Table 1.

Examples of concepts and skills relevant to the physical sciences that will be emphasized on the 2015 revision of the MCAT^a

Foundational concept 4. Complex living organisms transport materials, sense their environment, process signals, and respond to changes using processes understood in terms of physical principles.
4A. Translational motion, forces, work, energy, and equilibrium in living systems
4B. Importance of fluids for the circulation of blood, gas movement, and gas exchange
4C. Electrochemistry and electrical circuits and their elements
4D. How light and sound interact with matter
4E. Atoms, nuclear decay, electronic structure, and atomic chemical behavior
Scientific inquiry and reasoning skill 2. Scientific reasoning and evidence-based problem solving
Scientific inquiry and reasoning skill 3. Reasoning about the design and execution of research
Scientific inquiry and reasoning skill 4. Data-based and statistical reasoning

^aAAMC (2012).