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MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Natural Science
Pre-Health Advising

Medical College Admission Test

ABOUT THE MCAT

Why take the MCAT? The MCAT is designed to test more than just your academic knowledge. This multiple-choice, computer-based exam will test your content knowledge in General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, General Biology, Biochemistry, Physics, Psychology, Sociology, and critical analysis and reasoning skills.

Cost: $335 - includes cost of exam and distribution of scores.

Schools Included: All application services & schools

Test Dates: January-September

Computerized: Yes

Length: 7 hours and 30 minutes

Scores: Scores range from 472 to 528. Mean and median score is 500.

Important Notes: Medical schools will be able to view MCAT scores from every exam attempt.

The MCAT can be retaken up to three times in a single testing year, four times within two-consecutive years, and up to seven times in a lifetime.

There is no defined waiting period between tests. However, you may only register for one MCAT testing session at a time, and you must wait 48 hours following your exam day to be able to register for a new seat.

MCAT INTEGRATED SECTIONS

The MCAT is broken into 4 integrated sections, meaning the subjects will overlap among the 4 sections. The four test sections include:

  • Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems

    • Number of Questions: 59 total - 44 passage-related questions; 15 standalone, non-passage-related questions

    • Minutes to complete section: 95 minutes

  • Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems

    • Number of Questions: 59 total (44 passage-related questions; 15 standalone, non-passage-related questions)

    • Minutes to complete section: 95 minutes

  • Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior

    • Number of Questions: 59 total - 44 passage-related questions; 15 standalone, non-passage-related questions

    • Minutes to complete section: 95 minutes

  • Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills

    • Number of Questions: 53 passage-related questions

    • Minutes to complete section: 90 minutes

Each section is scored on a scale of 118 to 132, with a mean and median score of 125. Total score possible ranges from 472 to 528, with a mean and median score of 500.

FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS COVERED

The first three sections of the MCAT (two natural science sections and the Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section) will ask that you demonstrate four scientific inquiry and reasoning skills on the exam. They are:

  • Knowledge of Scientific Concepts and Principles
    • Reasoning about scientific principles, theories, and models
    • Analyzing and evaluating scientific explanations and predictions
  • Scientific Reasoning and Problem Solving
    • Demonstrating understanding of important components of scientific research
    • Reasoning about ethical issues in research
  • Reasoning about the Design and Execution of Research
    • Interpreting patterns in data presented in tables, figures, and graphs
    • Reasoning about data and drawing conclusions from them
  • Data-based and Statistical Reasoning
    • Interpreting patterns in data presented in tables, figures, and graphs
    • Reasoning about data and drawing conclusions from them 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND REASONING SKILLS

The fourth section asks you to critically analyze information from a wide range of social sciences and humanities disciplines. Specific knowledge of these disciplines is NOT required for this section; all of the information you will need appears in the passages provided. Among the areas from which content is drawn are:

  • Humanities
    • Passages in the humanities are drawn from a variety of disciplines including: Architecture, Art, Dance, Ethics, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Popular Culture, Religion, Theater
  • Social Sciences
    • Social science passages are also drawn from a variety of disciplines including: Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Studies, Economics, Education, Geography, History, Linguistics, Political Science, Population Health, Psychology, Sociology

Passages from the social science disciplines tend to center on the interpretations, implications, or applications of historical accounts, theories, observations, or trends of human society as a whole, of specific population groups, or of countries. They may also be multifaceted.

MSU University Requirements, Integrative Studies in Arts and Humanities (IAH) and Integrative Students in Social Science (ISS), cover a variety of these disciplines