MCAT Biological Sciences Section

MCAT – Biological Sciences

This is another key section of the exam which seeks to test how sound a candidate’s biological sciences’ knowledge base is. The MCAT Biological Sciences section is a multiple-choice question test.

Structure

  • This is a multiple-choice section which has 52 questions to be solved in 70 minutes.
  • These consist of 13 independent questions and 39 passage-based questions.
  • This is the last section of the exam and is preceded by a ten-minute break, followed by an option to void the entire exam.
  • The types of questions that are asked in this section are divided into two – passage questions and independent questions.
  • Questions asked in the MCAT Biological Sciences section are based on topics relating to the broad fields of Biology and Organic Chemistry.

ExamFocus’ Practice Support

Do ensure that you have practiced this section well before you decide to take the test. After all, a perfect score can be achieved only if you practice and prepare well. Use ExamFocus’ sample practice questions to get your skills sharpened. Click on the following links to make the best out of our practice questions:

Testing & Scoring Scheme

  • This section does not only test the scientific soundness of your knowledge base, it also attempts to test your scientific reasoning skills and see how you apply them in different situations.
  • The questions that occur in this section urge the candidate to combine his/her scientific knowledge with his/her reasoning skills and push him/her to answer questions that make him/her think on a different level.
  • Like all other sections of the MCAT, the MCAT Biological Sciences section is also scored twice – the first time it is assigned a raw score which is later converted into a scaled score.
  • The raw score is simply a total of the number of correct answers.
  • Since there is no negative marking, a student would be better off guessing a question than leaving it unanswered.
  • The raw score is converted to a scaled score which is a number between one and fifteen.

Biological Sciences Format: This is a multiple-choice section which has 52 questions to be solved in 70 minutes. These consist of 13 independent questions and 39 passage-based questions.Type of questions: The types of questions that are asked in the MCAT Biological Sciences section are divided into two – passage questions and independent questions. Independent questions test a candidate’s scientific knowledge of the subject and are limited to that.Time consumed: You will get 70 minutes to solve the MCAT Biological Sciences section.Marking scheme: The MCAT Biological Sciences section is scored twice; the first time it is assigned a raw score which is later converted into a scaled score. The converted score is denoted by a number between one and fifteen; also called the scale of fifteen points.

How to Improve Your Skills

Once you have understood the features of this section of the MCAT, you will need to identify the type of questions that you will have to answer. A detailed list of the syllabus that an MCAT applicant is expected to cover can be found by visiting the following link – https://www.aamc.org/students/download/85566/data/bstopics.pdfSince Biological Sciences depend more upon the knowledge of various topics than on strategy alone, your approach should be in tandem with the syllabus.ExamFocus brings to you hundreds of Biological Science practice questions that are designed to cover all the topics concerning MCAT to help you increase your skills throughout. On clicking the following five links, you shall reach the page that offers hundreds of sample questions for your practice.