What’s Tested on the MCAT (2025)?

• The MCAT is a standardized, computer-based test required by most medical schools.
• The MCAT test duration is 6 hours and 15 minutes (excluding breaks), and the total seated time for the MCAT is estimated to be 7 hours and 30 minutes. 
• The MCAT consists of 230 multiple-choice questions.
• The four MCAT sections are timed and measure different areas of content knowledge.

[ READ NEXT: What’s a Good MCAT Score? ]

The MCAT is a pivotal exam for aspiring medical students in the United States and Canada, assessing the knowledge and skills needed for medical school success. The MCAT not only measures your content knowledge in General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, General Biology, Biochemistry, Physics, Psychology, and Sociology, it also tests your critical analysis and reasoning skills. Scoring well on the MCAT can greatly increase your chances of getting into your target medical school. In this guide, we’ll break down how the MCAT is structured, what subjects are tested, and more so you know what to expect on exam day.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• What is the MCAT?
• What’s tested on the MCAT in 2025?
• MCAT Test Duration
• MCAT Sections and Subjects 
• MCAT Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning Skills
• How to Study for the MCAT 
• MCAT Pop Quiz

What is the MCAT?

The MCAT, or Medical College Admission Test, is a multiple-choice, computer-based standardized exam required for admission to medical schools in the United States and Canada. The MCAT is developed and administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to provide med schools with common measures for comparing applicants’ qualifications and preparedness for med school. 

The MCAT is designed to find test takers who have certain unique skills that are directly correlated with success in medical education. The MCAT is not meant to be a barrier to entry into the field of medicine; rather, it is meant to identify those who will succeed and even thrive in the challenging environment of medical school and medical practice.

What’s tested on the MCAT in 2025?

On the 2025 MCAT, you’ll face 230 questions over 6 hours and 15 minutes. The breakdown of MCAT questions is 10 passages with 4 to 7 questions each, 15 stand-alone questions in each of the science sections, and 9 passages with 5-7 questions each in the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) section.

Three of the four MCAT sections test your basic science content knowledge by requiring you to critically use the information rather than just provide individual scientific facts. Therefore, you should know how to integrate and analyze information in different contexts using various skills and content databases. 

The last MCAT section, Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills, or CARS, is a unique part of the exam in that it is a test of reading comprehension and critical thinking. Passages on topics within the social sciences and humanities are presented. Then, a series of questions asks you to reason about the material presented, just as you would be expected to do in medical school and in your medical career.

MCAT Test Duration

In 2025, the MCAT test duration is 6 hours and 15 minutes excluding breaks. There are four MCAT sections, each lasting 90-95 minutes, with optional breaks between. You will have two 10-minute breaks and one 30-minute lunch break between sections. If you choose to take breaks between each section, the total MCAT testing time can be up to 7.5 hours.

MCAT Sections and Subjects

The integrated content on the MCAT is broken down into four test sections that comprise the exam and cover the following MCAT subjects:

1. Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
2. Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills
3. Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
4. Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior

Even though the four science MCAT subjects cover roughly equal numbers of topics within them, this does not mean that all science topics have equal weight in your final MCAT score. On the MCAT, biology (at 65% of the Bio/Biochem MCAT section) will be by far the most important of the four “classic” MCAT subjects, followed in importance by general chemistry (30% of the Chem/Phys MCAT section); physics (25% of the Chem/Phys MCAT section); and finally organic chemistry (15% of the Chem/Phys MCAT section).

Learn how the MCAT is structured in the table below.

MCAT Section	Number of Questions	Time Allowed	Subjects Tested	Score Range
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems	59 total (10 passages, 44 passage-based questions, 15 discrete questions)	95 minutes	Biochemistry (25%), Biology (5%), General Chemistry (30%), Organic Chemistry (15%), Physics (25%)	118-132
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS)	53 total (9 passages)	90 minutes	Foundations of Comprehension (30%), Reasoning Within the Text (30%), Reasoning Beyond the Text (40%)	118-132
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems	59 total (10 passages, 44 passage-based questions, 15 discrete questions)	95 minutes	Biochemistry (25%), Biology (65%), General Chemistry (5%), Organic Chemistry (5%)	118-132
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior	59 total (10 passages, 44 passage-based questions, 15 discrete questions)	95 minutes	Biology (5%), Psychology (65%), Sociology (30%)	118-132
Exam Total: 4 Sections	Exam Total: 230 questions	Exam Total: 6 hours and 15 minutes of testing time; approximately 7 hours and 30 minutes of seated time with breaks.		Total Score Range: 472-528

In this section, you will be required to combine your knowledge of the basic physical sciences with that of the biological sciences. Therefore, an understanding of the basic chemical and physical principles that underlie the mechanisms operating in the human body, and your ability to apply an understanding of these general principles to living systems, will be essential.

• Number of questions: 59 
• Duration: 95 minutes

Try our free MCAT Chemistry and MCAT Physics practice questions.

The MCAT CARS section asks you to analyze scenarios rooted in the social sciences and humanities disciplines. It is important to note that, unlike the other sections, specific knowledge is not required for this section, as all of the information is presented in the passages. Some of the subject areas from which content is drawn include ethics and philosophy, cultural studies, and population health.

• Number of questions: 53 
• Duration: 90 minutes

Try our free MCAT CARS practice questions.

In this section of the MCAT, you will have to demonstrate an understanding of the basic processes that foster life, such as growing, reproducing, acquiring energy, etc. Equally important in the study of medicine is your knowledge of how cells and organ systems within an organism act both independently and in concert to accomplish these processes.

• Number of questions: 59 
• Duration: 95 minutes

Try our free MCAT Biology and MCAT Biochemistry practice questions.

This section is an essential addition to the MCAT since it assesses your ability to implement research and statistical principles within the realm of behavioral and sociocultural determinants of health and health outcomes. Basically, you are required to integrate psychological, sociological, and biological bases of behaviors and relationships.

• Number of questions: 59 
• Duration: 95 minutes

Try our free MCAT Psychology and MCAT Sociology practice questions.

MCAT Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning Skills

Think of the MCAT as a critical reasoning test that involves scientific knowledge. The AAMC has identified four specific Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning Skills (SIRS) that are necessary to do well on the MCAT.

1. Knowledge of Scientific Concepts and Principles 
2. Scientific Reasoning and Problem Solving
3. Reasoning About the Design and Execution of Research
4. Data-Based and Statistical Reasoning

Although knowledge of science is necessary to do well on the MCAT, science content alone will not generate a competitive score on the test. Instead, you are expected to use the information from introductory college-level science classes and to go beyond the basic facts to draw inferences and come to conclusions.

That means that most of the information on the test may be on familiar subjects but will be presented in novel ways. In most cases, you’ll be presented with a short passage on a science subject that you may or may not know much about. However, the combination of your science knowledge and your critical reasoning skills will allow you to address the questions related to the passage.

How to Study for the MCAT

Get ready for the MCAT with Kaplan, the official MCAT prep of the American Medical Student Association. Below, we list some MCAT resources we recommend you use to maximize your score.

• Kaplan MCAT Prep Courses: Get personalized MCAT prep from Kaplan experts. We’ll show you how to add 15 points to your MCAT score.* From live online courses to private tutoring, we have an option that’s right for you and your exam goals.

• Free MCAT Practice Test + Prep Starter Pack: Establish a baseline for your MCAT studies by taking a realistic practice test. After signing up, you’ll also receive 30-day access to our study planning calendar, a Qbank with 230 questions, and learning modules.

• MCAT Question of the Day: Jumpstart your studies with an MCAT question – and detailed answer explanations – in your inbox every day. Sign up for free.

• Free Study Plans for the MCAT: Organize your MCAT prep with our expertly curated MCAT study plans. Choose from our 6-month MCAT study plan, 3-month MCAT study plan, 2-month MCAT study plan, or 1-month MCAT study plan, depending on your test date.

Review our expert tips for MCAT test day success.

MCAT Pop Quiz

How would you do on the MCAT? Take our short quiz and try some practice questions, then review the answers so you know where you have room to improve.

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Written by Kaplan experts, reviewed by Brandon McKenzie. Brandon is the Director of Product for the MCAT at Kaplan North America. With over a decade of experience in teaching, tutoring, and developing MCAT content, Brandon has helped thousands of students achieve higher MCAT scores.

*15 point average only applied to students who completed 5,300+ practice questions and 600+ study activities during their program. A recent study conducted by Kaplan showed that students who completed a minimum of this work saw an average score improvement of 15 points from their first to their highest practice exam. Students who started with lower scores saw greater increases. Students who completed fewer practice questions, study activities, or who did not engage in the full program, saw lower score increases. Learn More.