MCAT Sample questions | Check out these Free Practice Questions

These MCAT Sample questions are essential to prospective medical students who are preparing for the Medical College Admission Test. After reading for many hours for the standardized test, students need to practice what they have learnt in a sample question. This will surely make them get more familiar with the pattern MCAT questions are set and how to handle every scenario. 

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized test taken by students in the United States, Canada, Australia and Caribbean islands who are preparing for medical school. The test focuses on critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, knowledge or scientific concepts and written analysis. It is a computer based test (CBT) and each section has about 59 questions. 

Here is a list of MCAT sections:

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

MCAT Sample questions

To fully prepare you for MCAT, I will list some sample Medical College Admission Test for each of the four sections. They are not what you will face in the actual test but just to prepare you. It will test what you have been studying to see if you have enough knowledge to sit for the Medical College Admission Test. 

Biological and Biochemical MCAT Sample questions 1:

Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death that can occur in multicellular organisms. The proteins involved in apoptosis are associated with pathways for cell cycle arrest and DNA repair. These processes, mostly, are regulated through the interplay of various proteins involved in feedback loops including some of the ones shown in Figure 1 below. 

Figure 1: 

The above figure shows: Feedback loops forming a regulatory network that is affecting apoptosis, cell cycle arrest plus DNA repair. 

According to Figure 1 shown above, CDK2 activity would most reasonably increase due to all of the following EXCEPT:

• A. degradation of p21.
• B. high cyclin G concentrations.
• C. a mutation in the gene that produces PTEN.
• D. high p53 concentrations.

Question 2:

The red bread mold Neurospora crassa grows well on a cultural plate with “minimal” medium which is a fluid containing only a few simple sugars, inorganic salts, and vitamin. Neurospora that grows normally in nature (wild type) has enzymes that convert these simple substances into the amino acids necessary for growth. Mutating any one of the genes that makes an enzyme can produce a Neurospora strain that cannot grow on minimal medium. The mutant would only grow if the enzyme product were to be added as a supplement. On the other hand, if a “complete” medium is provided, containing all required amino acids, then Neurospora would grow, with or without mutation.

Figure 1: 

A synthesis pathway for the amino acid arginine. Each gene in italics in the diagram produces one enzyme necessary for the synthesis of this essential amino acid required for growth.

Table 1: 

Growth response of mutant strains in “minimal” media with supplements as indicated. Growth is indicated by (+), and no growth is indicated by (-).

Question 

According to the information provided, a conclusion that can be made with certainty is that neither mutant strain P nor Q have the defective enzyme:

• A. carbamoyltransferase.
• B. argininosuccinate synthase.
• C. argininosuccinase.
• D. None of the above enzymes are defective in either mutant strain P nor Q.

Sociology MCAT Sample question

If the goal of the health communication is to have influence on individuals, families, neighborhoods, medical and social service organizations, and ultimately public health policy, they are adhering to:

• A. Ecological theory.
• B. Family systems theory.
• C. John Bowlby’s attachment theory.
• D. Milton Gordon’s assimilation theory.

MCAT Psychology sample Question

Drinking a cup of coffee is something people do every day, alone or with friends, at home or at work. A researcher following the theory of symbolic interactionism who is observing two people enjoying a coffee together would primarily point out that:

• A. The symbolic value of coffee is that the drinking ritual is more important than the drink itself.
• B. Coffee is a stimulant drug.
• C. Coffee is the second most valuable commodity in international trade.
• D. Coffee is a branded and politicized consumption good.

MCAT Sample general chemistry question

Which of the following energy sublevels can contain the most electrons?

•  A.  n = 4, l = 0
•  B.  n = 5, l = 2
•  C.  n = 6, l = 2, ml = +1
•  D.  n = 4, l = 3

The above MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) Sample questions are not what will appear on your real test, they are just for training purposes. There are some bigger test sample books available if you need them. 

Conclusion 

MCAT Sample questions will help you familiarize with the type of questions you will face during the Medical College Admission Test. Passing some of these questions should not boost your confidence because the actual test may have harder and more complex questions.