MCAT Test Biological Sciences Testing Tips - Informational and Research Passages

The biological sciences section of the MCAT test consists of four primary types of questions, which includes comprehension questions related to informational passages, comprehension questions related to research passages, problem-solving questions, and argument evaluation questions. The comprehension questions included in the biological sciences section of the exam are designed to evaluate an individual's ability to comprehend the information in a passage about a new concept or a research project by applying some of the basic scientific concepts that the individual has already learned. The two types of comprehension questions found in this section of the exam will present the individual with different kinds of passages, but the questions themselves are actually very similar and there are certain techniques that may help an individual answer these comprehension questions. These techniques are actually very similar to the techniques for handling the comprehension questions in the physical sciences section as the two sections are similar, but there are certain key differences that an individual may want to keep in mind.

First, it may be a very good idea to read each set of questions before reading the passage associated with that set of questions. This can be extremely helpful because it allows you to identify exactly what you should look for before you actually read the passage. This is especially important for this section of the exam as many of the passages included in this section are actually discussing new concepts or research that are based on basic concepts from both biology and organic chemistry. As a result, these passages can be complex at times and it is very easy for the exam-taker to become confused if he or she does not already know the question that he or she is attempting to answer. Secondly, it is important to realize that many of these passages may present concepts or research that relate to an understanding of both biology and organic chemistry rather than just an understanding of one field alone. This is somewhat different from the passages included in the physical sciences section of the exam as most of the passages in that section handle topics related specifically to chemistry or physics, but very few of them handle both. This can be an important fact to keep in mind because the exam-taker may not be able to answer certain questions without applying concepts from both biology and organic chemistry.

Biology Topics Covered
Organic Chemistry Topics Covered
Problem Solving Questions
Argument Evaluation Questions