MCAT + Physics?

[tanthalas]

Just wondering,

 

To what level of university does the MCAT test your physics knowledge per say? I will only have a first year physics under my belt when I attack the behemoth aka MCAT.

 

Thanks.

[Poolboy]

First year physics is fine - that's all you need (thankfully!)

[webshy]

Just wondering,

 

To what level of university does the MCAT test your physics knowledge per say? I will only have a first year physics under my belt when I attack the behemoth aka MCAT.

 

Thanks.

 

I only had one year of high school physics, which I completed about 15 years before I wrote the MCAT. With the help of the Examkrackers review book, I got a 12 in the PS section. Thus, I don't think you need a very high level of physics to do well on the exam.

 

Best wishes to you!

Elaine

[tanthalas]

The physics course I intend to take at my school covers these topics:

 

mechanics, fluid mechanics, waves and heat.

 

This physics course is like a 'science course for arts students.' But it does cover the topics from half of first year physics.

 

The second half of first year physics topics include: electricity and magnetism, optics, and selected topics from nuclear physics and modern physics.

 

Does the MCAT cover those second half first year physics topics extensively?

[Guest begaster]

Yes.

 

You're going to need to know:

 

Dynamics, kinematics, optics, electromagnetism, waves (sound, mechanical), and fluid mechanics. I may be missing something. Regardless, a passage regarding EM, Optics, and Kinematics/Dynamics will undoubtedly show up on your MCAT.

[Madz25]

just to add - sorry if it has already been said, i only skimmed the above posts - physics on the MCAT is high school level. university physics is usually calculus based and there is no calculus on the MCAT. that being said, doing a university course will be helpful because it'll give you the opportunity to be taught the material as opposed to strugging through it yourself (assuming physics isnt your strongest subject).