They should combine Orgo with Gen Chem

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And equal the balance by adding a new math section instead.
Who's down?
😀

 

[nkhan]

According to my friend who took it 7/18 he had an orgo passage in the PS portion.

 

[engineeredout]

There already is some chemistry that seems to float back and forth between orgo and gen chem. While I'm good at math, a math section would just prove to be an annoyance.

 

[bodonid]

math on the mcat? Blasphemy.

 

[requeim]

yeah, that instance of the 7/18 mcat was crazy. i had to stop for a second and think huh, an orgo passage on PS. maybe it was to confuse kids that this was the BS section. prob not. lol

 

[futuredoctor10]

According to my friend who took it 7/18 he had an orgo passage in the PS portion.

I don't understand. So like, completely Organic Chem passage & topics/reactions in the PS? (Or like somewhat gray area between Orgo & Phys)

I ask because I wonder if that was an administrative mistake when they made the exam? (Although I doubt it as I'm sure AAMC checks it over many times)

 

[bodonid]

I don't understand. So like, completely Organic Chem passage & topics/reactions in the PS? (Or like somewhat gray area between Orgo & Phys)

I ask because I wonder if that was an administrative mistake when they made the exam? (Although I doubt it as I'm sure AAMC checks it over many times)

Everyone taking the test at the same time takes the same test (albeit in a different order) so that would be ridiculously unlikely.

Chemistry questions can be asked of organic chemicals, so long as it only requires chemistry principles plus whatever is given to solve the problems.

 

[futuredoctor10]

If it was organic background (example, organic chemicals as you mention) but an acid/base gen chem passage I don't think 7/18 testtakers would call it "an orgo passage in PS"?

I thought (from tone) that people were surprised at a seemingly out-of-place organic passage in Physical Sciences.

 

[Quantum Chem]

It really wasn't an orgo passage. It involved organic compounds, but the questions were gen chem based. I think that the compounds were to surprise people to get them to think "orgo" and get flustered, when no orgo was actually needed.

 

[engineeredout]

It really wasn't an orgo passage. It involved organic compounds, but the questions were gen chem based. I think that the compounds were to surprise people to get them to think "orgo" and get flustered, when no orgo was actually needed.

Exactly. You take some gen chem concepts, especially acids/bases, and those can be made to sound like orgo concepts when its really just gen chem.

 

[unsung]

I don't remember an orgo passage in the PS section. There was a bit of gen chem though.

The one passage that did confuse my memory a bit was the shark passage which was actually in the Verbal section, NOT the BS.

 

[requeim]

yeah. it wasnt an orgo passage but had organic chemicals with gen chem questions

 

[futuredoctor10]

OK cool thanks everyone for clarifying 🙂 i was about to say!

 

[DEdm]

I for one would love to see a calculus section added to the MCAT. My reasoning is simple: the only reason Organic and Physics are on there (or are a prereq for that matter) is because of their difficulty. Many of the same thought process skills that are required for mastery of orgo are helpful for the decision making of a physician. However, orgo and physics don't help much at all with med school. In higher level math (calculus I and II, etc.) you must develop similar reasoning skills. Many schools require or recommend Calculus II anyways so why not add it to the MCAT??? My guess is that 20 years from now it will be on there... if there still is an MCAT. That is another topic though

 

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I agree. Imagine this "Dear students, as of 2050 the MCAT will no longer be the preferred admission test. You must pass both steps of the USMLE Step 1&2 to qualify for admission."😱 LoL!

 

[Raigon]

Math huh? Maybe... hmm... I wonder -

(several years later)

MCAT - tested subject : MATH

List of Topics for MATH
1. Basic Differentiation and integration (1%)
2. Logarithms, Natural Logarithms, infinite sequences and series, Taylor's expansion (2%)
3. Derivatives and Anti-Derivatives (5%)
4. Partial Differentiations and improper integrals (10%)
5. Space Vectors, Space Calculus, integration and differentiation of inverse trigonometry, polar coordinates, centroids and moments of inertia of plane areas, double integration applied to volume under a surface and the area of a curved surface. (15%)
6. Vector Calculus, including vector differentiation and vector integration to the 100th order, direction derivatives and their minumum and maximum values (30%)
7. COMPUTER CALCULUS, MASSES OF VARIBLE DENSITY, QUANTUM MECHANICS, and PROOF PROBLEMS (37%)

OMFG DOCTOR SAVE ME










Um no... I don't think there should be math for the MCATs. 😱

 

[RySerr21]

there is enough math in the physics portion of the test. it doesnt need to have its own section. however, if they do decide to make a math section, i wont care cuz i wont have to take it! mwa ha ha.

 

[engineeredout]

I for one would love to see a calculus section added to the MCAT. My reasoning is simple: the only reason Organic and Physics are on there (or are a prereq for that matter) is because of their difficulty. Many of the same thought process skills that are required for mastery of orgo are helpful for the decision making of a physician. However, orgo and physics don't help much at all with med school. In higher level math (calculus I and II, etc.) you must develop similar reasoning skills. Many schools require or recommend Calculus II anyways so why not add it to the MCAT??? My guess is that 20 years from now it will be on there... if there still is an MCAT. That is another topic though

There could certainly be a calc section for the mcat. Its not like calculus requires the use of a calculator (at least it doesn't have to). Plus they could give calculus problems in the physics section, and finally make premeds have to take calculus based physics instead of wimpy physics.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

While we're adding a math section, I think we should also throw in a pop culture section, a classics section, and a physical challenge (i.e., obstacle course). And one of the passages in VR should be in a random foreign language.

 

[requeim]

so now we have to be fluent in multiple languages to even read a passage! absurd!

 

[oohchki]

No math. No no no no no math.