MCAT Guide 2024

The majority of U.S. medical schools, as well as many Canadian schools, require you to submit exam scores for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) as part of the application progress; our MCAT Guide will provide you with all the information you need for registering, preparing for and completing the MCAT exam in 2024.

What is the MCAT?

The MCAT exam, developed and administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), is a standardized, multiple-choice examination, designed to support the medical school admission process through the assessment of prerequisites for the study of medicine.

What is tested on the MCAT?

The exam assesses your problem solving and critical thinking skills, and knowledge of natural, behavioral and social science concepts and principles.

MCAT sections

The current version of the MCAT exam – used since April 2015 – assesses candidates across the following four sections:

• Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
• Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS)
• Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
• Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior

You can find more information about each section of the MCAT exam in the MCAT format and MCAT test syllabus sections below.

For information about the MCAT scoring system, including the scoring range and MCAT percentiles, visit our ‘what is a good MCAT score?’ blog.

MCAT format

As mentioned above, the MCAT exam is separated into four sections, each with the following format:

Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological System

• Time: 95 minutes
• Total number of questions: 59
• Format of questions: 10 passage-based sets of questions, with 4-6 questions per set, and 15 independent questions

Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS)

• Time: 90 minutes
• Total number of questions: 53
• Format of questions: 9 passage-based sets of questions, with 5-7 questions per passage

Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems

• Time: 95 minutes
• Total number of questions: 59
• Format of questions: 10 passage-based sets of questions, with 4-6 questions per set, and 15 independent questions

Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior

• Time: 95 minutes
• Total number of questions: 59
• Format of questions: 10 passage-based sets of questions, with 4-6 questions per set, and 15 independent questions

The Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) section requires you to apply your comprehension and analysis skills to passages relating to a wide range of disciplines in social sciences and humanities. However, no specific subject knowledge is required within this section of the MCAT. For more information check out our CARS for the MCAT guide.

The other three sections – Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems; Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems; Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior – require you to combine your scientific knowledge with scientific inquiry and reasoning skills. You’ll need to draw upon your knowledge of general and organic chemistry, and introductory physics, biology, biochemistry, psychology and sociology.

MCAT test dates

MCAT exam dates are available between January and September at hundreds of Pearson VUE testing centers within the U.S., Canada and select locations throughout the world.

The following are the upcoming 2024 MCAT test dates, booking deadlines and score release dates for U.S. testing centers:

Note: all deadlines are at 11:59 p.m. local test center time and scores are released by 5:00 p.m. ET on the scheduled date.

The 10 Day Deadline is the last date on which you can schedule, reschedule or cancel a reservation, or make amendments to your registration information, for example name or address.

How much does the MCAT cost?

For all 2024 testing dates the registration fees are:

If you’re testing outside of the US, Canada or US Territories you’ll also be charged an additional $120 non-refundable, international fee. You can find more information about the MCAT fees, including rescheduling and cancellation fees, in the MCAT Scheduling Fees section.

You can also take the MCAT in the following locations:

For MCAT dates, scheduling deadlines and score release dates, follow the relevant link below:

• Canada
• U.S. territories and international locations

MCAT Registration dates

Scheduling for January – June 2024 test dates will then open on October 24 or 25, 2023, depending on your preferred test center location. For more information visit the AAMC’s website here.

How long is the MCAT?

The AAMC provides the following overview of the expected test day schedule:

The standard start times for MCAT exams are 7:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. (local test-center time).

MCAT essentials

You can find more information about the test day on the ‘MCAT test day’ section of the AMMC’s website and MCAT Essentials for Testing Year 2024; including the following:

• Test day rules
• Check-in rules and procedures – verification of ID, digital signature, palm vein scan and photo capture
• Information relating to testing with accommodations
• Items allowed in the testing room and during breaks
• MCAT test date noteboard booklet

How many times can you take the MCAT?

There are limits on the number of times you can take the MCAT exam. In a single testing year you can take the exam up to three times. Within a two year period you’re allowed to take the exam four times. And the MCAT can be taken a total of up to seven times in a lifetime.

Remember that voids and no-shows count toward your lifetime limits.

MCAT test syllabus

As you can see from the test format section, there are four multiple choice test sections within the MCAT. You can find a breakdown of the content and assessment for each section, including the level at which each topic is assessed, as well as the disciplines, foundational concepts and scientific inquiry and reasoning skills assessed, within the ‘what’s on the MCAT exam?’ section of the AAMC’s website.

The following is an overview of the syllabus for each:

Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems

The AAMC outlines that you’ll be assessed on the following:

• Your ability to solve problems by combining your knowledge of chemical and physical foundational concepts with scientific inquiry and reasoning skills
• Your understanding of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of human tissues, organs, and organ systems
• Your knowledge of basic chemical and physical principles that underlie the mechanisms operating in the human body
• Your ability to reason about and apply your understanding of these basic chemical and physical principles to living systems

Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems

The AAMC outlines that you’ll be assessed on the following:

• Your ability to solve problems through the combination of biological and biochemical conceptual knowledge and scientific inquiry and reasoning skills
• The processes that are unique to living organisms
• How cells and organ systems within an organism act in order to accomplish these processes
• Your ability to reason in relation to these processes at various levels of biological organization within a living system

In addition to this, both Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems and Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems sections are designed to assess the following:

• Biology, organic chemistry and inorganic chemistry, and physics concepts
• Biochemistry concepts
• Cellular and molecular biology topics
• Basic research methods and statistics concepts
• Your scientific inquiry and reasoning, research methods, and statistics skills as applied to the natural sciences

Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior

The AAMC outlines that you’ll be assessed on the following:

• Psychology, sociology, and biology concepts
• Biology concepts that relate to mental processes and behavior
• Your ability to solve problems by combining your knowledge of foundational concepts with your scientific inquiry and reasoning skills
• Your understanding of the influence of psychological, social, and biological factors
• Basic research methods and statistics concepts
• Your scientific inquiry and reasoning, research methods, and statistics skills as applied to the social and behavioral sciences

Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS)

This section of the exam differs from the others, requiring you to critically analyze passages of information. It aims to assess your ability to comprehend what you have read, as well as the analysis and reasoning skills required for medical school.

The passage content may be related to ethics, philosophy, studies of diverse cultures, population health, and a wide range of social sciences and humanities disciplines; with a 50/50 split between humanities and social sciences. These passages are relatively short – approximately 500-600 words – but are described as ‘complex, often thought-provoking pieces of writing with sophisticated vocabulary and, at times, intricate writing styles’.

No specific knowledge or understanding is required for this section of the exam, as all of the information will be provided in the passages and questions; however, you will still need to prepare for it to ensure that you perform well. You can find more information in our CARS for the MCAT guide.

Prepare for the MCAT

To support you to prepare effectively for the MCAT exam, you may find it useful to consider the following:

• Creating a study plan
  Spending time creating a detailed study plan, outlining when and what you will study, will not only guarantee that you allow yourself adequate time to prepare for the exam, but also ensure that your revision time is focused and therefore more productive.
  
  The AAMC offers a free resource – ‘how to create a study plan for the MCAT exam’ – which will support you with this.
• Dedicating time to understanding the requirements of the exam
  To be able to prepare for the MCAT exam you need to be aware of what each section will assess. The MCAT syllabus section above and the ’what’s on the MCAT exam?’ section of the AAMC’s website outline the content of the MCAT exam.
• Familiarizing yourself with the exam features
  During your preparations, including practice with the exam features and functions will ensure that you’re confident with these, which will potentially save you time during the exam. The AAMC offers a sample test which has the same features and functionality as the MCAT exam; this is useful for gaining experience of these, however, as it doesn't provide a scaled score for the exam it does have its limitations as a practice exam.
• Exploring what resources are available
  Using quality resources will enhance your MCAT preparations and support you to perform as well as possible during the exam. In addition to the wealth of information on the AAMC’s website (linked throughout the post), which will ensure that you’re familiar with the demands of the exam, practice questions and mock exams are the ideal resource to support your MCAT preparations.

MCAT practice questions

Practice questions and mock exams are the most valuable resource during your MCAT preparations. They’ll ensure that you’re familiar with the types of questions you’ll be asked during the exam, provide you with the opportunity to practice applying your knowledge and developing responses, and become accustomed to dealing with the time pressures and demands of the exam.

To make effective use of practice questions, you should aim to utilize them to identify areas which you need to improve, so you can focus on developing further and performing better within the exam. Quality practice questions will also provide you with feedback so you can continue to learn from your mistakes and identify further learning needs.

Coming soon…

This is where our artificial intelligence powered, adaptive question bank will help you to take your MCAT preparations to the next level. Using state of the art algorithms, it identifies your strengths and weaknesses, tailoring questions to your learning needs and ensuring that you focus on your areas for development. A question bank which helps you to make more effective use of your MCAT preparation time and progress your learning

Apps for MCAT studying

Our question bank will also be available as a web app, meaning you can access practice questions and tests on the go, allowing you to squeeze in some MCAT revision whenever you have the opportunity.

For more guidance on applying, preparing and undertaking the MCAT exam, visit the MCAT section of our website, where you’ll find useful blog posts – sharing a ‘MCAT Checklist’, ‘What is a Good MCAT Score?’ and the ‘Differences between the MCAT and UCAT’ – and access to our adaptive MCAT question bank with thousands of professionally written practice questions and tests.