{"id":614,"date":"2025-01-08T19:23:24","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T19:23:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/?p=614"},"modified":"2025-01-09T19:19:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T19:19:43","slug":"whats-tested-on-the-mcat-psychology-and-sociology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/mcat\/whats-tested-on-the-mcat-psychology-and-sociology\/","title":{"rendered":"What&#8217;s Tested on the MCAT: Psychology and Sociology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section of the MCAT, often called the Behavioral Sciences or Psych\/Soc section for short, requires you to solve problems based on knowledge of introductory psychology and sociology concepts combined with Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning Skills (SIRS). The content on this section of the test also includes a small amount of biology. You should also be aware that this is a science section of the MCAT, not another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/study\/mcat\/whats-tested-on-the-mcat-cars\/\">CARS (Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills) section<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind that the MCAT requires more than just an understanding of behavioral science content. The MCAT is a test of critical reasoning skills. Knowing how to use psychology and sociology information to interpret and solve complex problems is the key to success on this section of the exam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>TABLE OF CONTENTS:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><a href=\"#overview\">MCAT Psychology &amp; Sociology: Overview<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#disciplines\">MCAT Psychology &amp; Sociology: Disciplines<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#foundational-concepts\">MCAT Psychology &amp; Sociology: Foundational Concepts<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#SIRS\">MCAT Psychology &amp; Sociology: Critical Reasoning (SIRS)<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#structure\">MCAT Psychology &amp; Sociology: Structure of the Section<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#scoring\">MCAT Psychology &amp; Sociology: Section Scoring<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"overview\">MCAT Psychology &amp; Sociology: Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Psych\/Soc section of the MCAT is the fourth and final section to be tested, and follows an optional 10-minute break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>MCAT Section<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Number of Questions<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Time Limit<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Section Score Range<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior<\/td><td>59 total (10 passages, 44 passage-based questions, 15 discrete questions)<\/td><td>95 minutes<\/td><td>118-132<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Exam content in the Psych\/Soc section will draw from psychology, sociology, and biology disciplines, Foundational Concepts #6-10, and Scientific Reasoning and Inquiry Skills #1-4. Each type of exam content for this section is explained in detail below.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>[ READ NEXT: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/study\/mcat\/whats-tested-on-the-mcat-2\/\">What\u2019s Tested on the MCAT?<\/a><strong> ]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"disciplines\">MCAT Psychology &amp; Sociology: Disciplines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The undergraduate courses that are reflected in the Psych\/Soc section of the MCAT are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Introductory Psychology (65%)<\/li><li>Introductory Sociology (30%)<\/li><li>Introductory Biology (5%)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_heading  avia-builder-el-first  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Psychology and Sociology Subjects to Study for the MCAT<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In order to study effectively for the Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section, you should thoroughly understand these <strong>psychology, sociology, and biology topics:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Cognition and Consciousness<\/li><li>Identity and Personality<\/li><li>Language Development<\/li><li>Learning and Memory<\/li><li>Motivation and Emotion<\/li><li>Neurobiology<\/li><li>Psychological Disorders<\/li><li>Sensation and Perception<\/li><li>Social Interaction<\/li><li>Social Processes and Behavior<\/li><li>Social Structure and Stratification<\/li><li>Social Thinking and Attitudes<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class='avia-iframe-wrap'><iframe title=\"Medical School Application: Why is Psych\/Soc on the MCAT? | Kaplan MCAT Prep\" width=\"1500\" height=\"844\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/j0Z02FjoF30?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"foundational-concepts\">MCAT Psychology &amp; Sociology: Foundational Concepts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The AAMC has described the topics within the Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section of the MCAT. These topics are subdivided into Foundational Concepts, each of which has several sub-categories and are described below.<\/p>\n\n\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_heading  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Foundational Concept #6: Factors That Influence Perception, Thoughts, and Reactions<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This topic is about the biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that influence the ways that individuals perceive, think about, and react to the world. The science tested in this foundational concept comprise 25% of the questions in the Psych\/Soc section. This is further subdivided into three categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Sensing the environment<\/li><li>Making sense of the environment<\/li><li>Responding to the world<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_heading  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Foundational Concept #7: Factors That Influence Behavior and Behavior Change<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This topic is about the biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that influence behavior and behavior change. The science tested in this foundational concept comprise 35% of the questions in the Psych\/Soc section. This is further subdivided into three categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Individual influences on behavior<\/li><li>Social processes that influence human behavior<\/li><li>Attitude and behavior change<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_heading  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Foundational Concept #8: Factors That Influence Perceptions and Interactions<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This topic is about the psychological, sociocultural, and biological factors that influence the way we think about ourselves and others, and how we interact with others. The science tested in this foundational concept comprise 20% of the questions in the Psych\/Soc section. This is further subdivided into three categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Self-identity<\/li><li>Social thinking<\/li><li>Social interactions<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_heading  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Foundational Concept #9: Cultural and Social Factors That Influence Well-Being<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This topic is about the cultural and social differences that influence well-being.&nbsp; The science tested in this foundational concept comprise 15% of the questions in the Psych\/Soc section. This is further subdivided into two categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Understanding social structure<\/li><li>Demographic characteristics and processes<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_promobox  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Foundational Concept #10: Social Inequality<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This topic is about the social stratification and access to resources that influence well-being.&nbsp; The science tested in this foundational concept comprise 5% of the questions in the Psych\/Soc section.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<div  style='background:#240f6e;color:#ffffff;border-color:#240f6e;' class='av_promobox  avia-button-no   avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_iconlist  rounded-corner-effect'>\t\t<div class='avia-promocontent'><p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Expert MCAT Tip<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The questions in the Psych\/Soc section require knowledge of a large number of terms. Set up a system like flashcards to help you track and rehearse through that content regularly.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"SIRS\">MCAT Psychology &amp; Sociology: Critical Reasoning (SIRS)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The AAMC has defined four critical reasoning skills, called Scientific Reasoning and Inquiry Skills, or SIRS. These skills are tested in all three MCAT science sections. Below, we list the four skills you should be able to demonstrate on the MCAT.<\/p>\n\n\n<div  class='avia-icon-list-container   avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_promobox  el_before_av_sidebar '><ul class='avia-icon-list avia-icon-list-left av-iconlist-big avia_animate_when_almost_visible avia-iconlist-animate'> <br><li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue84f' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><b>SIRS #1: Knowledge of Scientific Concepts and Principles<\/b><\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you have a strong grasp of the scientific content?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li><br><li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue864' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><b>SIRS #2: Scientific Reasoning and Problem-Solving<\/b><\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can you effectively apply scientific concepts to unfamiliar scenarios and integrate multiple content areas?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li><br><li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue803' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><b>SIRS #3: Reasoning About the Design and Execution of Research<\/b><\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can you clearly explain and expand upon the experimental methods, results, and conclusions of a research study?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li><br><li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue8c6' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><b>SIRS #4: Data-Based and Statistical Reasoning<\/b><\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you able to accurately read, interpret, and extrapolate information from graphs, tables, and figures, and draw logical conclusions from them?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li><br><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"structure\">MCAT Psychology &amp; Sociology: Structure of the Section<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Psych\/Soc section, the MCAT will present you with ten passages on psychology, sociology and related biology topics, and ask four to six questions about each passage. The questions will address the four skills listed, although not every passage will require you to use each skill. You will be asked to answer 15 discrete questions that are not associated with any passage. These will also be designed to test both your science knowledge and application of that knowledge based on the four SIRS skills listed above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"scoring\">MCAT Psychology &amp; Sociology: Section Scoring<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This section of the MCAT is scored on a scale of 118-132, with the median score of all test takers set to be 125. A given scaled score does not correspond to any specific number of right or wrong questions. The score for this section of the test is combined with the other three sections to provide your overall score which ranges from 472 to 528.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>[ RELATED:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/study\/mcat\/whats-a-good-mcat-score\/\"> What\u2019s a Good MCAT Score?<\/a><strong> ]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Written by Kaplan experts, reviewed by Aeri Kim and Logan Emlet. Aeri Kim has been teaching MCAT prep at Kaplan for over <em>eight<\/em> years and also works on the MCAT content development team, helping optimize our courses to better suit student needs in real-time. She holds a BS in Biological Sciences as well as a PhD in Structural Biochemistry. Logan Emlet serves as an MCAT Product Manager at Kaplan North America. Since beginning his journey with Kaplan in 2013 as a teacher, he has guided thousands of students through the complexities of the MCAT.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div  class='avia-builder-widget-area clearfix  avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_iconlist  el_before_av_sidebar '><div id=\"text-72\" class=\"widget clearfix widget_text\">\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p><code><br \/>\n<span data-sumome-listbuilder-embed-id=\"412169cd3aa9977143b6f06c0fae300dfc947b95c5705249ca54c9f4a812a953\"><\/span><br \/>\n<\/code><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><div id=\"text-73\" class=\"widget clearfix widget_text\">\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p><code><br \/>\n<span data-sumome-listbuilder-embed-id=\"69112752ce12d39d65c983f7db76907ae236d4cb30c38eaf7538c5f1d3530ae0\"><\/span><br \/>\n<\/code><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section of the MCAT, often called the Behavioral Sciences or Psych\/Soc section for short, requires you to solve problems based on knowledge of introductory psychology and sociology concepts combined with Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning Skills (SIRS). The content on this section of the test also includes a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44356,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[3],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=614"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47765,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614\/revisions\/47765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}