MileDown MCAT — MCAT Coverage Audit
The MileDown MCAT deck covers 337 of 408 subtopics in our MCAT content outline (82.6%) across 2,888 cards — making it one of the most comprehensive free Anki decks available for MCAT prep. If you're asking whether the MileDown MCAT deck is enough on its own: it covers biology and biochemistry thoroughly but leaves 71 subtopics with zero cards, concentrated in Psych/Soc and Research Methods. Those gaps will cost you on test day if you rely on it exclusively.
The MileDown MCAT deck is a free Anki deck built around the MCAT content outline, best suited for students who already have a content foundation and want high-quality flashcard reinforcement in the natural sciences. Its strongest sections are Integrative Organ Systems (31/31 subtopics, 944 cards), Proteins and Amino Acids (16/16, 453 cards), Electrochemistry and Electrical Circuits (13/13, 441 cards), Heredity and Genetic Variation (11/11, 340 cards), and Prokaryotes and Viruses (9/9, 171 cards). These sections deliver the strongest spaced repetition coverage of any free MCAT deck.
The weaknesses cluster in the sociology-heavy sections of MCAT Psych/Soc. Social Structure covers only 6 of 18 subtopics (33.3%). Social Inequality and Health Disparities hits just 3 of 13 (23.1%). Demographic Characteristics and Processes has zero cards across all 6 subtopics. Research Methods and Biostatistics — a high-yield MCAT area — covers only 5 of 11 subtopics (45.5%), missing Reliability vs. Validity, Types of Bias (Selection, Recall, Observer, Hawthorne), Confidence Intervals, and Type I/II Errors. Nervous and Endocrine Systems covers 14 of 18 subtopics (77.8%), with zero cards on Resting Membrane Potential, Sympathetic/Parasympathetic Nervous Systems, Saltatory Conduction, and Reflex Arcs. This page is the only independent audit of MileDown against Lacunos's 408-subtopic MCAT content outline, with card-level coverage data you won't find anywhere else.
MCAT cards = cards that mapped to our 408-subtopic MCAT content outline. Cards covering other material are excluded.
Coverage by area
Gaps — zero cards (71 subtopics)
High-yield gaps
- HYBioenergetics — Free Energy, Equilibrium, CouplingBioenergetics and Metabolism
- HYMutation Types (Silent, Missense, Nonsense, Frameshift)Gene Expression — Gene to Protein
- HYProkaryotic Gene Regulation (Operons, lac and trp)Gene Expression — Gene to Protein
- HYResting Membrane Potential and Ion GradientsNervous and Endocrine Systems
- HYSympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous SystemsNervous and Endocrine Systems
- HYReliability vs ValidityResearch Methods and Biostatistics
- HYTypes of Bias (Selection, Recall, Observer, Hawthorne)Research Methods and Biostatistics
- HYCultural Capital and Social CapitalSocial Inequality and Health Disparities
- HYSocioeconomic Gradient in HealthSocial Inequality and Health Disparities
- HYHealth Disparities (Class, Gender, Race)Social Inequality and Health Disparities
- HYSocial Norms (Folkways, Mores, Taboos) and AnomieSocial Processes Influencing Behavior
- HYMedicalization, Sick Role (Parsons), Healthcare DeliverySocial Structure
Other gaps
- Anaerobic Fermentation (Lactate, Ethanol)Bioenergetics and Metabolism
- Fed, Fasting, and Starvation Metabolic StatesBioenergetics and Metabolism
- Signaling Lipids (Steroids, Prostaglandins)Biologically Relevant Molecules and Organic Reactivity
- Apoptosis (Intrinsic and Extrinsic Pathways)Cell Division, Differentiation, and Specialization
- Cancer — Oncogenes, Tumor Suppressors, MetastasisCell Division, Differentiation, and Specialization
- Stem Cells and DifferentiationCell Division, Differentiation, and Specialization
- Endocytosis, Exocytosis, and Vesicular TransportCellular Assemblies and Membranes
- Demographic Variables (Age, Gender, Race, Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation)Demographic Characteristics and Processes
- Fertility, Mortality, and Migration PatternsDemographic Characteristics and Processes
- Demographic Transition TheoryDemographic Characteristics and Processes
- … and 49 more
Thin spots — 1 to 3 cards (14 subtopics)
- 1Information Processing Model of CognitionCognition, Learning, Memory, and Language
- 1UV-Visible Spectroscopy and Beer's LawLight, Sound, and Sensory Optics
- 1CNS Organization (Brain Regions, Spinal Cord)Nervous and Endocrine Systems
- 1PNS — Somatic vs AutonomicNervous and Endocrine Systems
- 1Sensory AdaptationSensation and Perception
- 1Water — Polarity, Hydrogen Bonding, Anomalous DensityWater and Solutions
- 2Partial Pressures (Dalton's Law)Fluids in Circulation and Gas Exchange
- 2Kinetic Theory of GasesFluids in Circulation and Gas Exchange
- 2Lymphatic System and Lymphoid OrgansIntegrative Organ Systems
- 2Protein Folding, Stability, and DenaturationProteins and Amino Acids
- … and 4 more
How to pair MileDown MCAT with other resources
The MileDown MCAT deck's gaps in Psych/Soc and Research Methods point directly to the resources that fill them. Khan Academy's MCAT Psych/Soc videos directly address the missing subtopics — Social Inequality, Demographic Processes, Health Disparities (Class, Gender, Race), Cultural Capital, and the Socioeconomic Gradient in Health — and they're free. For Research Methods and Biostatistics (missing 6 of 11 subtopics including Reliability vs. Validity and Types of Bias), Jack Westin's daily CARS and science passages reinforce bias and validity concepts in passage-based context that flashcards alone miss. UPangea is worth adding for Psych/Soc practice questions that target exactly the thin spots MileDown leaves behind.
On the biology side, MileDown has high-yield zero-card gaps in Resting Membrane Potential and Ion Gradients, Sympathetic vs. Parasympathetic Nervous Systems, Bioenergetics Free Energy and Equilibrium, Mutation Types (Silent, Missense, Nonsense, Frameshift), and Prokaryotic Gene Regulation (Operons). Kaplan's review books are the most efficient way to patch these specific gaps; chapter-level reading in Biochemistry and Biology is enough to fill what MileDown misses. Students on r/Mcat and r/AnkiMCAT frequently recommend this MileDown-plus-Kaplan-plus-Khan combination as the baseline stack for a full MCAT Anki setup.
Frequently asked questions
Is MileDown enough for MCAT?
The MileDown MCAT deck covers 337 of 408 subtopics in our MCAT content outline (82.6%) and leaves 71 subtopics with zero cards — concentrated in Psych/Soc, Research Methods, and Nervous/Endocrine Systems. It covers biology and biochemistry thoroughly but is not a complete standalone resource. Pairing it with Khan Academy Psych/Soc videos and Kaplan content review closes those gaps.
How many cards are in MileDown?
The MileDown MCAT deck contains 2,888 total cards, with 2,854 mapped directly to MCAT content outline subtopics and zero out-of-scope cards. Coverage concentrates heavily in biology, biochemistry, and physics — Integrative Organ Systems alone has 944 cards across 31/31 subtopics.
What does MileDown not cover for MCAT?
MileDown has 71 subtopics with zero cards. The biggest gaps are Demographic Characteristics and Processes (0/6 subtopics), Social Inequality and Health Disparities (3/13), Research Methods and Biostatistics (5/11), and Social Structure (6/18). Specific high-yield missing topics include Health Disparities by Class/Gender/Race, Reliability vs. Validity, Types of Bias, Resting Membrane Potential, Sympathetic/Parasympathetic Nervous Systems, and Prokaryotic Gene Regulation.
What is the weakest area of the MileDown MCAT deck?
Demographic Characteristics and Processes is the weakest area in the MileDown deck, with 0 cards covering 0 of 6 subtopics — a complete gap. Social Inequality and Health Disparities follows at 23.1% coverage (3/13 subtopics), and Social Structure covers just 6 of 18 subtopics (33.3%). These three areas alone account for the majority of MileDown's 71 uncovered MCAT subtopics.