1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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/s s ) 1 Joule= 1 kg m 2 /s 2 = (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

5. 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)

6. 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

7. Checking in Who has taken AAMC practice test 3? How did that go? Who has an MCAT date before May?

8. 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

9. Passage I/Psych Soc 4 70. D77. C84. B91.D 71. A78. D85. A92. A 72. D79. A86. D 73. B80. C87. C 74. B81. C88. B 75. C82. D89. D 76. B83. A90. B

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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)

14. 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

15. Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems 95 minutes, 59 items (passages and stand alone questions)

16. Passage II/Chem 4 70. A77. B84. C91. B 71. C78. A85. A92. C 72.B79. C86. B 73. A80. C87. A 74. A81. D88. D 75. D82. A89. A 76. B83. C90. A

17. Passage III/Phys 2 24. C31. A38. D45. B 25. B32. C39. C46. B 26.A33. B40. A 27. C34. D41. B 28. B35. D42. D 29. A36. A43. B 30. B37. C44. D