MCAT Test Exam Questions with Complete
Solutions (Latest 2025/2026 RATED A+).
Phase Diagram - CORRECT ANSWERS a graph showing the conditions at which a substance
exists as a solid, liquid, or vapor
a line separates the regions that correspond to the solid and liquid phases. For most substances, since
the solid phase is denser than the liquid, this line has a positive slope. This indicates that it is possible to
convert the liquid substance into solid by increasing pressure. Since the opposite is true for water,
however, the line between these regions has a negative - or downward-tilting - slope. This hallmark is
one easy way to distinguish the phase diagram of water from that of most other compounds.
social facilitation - CORRECT ANSWERS stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in
the presence of others
bystander effect - CORRECT ANSWERS the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely
to give aid if other bystanders are present
bystander effect factors - CORRECT ANSWERS individuals do not intervene to help victims
when others are present
-less likely to notice danger in crowds
-take cues from others
-degree of responsibility is decreased
-cohesiveness of group
Deindividuation - CORRECT ANSWERS when an individual seems to lose himself or herself in
the group's identity
social loafing - CORRECT ANSWERS the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort
when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable
group polarization - CORRECT ANSWERS the enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations
through discussion within the group. doesn't have to be irrational.
normative social influence - CORRECT ANSWERS behavior that is motivated by the desire to
gain social acceptance and approval
informational social influence - CORRECT ANSWERS influence resulting from one's willingness
to accept others' opinions about reality
Groupthink - CORRECT ANSWERS the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for
harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives. leads to irrational
decisions by a group.
characteristics of group think - CORRECT ANSWERS invulnerability, rationalization, lack of
introspection, stereotyping, pressure, lack of disagreement, self-deception, insularity
,Irving Janis and groupthink - CORRECT ANSWERS members of a group are so driven to reach
unanimous decisions that they no longer truly evaluate the consequences of their decisions
occurs when the groups making decision are isolated and homogeneous, there is a lack of impartial
leadership inside or outside the gorup, when there is a high level of pressure for a decision to be made
Conformity - CORRECT ANSWERS when someone's behavior, beliefs, or thinking changes to
line up with the perspective of others
compliance - CORRECT ANSWERS when the person conforms but internally dissents
Conversion - CORRECT ANSWERS genuine change in someone's beliefs
Asch Experiment - CORRECT ANSWERS experimented how people would rather conform than
state their own individual answer even though they know the group's answer is wrong, length of lines
compliance (requests) - CORRECT ANSWERS responses to requests from someone with no
power to enforce that request.
foot-in-the-door technique - CORRECT ANSWERS asking for a small commitment and, after
gaining compliance, asking for a bigger commitment
door-in-the-face technique - CORRECT ANSWERS asking for a large commitment and being
refused and then asking for a smaller commitment
low-ball technique - CORRECT ANSWERS persuasive technique in which the seller of a product
starts by quoting a low sales price and then mentions all of the add-on costs once the customer has
agreed to purchase the product
obidience - CORRECT ANSWERS changing one's behavior at the command of an authority
figure
Milgram Experiment - CORRECT ANSWERS an experiment devised in 1961 by Stanley
Milgram, a psychologist at Yale University, to see how far ordinary people would go to obey a scientific
authority figure with giving electric shocks
Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo) - CORRECT ANSWERS classic "experiment" where
individuals were assigned to be guards / prisoners. w/in days they took on their roles and went too far.
Highly unethical
social norms - CORRECT ANSWERS rules, spoken or unspoken, that regulate behavior, beliefs,
attitudes, and values of members of society
social control - CORRECT ANSWERS the way norms are taught, enforced, and perpetuated
deviance - CORRECT ANSWERS when someone doesn't follow a norm
,formal vs informal norms - CORRECT ANSWERS Formal:
-generally written down, like *laws*
-precisely defined, publicly presented and have strict penalties for violators
informal: generally understood but less precise and carry no specific punishment
Folkways - CORRECT ANSWERS insignificant informal norms that involve small details,
violating them does not cause too much of a problem, example: fashion, wearing socks with sandals
mores - CORRECT ANSWERS informal norms, which incur severe disapproval when violated.
ex: cheating on romantic partner
taboos - CORRECT ANSWERS even more restrictive norms that generate extreme disapproval.
Ex: cannabalism, incest. Driven by culture. Some are forbidden by law and some aren't.
Anomie - CORRECT ANSWERS Refers to situation where there is a poor match between
society's stated norms and the norms that an individual responds to
sanctions - CORRECT ANSWERS punishment or negative consequences for violating a social
norm. Rewards for following social norm.
adding a solute to water will ----- bp and ----- mp, - CORRECT ANSWERS increase; lower
differential association theory - CORRECT ANSWERS theory that individuals learn deviance in
proportion to number of deviant acts they are exposed to, and deviance is learned socially, draws from
symbolic interactionism
labeling approach - CORRECT ANSWERS focuses on how behavior is affected by being labeled
as a deviant.
Primary Deviance (Labeling Theory) - CORRECT ANSWERS the initial act or attitude that
causes one to be labeled deviant
secondary deviance (labeling theory) - CORRECT ANSWERS subsequent acts of rule breaking
that occur after primary deviance and as a result of your new, deviant label, the stigma attached to it
and people's expectations of you
strain theory - CORRECT ANSWERS focuses on the role of social and economic pressures
towards deviance. Says that some people would commit crime under straining conditions.
Socialization - CORRECT ANSWERS how we learn informal and formal norms by interacting
with other people and insitutions
agents of socialization - CORRECT ANSWERS family, education system, mass media, peers,
workplace
Fads - CORRECT ANSWERS a new behavior that suddenly becomes extremely popular, then
fades
, mass hysteria - CORRECT ANSWERS irrational fear of a perceived threat, verging on the point
of a collective delusion
riots - CORRECT ANSWERS characterized by large # of people who engage in dangerous
behavior, such as vandalism, violence, or other crimes. Deindividation, loss of self identity, occurs. Often
violent and targeted against an established institution or authority figure.
peer pressure - CORRECT ANSWERS influence from members of one's peer group.
Anaerobic - CORRECT ANSWERS Process that does not require oxygen
Halophiles - CORRECT ANSWERS "salt-loving" archaea that live in environments that have
very high salt concentrations
What to the numbers on the bottom of the Element on MCAT Periodic table mean? - CORRECT
ANSWERS the molar mass of the element in *grams/mol*
How many grams are in a kilogram? - CORRECT ANSWERS 1000
What is molarity? - CORRECT ANSWERS mol/L
A mole - CORRECT ANSWERS a number of items equal to Avogadro's number (6.02 × 1023)
a 1 M solution of glucose contains - CORRECT ANSWERS 6.02 × 1023 molecules of glucose in
each liter of solution.
millimolar (mM) - CORRECT ANSWERS 10^-3 M
micromolar (µM) - CORRECT ANSWERS 10^-6 M
nanomolar (nM) - CORRECT ANSWERS 10^-9 M
If a person drank a large quantity of hypersaline ocean water, the person could die because absorption
of salt into the blood will cause it to become: - CORRECT ANSWERS hypertonic compared
with the cytosol of the body's cells, causing osmosis of water out of the cells.
Does NaCl readily diffuse through the phospholipid bilayer? What does and why? - CORRECT ANSWERS
No, but water does, through osmosis which establishes isotonic solution on both side of the membrane
simple diffusion - CORRECT ANSWERS movement of a solute from an area of high
concentration to an area of low concentration
what molecules can simply diffuse across the cell membrane? - CORRECT ANSWERS small or
nonpolar, examples including gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. Water is small enough to some
extent such as when water can diffuse through the membrane but other solutes cannot
Solutions (Latest 2025/2026 RATED A+).
Phase Diagram - CORRECT ANSWERS a graph showing the conditions at which a substance
exists as a solid, liquid, or vapor
a line separates the regions that correspond to the solid and liquid phases. For most substances, since
the solid phase is denser than the liquid, this line has a positive slope. This indicates that it is possible to
convert the liquid substance into solid by increasing pressure. Since the opposite is true for water,
however, the line between these regions has a negative - or downward-tilting - slope. This hallmark is
one easy way to distinguish the phase diagram of water from that of most other compounds.
social facilitation - CORRECT ANSWERS stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in
the presence of others
bystander effect - CORRECT ANSWERS the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely
to give aid if other bystanders are present
bystander effect factors - CORRECT ANSWERS individuals do not intervene to help victims
when others are present
-less likely to notice danger in crowds
-take cues from others
-degree of responsibility is decreased
-cohesiveness of group
Deindividuation - CORRECT ANSWERS when an individual seems to lose himself or herself in
the group's identity
social loafing - CORRECT ANSWERS the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort
when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable
group polarization - CORRECT ANSWERS the enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations
through discussion within the group. doesn't have to be irrational.
normative social influence - CORRECT ANSWERS behavior that is motivated by the desire to
gain social acceptance and approval
informational social influence - CORRECT ANSWERS influence resulting from one's willingness
to accept others' opinions about reality
Groupthink - CORRECT ANSWERS the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for
harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives. leads to irrational
decisions by a group.
characteristics of group think - CORRECT ANSWERS invulnerability, rationalization, lack of
introspection, stereotyping, pressure, lack of disagreement, self-deception, insularity
,Irving Janis and groupthink - CORRECT ANSWERS members of a group are so driven to reach
unanimous decisions that they no longer truly evaluate the consequences of their decisions
occurs when the groups making decision are isolated and homogeneous, there is a lack of impartial
leadership inside or outside the gorup, when there is a high level of pressure for a decision to be made
Conformity - CORRECT ANSWERS when someone's behavior, beliefs, or thinking changes to
line up with the perspective of others
compliance - CORRECT ANSWERS when the person conforms but internally dissents
Conversion - CORRECT ANSWERS genuine change in someone's beliefs
Asch Experiment - CORRECT ANSWERS experimented how people would rather conform than
state their own individual answer even though they know the group's answer is wrong, length of lines
compliance (requests) - CORRECT ANSWERS responses to requests from someone with no
power to enforce that request.
foot-in-the-door technique - CORRECT ANSWERS asking for a small commitment and, after
gaining compliance, asking for a bigger commitment
door-in-the-face technique - CORRECT ANSWERS asking for a large commitment and being
refused and then asking for a smaller commitment
low-ball technique - CORRECT ANSWERS persuasive technique in which the seller of a product
starts by quoting a low sales price and then mentions all of the add-on costs once the customer has
agreed to purchase the product
obidience - CORRECT ANSWERS changing one's behavior at the command of an authority
figure
Milgram Experiment - CORRECT ANSWERS an experiment devised in 1961 by Stanley
Milgram, a psychologist at Yale University, to see how far ordinary people would go to obey a scientific
authority figure with giving electric shocks
Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo) - CORRECT ANSWERS classic "experiment" where
individuals were assigned to be guards / prisoners. w/in days they took on their roles and went too far.
Highly unethical
social norms - CORRECT ANSWERS rules, spoken or unspoken, that regulate behavior, beliefs,
attitudes, and values of members of society
social control - CORRECT ANSWERS the way norms are taught, enforced, and perpetuated
deviance - CORRECT ANSWERS when someone doesn't follow a norm
,formal vs informal norms - CORRECT ANSWERS Formal:
-generally written down, like *laws*
-precisely defined, publicly presented and have strict penalties for violators
informal: generally understood but less precise and carry no specific punishment
Folkways - CORRECT ANSWERS insignificant informal norms that involve small details,
violating them does not cause too much of a problem, example: fashion, wearing socks with sandals
mores - CORRECT ANSWERS informal norms, which incur severe disapproval when violated.
ex: cheating on romantic partner
taboos - CORRECT ANSWERS even more restrictive norms that generate extreme disapproval.
Ex: cannabalism, incest. Driven by culture. Some are forbidden by law and some aren't.
Anomie - CORRECT ANSWERS Refers to situation where there is a poor match between
society's stated norms and the norms that an individual responds to
sanctions - CORRECT ANSWERS punishment or negative consequences for violating a social
norm. Rewards for following social norm.
adding a solute to water will ----- bp and ----- mp, - CORRECT ANSWERS increase; lower
differential association theory - CORRECT ANSWERS theory that individuals learn deviance in
proportion to number of deviant acts they are exposed to, and deviance is learned socially, draws from
symbolic interactionism
labeling approach - CORRECT ANSWERS focuses on how behavior is affected by being labeled
as a deviant.
Primary Deviance (Labeling Theory) - CORRECT ANSWERS the initial act or attitude that
causes one to be labeled deviant
secondary deviance (labeling theory) - CORRECT ANSWERS subsequent acts of rule breaking
that occur after primary deviance and as a result of your new, deviant label, the stigma attached to it
and people's expectations of you
strain theory - CORRECT ANSWERS focuses on the role of social and economic pressures
towards deviance. Says that some people would commit crime under straining conditions.
Socialization - CORRECT ANSWERS how we learn informal and formal norms by interacting
with other people and insitutions
agents of socialization - CORRECT ANSWERS family, education system, mass media, peers,
workplace
Fads - CORRECT ANSWERS a new behavior that suddenly becomes extremely popular, then
fades
, mass hysteria - CORRECT ANSWERS irrational fear of a perceived threat, verging on the point
of a collective delusion
riots - CORRECT ANSWERS characterized by large # of people who engage in dangerous
behavior, such as vandalism, violence, or other crimes. Deindividation, loss of self identity, occurs. Often
violent and targeted against an established institution or authority figure.
peer pressure - CORRECT ANSWERS influence from members of one's peer group.
Anaerobic - CORRECT ANSWERS Process that does not require oxygen
Halophiles - CORRECT ANSWERS "salt-loving" archaea that live in environments that have
very high salt concentrations
What to the numbers on the bottom of the Element on MCAT Periodic table mean? - CORRECT
ANSWERS the molar mass of the element in *grams/mol*
How many grams are in a kilogram? - CORRECT ANSWERS 1000
What is molarity? - CORRECT ANSWERS mol/L
A mole - CORRECT ANSWERS a number of items equal to Avogadro's number (6.02 × 1023)
a 1 M solution of glucose contains - CORRECT ANSWERS 6.02 × 1023 molecules of glucose in
each liter of solution.
millimolar (mM) - CORRECT ANSWERS 10^-3 M
micromolar (µM) - CORRECT ANSWERS 10^-6 M
nanomolar (nM) - CORRECT ANSWERS 10^-9 M
If a person drank a large quantity of hypersaline ocean water, the person could die because absorption
of salt into the blood will cause it to become: - CORRECT ANSWERS hypertonic compared
with the cytosol of the body's cells, causing osmosis of water out of the cells.
Does NaCl readily diffuse through the phospholipid bilayer? What does and why? - CORRECT ANSWERS
No, but water does, through osmosis which establishes isotonic solution on both side of the membrane
simple diffusion - CORRECT ANSWERS movement of a solute from an area of high
concentration to an area of low concentration
what molecules can simply diffuse across the cell membrane? - CORRECT ANSWERS small or
nonpolar, examples including gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. Water is small enough to some
extent such as when water can diffuse through the membrane but other solutes cannot
