Download MCATPrepslides-1Jan28session

So you’ve got to take the
MCAT…
Rule 1: Don’t freak out
Rule 2: Know thyself ~think about who you are, how you
study and take tests, consider what will work for you
My approach
 Examkrackers books cover to cover once
comprehensively and casually, once again with intense
targeted study
 Many months of part time study, writing flashcards for
unfamiliar concepts
 2 months of more intense study- learn those flashcards
by heart, use Examkrackers to hone in on what you
don’t know
 Watch the Khan Academy videos
My MCAT Philosophy
 Build a good working knowledge of MCAT topics but not an
exhaustive one
 MEMORIZE EQUATIONS!!!
 use your working knowledge to eliminate incorrect choices
or to select from among the most likely ones
 GET COMFORTABLE WITH DISCOMFORT- The MCAT is
the art of trusting your informed best guess
 even a successful exam won’t necessarily “feel” good
Get Cozy with the Units
Especially useful for physics- know the units because they will
help even if you forget the formula
Example: force is expressed in newtons
F=ma
1 Newton= (1 kg)(1 m/ss)
1 Joule= 1 kg m2/s2= (1 N)(1m) ~therefore W=Fd
1 watt=1 J/s
~Power=work/time
Power= (mass x acceleration x distance)/time
Now we’re equipped to answer questions about what
variables power is directly or inversely proportional to- just
the kind of task the MCAT likes to have you do
Study tips that worked for me
 Go fast – Mark an answer and move on
 Don’t get intimidated- focus on questions more than
passages
 They can’t ask you anything you haven’t seen- if it feels
unfamiliar look for something that ties it back to what
you know
 Study in a way that mimics the test (time management)
Setting your date
 Pick a date well in advance, take your study seriously,
try hard to take the test on the date you’ve signed up
for
 Take it once, take it when you’re ready
Checking in
 Who has taken AAMC practice test 3?
 How did that go?
 Who has an MCAT date before May?
Psychological, Social, and Biological
Foundations of Behavior
 95 minutes, 59 items (passages and stand alone
questions)
 MEMORIZE all bold red terms in EK (anki)
 This section will integrate psychological, social, and
biological concepts
 Example: passage might focus on the relationship
between heart disease and a social factor like SES
Passage I/Psych Soc 4
70. D
77. C
84. B
91.D
71. A
78. D
85. A
92. A
72. D
79. A
86. D
73. B
80. C
87. C
74. B
81. C
88. B
75. C
82. D
89. D
76. B
83. A
90. B
James Lange theory of emotion: an external stimulus elicits a
physiological response, and the emotional experience depends upon
the interpretation of this physical reaction
Cannon-Bard: feelings and physiological reactions to a stimulus are
experienced simultaneously (emotions can not be determined by
assessing one’s physiological response because a fast heartbeat can
mean anger, fear, excitement)
Cognitive dissonance: conflict between internal attitudes and external
behaviors
Fundamental attribution error: tendency to attribute others’ actions to
internal factors like personality rather than external circumstances
 Theory of Multiple Intelligences: everyone has a variety
of intelligences that are used in combination to solve
problems and perform tasks
 Belief persistence – people hold on to initial beliefs
even presented with a rational argument that would
suggest they are wrong.
 Heuristic – mental short cuts that often lead to a
solution (when X happens do Y)
 Social cognitive theory – people learn behaviors by
observing others’ actions and consequences
 Peripheral route processing – does not think deeply to
evaluate an argument (ex: limited time)
 Central route processing – when an individual does
think deeply about an argument (uses logic and
reason)
 Foot in the door technique – uses a smaller
commitment to convince someone to later make a
larger commitment
 Incentive theroy – desired behaviors driven by external
rewards
 Operant conditioning – uses reinforcement and
punishment to promote behavior
 Drive reduction theory – behavior is driven by the
attempt to minimize basic physiological drives, such as
the need for food
 Cognitive theory – thought processes drive behavior
(very broad category)
 Nativist theory of language development – humans
have an innate ability to comrehend and produce
language
 Learning theory of development – language is a
learned behavior through operant conditioning
Chemical and Physical Foundations of
Biological Systems
 95 minutes, 59 items (passages and stand alone
questions)
Passage II/Chem 4
70. A
77. B
84. C
91. B
71. C
78. A
85. A
92. C
72.B
79. C
86. B
73. A
80. C
87. A
74. A
81. D
88. D
75. D
82. A
89. A
76. B
83. C
90. A
Passage III/Phys 2
24. C
31. A
38. D
45. B
25. B
32. C
39. C
46. B
26.A
33. B
40. A
27. C
34. D
41. B
28. B
35. D
42. D
29. A
36. A
43. B
30. B
37. C
44. D