Your online MCAT Prep testing center developed by medical school professors with > 20 years of MCAT teaching & training. Learn the critical thinking skills expected of you on the MCAT.
With over 20 years of experience as MCAT Teachers and Trainers, Med-Pathway offers
FREE CONTENT REVIEW and Videos designed from the official AAMC MCAT™ Content Outline and FREE sample diagnostic exams with AAMC MCAT™ computer interface.
Focus on experimental science and techniques as presented on the MCAT™ with detailed graphical annotations.
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It's time to start preparing for the MCAT season and med-pathway is here for the journey with most challenging and realistic MCAT Q bank available. Use coupon code "MCATmasters" to get ~2,000 Questions (Full Length exams and Subject Specific Tests) for only $10.
Learn cutting edge science topics like RNA coronaviruses and their application to clinical medicine.
Just like the MCAT™, Med-Pathway applies foundational principles of science to clinical medicine. Learn how a stenotic artery requires greater pressure to achieve the same flow rate as a normal artery.
Med-Pathway has FREE subject content review in multiple areas of biochemistry: proline has no amide H bond and cannot incorporate into an alpha helix.
Learn how to apply laboratory techniques to clinical conditions such as sickle cell anemia.
Available Online Tests
We make exam practice affordable allowing you to buy only the subjects you want. Our tests cover all content area described on the MCAT™.
Select the tests that you'd like to purchased by clicking the "Add to Cart" button.
These tests contain all four subjects queried on the MCAT: Chemical & Physical Foundations, CARS, Biological and Biochemical Foundations, and Behavioral Sciences
Med-pathway offers multiple testing options including full length exams, subject specific exams as well as focused diganostic exams in various disciplines including biochemistry, organic chemistry, stereochemistry, micro/immuno, and biology.
This MCAT Test examines all four subject areas tested on the MCAT and consists of 230 questions. The MCAT style passages presented here are a sampling from the med-pathway Q/Passage bank and include the data analysis and interpretation expected of you on the MCAT. All presented topics are derived from the AAMC MCAT Content Outline (available as a free resource in checklist format on our web site).
This challenging practice exam emulates a full length MCAT exam (230 questions) with all four subject areas and is scored in a manner consistent with how the AAMC scores the MCAT (See our free resource "How the MCAT is Scored").
1. An optional tutorial session to familiarize yourself with the features available on the test (i.e. strike out, highlighting, and flagging questions).
2. Both normal and accommodation timing is available as is pausing the exam.
3. Any breaks in between exams are set by the test taker.
4. The "Navigation" and "Section Review "features can be accessed at anytime during the exam and shows unanswered and flagged questions and provides a method to submit the questions and for moving to the next section. The test is submitted through the dashboard feature.
5. The exam can be taken in tutor or non-tutor mode. Detailed annotations (Review) are available through the Results Report after the exam has been submitted for scoring.
Test Category
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems Section
4 tests available
Chemical & Physical Foundations of Biological Systems #1
BIG PICTURE: This diagnostic testing module includes a combination of high yield biochemical, physical, and chemical concepts presented in the context of the experimental design and analysis expected of you on the MCAT.
This module applies foundational scientific principles outlined in the AAMC MCAT Content Guideline and covered in various undergraduate courses to highly relevant clinical problems concerning pathological states including sickle cell anemia, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, jaundice, cystic fibrosis, glaucoma, and pulmonary fibrosis.
This Passage and Question/Answer Bank focuses on 4 major testing areas of the MCAT that are grouped in separate sections, allowing for topic-specifc studying for the MCAT.
1.Kinematics: Translational Motion, Forces, Work, Energy, and Equilibrium
2.Fluids and Gases including Density, Viscosity, Blood Pressure and Flow, Gas Phase, Ideal Gases, Partial Pressure, Heat Capacity
3.Light and Sound including Electrochemistry and Electrical Circuits, Capacitance, Magnetism, Galvanic Cells, and Batteries; Light and Sound, Doppler Effect, Ultrasound, Electromagnetic Spectrum, Absorption Spectra and Spectroscopy, Optics,
4.Atomic and Electronic Structure & Nuclear Decay
Chemical & Physical Foundations of Biological Systems #2
BIG PICTURE: This diagnostic testing module contains Passages and Free Standing Questions that include the experimental design and analysis expected of you on the MCAT. All of the high yield laboratory techniques and experimental set up are presented. The passages apply foundational scientific principles outlined in the AAMC MCAT Content Guideline and covered in multiple undergraduate courses (i.e. Biochemistry, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physics) to various clinically relevant diseased states often encountered by physicians. This includes gallstones, gout, tumor hypoxia, cancer and chemotherapy, and phenylketonuria.
This Passage/Q Bank covers the following major testing areas tested on the MCAT:
Section 1) Unique Nature of Water and its Solutions: Acid/Base Equilibria, Ions in Solution, Solubility, Titration
Section 2) Nature of Molecules and Molecular interactions: Covalent bonds, Intermolecular interactions, Stereochemistry (Note that med-pathway also offers a separate, in depth Content Review and Diagnostic Test on Stereochemistry)
Section 3)Separation and Purification Techniques: Including Proteins, Amino Acids): Extraction, Distillation, Chromatography (Ion Exchange, Gel Filtration, Affinity), Electrophoresis
Section 4) Structure/function of Biomolecules: Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry of Enzyme mechanisms, Amino Acids and Proteins, and Chemistry of Key Functional Groups and Important Reactions (Note that med-pathway also offers a separate, in depth Content Review and Diagnostic Tests for Amino Acids/Proteins as well as Organic Chemistry).
Section 5) Principles of Chemical Kinetics & Thermodynamics: Enzymes (Substrate Specificity and Mechanism of Action, including Michaelis-Menten, Cooperativity, and Kinetics of Inhibition), Principles of Bioenergetics, Free Energy, Keq and Laws of Mass Action, Biological Half Reactions & Electron Transport, Thermodynamics, Enthalpy, Entropy, Kinetics (Reaction Rates, Rate Laws, Energy Profiles).
BIG PICTURE: We present an Organic Chemistry Passage/Q bank module with over 100 challenging high yield MCAT-style questions to prepare you for O Chem mastery. The question bank has been been derived from a careful consideration of the AAMC MCAT Content Guideline. All of the important molecules and functional groups and their chemistries (including their kinetics and solvents) are covered.
The Questions/Passages are gouped by subject specific topics to facilitate focused testing/learning. This includes:
Section I: Hydrocarbons
Section II: Functional Groups & Reactivity Including Esters, Amides, Acids, Anhydrides, Aldehydes and Ketones, Lipids, Vitamins, and Carbohydrates are included. A companion Free O Chem Content Review is available on our website.
Section III: Biomolecules including carbohydrates, fats, amino acids
Section IV: Kinetics & Stereochemistry Although test questions involving Stereochemistry and Amino Acids/Proteins are presented here, more detailed discussions and testing modules for these topics are separately available on our website. And of course, the comprehensive Content Review for these topics is always freely available as PDF files. Further, as O Chem is closely linked to Biochemistry, additional O Chem application questions can be found on our site, especially in Chemical & Physical Foundations of Biological Systems Exam #2. Further, this module does not cover spectroscopy. Rather, Spectroscopy Content Review is covered in the Free Lab Techniques Content Review and tested in the Chemical & Physical Foundations of Biological Systems Exam #1 as this material is formally listed in the AAMC MCAT Content Outline under "How light and sound interact with water".
BIG PICTURE: Stereochemistry is a high yield topic on the MCAT as it is important in drug design and its application to medicine. It is also a notoriously tricky subject on the MCAT, particularly because the learner is challenged to derive 3D spatial arrangements from 2D representations. This module will definitely increase your MCAT Stereochemistry knowledge and skills through a series of Free Standing Questions and Passages covering all of the principles of Stereochemistry and Isomers listed on the AAMC MCAT Content Guideline (available for free in checklist format on our site). Additionally, a complete Content Review of Stereochemistry is available for FREE on the med-pathway.com website.
The questions/passage are grouped into separate sections, allowing for topic-specifc studying for the MCAT.
This testing module emulates the CARS section of the MCAT and contains 36 full passages with questions that fall under the categories of comprehension, reasoning within the text, and reasoning beyond the text. This module is greater than four CARS sections on the MCAT. The passages are classified according to: 1) Science & Public Health Policy; 2) History & Poltical Science; and 3) The Humanities, including Culture, Art, & Literature.
Test Category
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems Section
5 tests available
Biological & Biochemical Foundations Diagnostic Test #1
BIG PICTURE: This diagnostic testing module contains high yield questions in the form of Passages and Free Standing Questions that include the experimental design and analysis expected of you on the MCAT. Multiple biochemical and molecular biological laboratory techniques and experimental scenarios are presented. The passages apply foundational scientific principles outlined in the AAMC MCAT Content Guideline and covered in various undergraduate courses to various clinically relevant diseased states including breast cancer, xeroderma pigmentosa, muscular dystrophy, and mantle cell lymphoma.
This Passage/Q Bank covers 4 major testing areas of the MCAT that are grouped in separate sections, allowing for topic-specifc studying for the MCAT.
Section 1.Protein/Enzyme Structure & Function including amino acids and inhibition. This topic is on every single MCAT exam and appears in both the biological and physical sciences sections. A deeper dive on amino acids and proteins is also presented in our Amino Acids and Proteins module. As enzymes and kinetics are also listed in the AAMC MCAT Content Outline as part of the physical sciences, this topic is also covered in the Chemical & Physical Foundations of Biological Systems #2 Test.
Section 2.Nucleic Acids: Biochemical structure and function, molecular biological techniques including quantitative PCR, Flow Cytometry, Northern and Southern blotting, and DNA sequencing, DNA Polymerase and DNA Replication, Crick's Central Dogma, Genetic code
BIG PICTURE: This diagnostic testing module contains Passages and Free Standing Questions that include the experimental design and analysis expected of you on the MCAT. Multiple laboratory techniques and experimental set up are presented. The passages apply foundational scientific principles outlined in the AAMC MCAT Content Guideline and covered in various undergraduate courses to various clinically relevant diseased states including coronavirus and pulmonary dysfunction, lysosomal storage disorders, mast cell dysfunction, sphingolipid disorders, spinal muscular atrophy, pancreatitis, and vitamin deficiency.
This Passage/Q Bank covers 3 major testing areas of the MCAT and is divided into separate chapters to allow for subject-specific testing:
BIG PICTURE:The MCAT loves the high yield topic of amino acids and proteins because of their high relevance in research and clinical medicine. This testing module consists of challenging passages and free standing questions that focus on multiple biochemical aspects of amino acids and proteins. Free Content Review designed around the AAMC MCAT Content Outline is also available on our web site.
Topics examined here include:
Section I: Amino Acid/Peptides Synthesis, side chain chemistry, titrations, pKa and isoelectric point, anabolic and catabolic pathways including the role of nitrogen.
Section II: Proteins Structure/function, folding and denaturation, post translational modifications, chromatography and purification, binding, allosterism and Hill coefficient (hemoglobin/myoglobin).
BIG PICTURE:Understanding metabolism is important in numerous aspects of clinical medicine and health. This includes exercise physiology, nutrition and diets, as well as metabolic disorders such as diabetes and ketoacidosis. This Passage/Q bank section provides Free Standing Questions and Passages related to various aspects of Metabolic Biochemistry and Physiology that are covered in the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems section of the MCAT. Free Content Review for this material is available on our web site.
The following topics are covered and discussed: Bioenergetics, Carbohydrate metabolism (Glycolysis, Gluconeogenesis, TCA, and the Pentose Phosphate Shunt), Fatty Acid and Protein Metabolism and Urea Cycle, Oxidative Phosphorylation and Hormonal Integration of Metabolism.
BIG PICTURE: This Passage/Q Bank testing module contains Passages and Free Standing Questions that cover various aspects of Biochemistry & Microbiology/Immunology for the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems section of the MCAT. The questions are derived from the AAMC MCAT Content Outline that is available as a free download on our web site. As many pre-med students opt out of taking formal immunology and microbiology courses, this testing module as well as our companion free content review serves as a solid foundation for MCAT microbiology and immunology.
The content area covered consists of the following Key Concepts:
Section I: Structure, Growth, Physiology, and Genetics of Prokaryotes and Viruses
Section II: Innate & Adaptive Immunity (Macrophages, Phagocytes, B and T lymphocytes), Antigen and Antibody, Clonal Selection, Self vs Non-self and Autoimmunity, Major Histocompatibility Complex
Test Category
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior Section
1 tests available
Psychological, Social, & Biological Foundations of Behavior
Big Picture: Human behavior is highly impacted through disease as well as its corresponding treatment with therapeutics, making the understanding of behavioral sciences a key foundational topic for practicing medicine. This section contains Passages and Free Standing Questions that examine your proficiency in the Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section of the MCAT.
The material covered in this testing module includes high yield concepts described in the AAMC MCAT Content Outline for the Behavioral Sciences. Topics examined in this module include learning and memory, intelligence, language, sensation and perception, and various aspects of cognition. This also includes psychology and sociology such as developmental psychology, personality disorders, behavioral tolerance, sociology of culture, medical/health sociology, self identity and development, social stratification and inequality, and public health.
Here’s what people have been saying about Med-Pathway.
Dear Dr. Carpenter,
I hope this email finds you in good health. In August, we connected on a phone conversation and I informed you I was having trouble raising my MCAT score from the 500-506 range. After two months of dedicated study, I scored a 509 on FL1, 514 on FL2 and 519 on FL3. Today, I received my score on the MCAT, a 516 which is a 93rd percentile score. Although I did not meet my 528 goal set for myself in the beginning of June, this score has cracked the door open to, hopefully, a successful MD/PhD campaign in the 2021 application cycle.
I would like to thank you for your words during our conversation; they played an immense role in allowing me to set aside fear and replace it with the confidence needed to climb the score ladder.
Kind regards,
- Gevick Safarians
After coming across pathway, it was only about 50 dollars, so we went ahead and bought it. The passages were definitely challenging, but in a way that forces you to think and come to your own conclusions given experimental data, and if you really get stuck the problem solutions are detailed, well written, and coherent. Many of the passages read as research articles and after a brief introduction to the material, ask you to analyze and comprehend experimental data, which I found refreshing since much of the other content my girlfriend and I have found was weak in this area. My girlfriend plans on taking her test in January, and I am confident Pathway will help her succeed in her MCAT™ goals.
- Jeff M.
Hello Phil, it’s Jessica Kern, I wanted to sincerely thank you for your MCAT prep exams. It was a really great resource for me during my studies. I got my results back yesterday and scored a 521, so clearly your tips are spot on. With that and my letters of rec all taken care of, my final step is writing my personal statement and activities list. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on the journey!
- Jessica Kern
The exams have really helped in the sense that it is much more difficult and requires more critical thinking to answer correctly. Which I believe is wonderful for the MCAT™ because you must be able to analyze the questions and passages to succeed, besides the content knowledge required. I especially love the detailed annotations after each passage so I may look over what I did correctly or incorrectly for future passages. It has been a great resource to have and I hope I have time to look over the practice exam before my MCAT™.
- Anthony Soto
Here are my comments on the med-pathway passages. Biological sciences-good content wise, nice focus on Biochem concepts and questions, really good answers. Physical sciences-good combination of biochem/physics/chem, good questions and explanations. Passages are dead on with MCAT, maybe more difficult. CARS-passages longer than actual test and easier to follow, good questions and explanations. Psychological-challenging passages, great questions and explanations, pretty similar to actual exam.
- Maryam Burney
Zoom Workshop Resources
These resources are associated with the Med-Pathway Zoom Workshops.
Most people think that the MCAT is scored on a curve....It isn't. The MCAT experts as Med-pathway give a thorough statistical explanation of how the MCAT is scored by the AAMC.
The MCAT™ loves amino acids and proteins because of their high relevance in research and clinical medicine. Med-Pathway takes you on a content review journey that integrates the biology and chemistry of amino acids that covers the structure and function of proteins including the MCAT™ favorites hemoglobin and myoglobin.
This worksheet summary highlights the essential elements of amino acids including the structure and function of the side chains and the role of amino acids as precursors to various biomolecules including signaling molecules and neurotransmitters.
This content review focuses on biochemical aspects of metabolism, a topic with important relevance to multiple aspects of clinical medicine including cancer, physiology, nutrition, diets, and exercise.
Nucleic acids are covered on the MCAT™ in both the Biological and Physical Sciences section. This content review covers nucleic acid biology and biochemistry, and related topics such as DNA recombination and repair.
Organic Chemistry formulates the bridge between chemistry and biology. This content review covers all of the OChem topics listed on the AAMC MCAT™ Outline with an emphasis on reaction mechanisms.
This content review covers all aspects of MCAT™ stereochemistry, a subject covered in the physical sciences section. Stereochemistry is an important topic in clinical medicine that is a notoriously tricky subject, often because the learner is challenged to derive 3D spatial arrangements from 2D representations.
Thermodynamics and kinetics are fundamental as they govern all chemical reactions. This content review covers all of the key aspects of these topics, including enzyme kinetics and inhibition. As numerous pharmaceutical drugs inhibit enzymes, this important topic is highly relevant and guaranteed to be on the MCAT™.
As the central theme of infectious disease, microbiology and immunology are disciplines that operate as yin and yang: it is difficult to understand one without the other. This content review covers all of the essential topics from these subjects that are certain to appear on the MCAT™ including retroviruses (HIV) and coronaviruses.
This content review covers the biological and physical experimental techniques that commonly appear on the MCAT™. This includes molecular biological and antibody procedures, protein purification and separation procedures as well as various spectroscopic techniques.
This public document was published on Reddit and has become a popular source for review material. It is not authored by med-pathway.com. This document does not cover each topic at the same level of depth as the med-pathway.com content review, but provides a thorough overview for organizing your MCAT™ study.
The MCAT™ experts at Med-Pathway examined the AAMC Official Guide to The MCAT™ and compiled a comprehensive checklist of topics covered on the MCAT™. Organized by testing and subject categories, this valuable study tool is available for free, so download your copy now.
Our MCAT™ prep instructional videos help you understand what you'll be expected to know when taking the MCAT™.
Med-pathway Podcast 1 Admissions, MCAT
The creators of med-pathway.com MCAT test prep discuss their origins in the MCAT game and why being med school profs is advantageous. Not to mention 20 years as master trainers for big box MCAT. Some tips for admissions and MCAT. An introduction to the AAMC AEM model of admissions (Attributes, Experience, Metrics) is discussed. A specific question on how to approach CARS, the most difficult part of the test, is addressed. And the answer is right in front of you but so hard to see. #mcat #mcatpreparation #aamc #mcatanbrokeisajoke #testprep #medschool #premedlife #premedical #premedicalstudent #premedadvice #premedico #mcat2021
Med-pathway MCAT Prep AAMC Interface Walkthrough
This video gives a short introduction on the med-pathway user interface that emulates the AAMC
MCAT Biochemistry of Glycogen Metabolism
Dr. Phil from Med-pathway.com MCAT Test Prep takes you through the essentials of the Biochemistry of Glycogen Metabolism with Hormonal Regulation and signaling pathways. Glycogenin, glycosomes, glycogen synthase, phosphorylase, cAMP and heterotrimeric G proteins.
RNA Animal Viruses: A Quick Look at HIV and Coronavirus
med-pathway.com presents virology: animal viruses with overview of HIV and Coronaviruses. This is an excerpt from one of our ZOOM MCAT Workshops. High yield concepts including PCR vs antibody tests, RNA virology and Crick Central dogma, Baltimore classification of animal viruses, and rationale behind therapeutics such as AZT and remdesivir.
MCAT Stereochemistry Tricks
Optical Isomers and Stereochemistry: an MCAT fave. Try this tricky MCAT style problem to see how sharp your skills are. Then check out the med-pathway.com Stereochemistry Diagnostic Exam: 50 questions (with passage) of pure Stereochemical bliss that examines every single possible stereochemistry question you might see on the MCAT. Only from med-pathway.com: the MCAT masters.
Amino Acids Substitution and Free Energy
This challenging question is from one of our Chemical And Physical Foundations of Biological Systems Passages and examines free energy vs amino acid mutations. Watch Dr. Phil go through the data analysis step by step to get you thinking about how to apply amino acid structure and function to stability in the context of data.
Med-Pathway Zoom Workshop Amino Acids & Proteins
Dr. Carpenter gives a high yield presentation for MCAT amino acids and proteins. Focus on structure and function, chemistry, with minimal memorization.
Med-Pathway Zoom Workshop #2 Lab Techniques
Dr. Phil from Med-pathway.com MCAT test prep goes over some high yield lab techniques that often appear on the big test. Includes antibody techniques (Western, ELISA, immunoprecipitation, ChIP, flow cytometry), nucleic acid-based techniques (Southern blot, PCR, Real time PCR), protein purification (purification tables, ion exchange, hydrophobic columns, gel filtration), and physical techniques such as thin layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatography, and organic extractions.
Med-Pathway Zoom workshop #3 Kinetics Including Enzyme Inhibition
MCAT Test Prep Workshop video on Kinetics with Dr. Carpenter from med-pathway.com, the MCAT Experts. Includes high yield concepts: Arrhenius equation, Kinetic vs thermodynamic stability/products, Enzyme kinetics & Inhibition (competitive, noncompetitive, uncompetitive, mixed) as well as SN1 and SN2 mechanisms. Pre-work for Zoom flipped workshop. Watch the video and come to class to do challenging MCAT style passages and questions that prepare you for the big exam. Data interpretation and analysis, critical reasoning skills.
Med-pathway.com Gene Expression Workshop #4
The regulation of gene expression is an important topic in clinical medicine and is high yield material for the MCAT. Dr. Phil from med-pathway.com takes you from Crick's Central Dogma to Baltimore and Temin's discovery of reverse transcriptase and through the tryptophan and lactose operons, the latter of which is the first elucidated example of gene expression (Jacob Monod model). High yield topics include eukaryotic vs prokaryotic gene expression and transcripts, histones, RNA polymerases, splicing, ribosomal translation as well as PCR and real time PCR. This material has been designed to give you the content review needed as the basis for the challenging passages of med-pathway.com, the MCAT test prep experts.
Med-pathway Cell Cycle & DNA replication
Dr.Carpenter from med-pathway.com MCAT Test Prep takes you through the cell biology, organic chemistry and biochemistry of the cell cycle and DNA replication with important implications for double stranded DNA breaks, translocations, and tumorigenesis. All concepts on the AAMC MCAT outline freely available in checklist form on our website. Key concepts include; cell cycle and cyclin dependent kinases, Hayflick limit & telomeres, end replication problem, DNA replication and tautomers, DNA repair during the cell cycle, translocations and cancer.
Hormonal Control of Metabolism: Insulin & The Fed State
Dr. Phil from med-pathway.com covers high yield topics on the AAMC MCAT Content Outline in hormonal control of metabolism: "The Fed State". Insulin regulation is a topic of major clinical and biochemical importance. Learn how insulin regulates carbon metabolism through glycolysis, pyruvate dehydrogenase, and fatty acid, triglyceride synthesis, and cholesterol synthesis. Integrate biochemistry, organic chemistry, and physiology without tedious memorization of pathways to learn metabolism.
med-pathway MCAT Prep: Hormonal Control of Metabolism: The Fasted State
med-pathway.com MCAT Test Prep Hormonal Control of Metabolism 2: Biochem Metabolism Fasted State. Dr. Phil walks you through regulation of blood sugar levels by hormones with emphasis on the the fasted state (low blood sugar). Discussion of gluconeogenesis, Cori cycle, TCA cycle, fatty acid and protein catabolism, ketone bodies, carnitine shuttle, diabetes, and more
The Skinny on Making Fat: Glucose and Insulin
Get the skinny on making fat when you have high glucose (and/or fructose) and insulin secretion. #medpathway.com
MCAT Cell Biology Genetics: Epistasis in Yeast Secretory Pathway
Dr. Phil form med-pathway.com MCAT Test Prep walks you through data analysis of an epistasis experiment in the yeast secretion pathway. Extend the boundaries of your knowledge in genetics and cell biology and learn how to analyze experimental data. That is how the MCAT rolls.
Bioenergetics & Thermodynamics of Biochemistry & Metabolism
Dr. Phil from med-pathway.com discusses biochemical pathways through the prism of thermodynamics, a far better approach than memorizing pathways. Understand free energy, entropy, chemical coupling, and electron transfer as we take fatty acids and glucose through oxidation events. Glycolysis, glyoxylate cycle, TCA Krebs, electron transport, beta oxidation, chemical uncouplers.
MCAT Radiochemistry & Spectroscopy
med-pathway.com MCAT Test Prep: Radiochemistry & Spectroscopy. UV, IR, NMR, Beer's Law, Fluorescence
MCAT Acid-Base Chemistry & Biochemistry
Dr. Phil from Med-pathway.com MCAT Test Prep takes you through acid-base chemistry including Bronsted-Lowry, Arrhenius, Lewis as well as strong/weak acids, conjugate bases and leaving groups, titrations, amino acids, metabolic acidosis and renal compensation with glutaminase, lactic acidosis, urea cycle and hyperammonemia, transaminases, the whole 9 yards!
Solubility & Biological Systems
Med-Pathway MCAT Test Prep: Solubility, When Chemistry meets Biology. Ksp, Miscibility, Gout, Effervescence, Common Ion Effect, Jaundice, Micelles, Bile, Hydrophobic effect, Vitamin transport, all of the important issues with applying solubility to biology and clinical medicine
MCAT Immune System Immunology
Med-Pathway.com MCAT Test Prep Immune system. Nice comprehensive and fairly short review of basic immunology. Dr. Phil goes over the AAMC Content Outline for Immunology including adaptive vs innate, self vs non-self, primary and secondary immune organs, Antibody Structure/Function, ELISA, Western blots, B and T cells, clonal selection, antigen presenting cells and major histocompatibility complex (MHC), Toll like receptors and pattern recognition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and flagella, chemotaxis, V(D)J and isotype switching.
Med-Pathway MCAT Test Prep Biochemistry & Physiology of Vitamins. Both water soluble and fat soluble vitamins are listed on the AAMC MCAT Content Outline. They are obviously important in clinical medicine and health. Dr. Phil takes you through a discussion on vitamins that integrates Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Physiology. Vitamin B12 and its relationship to Tetrahydrofolate (Folic Acid), Folate Trap, Methionine Synthase and Homocysteine, Thiamine and decarboxylation Coenzyme A, Lipoic Acid, Pyridoxal phosphate and transamination, Biotin and carboxylation, Vitamin C and antioxidation, Vitamin A, K, E, and Vitamin D and its relationship to parathyroid hormone, calcium, and bone.
Med-Pathway Zoom MCAT Flipped Workshops
Beyond Content Review. Dr. Phil describes the med-pathway.com Flipped Zoom MCAT Prep workshops that focus on experimental data analysis. 16 workshops + med-pathway Q/Passage Bank for a bargain price of $100. Who says great MCAT Test Instruction needs to be expensive? We have over 20 years of MCAT Test Prep experience along with medical school instruction and research experience.
Med-Pathway AAMC Style User Interface Walkthrough
Short intro to the Med-pathway Q bank interface that emulates the AAMC.
HIV effects on sleep
Which statement best characterizes the relationship between HIV-positive status and sleep?
A. The virus is neurotoxic to cells in the hypothalamus and the medulla resulting in circadian rhythm abnormalities.
B. Compromised immune function leads to chronic fatigue, which decreases cortisol production and sleep patterns during nighttime.
C. Compromised immune function increases hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, which interferes with both sleep and immune function.
D. There is no clear relationship between HIV status and the mechanisms involved in sleep.
Types of memory
You are presented a 4x4 grid of 16 unique letters for 500 ms and then asked to report as many letters as you can. What type of memory does this test assess?
A. Sensory memory
B. Episodic memory
C. Working memory
D. Long-term memory
Diastereomers
Which of the following is the best method for separating enantiomers?
A. Use of gas chromatography
B. Differential precipitation with EtOH
C. Generation of diastereomic salts
D. Cannot separate enantiomers
UNCOMPETITIVE INHIBITION
A new inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase was identified in a chemical drug screen. Enzyme binding studies showed that the inhibitor bound to the enzyme-substrate complex. Which of the following statements is most accurate regarding how this inhibitor influences enzyme kinetics?
A. Increase KM Decrease VMax
B. Increase VMax Decrease KM
C. Increase KM Increase VMax
D. Decrease VMax Decrease KM
NONCOMPETITIVE INHIBITION
A new inhibitor of a glycolytic enzyme was found to bind outside of its active site irrespective of the presence of substrate. Which of the following kinetic properties would be most consistent with this enzyme?
A. KM = Ki
B. KM > Ki
C. KM < Ki
D. KM = Vmax
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
In classical conditioning, what is being learned?
A. The relationship between two stimuli
B. The relationship between two responses
C. The relationship between a response and its consequence
D. Nothing is learned, classical conditioning is innate
UREA CYCLE
Protein degradation generates amino acids that are processed in the urea cycle. Loss of function mutations in the urea cycle would produce which of the following?
A. Increased levels of serum urea
B. Reduced levels of serum arginine
C. Increased levels of serum creatine
D. Reduced levels of serum ammonia
HEMOGLOBIN
How does hypoventilation change the oxygen saturation curve of hemoglobin?
A. Increases affinity and shifts towards the right.
B. Decreases affinity and shifts towards the left.
C. Increases affinity and shifts towards the left.
D. Decreases affinity and shifts towards the right.
GLYCOGEN
Mutations in muscle phosphorylase are causal for McArdle’s disease. Patients with this condition would be expected to have:
A. elevated hepatic glycogen and hypoglycemia
B. reduced hepatic glycogen and normoglycemia
C. elevated muscle glycogen and normoglycemia
D. reduced muscle glycogen and hypoglycemia
HISTAMINE FORMATION
Histidine decarboxylase catalyzes the formation of histamine through use of which of the following co-factors?
A. Vitamin B12
B. Vitamin C
C. Pyridoxal phosphate
D. Flavin adenine dinucleotide
Stereochemisty
Which of the following structures exhibit optical activity?
Know your chirality for the MCAT! We show you some tricky,
MCAT like structures in a 1.5 minute video. Take the Med-Pathway challenge!
Nitric Oxide
Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is a heme containing enzyme that performs the following reaction:
L-Arginine -> N-hydroxyl-L-Arginine -> L-Citrulline + Nitric Oxide
Which of the following reactions would this enzyme also perform?
A. O2 -> H2O
B. FADH2 -> FAD+
C. Lactate -> Pyruvate
D. Isocitrate -> α-Ketoglutarate
Med-Pathway company introduction
Medical school professors that founded Med-Pathway give a brief introduction to who we are. We have over 20 years of MCAT experience!
Collagen
Collagen composes bones, ligaments and tendons. Its strength is derived from cross linking that occurs through modification of lysine side chains to allysine. This reaction is catalyzed by a(n):
A. Oxidase
B. Reductase
C. Amidase
D. Transaminase
pKa
If the pKa of an aspirin is 3.5, then how much of it will be in an ionized state in the stomach (pH=1.3)?
A. 1%
B. 10%
C. 20%
D. 80%
Behavorial Science Opiates
Despite public health concerns, why are opiate drugs still regularly used in medical settings?
A. They have a desirable abuse potential profile.
B. They produce limited side effects.
C. They are inexpensive.
D. They have superior analgesic properties
Understanding Glycolysis Without Memorization
Understanding the logic of Glucose metabolism without memorization of structures and pathway sequences: The Big Picture
Protein Secretion in 2 slides: The Big Picture
Protein Secretion in Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes: The Big Picture in 2 simple slides
#MCAT Test Prep: FREE Biochemistry Bootcamp Series on Zoom with Dr. Phil
Join the FREE Biochemistry Zoom workshops ran by med-pathway.com. We will go over high yield MCAT topics that integrate foundational principles to experimental science with clinical relevance....the stuff you see on the MCAT.
Quick and Easy #MCAT Gluconeogenesis & Blood Sugar
Gluconeogenesis is one of three methods for raising blood sugar, an important clinical topic in biochemistry that is often tested on the #MCAT. Learn the pathways, the logic and design without needless memorization with Dr. Phil from med-pathway.com
The Skinny on Thin Layer Chromatography #MCAT Prep from med-pathway.com
Get the skinny on MCAT thin layer chromatography (TLC), a staple experimental technique commonly seen on the MCAT with med-pathway.
Enzyme Kinetics and Inhibition
Enzyme Kinetics and Inhibition: Using Logic and Reasoning above memorization
MCAT Molecular Biology: Relative mobilities of Isoforms of Plasmid DNA
Plasmid DNA can exist in multiple forms: supercoiled, nicked, and linear. How do their mobilties compare in a gel electrophoresis experiment? Find out with med-pathway.com
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We set out to create the best MCAT™ resources available.
Our mission is to provide advanced passages and testing materials that stress scientific scenarios from the three major science-driven sections of the MCAT™ exam, as well as to provide thought-provoking passages to increase your critical reasoning skills.
I have been actively involved in medical school teaching for over 15 years and have received many awards. I have also taught MCAT™ classes as well. Combined with my research experience, I have a strong feel for what is required to succeed on the MCAT™ and how this transitions into medical school.
Dr. Carpenter has developed flipped classroom teaching pedagogies that have been shown to be highly effective in medical education as shown in this recent publication. Flipped classrooms are an active learning tool that improves learning and critical thinking skills. See the free resource section on this site for the publication: Carpenter. P.B., Poliak, A., Wang, L., Ownby, A.R., and Hsieh, P (2020) Improved Performance In and Preference for Using Think-Pair-Share in a Flipped Classroom. Med Educ: 54:449-450.
I have been teaching medical students since 1998, and have won awards from my school for my teaching efforts. I teach courses in the psychopharmacology, neuroscience, and the behavioral sciences. I am also an active researcher with funding from NIH since 1998 and more than 120 publications. I bring this skill and experience in biomedical training and research to bear on the development and explanation of content material on the MCAT™, particularly in the behavioral and neural sciences.
I have taught for over a decade in classes that have included medical students, psychology graduate students, and psychology undergraduates. I am expert in behavioral sciences and conduct research studying substance use disorders and impulsivity. Both my teaching and ongoing research experience allow me to provide content reflecting broad foundational material in addition to topics based on recently discovered findings in the field.
I have been involved in MCAT test preparation for over 14 years and have taught medical students for nearly a decade. During the daytime, I run a federally funded lab and do research in the field of RNA Biology. This background enables me to develop data-based content that is cutting edge.
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