What physics is still important on the new MCAT?

[yestomeds]

Saw two threads (or two really good posts) on this earlier on the forum, and forgot where I bookmarked them .

Anybody able to help with what you think which Physics topics have remained important, in light of the new 2015 changes?

Thank you.

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[ElectricNoogie]

Hi @yestomeds! There is a free pdf from the AAMC that lists ALL the science topics relevant to the new MCAT. As far as how/how much they will test each, no one can know that with any certainty yet. You can go off of old MCATs and infer that old high yeild topics might remain high yield, or assume that the more one can tie the physics topic into another science area (bio, biochem, chem) the more likely the new exam is to test it.

At this point its still too early to say with any meaningful degree of reliability, beyond the anecdotal evidence here on SDN, what is "high yield" or "low yield." Check those threads out as well as all of the official MCAT test date threads. People have given general info about what they have seen. There are a few areas that have consistently shown up.

The AAMC pdf is downloadable HERE.

Good luck!

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Saw two threads (or two really good posts) on this earlier on the forum, and forgot where I bookmarked them .

Anybody able to help with what you think which Physics topics have remained important, in light of the new 2015 changes?

Thank you.

A good rule of thumb is that if it can crossover into biology, then it is high yield. If it can crossover into general chemistry, then it is medium yield. If it has limited crossover, then it is low yield. This is not a perfect rule, but a pretty good one that BR has a motto in the classroom.

There are certain areas of physics that lend themselves to specific analogs in biochemistry and physiology. Things like blood flow and Poiseuille's Law connect really well. DC current and nerve cells as well as capacitors and electrophoresis are natural pairings. One thing we suggest to our students is to write different topics onto pieces of paper and then draw three randomly. Try to figure a passage based on those three. If you do this enough times, you get into the midst of the writer.

 

[kanda1o]

A good rule of thumb is that if it can crossover into biology, then it is high yield. If it can crossover into general chemistry, then it is medium yield. If it has limited crossover, then it is low yield. This is not a perfect rule, but a pretty good one that BR has a motto in the classroom.

There are certain areas of physics that lend themselves to specific analogs in biochemistry and physiology. Things like blood flow and Poiseuille's Law connect really well. DC current and nerve cells as well as capacitors and electrophoresis are natural pairings. One thing we suggest to our students is to write different topics onto pieces of paper and then draw three randomly. Try to figure a passage based on those three. If you do this enough times, you get into the midst of the writer.

THIS.

This new mcat seems to be more bio based. So anything that can be considered interdisciplinary with bio/biochem is a good thing to keep in mind! Fluid motions, thermodynamics, electrical stuff in regards to nervous system

 

[ready2go2]

Just took the test today. A lot of physics that was barely applicable to bio/biochem/med. Felt more like a difficult version of the physics question pack (aka more like the old test not the new AAMC fl).

Very frustrating because I was told that many people either didn't study physics and felt fine or studied physics and regretted wasting time on it. If I could go back in time I would have put in more work on physics topics listed in the AAMC outline.

 

[QuentinT88]

^ well....that is very good information to know. I've been trying to focus on a few "high yield" mcat physics topics, but my instructor from TPR literally said that with the new MCAT, anything is fair game.

 

[jimmypod]

^ well....that is very good information to know. I've been trying to focus on a few "high yield" mcat physics topics, but my instructor from TPR literally said that with the new MCAT, anything is fair game.

I feel like fluid dynamics... is an essential physics topic to know considering the extremely relevant connections with human physiology, but yeah it seems like everything is fair game. Apparently the August 21st exam just had a crapload of organic chemistry, despite its apparent 'reduction' in testing relevance.

 

[ElectricNoogie]

Just took the test today. A lot of physics that was barely applicable to bio/biochem/med. Felt more like a difficult version of the physics question pack (aka more like the old test not the new AAMC fl).

Very frustrating because I was told that many people either didn't study physics and felt fine or studied physics and regretted wasting time on it. If I could go back in time I would have put in more work on physics topics listed in the AAMC outline.

This should be paid attention to as it is not the first time people have reported this even within the last month of testing.

It has been said many times this summer (and not just by me), do NOT get caught up in the hype of the "new, medically oriented" MCAT. There is still a good portion of the exam (3-4 passages/section from students I have heard from) that are similar to the old-fashioned stand-alone physics/chem/bio topic passage type.

In fact I had a student recently report that on their July MCAT, they were tested on a classic MCAT Physics topic via a passage on playing the harmonica.

While I don't doubt that a a few years from now, the physics, chem and bio will be much more seamlessly integrated, that isn't the case now for a good chunk of the passages you will get on test day.

Study smarter. Use past MCATs as a guide, and what you see here on SDN as a non-representative but useful snapshot of the MCAT. Anything on that AAMC outline is fair game, and no one can tell you what is or is not high yield yet, not with any meaningful reliability. Take all anecdotal info you get here with a grain of salt.

Good luck!

 

[podiatrytime]

I took the exam today and there was barely any physics (~2 questions). Obviously the exam isn't the same for everyone, so it's still necessary to study the material.
I used Kaplan and it was sufficient for the 2 questions. Haha!

 

[yestomeds]

Thank you everyone!





So.... no consensus.

 

[jimmypod]

Thank you everyone!





So.... no consensus.

I think the consensus is that with all of the variation that can come with every MCAT exam to be as prepared as possible for anything AAMC might throw at you. All in all, study your physics.

 

[FindingNismo]

The person above it spot on. There's no way to tell what sort of physics is or is not going to be on the test, but you should be prepared for everything. My test, like others have mentioned, was very heavy on physics and calculations. Others have reported minimal amounts of physics, but I can tell you first hand that I wish I had spent significantly more time on my physics than I did. Bottom line - be prepared. You don't know what's going to be on that test and you aren't going to want to take your chances.