Table of Contents
MCAT BIOLOGY REVIEW
KAPLANS EXPERT MCAT TEAM
Kaplan has been preparing premeds for the MCAT for more than 40 years. In the past 15 years alone, weve helped more than 400,000 students prepare for this important exam and improve their chances for medical school admission.
Marilyn Engle
MCAT Master Teacher; Teacher Trainer; Kaplan National Teacher of the Year, 2006; Westwood Teacher of the Year, 2007; Westwood Trainer of the Year, 2007; Encino Trainer of the Year, 2005
John Michael Linick
MCAT Teacher; Boulder Teacher of the Year, 2007; Summer Intensive Program Faculty Member
Dr. Glen Pearlstein
MCAT Master Teacher; Teacher Trainer; Westwood Teacher of the Year, 2006
Matthew B. Wilkinson
MCAT Teacher; Teacher Trainer; Lone Star Trainer of the Year, 2007
Thanks to Jason Baserman, Jessica Brookman, Da Chang, John Cummins, David Elson, Jeff Koetje, Alex Macnow, Andrew Molloy, Josh Rohrig, and Amjed Saffarini.
ABOUT SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
As the worlds premier science and technology magazine, and the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States, Scientific American is committed to bringing the most important developments in modern science, medicine, and technology to 3.5 million readers worldwide in an understandable, credible, and provocative format.
Founded in 1845 and on the cutting edge ever since, Scientific American boasts over 140 Nobel laureate authors, including Albert Einstein, Francis Crick, Stanley Prusiner, and Richard Axel. Scientific American is a forum where scientific theories and discoveries are explained to a broader audience.
Scientific American published its first foreign edition in 1890 and, in 1979, was the first Western magazine published in the Peoples Republic of China. Today, Scientific American is published in 17 foreign language editions with a total circulation of more than 1 million worldwide. Scientific American is also a leading online destination (www.ScientificAmerican.com), providing the latest science news and exclusive features to more than 2 million unique visitors monthly.
The knowledge that fills our pages has the power to inspire, to spark new ideas, paradigms, and visions for the future. As science races forward, Scientific American continues to cover the promising strides, inevitable setbacks and challenges, and new medical discoveries as they unfold.
Kaplan MCAT Biology , along with the other four books in our 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. All thats missing is the teacher.
To guide you through this complex content, weve consulted our best MCAT instructors to call out Key Concept , to offer Bridge to better understanding of the material, and Mnemonic devices to assist in learning retention. When you see these sidebars, you will know youre getting the same insight and knowledge that classroom students receive in person. Look for these as well as references to the Real World and MCAT expertise callouts throughout the book.
HIGH-YIELD MCAT REVIEW
Following the content sction, you will find a High-Yield Questions section. These questions tackle the most frequently tested topics found on the MCAT. For each type of problem, you will be provided with a stepwise technique for solving the question, as well as important directional points on how to solve itspecifically for the MCAT.
Our experts have again called out the Key Concepts , which show you which terms to review. Next, the Takeaways box offers a concise summary of the problem-solving approach best used. Things to Watch Out For points out any caveats to the approach discussed, which can lead to wrong answer choices. Finally, Similar Questions allows you to practice the stepwise technique on analogous, open-ended questions.
STAR RATING
The star rating is a Kaplan-exclusive system to help you focus your studies, using a 6-star scale. Two factors are considered when determining the rating for each topic: the learnability of the topicor how easy it is to masterand the frequency with which it appears on the MCAT exam. For example, a topic that presents relatively little difficulty to master and appears with relatively high frequency on the MCAT would receive a higher star rating (e.g., 5 or 6 stars) than a topic which is very difficult to master and appears less frequently on the test. The combination of these two factors represented by the star rating will help you prioritize and direct your MCAT studies.
Were confident that this guide and our award-winning instructors can help you achieve your goals of MCAT success and admission to med school. Good luck!
The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is different from any other test youve encountered in your academic career. Its not like the knowledge-based exams from high school and college, where emphasis was on memorizing and regurgitating information. Medical schools can assess your academic prowess by looking at your transcript. The MCAT isnt even like other standardized tests you may have taken, where the focus was on proving your general skills.
Medical schools use MCAT scores to assess whether you possess the foundation upon which to build a successful medical career. Though you certainly need to know the content to do well, the stress is on thought process, because the MCAT is above all else a critical thinking test. Thats why it emphasizes reasoning, analytical thinking, reading comprehension, data analysis, writing, and problem-solving skills.
Though the MCAT places more weight on your thought process, you must have a strong grasp of the required core knowledge. The MCAT may not be a perfect gauge of your abilities, but it is a relatively objective way to compare you with students from different backgrounds and undergraduate institutions.
The MCATs power comes from its use as an indicator of your abilities. Good scores can open doors. Your power comes from preparation and mindset because the key to MCAT success is knowing what youre up against. Thats where this section of this book comes in. Well explain the philosophy behind the test, review the sections one by one, show you sample questions, share some of Kaplans proven methods, and clue you in to what the test makers are really after. Youll get a handle on the process, find a confident new perspective, and achieve your highest possible scores.
ABOUT THE MCAT
Information about the MCAT CBT is included below. For the latest information about the MCAT, visit www.kaptest.com/mcat.
MCAT CBT
| Format | U.S.All administrations on computer |
| InternationalMost on computer with limited paper and pencil in a few isolated areas |
| Essay Grading | One human and one computer grader |
| Breaks | Optional break between each section |
| Length of MCAT Day | Approximately 5.5 hours |
| Test Dates | Multiple dates in January, April, May, June, July, August, and September |
| Total of 24 administrations each year. |
| Delivery of Results | Within 30 days. If scores are delayed notification will be posted online at www.aamc.org/mcat |
