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Schedule for Grinnell reviews and practice tests | Commercial Review Programs

National MCAT Examinations
Visit the MCAT website for a complete list of dates, deadlines, registration information, and scheduling FAQ.

Grinnell College MCAT Review

The exam:
Verbal Reasoning:
The Verbal Reasoning section of the MCAT is designed to assess your ability to understand, evaluate, and apply information and arguments presented in prose texts. The test consists of several passages, each 500 to 600 words long, taken from the humanities and social sciences and from areas of the natural sciences not tested on the MCAT Physical and Biological Sciences sections. Each passage is accompanied by 6 to 10 questions based on the information presented in the passage. Test questions do not cover a specific set of topics; all the information needed to answer each question is provided in the accompanying passage.

Physical and Biological Sciences:
The MCAT Physical Sciences section is designed to assess reasoning in general chemistry and physics. The MCAT Biological Sciences section is designed to assess reasoning in biology and organic chemistry. Each section contains 10 to 11 problem sets, each about 250 words in length, that describe a situation or problem. Each problem set is followed by 4 to 8 questions. An additional 15 questions are independent of any passage and each other.

Neither the passage-related questions nor the independent questions test the ability to memorize scientific facts. Rather, both types of questions assess knowledge of basic physical and biological science concepts and your facility at problem solving in general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and biology.

Writing Sample:
The MCAT Writing Sample consists of two 30-minute essays. The Writing Sample is designed to assess skill in the following areas:

-developing a central idea;
-synthesizing concepts and ideas;
-presenting ideas cohesively and logically; and
-writing clearly, following accepted practices of grammar, syntax, and punctuation consistent with timed, first-draft composition.

Each Writing Sample item provides a specific topic that requires an expository response. Topics do not pertain to the content of biology, chemistry, or physics; to the medical school application process or reasons for the choice of medicine as a career; to social and cultural issues not in the the general experience of college students; or to religious or other emotionally charged issues. Topics do not assess subject matter knowledge.



Grinnell College Review of MCAT - Practice Tests:
Dates are Sat., January 24, and Sat., April 12, 2008, in Science 2401 & 2402.
Meetings occur each Thursday from 12:00 PM until 1:00 PM unless otherwise noted; in classroom Science #2021.

Jan 24, 2008IntroductionProfessor Vida Praitis, Co-Chair
Jan 26, 2008FIRST PRACTICE EXAMINATION 9:00 AM
Jan 31, 2008 Verbal ReasoningJoan Mohan
Feb 7, 2008PhysicsProfessor Mark Schneider
Feb 14, 2008Organic ChemistryProfessor Jim Lindberg
Feb 21, 2008General ChemistryProfessor Martin Minnelli
Feb 28, 2008GeneticsProfessor Vida Praitis
Mar 6, 2008Anatomy & PhysiologyProfessor Clark Lindgren
Mar 13, 2008Cell & Div. BiologyProfessor Charles Sullivan, Co-Chair
Spring Break
Apr 3, 2008Writing SessionJudy Hunter
Apr 10, 2008Essay WritingMaria Tapias
Apr 12, 2008SECOND PRACTICE EXAMINATION 9:00 AMRoom #2401 & 2402


Commercial Review Programs

Required reading for students planning to take the MCAT examinations:
[student manual] [MCAT essentials]

Commercial MCAT Review Programs [Berkeley] [Columbia] [Kaplan Education Centers]

MCAT registration, information and deadlines
AMCAS application, information and deadlines

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