Every question in this bank is pinned to an official AAMC content category.
The framework below is the one the AAMC publishes in What’s on the MCAT Exam?: ten foundational concepts, thirty-one content categories, and the three CARS skills. Coverage tells you which parts of the exam this bank can actually test you on, and which parts you have never touched.
- 34 / 34
- Content categories
- 118–132
- Scaled score band
- 472–528
- Total band
31 science + 3 CARS, with questions in bank
per section, 125 midpoint
500 midpoint
Raw scores are converted to scaled scores. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so never leave a question blank.
Official distribution, per section
Chem/Phys
59 questions · 95 min97 seconds per question on test day
Discipline
- First-semester biochemistry25%
- Introductory biology5%
- General chemistry30%
- Organic chemistry15%
- Introductory physics25%
Foundational concept
- Foundational Concept 440%
- Foundational Concept 560%
Scientific inquiry and reasoning skill
- Skill 1 · Knowledge of Scientific Concepts35%
- Skill 2 · Scientific Reasoning & Problem-Solving45%
- Skill 3 · Reasoning About Research10%
- Skill 4 · Data-Based & Statistical Reasoning10%
CARS
53 questions · 90 min102 seconds per question on test day
Discipline
- Humanities50%
- Social sciences50%
Skill
- Foundations of Comprehension30%
- Reasoning Within the Text30%
- Reasoning Beyond the Text40%
Bio/Biochem
59 questions · 95 min97 seconds per question on test day
Discipline
- First-semester biochemistry25%
- Introductory biology65%
- General chemistry5%
- Organic chemistry5%
Foundational concept
- Foundational Concept 155%
- Foundational Concept 220%
- Foundational Concept 325%
Scientific inquiry and reasoning skill
- Skill 1 · Knowledge of Scientific Concepts35%
- Skill 2 · Scientific Reasoning & Problem-Solving45%
- Skill 3 · Reasoning About Research10%
- Skill 4 · Data-Based & Statistical Reasoning10%
Psych/Soc
59 questions · 95 min97 seconds per question on test day
Discipline
- Introductory psychology65%
- Introductory sociology30%
- Introductory biology5%
Foundational concept
- Foundational Concept 625%
- Foundational Concept 735%
- Foundational Concept 820%
- Foundational Concept 915%
- Foundational Concept 105%
Scientific inquiry and reasoning skill
- Skill 1 · Knowledge of Scientific Concepts35%
- Skill 2 · Scientific Reasoning & Problem-Solving45%
- Skill 3 · Reasoning About Research10%
- Skill 4 · Data-Based & Statistical Reasoning10%
The framework
Structure and function of proteins and their constituent amino acids
79 in bankThree-dimensional protein structure follows from amino acid chemistry, sequence, and interaction with water. Heavy emphasis on enzyme catalysis, kinetics, and regulation.
- Amino acids
- Protein structure
- Nonenzymatic protein function
- Enzyme structure and function
- Control of enzyme activity
Transmission of genetic information from the gene to the protein
56 in bankSequence information moves between biopolymers under tight regulation: replication, transcription, translation, and the biotechnology that exploits base complementarity.
- Nucleic acid structure and function
- DNA replication
- Repair of DNA
- Genetic code
- Transcription
- Translation
- Eukaryotic chromosome organization
- Control of gene expression in prokaryotes
- Control of gene expression in eukaryotes
- Recombinant DNA and biotechnology
Transmission of heritable information from generation to generation and the processes that increase genetic diversity
38 in bankMeiosis, fertilization, and mutation generate the variation that natural selection acts on.
- Evidence that DNA is genetic material
- Mendelian concepts
- Meiosis and other factors affecting genetic variability
- Analytic methods
- Evolution
Principles of bioenergetics and fuel molecule metabolism
62 in bankCells harvest chemical energy from fuel molecules and couple its release to otherwise unfavorable processes.
- Principles of bioenergetics
- Carbohydrates
- Glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and the pentose phosphate pathway
- Principles of metabolic regulation
- Citric acid cycle
- Metabolism of fatty acids and proteins
- Oxidative phosphorylation
- Hormonal regulation and integration of metabolism