamics, circuits, etc). Just my 2 cents!

Same! I had maybe only one question that wasn't conceptual. Had a lot of Chemistry though.

So could one say that the prep material covers the foundational knowledge, and the exam itself requires mastery of the application of said knowledge in a scientific context? I am finishing up my requirements and I'm not sure if using MCAT prepping material during my courses would benefit me in anyway in regards to long term retainment of the material.

I'd say that sounds about right. There are always a few questions that are just plain content based (usually the ones that aren't paired with a passage) but for the most part yes.

I don't know if using the review books during class will help though. Just focus on the class and go through the books after? Maybe outline topics your class didn't cover that are in the book while in the classes? That's really up to you and how you learn.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

This is because the MCAT is largely a reasoning test and not a content test. Yes it tests on less than your classes will cover

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Hi all, I've just started studying for the MCAT and already I've noticed that there is a large discrepancy between what we have to know for class and what is suggested for review by review texts.
I noticed this first with physics so I'll just use that as an example. I did all of Newton's laws and forces and conservation of energy and work and power in one sitting in ~1 hour out of a review book (Kaplan) but this took us weeks to cover in lecture. Not that the material was so much more in-depth, but that that there were just so many more equations and aspects in lecture.
So my question is: is this normal? Are you just tested on fewer things (though still a metric **** tonne, as to be distinguished from the Standard or Customary **** ton in the U.S.) or is the review book only going over the highest-yield stuff?

Classes are gonna have way more info because they’re preparing you for upper level courses in that discipline, not the MCAT.

I found review books adequately covered the. VAST majority of testable info on the MCAT

 

[aldol16]

The MCAT tests you on big picture concepts and whether you can apply them. They don't care about the minutiae that your lectures go over because that minutiae doesn't matter in the long run and you won't remember it long term. What's important is that you grasp the key concepts.

There's also a reason why lectures are so much more extraneous. We teach science in a way that stimulates inquiry and the scientific approach. If we wanted to teach science just for the MCAT, we would show you the main ideas and then show you how to apply them. But how we teach is we show you how the main ideas were developed via the scientific process in the first place. So in a field like biology or chemistry you'll see a lot of fundamental experiments covered in some detail because we're trying to show you where the fundamental concepts in the field come from. For the MCAT, you only need to understand the concepts. But knowing where they come from can help you do that as well.

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

Classes are gonna have way more info because they’re preparing you for upper level courses in that discipline, not the MCAT.

I found review books adequately covered the. VAST majority of testable info on the MCAT

Thanks K&G, I had always just assumed I could be tested on just about whatever I learned in class and was preparing to study all that.