Despite the Psychology and Sociology often being regarded as “CARS 2.0”, this section can easily become one of your highest scoring sections with the right information and strategies.
Both times I wrote the MCAT, I received a score of 130+ in the Psychology and Sociology (P/S) section of the MCAT, scoring in the 93rd and 97th percentiles. P/S may seem like unconventional subjects for the MCAT, but they represent fundamentally important fields for aspiring doctors. These subjects evaluate your comprehension of human nature, our experiences, and our abilities and limitations, which are important in a career where interaction and understanding of people is key for compassionate care.
Start your journey with our introductory MCAT guide—everything you need to kick off your prep and ace the test!
What is the Psychology and Sociology (P/S) Section of the MCAT?
The Psych/Soc section of the MCAT is the last section of the MCAT, accounting for 25% of your overall score. There are 59 questions, formed from a combination of passage-based and discrete questions. The section has a time limit of 95 minutes, and is scored between 118 and 132.
This section evaluates your understanding of concepts from psychology, sociology, and biology as they related to human behavior and social interactions. It will include basic psychology concepts such as learning, memory, cognition, and perception; biology concepts such as the nervous system, sensation and perception, brain structure and function, and the endocrine system; sociology concepts such as how individuals and groups behave in social contexts, social stratification, demographics, and social change. It will also test health disparities, stress and coping mechanisms, psychological disorders, substance use and abuse, social behaviour, experimental design, data analysis, and interpretation of results.
The breakdown is as follows:
- Introductory psychology, 65%
- Introductory sociology, 30%
- Introductory biology, 5%
The section will include the following topics, however this list is not exhaustive:
- Behaviour and biology
- Psychological disorders
- Consciousness
- Sensation and perception
- Language
- Cognition
- Memory and learning
- Stress and emotion
- Motivation and identity
- Social psychology
- Society and culture
- Social inequality
- Demographics
- Experimental design
Tips and Tricks to Acing the MCAT Psychology/Sociology Section
#1. Start studying early and utilize practice questions and practice tests.
From personal experience, I found P/S tended to have a greater emphasis on memorization and having mastery of all the different terminology and concepts. Regular practice will help you realize the key terms that you still are struggling to recall, so focus your review on weaker content.
#2. Use the 300 (or 86) page Khan Academy P/S document to study, and supplement with Khan Academy videos.
Both times I wrote the MCAT, I exclusively studied using only the Khan Academy P/S document. This document contains every term and concept that you need to score 130+ on the P/S section. While you may have purchased an MCAT review textbook, having a solid mastery of all the content in this document will almost always guarantee a superior score.
If there are any concepts that are difficult to understand, watch the Khan Academy P/S videos. They’re interesting, quite easy to understand, and you can watch them at 2x speed while retaining most of the info.
#3. Understand terminology and use examples.
Many questions in the P/S section require memorization of all terminology, along with a deeper level of understanding so that you can apply concepts to new situations.
Let’s take an example question.
A student is doing voluntary work in the stroke center of a hospital. When asked what he thinks the prevalence of stroke is among those over 65, the student responds that it’s probably around 40%, despite data analysis suggesting that it’s far lower. What causes this mistake?
- A. base rate fallacy
- B. confirmation bias
- C. deductive reasoning
- D. representativeness heuristic
The answer here is A, as base rate fallacy occurs when prototypical or stereotypical factors are used for analysis rather than actual data. This student likely sees more patients with stroke as a volunteer in a hospital, which has altered this student’s perception.
However, you can see that this question refers to four different terms in its answer choices: base rate fallacy, confirmation bias, deductive reasoning, and representativeness heuristic. Even if you understand what base rate fallacy means, having a good understanding what the other three terms means helps you confidently eliminate those choices. Even if you don’t know what base rate fallacy means, having an understanding of the incorrect choices helps you deduce that the remaining choice is correct.
Needless to say, memorizing terms and having a deep understanding that allows you to apply terminology/concepts to new situations will be deeply important for P/S. I recommend to either use flashcards, Anki, or writing down each new term/definition you come across that you cannot recall or explain—continue doing this until you feel comfortable with all the terms/concepts and you will have the fundamental knowledge needed to ace this section.
#4. Try to predict answers.
As P/S tends to be a bit more subjective at times compared to other sections, I find it is beneficial to attempt to try to predict what an answer will be as you are reading a question BEFORE you read answer choices. While practicing, this will help with “active recall” and demonstrate a deeper understanding of content, rather than only being able to “recognize” correct answers which shows a more superficial understanding.
When you attempt to predict and have a sense of what the correct answer may be, you will likely be able to eliminate answer choices that evidently different from your initial thought. This method is great for all practice, but your mileage may vary for the actual MCAT so decide whether this is a strategy that will be a cornerstone for your MCAT approach.
#5. Understand graphs/figures. Practice identifying the independent, dependent, and control variables.
During exams and practice tests, you usually won’t have time to fully understand all the graphs or figures, so don’t spend too long on any single one unless necessary. After finishing a passage, review and understand each graph or figure thoroughly. Practicing without time pressure helps you analyze them quickly when needed.
Beyond vocabulary and its application, AAMC test writers often focus on psychology and sociology experiments. If this is something you struggle with, my advice is to practice identifying and noting the key components of any experiment. Determine what the researchers are intentionally changing (the independent variable), what they are measuring as an outcome (the dependent variable), and what must be kept constant to ensure valid results (the controls) until it becomes second nature.
#6. Eliminate wrong answers.
There inevitably will be questions that you cannot figure out the correct answer. It may seem obvious but start by crossing out choices that you are confident are wrong. If you ultimately must guess, you have at least significantly improved your chances of guessing correctly.
#7. Know the differences between similar terms and concepts.
Having a good understanding of what separates similar topics will help you in the P/S section, as AAMC loves testing your deeper understanding of what separates two similar topics. For example, what separates a riot vs mob? Collective vs group behaviour? Primary group vs in-group? Drive vs need? Sex vs gender? Sect vs cult? Having an ability to distinguish between similar terms will be key for succeeding in the P/S section.
Need some additional guides? Check out our tips for acing the Chemistry/Physics, CARS, and Biology/Biochemistry sections.
Final Thoughts
Psychology and Sociology might seem like unusual subjects to be included in the MCAT, but they are equally, if not more, crucial than other sections for future physicians. These subjects assess your understanding of human nature, what it’s like to be human, and our tendencies and limitations. They explore human perception, emotion, memory, and cognition, as well as the complex differences arising from our interactions with the environment and other people, including social status, conflict, trauma, race, personal identity, and policies.
As a medical student, I now understand why these topics were so important and recognize their relevance. If you’re studying Psychology and Sociology and find it seemingly pointless, remember that this knowledge is not only vital for your MCAT score but also for your future role as a medical professional. I have faith, you got this!
