Kaplan - Kaplan MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Review: Created for MCAT 2015

Edited by Alexander Stone Macnow, MD

• Alexander Stone Macnow, MD
  Editor-in-Chief
• M. Dominic Eggert
  Kaplan MCAT Faculty
• Kimberly Sinnott, MA
  Kaplan MCAT Faculty

MCAT faculty reviewers Elmar R. Aliyev; James Burns; Jonathan Cornfield; Alisha Maureen Crowley; Nikolai Dorofeev, MD; Benjamin Downer, MS; Colin Doyle; Marilyn Engle; Eleni M. Eren; Raef Ali Fadel; Tyra Hall-Pogar, PhD; Scott Huff; Samer T. Ismail; Elizabeth A. Kudlaty; Kelly Kyker-Snowman, MS; Ningfei Li; John P. Mahon; Matthew A. Meier; Nainika Nanda; Caroline Nkemdilim Opene; Kaitlyn E. Prenger; Uneeb Qureshi; Derek Rusnak, MA; Kristen L. Russell, ME; Bela G. Starkman, PhD; Michael Paul Tomani, MS; Nicholas M. White; Kerranna Williamson, MBA; Allison Ann Wilkes, MS; and Tony Yu

Thanks to Kim Bowers; Tim Eich; Samantha Fallon; Owen Farcy; Dan Frey; Robin Garmise; Rita Garthaffner; Joanna Graham; Adam Grey; Allison Harm; Beth Hoffberg; Aaron Lemon-Strauss; Keith Lubeley; Diane McGarvey; Petros Minasi; John Polstein; Deeangelee Pooran-Kublall, MD, MPH; Rochelle Rothstein, MD; Larry Rudman; Sylvia Tidwell Scheuring; Carly Schnur; Karin Tucker; Lee Weiss; and the countless others who made this project possible.

The structure of the four sections of the MCAT is shown below.

The MCAT also tests four Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning Skills (SIRS):

1. Knowledge of Scientific Concepts and Principles (35% of questions)
2. Scientific Reasoning and Problem-Solving (45% of questions)
3. Reasoning About the Design and Execution of Research (10% of questions)
4. Data-Based and Statistical Reasoning (10% of questions)

The MCAT is a computer-based test (CBT) and is offered at Prometric centers during almost every month of the year. There are optional breaks between each section, and there is a lunch break between the second and third section of the exam.

Register online for the MCAT at www.aamc.org/mcat.

For further questions, contact the MCAT team at the Association of American Medical Colleges:

MCAT Resource Center
Association of American Medical Colleges

(202) 828-0690
www.aamc.org/mcat

The Kaplan MCAT Review project began in November 2012 shortly after the release of the Preview Guide for the MCAT 2015 Exam, 2nd edition. Through thorough analysis by our staff psychometricians, we were able to analyze the relative yield of the different topics on the MCAT, and we began constructing tables of contents for the books of the Kaplan MCAT Review series.

Writing of the books began in April 2013. A dedicated staff of 19 writers, 7 editors, and 32 proofreaders worked over 5000 combined hours to produce these books. The format of the books was heavily influenced by weekly meetings with Kaplans learning-science team.

These books were submitted for publication in July 2014. For any updates after this date, please visit www.kaplanmcat.com.

The information presented in these books covers everything listed on the official MCAT content listsnothing more, nothing less. Every topic in these lists is covered in the same level of detail as is common to the undergraduate and postbaccalaureate classes that are considered prerequisites for the MCAT. Note that your premedical classes may cover topics not discussed in these books, or they may go into more depth than these books do. Additional exposure to science content is never a bad thing, but recognize that all of the content knowledge you are expected to have walking in on Test Day is covered in these books.

If you have any questions about the content presented here, email .

Each book has been vetted through at least six rounds of review. To that end, the information presented is these books is true and accurate to the best of our knowledge. Still, your feedback helps us improve our prep materials. Please notify us of any inaccuracies or errors in the books by sending an email to .

Kaplan MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Review, along with the other six books in the Kaplan MCAT Review series, brings the Kaplan classroom experience to youright in your home, at your convenience. This book offers the same Kaplan content review, strategies, and practice that make Kaplan the #1 choice for MCAT prep. After all, twice as many doctors prepared with Kaplan for the MCAT than with any other course.

This book is designed to help you review the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills section of the MCAT. It represents one of the content review resources available to you. Additional review is available in your Online Center, including more practice questions and full-length practice exams. Register for your Online Center at kaptest.com/booksonline.

Unlike the other books in this MCAT series, there is no content to review for the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills section. The questions are written in such a way that they do not presume any prior fund of knowledge. In other words, all the support that is needed to answer the questions correctly is found in the corresponding passages.

The following is a guide to the five types of sidebars youll find in