I’ll break down the basic sections, so you know where to put your strongest focus. The MCAT is separated into four sections, for a total test time of roughly 4 ½ hours.

Section 1: The Physical Science section is 70 minutes, covering general chemistry, basic physics, analytical reasoning and data interpretation.

Section 2: Verbal Reasoning is next, at 60 minutes long, and tests critical thinking and reading skills.

Section 3: Next, Biological Sciences is 70 minutes long and covers organic chemistry, plus some analytical reasoning.

Section 4: Finally you’ll have a 60-minute Writing section comprised of two complete essays (30 minutes each). The essay prompts cover areas of general interest like history, art and literature. This is designed to test your written communication skills, and critical and intellectual thinking abilities.

You won’t necessarily be required to memorize many formulas, reactions or anatomical names for the exam. It’s designed more to test the thinking, reasoning, comprehension and writing skills of the typical pre-med student. You’ll definitely integrate your science learning into the questions you answer, but your emphasis in MCAT prep shouldn’t just be on knowing, but rather applying what knowledge you’ve gained.

All of that changes for incoming freshmen and sophomores.

That’s because a complete overhaul of the MCAT is planned for 2015. As such, MCAT prep will dramatically change. Some sections are dropped, others will be added, with a greater emphasis on reasoning skills and even some of the social sciences. Check out our comprehensive rundown here: “What will be different about the 2015 MCAT?” Here’s a subtle hint…the test goes from 4 ½ hours to seven hours.


Bryce Johnson co-founded premedFAQ.com in 2011 and is the author of Must Reads for the Well-Rounded Pre-Med on Amazon. If you'd like to write for the site or contribute in another way, feel free to reach out to him on LinkedIn or via email.