How many questions are on the MCAT?
The MCAT has 230 multiple-choice questions in four sections. The three science sections, Chemical and Physical Foundations, Biological and Biochemical Foundations, and Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations, have 59 questions in 95 minutes each. Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) has 53 questions in 90 minutes. That is 6 hours and 15 minutes of testing.
Most questions come in passage sets. Each science section has 10 passages with 4 to 6 questions each, plus 15 standalone questions. CARS has 9 passages with 5 to 7 questions each and no standalone questions. Across the whole exam that makes 39 passage sets and 45 standalone questions, so reading speed matters in every section.
The AAMC says each test form uses some unscored field-test questions, which is one reason the share of each topic can shift a little from form to form. It does not say how many there are or mark which ones they are, so answer every question as if it counts. Each section is scored from 118 to 132, for a total of 472 to 528.
The pace works out to about 97 seconds per science question and about 102 seconds per CARS question. With the optional breaks, a tutorial and the end-of-day survey, you sit for about 7 hours and 30 minutes, not counting check-in. For the full test-day schedule, see how long the MCAT is.
| Section | Questions | Passage sets | Standalone | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems | 59 | 10 | 15 | 95 min |
| Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) | 53 | 9 | 0 | 90 min |
| Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems | 59 | 10 | 15 | 95 min |
| Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior | 59 | 10 | 15 | 95 min |
| Total | 230 | 39 | 45 | 6 h 15 min |
- 1Take one full-length practice exam with all 230 questions in one sitting, to feel the volume.
- 2Practice in passage sets: read the passage once, then answer its 4 to 7 questions without rereading everything.
- 3Hold a pace of about 1.6 minutes per science question and 1.7 minutes per CARS question.
- 4Do a few CARS passages most days, since reading speed builds slowly.
- 5Review every miss by section and topic, and drill the standalone questions you get wrong.
- 6Repeat a full-length exam every one to two weeks at your real start time.