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
- 140
- Questions
- 118–132
- Scaled score band
- 472–528
- Total band
31 science + 3 CARS, with questions in bank
tagged and explained
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
9 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
9 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
4 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
4 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