MCAT workshopDr. Chace Tydell

Research lab experience

• UCI Bridges program

http://engageinstemfc.com/opportunities-post/ucibaccalaureateprogram/

• Long Beach State Bridges Program

http://www.csulb.edu/colleges/cnsm/sas/bridges/

There are now 4 sections1. Biological and Biochemical Foundations of

Living Systems

Biology, Organic Chemistry and Intro Biochemistry

2. Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems

General Chemistry and Physics

3. Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior

4. Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills

Study aids• Khan Academy MCAT test prep FREE

– www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat

• AAMC

– MCAT Official Guide $30• aamc.org/officialmcatguide

– Self assessment $104 for all 3• aamc.org/mcatsap

– Practice tests One free, others $35• aamc.org/mcatpracticetests

Some questions stand alone

An ideal gas sample has a certain volume at 350 K and 1 atm. The volume of the same sample at STP will be

closest to the volume at 350 K and 1 atm multiplied by:

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%

1. 350/273

2. 350/298

3. 298/350

4. 273/350

40% hard

A teacher is interested in memory of novel words. She shows participants unrelated words printed on cards one after another. Participants see 20 words in total, wait for two minutes and then are asked to write down all of the words they can remember. 95% of the subjects remember the first three words. This is an example of:

1

100%

1. recency effect

2. proactive interference

3. the primacy effect

4. retroactive interference

The host cell is LEAST likely to contribute which of the following enzymes or enzymatic complexes to

the retroviral life cycle?

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%1) Ribosomes

2) DNA-dependent RNA polymerase

3) RNA-dependent DNA polymerase

4) DNA-dependent DNA polymerase

45%

Which of the following would NOT change within a sarcomere during skeletal muscle contraction?

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%1) The length of the thick filaments

2) The overlap between the thick and the thin filaments

3) The position of troponin/tropomyosin complexes on the thin filaments

4) The positions at which the globular heads of the thick filaments bind to the thin filaments 70%

During the respiratory cycle, contraction of

the diaphragm causes:

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%

1) exhalation

2) elevation of the rib

3) the intrapleural pressure to increase

4) the intra-alveolar pressure to decrease

30%

Constriction of the afferent arteriole that supplies blood directly to the glomerulus

of a nephron would most immediately affect the volume of renal filtrate in which of the following tubule components of that

nephron?

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%

1) Loop of Henle

2) Proximal tubule

3) Collecting tubule

4) Bowmen’s capsule

65%

The ‘passages’ section asks you to quickly read and understand a short scientific essay (often with

graphs). You will answer questions using the essay AND your own scientific knowledge.

With respect to serotonin’s actions in liver regeneration as presented in this passage, serotonin can be functionally classified as:

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%

1) An enzyme

2) A hormone

3) A clotting factor

4) A neurotransmitter

Individuals requiring a liver transplant often have reduced platelet counts. Given the experimental results presented in the passage, an appropriate treatment for these individuals after they have received a portion of a donor’s liver would most likely be intravenous injections of:

Individuals requiring a liver transplant often have reduced platelet counts. Given the experimental results presented in the passage, an appropriate treatment for these individuals after they have received a portion of a donor’s liver would most likely be intravenous injections of:

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%

1. 5 HT2A and 5 HT2B antagonists

2. An anti-platelet antibody

3. An anti-TPH1 antibody

4. A serotonin agonist

The serotonin precursor discussed in the passage associates

directly with the enzyme TPH1. Given this, the data presented best support the conclusion that in the serotonin

biosynthetic pathway, this serotonin precursor is:

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25% 1) The substrate of the TPH1-catalyzed reaction

2) The product of the TPH1-catalyzed reaction

3) A coenzyme of the TPH1-catalyzed reaction

4) An inhibitor of the TPH1-catalyzed reaction

Based on the passage, platelets are LEAST likely to contain:

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25% 1) Transmembrane serotonin transporters

2) Ribosomes

3) Serotonin

4) Ki67

The liver synthesizes factors that act cooperatively with platelets to facilitate which of the following

processes?

1) Cholesterol synthesis

2) Glucose metabolism

3) Blood clotting

4) Fat digestion

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%

Study aids

• Khan Academy MCAT test prep FREE

–www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat

• AAMC

– MCAT Official Guide $30• aamc.org/officialmcatguide

– Self assessment $104 for all 3• aamc.org/mcatsap

– Practice tests One free, others $35• aamc.org/mcatpracticetests

More ‘stand alone’ questions.

Anxious about a nagging illness, a patient feels ignored by a doctor who is struggling to catch up with patient examinations on a very busy day. Conversely, the doctor misinterprets the discomfort and agitation of the patient as hostility. This scenario is most closely related to which paradigm?

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%

1. Functionalism

2. Conflict Theory

3. Symbolic Interactionism

4. Social Constructionism

Among the halogens F2, Cl2, Br2 and I2, an increase in which of the following types of intermolecular forces

causes an increase in boiling point going down the group?

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%1. Dipole-dipole forces

2. Ion-dipole forces

3. Ion-induced dipole forces

4. London dispersion forces

55%

An image of the Sun formed by a convex lens of focal length f appears at what distance from the lens?

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%1. f in front of the lens

2. f behind the lens

3. 2f in front of the lens

4. 2f behind the lens

Assume that a certain trait is determined by a single gene that has only two alleles and that the phenotype produced by the dominant allele is completely dominant. Given that 9% of a particular population in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium displays the recessive phenotype, what percentage of the population would both display the dominant phenotype and be capable of producing a child who displays the recessive phenotype? (Note: assume no new mutations in the

gene occur.)

In the MCAT, you cannot look for the ‘reasonable’ answer.

Each answer to the left is the result of an incorrect formula.

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%

Assume that a certain trait is determined by a single gene that has only two alleles and that the phenotype produced by the dominant allele is

completely dominant. Given that 9% of a particular population in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium displays the recessive phenotype, what

percentage of the population would both display the dominantphenotype and be capable of producing a child who displays the recessive phenotype? (Note: assume no new mutations in the gene occur.)

1) 21%

2) 42%

3) 49%

4) 91%50%

They are asking ‘What is the percentage of the population that is heterozygous?’

p2+2pq+q2

1. 9% of the population is q2 so q2 = .09

2. If q2 = 0.09 then q = 0.3

3. If q = 0.3 then p = 0.7

4. 2pq is the percentage of heterozygotes

5. Solving the formula

2 x 0.3 x 0.7 = 2 x 0.21 = 0.42 = 42%

Researchers conducted an experiment to study Weber’s aw. Going from 10- to 12-pound weights created the just noticeable

difference for one participant. For this participant, how many pounds need to be added to a 20-pound weight to create the just

noticeable difference?

1 2 3 4

25% 25%25%25%

1. 1 pound

2. 2 pounds

3. 4 pounds

4. 8 pounds