Popular MCAT topics?

[WonderBoy]

I was wondering are there any topics that show up consistently on the MCAT? For those of you who have preparaed for the MCAT more than once, are there any topics or concepts that you must know? Of course I know that is better to study everything, but I am just curious if there are topics the MCAT loves. Thanks.

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[Mudd]

Over the past three years, here is what I have heard students report back:

physical sciences:
Optics
Electrochemical cell
An reaction that evolves a gas that is collected
A pendumlum experiment (or spring)
An RC circuit
lots of nuclear chemistry/physics

biological sciences:
Cystic Fibrosis
retroviruses
elctrophoresis experiment
DNA labeling experiment
extraction experiment
SN1 versus SN2 experiment

The gist is that they love to ask how things work in the PS section and how an experiment works in the BS section. Good luck.

 

[lady bug]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Chemistry Boy:
•Over the past three years, here is what I have heard students report back:

physical sciences:
Optics
Electrochemical cell
An reaction that evolves a gas that is collected
A pendumlum experiment (or spring)
An RC circuit
lots of nuclear chemistry/physics

biological sciences:
Cystic Fibrosis
retroviruses
elctrophoresis experiment
DNA labeling experiment
extraction experiment
SN1 versus SN2 experiment

The gist is that they love to ask how things work in the PS section and how an experiment works in the BS section. Good luck.•••••Yikes! I better look over some of those topics! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

 

[missbonnie]

Adding my stuff in:

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Chemistry Boy:
•Over the past three years, here is what I have heard students report back:

physical sciences:
Optics (1 token question)
Electrochemical cell
An reaction that evolves a gas that is collected
A pendumlum experiment (or spring) (simple harmonic motion)
An RC circuit
lots of nuclear chemistry/physics
photo-electric effect (almost ALWAYS on the mcat)

biological sciences:
Cystic Fibrosis
retroviruses
elctrophoresis experiment
DNA labeling experiment
extraction experiment
SN1 versus SN2 experiment

The gist is that they love to ask how things work in the PS section and how an experiment works in the BS section. Good luck.•••••The key is to NOT get caught up with the fanciness of the above topics..but to KNOW the underlying basic science they are trying to get at. A large part of the mcat (maybe everything) is to recognize what basic science they are asking ... it is ALWAYS basic. If you are thuinking too hard about, then you are not recognizing the basic science. FOr example, sometimes the orgo strctures they give you are completely huge and monstrous but they questions will only be concerned about a certain functional group. a physics passage could be talking about some way out there experiment, but then the questions will be very basic. my 2 cents

 

[Mudd]

Miss Bonnie:

You are so right on the mark. It seems like they make the passages weird (unfamiliar) just to knock the test-taker off track. Then the questions are actually pretty basic. Nuclear chemistry is a perfect example. The passages talk about matter versus anti-matter, then the questions are basic conservation of charge, momentum, or mass problems. And the huge molecules of which you speak is also so true... always a simple reaction done on an intimidating structure.

 

[missbonnie]

I also wanted to add that is IS important to read the passage (very quick reading anyway) cuz sometimes, a question will be a basic science question but the passage will note an exception (for example) and if you haven't read the passage then you will get it wrong.

 

[Wahoo07]

Don't forget Archimedes' principle. There seem to be alot of passages on that on all the practice tests I've taken....

 

[ofoshoukno]

bump Bump Bump
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[futuredoctor10]

photo-electric effect (almost ALWAYS on the mcat)

Yeah I hope so.... I know KE of emitted electron = Ephoton (Hf) - work function by heart now and have seen it so many times on so many of Kaplan & AAMC practice exams. Twice in the PS section of one AAMC exam in fact!