MCAT PRACTICE EXAM
QUESTIONS 2025 VERIFIED BY
EXPERTS
Thin layer chromatography can use silica plates which are very polar. Will polar or non
polar substances have lower Rf values on this plate? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>Polar
substances - they will have a higher affinity for the silica and thus will not travel as far as
the non polar substances
A titration of a strong acid with a strong base or vice versa has an equivalence point
around what pH? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>7
What type of bond is usually disrupted during denaturation of proteins? - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>H bond
Is uracil a purine or pyrimidine? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>Pyrimidine (A is a purine, so
must be paired with a pyrimidine, also U replaces T, and T is a pyrimidine)
Are peptide bonds highly reactive? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>NO, they are very stable
(T/F): Bomb calorimetery is a good way to determine bond enthalpies within a
compound. - CORRECT ANSWER>>>FALSE - would need a ton of info
What is the approximate pKa of COOH, NH3+? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>2; 9
What would happen if dideoxynucleotides were omitted from a replication mixture? -
CORRECT ANSWER>>>DNA polymerase would replicate the entire copy of DNA and
produce copies of all the same length - gel electrophoresis would reveal one large band
Total pressure = __ + __ - CORRECT ANSWER>>>Atmospheric pressure + gauge
pressure
Conditions of extreme starvation result in a high level of __. - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>Cortisol
As non-polar protein groups cluster in water, water has a (increase/decrease) in
entropy. - CORRECT ANSWER>>>Increase - more water molecules are free now that
they don't have to solvate each individual molecule of protein
On the lac operon, the repressor binds to the __. - CORRECT ANSWER>>>Operator -
to prevent RNA polymerase from binding
What charge do basic amino acids have at pH 7.4? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>+
, What makes group I and II introns different from non-grouped introns? - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>They are SELF-SPLICING i.e. they do not have splicing proteins to help
them
When an action potential induces a muscle contraction, Ca2+ is released into the __. -
CORRECT ANSWER>>>Cytosol (not the sarcoplasmic reticulum)
Are the particles released by gamma decay charged? What does this mean for their
movement in electric fields and magnetic fields? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>No - gamma
decay releases photons which are uncharged; uncharged molecules do not move in
electric fields or magnetic fields
How do beta particles behave in electric and magnetic fields? - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>Beta decay releases electrons - negatively charged particles are deflected
by electric and magnetic fields
Does blood flow faster through capillaries or arteries? Why? - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>Blood flows faster through arteries - capillaries have a greater NET cross-
sectional area
Which has higher BP: systemic or pulmonary circulation? Explain why. - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>Systemic has a higher BP - pulmonary circulation is shorter than systemic,
which means it has less resistance (formula), and the right ventricle generates less
force (to pulmonary circulation) than the left ventricle does (to systemic circulation).
Since P = F/A and pulmonary has lower force and area, pressure in pulmonary must be
lower than systemic.
Which has a higher blood flow rate (BFR): pulmonary or systemic circulation? -
CORRECT ANSWER>>>They are equal because they are connected in series
How does inhalation facilitate venous flow into the right atrium? - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>Because during inhalation, thoracic pressure decreases (diaphragm
pushes down and expands thoracic cavity), which causes blood to flow from high to low
pressure (from veins into right atrium) - this is negative pressure breathing
Which way do positive charges migrate towards in an electric field: towards the anode
or cathode? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>Cathode
What are anomers? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>Diastereomers of cyclic sugars (the
SAME sugar, i.e. dif forms of (ex) glucose) - differ configurations at the anomeric carbon
(alpha (down) or beta (up) position of the OH group)
Switching from one anomer to another is called (rotamutation/mutarotation). -
CORRECT ANSWER>>>Mutarotation (rotamutation does not exist)
QUESTIONS 2025 VERIFIED BY
EXPERTS
Thin layer chromatography can use silica plates which are very polar. Will polar or non
polar substances have lower Rf values on this plate? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>Polar
substances - they will have a higher affinity for the silica and thus will not travel as far as
the non polar substances
A titration of a strong acid with a strong base or vice versa has an equivalence point
around what pH? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>7
What type of bond is usually disrupted during denaturation of proteins? - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>H bond
Is uracil a purine or pyrimidine? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>Pyrimidine (A is a purine, so
must be paired with a pyrimidine, also U replaces T, and T is a pyrimidine)
Are peptide bonds highly reactive? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>NO, they are very stable
(T/F): Bomb calorimetery is a good way to determine bond enthalpies within a
compound. - CORRECT ANSWER>>>FALSE - would need a ton of info
What is the approximate pKa of COOH, NH3+? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>2; 9
What would happen if dideoxynucleotides were omitted from a replication mixture? -
CORRECT ANSWER>>>DNA polymerase would replicate the entire copy of DNA and
produce copies of all the same length - gel electrophoresis would reveal one large band
Total pressure = __ + __ - CORRECT ANSWER>>>Atmospheric pressure + gauge
pressure
Conditions of extreme starvation result in a high level of __. - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>Cortisol
As non-polar protein groups cluster in water, water has a (increase/decrease) in
entropy. - CORRECT ANSWER>>>Increase - more water molecules are free now that
they don't have to solvate each individual molecule of protein
On the lac operon, the repressor binds to the __. - CORRECT ANSWER>>>Operator -
to prevent RNA polymerase from binding
What charge do basic amino acids have at pH 7.4? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>+
, What makes group I and II introns different from non-grouped introns? - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>They are SELF-SPLICING i.e. they do not have splicing proteins to help
them
When an action potential induces a muscle contraction, Ca2+ is released into the __. -
CORRECT ANSWER>>>Cytosol (not the sarcoplasmic reticulum)
Are the particles released by gamma decay charged? What does this mean for their
movement in electric fields and magnetic fields? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>No - gamma
decay releases photons which are uncharged; uncharged molecules do not move in
electric fields or magnetic fields
How do beta particles behave in electric and magnetic fields? - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>Beta decay releases electrons - negatively charged particles are deflected
by electric and magnetic fields
Does blood flow faster through capillaries or arteries? Why? - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>Blood flows faster through arteries - capillaries have a greater NET cross-
sectional area
Which has higher BP: systemic or pulmonary circulation? Explain why. - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>Systemic has a higher BP - pulmonary circulation is shorter than systemic,
which means it has less resistance (formula), and the right ventricle generates less
force (to pulmonary circulation) than the left ventricle does (to systemic circulation).
Since P = F/A and pulmonary has lower force and area, pressure in pulmonary must be
lower than systemic.
Which has a higher blood flow rate (BFR): pulmonary or systemic circulation? -
CORRECT ANSWER>>>They are equal because they are connected in series
How does inhalation facilitate venous flow into the right atrium? - CORRECT
ANSWER>>>Because during inhalation, thoracic pressure decreases (diaphragm
pushes down and expands thoracic cavity), which causes blood to flow from high to low
pressure (from veins into right atrium) - this is negative pressure breathing
Which way do positive charges migrate towards in an electric field: towards the anode
or cathode? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>Cathode
What are anomers? - CORRECT ANSWER>>>Diastereomers of cyclic sugars (the
SAME sugar, i.e. dif forms of (ex) glucose) - differ configurations at the anomeric carbon
(alpha (down) or beta (up) position of the OH group)
Switching from one anomer to another is called (rotamutation/mutarotation). -
CORRECT ANSWER>>>Mutarotation (rotamutation does not exist)
