MCAT Chemistry and Physics
The Chem/Phys section tests your ability to apply chemistry and physics concepts to biological systems. It's 59 questions, passage-heavy, and accounts for roughly 25% of your MCAT score. The passages look like biology — a kidney filtration experiment, a drug absorption curve — but the questions underneath are thermodynamics, acid-base, circuits, or optics.
Translational Motion, Forces, Work, and Energy
Kinematics, Newton's laws, work, and energy conservation — physics passages on the CARS and science sections both assume fluency here.
Fluids in Circulation and Gas Exchange
Bernoulli's equation, Poiseuille's law, and gas exchange — directly maps onto cardiovascular and respiratory physiology questions.
Electrochemistry and Electrical Circuits
Redox reactions, electrochemical cells, and circuit rules — connects chemistry and physics in ways the MCAT exploits with paired passages.
Light, Sound, and Sensory Optics
Wave behavior, geometric optics, and the physics of hearing and vision — sensory system questions often require these physics foundations.
Atomic Structure and Nuclear Phenomena
Electron orbitals, radioactive decay, and half-life calculations — lower yield but decay problems appear more predictably than students expect.
Water and Solutions
pH, buffers, solubility, and colligative properties — six high-yield topics that appear across biology, chemistry, and physiology passages.
Nature of Molecules and Intermolecular Interactions
Bond polarity, IMFs, and how molecular structure determines physical properties — foundational for understanding why reactions and separations work.
Separation and Purification Methods
Chromatography, electrophoresis, and centrifugation — lab technique passages rely on knowing what each method actually separates and why.
Biologically Relevant Molecules and Organic Reactivity
Functional group reactivity, stereochemistry, and carbohydrate and lipid chemistry — organic chemistry on the MCAT is almost entirely biological context.
Thermodynamics and Kinetics
Gibbs free energy, equilibrium, reaction rates, and catalysis — eight high-yield topics that underpin both chemistry and biochemistry reasoning.
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