MCAT blueprint
Every MCAT topic, mapped
Four sections scored 118–132 each, 472–528 in total. Each topic below is a skill GoalGap measures — your gap report links straight here.
Chemical and Physical Foundations
59 questions · 95 min · 118–132
Physics~25% of section
Kinematics and forces
Practice- Vectors and scalars
- Linear and projectile motion
- Newton's laws, friction
- Circular motion, torque and equilibrium
Work, energy and momentum
Practice- Work and power
- Kinetic and potential energy
- Conservation of energy
- Momentum, impulse and collisions
Fluids
Practice- Density and pressure
- Buoyancy (Archimedes)
- Continuity and Bernoulli
- Viscosity and flow in blood vessels
Electricity and circuits
Practice- Coulomb's law and electric fields
- Potential and capacitance
- Ohm's law, series and parallel circuits
- Magnetism basics
Waves, sound and optics
Practice- Wave properties and the Doppler effect
- Sound intensity and decibels
- Reflection, refraction, lenses and mirrors
- Atomic and nuclear phenomena
General Chemistry~30% of section
Stoichiometry and solutions
Practice- Moles and balancing equations
- Limiting reagents and yield
- Concentration and dilution
- Solubility and Ksp
Gases
Practice- Ideal gas law
- Partial pressures (Dalton)
- Kinetic molecular theory
- Real-gas deviations
Thermochemistry and kinetics
Practice- Enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy
- Calorimetry
- Rate laws and reaction order
- Activation energy and catalysts
Equilibrium, acids and bases
Practice- Le Chatelier's principle
- pH, pKa and buffers
- Titration curves
- Henderson–Hasselbalch
Electrochemistry
Practice- Oxidation states and redox
- Galvanic vs electrolytic cells
- Standard reduction potentials
- Concentration cells and the Nernst idea
Organic Chemistry~15% of section
Structure, isomerism and reactivity
Practice- Functional groups and nomenclature
- Stereochemistry and chirality
- Nucleophiles, electrophiles, SN1/SN2
- Separation and spectroscopy (IR, NMR)
Biochemistry~30% of section
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills
53 questions · 90 min · 118–132
Foundations of Comprehension~30% of section
Reasoning Within the Text~30% of section
Reasoning Beyond the Text~40% of section
Biological and Biochemical Foundations
59 questions · 95 min · 118–132
Biology~65% of section
Cell structure and membrane transport
Practice- Organelles and their functions
- Membrane structure and fluid mosaic
- Passive, active and facilitated transport
- Cell cycle and mitosis
Molecular genetics and gene expression
Practice- DNA replication and repair
- Transcription and RNA processing
- Translation and the genetic code
- Gene regulation and biotechnology
Heredity and evolution
Practice- Mendelian inheritance and pedigrees
- Meiosis and recombination
- Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium
- Natural selection and speciation
Nervous and endocrine systems
Practice- Neuron structure and action potentials
- Synaptic transmission
- Central and peripheral nervous systems
- Hormones and feedback loops
Cardiovascular, respiratory and renal systems
Practice- Heart and circulation
- Gas exchange and oxygen transport
- Nephron function and filtration
- Blood pressure and fluid balance
Digestive, immune and reproductive systems
Practice- Digestion and absorption
- Innate and adaptive immunity
- Reproductive systems and development
- Skin, muscle and skeletal systems
Biochemistry~25% of section
Metabolism and bioenergetics
Practice- Glycolysis and gluconeogenesis
- Citric acid cycle
- Electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation
- Fatty acid and amino acid metabolism
Protein structure and enzyme function
Practice- Primary to quaternary structure
- Folding and denaturation
- Enzyme mechanisms and cofactors
- Allosteric regulation
General and Organic Chemistry~10% of section
Chemistry of biomolecules
Practice- Carbohydrate structure
- Lipids and membranes
- Nucleotides and nucleic acids
- Phosphorus compounds and energy carriers
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
59 questions · 95 min · 118–132
Psychology~60% of section
Sensation and perception
Practice- Sensory thresholds and signal detection
- Vision and hearing
- Other senses
- Perceptual organisation
Learning and memory
Practice- Classical and operant conditioning
- Observational learning
- Encoding, storage and retrieval
- Forgetting and memory disorders
Cognition, emotion and stress
Practice- Problem solving and decision making
- Language and intelligence
- Theories of emotion
- Stress and coping
Identity, personality and psychological disorders
Practice- Self-concept and identity formation
- Personality theories
- Major psychological disorders
- Biological bases of behaviour
Social psychology and behavior
Practice- Attribution and attitudes
- Conformity, obedience and group behaviour
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Social interaction and relationships
Sociology~30% of section
Social structure and institutions
Practice- Theoretical approaches (functionalism, conflict, symbolic interactionism)
- Social institutions: education, family, religion, medicine
- Social networks and groups
- Organisations and bureaucracy
Culture, demographics and social inequality
Practice- Culture, norms and socialisation
- Demographic structure and change
- Social class and mobility
- Health disparities
Research Methods~10% of section
Research design and statistics
Practice- Experimental vs observational designs
- Variables, controls and bias
- Validity and reliability
- Reading graphs, statistics and significance
12-week MCAT study plan
Scan → Lock → Grind → Land. Your GoalGap route reorders this around your own gaps.
Week 1
Scan
- Take the free GoalGap MCAT diagnostic or 40-question scan
- Lock a target score and test date
- Read the gap report: note your top five priority skills
Weeks 2–4
Foundations: Chem/Phys and Bio/Biochem
- Review General Chemistry and Physics topics above
- Daily: 20 targeted practice questions on your weakest skill
- Begin 2 CARS passages per day
Weeks 5–7
Biochemistry and Psych/Soc
- Metabolism, enzymes and amino acids
- Psychology and Sociology topics; build flashcards
- Research methods: interpret one figure a day
Weeks 8–9
Passage-based practice
- Mixed timed sets per section
- Review every miss by mistake type
- Retake the free scan and compare the gap report
Weeks 10–11
Full-length practice
- One full-length practice exam per week
- Two days of review after each
- Re-drill any skill still below 70%
Week 12
Land
- Light review of high-yield topics
- Final CARS timing practice
- Rest the day before the exam