MCAT prep books
If you want to go to medical school, you need to pass the Medical College Admission Test. The Association of American Medical Colleges
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administers the MCAT, which is used to assess if would-be doctors possess the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills required to succeed in medical school.How you prepare for the MCAT depends on your learning style. Good MCAT prep books offer content that appeals to a variety of learning styles, including visual, verbal and logical. The key to MCAT prep is to select a book that presents all the content areas you’ll find on the test in a way that’s best suited to you.
As with all scientific disciplines, the medical field is constantly evolving. The AAMC revised the test in 2015 to better assess skills needed for tomorrow’s doctors. The latest MCAT exams incorporate emerging science as well as cultural changes that impact how future doctors may operate in their jobs. Soft skills related to psychology and sociology now make up a significant portion of the MCAT exam.
Studying for the MCAT exam will improve your chances of getting a good score and serve as preparation for medical school.
What’s on the MCAT?
According to the AAMC, the exam is comprised of the following categories: Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems; Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems; Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.
- Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: This section of the exam tests your knowledge of biological and biochemical living systems and your scientific reasoning. This includes basic biology, cellular and molecular biology as well as research and statistics. This section has 59 questions and takes an estimated 95 minutes to complete.
- Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: This section delves into chemistry and physics. You’ll have to demonstrate your knowledge of chemical and physical principles associated with the function of the human body. This section also has 59 questions and takes about 95 minutes to complete.
- Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior: This portion tests your knowledge of how psychology, sociology and biological factors influence behavior. This section has 59 questions and takes about 95 minutes to complete.
- Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills: In terms of show and tell, this section is the show. It includes passages and questions that test reading comprehension skills. The critical analysis and reasoning skills passages are 500-600 words about a range of disciplines in social science and humanities. The questions are designed to show how you analyze and your reasoning behind the material you read.
Although the AAMC offers a free, downloadable study guide, this guide only serves as an outline of what to study. MCAT prep books provided detailed, step-by-step review, including sample tests with detailed explanations about the answers.
How is the MCAT scored?
Although a passing score on the MCAT does not guarantee you a spot in a particular medical school, the test has been a part of the med school application process for 90 years. According to the AAMC, each section of the MCAT is scored from a low of 118 to a high of 132. The total score equals the combined scores of each section, with a total score of 472-528.
The MCAT is not scored on a curve. Instead, your results can be measured based on percentile ranks that demonstrate how you performed compared to others who took the test during the same time period.
Best MCAT prep books 2026
Top MCAT prep book
Kaplan MCAT Complete 7-Book Subject Review 2027-2028
What you need to know: The Kaplan MCAT Complete 7-Book Subject Review is a comprehensive collection of study guides.
What you’ll love: The content is organized, thorough and consistent. The books include reviews at the end of each chapter, a study plan and practice tests. You can get earlier, less expensive editions of this set.
What you should consider: Some Kaplan-specific material included, such as its Aristotelian method, is not something students need to pass the MCAT and might be a waste of time.
Top MCAT prep book for the money
Examkrackers MCAT Complete Study Package, 12th Edition
What you need to know: This MCAT study package comes with a thorough review at a lower price than other study guides with similar content.
What you’ll love: The author, Jonathan Orsay, has taken the MCAT at least three times and scored in the ninetieth percentile. The package includes seven MCAT prep books, three full-length MCATs and 44 mini-MCATs.
What you should consider: Although content on the MCAT doesn’t change that much year after year, this book is two years old and may lack access to relevant apps and online content.
Worth checking out
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Princeton Review MCAT Subject Review Complete Box Set, 5th Edition
What you need to know: The Princeton Review seven-book set is comprehensive and includes online tests, similar to the Kaplan set.
What you’ll love: The chapter summaries allow you to skim through subjects during the review. The set has full-color charts and illustrations for visual comprehension. It includes seven complete books and three online practice tests.
What you should consider: The set is called the fifth edition, but the biology and critical analysis and reasoning review books are fourth editions and the biochemistry review book is a third edition.
Sterling Test Prep MCAT General Chemistry Practice Questions
What you need to know: The Sterling Test Prep MCAT books are sold separately based on section. This may work for a student who’s taking a test a second time and needs to score higher in a particular section.
What you’ll love: Sterling Test Prep review books are akin to remedial classes that cover foundational principles and theories on each section of the MCAT.
What you should consider: Some customers said there are no explanations for answers.
Mometrix MCAT Prep Book 2026-2027 (9th edition)
What you need to know: This Mometrix MCAT is a bare-bones study guide that covers all the sections of the MCAT and includes video tutorials.
What you’ll love: The Mometrix approach to study guides is strong on rehearsal, including test-day preparation. The answer explanations facilitate recall.
What you should consider: The book lacks colorful graphics and charts you get with other MCAT prep books.
Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.
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