{"id":392,"date":"2016-07-07T22:33:10","date_gmt":"2016-07-08T05:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/?p=392"},"modified":"2020-08-16T06:39:49","modified_gmt":"2020-08-16T13:39:49","slug":"most-commonly-tested-mcat-concepts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/most-commonly-tested-mcat-concepts\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most Commonly Tested MCAT Concepts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MCAT
\nA theme that you will often encounter on your journey to (and throughout) medical school is the overwhelming volume of information you\u2019re required to learn. Time and time again, you will hear medical students and premeds alike comment that it\u2019s not necessarily the complexity of the material that you\u2019re required to know, but the sheer volume that makes everything so challenging. <\/p>\n

To contend with such high volume requirements, the term \u201chigh yield\u201d has become a staple in the premedical\/medical student\u2019s vocabulary. It\u2019s helpful to know which topics from a lecture are high yield, but it\u2019s just as important to know the most commonly tested MCAT concepts\u00a0before you take the test<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

If I Focus on the Most Commonly Tested MCAT Concepts, Will That Be Enough for a High Score?<\/h2>\n

My advice to students studying for the MCAT would be to make sure that you absolutely<\/strong> know the most commonly tested MCAT topics, but to give yourself enough time to become proficient in the other lower-yield topics. Setting up an effective study schedule<\/a> (like the ones found in our free study plans<\/a>) will ensure that nothing is a surprise come test day and that you\u2019re adequately prepared for whatever the MCAT throws at you. <\/p>\n

However, if time is an issue, and you simply must<\/em> condense your study time<\/a>, the high-yield topics are what you want to master. It\u2019s important to note, however, that the actual content of your<\/em> MCAT exam is unpredictable. For example, I spent a lot of time studying optics and when I got to my exam, it seemed like there were no optics questions. Because I had spent so much time on optics, I was definitely caught off guard and my reaction was reflected in my MCAT score. That\u2019s not to say that the MCAT will test you on topics you\u2019ve never seen before, because if you take the time to prepare<\/a>, that won\u2019t happen. However, that goes to show that it is important to follow the AAMC content outlines<\/a> as a checklist to keep track of your studying.<\/p>\n

So, without further ado…<\/p>\n

The Most Commonly Tested MCAT Concepts<\/h2>\n

Click on the links below to access our free Magoosh lessons or articles about each concept.<\/p>\n

Physics<\/h3>\n