Format of the MCAT

 

MCAT BY SECTION
Section	Minutes	Questions
Physical Sciences	70 minutes	52 multiple choice questions
Biological Sciences	70 minutes	52 multiple choice questions
Verbal Reasoning	60 minutes	40 multiple choice questions
Writing Samples	60 minutes	2 questions

 

Physical Sciences

This section evaluates your knowledge of basic, non-calculus physics (motion, force, gravity, electricity and electromagnetism, waves, circuits, light, etc.) and inorganic chemistry (atomic structure, energy flow, chemical reactions, reaction kinetics, etc.). It also tests your ability to understand science passages, interpret visual representations of data, and to solve problems based on them.

Generally, two semesters of both general chemistry and physics cover the information tested by this section of the MCAT. Additionally, this section requires knowledge of some high school math topics, including algebra, logarithms, trigonometric functions, finding slopes, interpreting graphs, solving quadratic equations, and vector problems.