MCAT High Yield

TCA PRODUCT Pneumonic

3 Nattys Got a Faddys and 2 Cats

3 NADH 1 GTP 1 FADH2 2 CO2

TCA ENZYMES mneumonic

Can I Keep Selling S*x For Money Officer

Citrate

Isocitrate

Ketogluturate

Succinyl CoA

Succinate

Fumerate

Malate

Oxaloacetate

SPERM PATHWAY mneumonic

SEVEn UP

Seminiferous tubules - Sperm production

Epididymis- sperm maturation

Vas Deferens - sperm transport

Ejactulatory Duct

Urethra

Pen*s

NEPHRON PATHWAY mneumonic

Bad People Do Act Depressed and Cold

bowmans capsule

proximal convoluted tubule

descending loop of henle

ascending loop of henle

distal convoluted tubule

collecting duct

WHITE BLOOD CELLS Mneumonic (from most abundant to least)

Nobody Likes My Ex Bro

Neutrophils

Lymphocytes

Monocytes

Eosinophils

Basophils

HIGH YIELD C/P EQUATIONS - Ohm’s Law

V=IR

voltage equals current times resistance

HIGH YIELD C/P EQUATIONS - Electrical Power

P=W/T

power equals work over time

HIGH YIELD C/P EQUATIONS - Standard units of energy

1Joule = N*m = kg*m²/s²

HIGH YIELD C/P EQUATIONS - Standard units of power

1W = J/s = kg*m²/s³

HIGH YIELD C/P EQUATIONS - Standard unit of force

1N = kg*m/s²

HIGH YIELD C/P EQUATIONS - Standard unit of frequency

1Hz = 1/sec = s^-1

HIGH YIELD C/P EQUATIONS - Standard unit of speed

m/s

HIGH YIELD C/P EQUATIONS - Standard unit of acceleration

m/s²

HIGH YIELD C/P EQUATIONS - Standard unit of charge

1C = 1A*s

1 coulomb equals 1 amp times 1 second

HIGH YIELD C/P EQUATIONS - Standard unit of volts

1V = kg*m²/s³A

HIGH YIELD C/P EQUATIONS - Standard units for Amps

1A = c/s

HIGH YIELD C/P EQUATIONS - Standard unit for pascals

1Pa = N/m

Freuds stages of development

oral - 1

an*l - 3

phallic - 5

latent - puberty

general - adult

Ericksons stages of development

• Trust vs. Mistrust (Infancy): Building basic safety and trust in caregivers.

• Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt (Early childhood): Gaining independence and self-control.

• Initiative vs. Guilt (Preschool): Learning to lead, plan, and carry out tasks.

• Industry vs. Inferiority (School age): Developing competence in social and academic skills.

• Identity vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence): Exploring personal values and a sense of self.

• Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young adulthood): Forming deep, committed relationships.

• Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle age): Contributing to society and guiding the next generation.

• Integrity vs. Despair (Late life): Reflecting back on life with acceptance or regret. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Relationship: Capacitors versus Resistors

capacitors work the exact opposite way of resistors

Capacitors in parallel

C_eq = C₁ + C₂ + C₃ …

Capacitors in series

1/C_eq = 1/C₁ + 1/C₂ + 1/C₃ …

Resistors in series

R_eq = R₁ + R₂ + R₃ …

Resistors in parallel

1/R_eq = 1/R₁ + 1/R₂ + 1/R₃ …

Bernoulli's equation

P + 1/2rhov² + rhogh s conservation of energy enforcing a fast = low pressure rule

continuity equation

(A₁v₁ = A₂v₂) is conservation of mass enforcing a narrow = fast rule

Relationship of bernoulli’s equation and continuity

Together, a narrowing pipe speeds up fluid and drops its static pressure

Acid Base chemistry - Acid strength

Acid Strength Ka/pKa: Ka= [H+][A-]/[HA]. A larger Ka (or smaller pKa=-logKa) means a stronger acid that gives up protons more easily.

Conjugate Pairs

Strong acids have weak, inert conjugate bases (Cl⁻ from HCl). Weak acids have conjugate bases that actively hydrolyze water.

Water Dissociation

Kw= [H+][OH-] = 10^-14

Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation

pH = pKa + log (conjugated base/weak acid)

Titration curves - Initial pH

Determined by the starting analyte alone -log[H+] for strong acids

Titration curves - Half-Equivalence Point

: Exactly half the moles of titrant needed for neutralization have been added. Here, [HA]=[A-] , the flat buffer region is centered, and pH=pKa

Titration curves - Equivalence Point (Inflection Point)

Chemically equivalent moles of acid and base have reacted (M₁V₁ = M₂V₂).

• Strong Acid + Strong Base: pH = 7 (neutral salt formed).

• Weak Acid + Strong Base: pH > 7 (conjugate base makes solution basic).

• Weak Base + Strong Acid

Gibbs Free Energy Formula and Spontaneity

Delta G = Delta H - Delta S

less than 0 = spontaneous, exergonic

more than 0 = non-spontaneous, endergonic

at 0 = equilibrium

Thermodynamics - Temperature Dependence based on Signs

-Delta H, +Delta S: Spontaneous at all temperatures.

+Delta H, -Delta S: Non-spontaneous at all temperatures.

+Delta H, +Delta S: Spontaneous only at high temperatures.

-Delta H, -Delta S: Spontaneous only at low temperature

Standard Free Energy & Equilibrium Constant

Delta G = -RTlnK_eq

Products/Reactants favorability based on K_eq

Keq > 1 implies Delta G< 0 (products favored at equilibrium).

Keq < 1 implies Delta G > 0 (reactants favored at equilibrium).

Keq = 1 implies Delta G = 0 (at equilibrium)

Non-Standard Free Energy

Delta G = Delta G + RTlnQ (where Q is the reaction quotient)

Rate Law

Rate = k[A]^x[B]^y

Arrhenius Equation

k = Ae^-E_a/RT

• ↑ Temperature → ↑ k → ↑ reaction rate

• ↑ Activation energy → ↓ k → ↓ reaction rate

• ↓ Activation energy → ↑ k

classical vs operant conditioning

Classical conditioning pairs an involuntary automatic response with a preceding neutral stimulus. Operant conditioning associates a voluntary behavior with a succeeding reward or punishment.

Erikson vs Piaget vs Kohlbergs stage theories

Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget, and Lawrence Kohlberg created stage theories tracking human growth. Piaget focused on thinking skills, Erikson on social identity and life crises, and Kohlberg on moral reasoning.

While Piaget and Kohlberg stop in adolescence/adulthood, Erikson spans the entire lifespan.

Piagets stage theories

Jean Piaget's theory outlines how children build knowledge and mental skills:

• Sensorimotor (Birth to 2 years): Infants learn through basic senses and physical movement; they master object permanence.

• Preoperational (2 to 6 years): Children use language and symbols, but think illogically and struggle to see other viewpoints.

• Concrete Operational (7 to 11 years): Kids think logically about real, physical events, but struggle with abstract ideas.

• Formal Operational (12 years and older): Teens and adults master abstract reasoning, logic, and systematic planning

Kohlbergs stage theories

Lawrence Kohlberg expanded on Piaget's cognitive model to explain how people judge right from wrong across three main levels:

• Preconventional Level (Early childhood): Behavior is driven by avoiding punishment or securing direct rewards.

• Conventional Level (School age to adolescence): Rules are upheld to gain social approval, keep order, and obey authority.

• Postconventional Level (Adolescence and beyond): Actions are guided by individual conscience, human rights, and abstract ethical principles

The Five Stages of the Demographic Model

• Stage 1 (High Fluctuating): Birth rates and death rates are both high. The total population stays low and does not change much. No modern countries are in this stage. [

• Stage 2 (Early Expanding): Death rates drop fast because of better food and health care. Birth rates stay high. The population grows very fast.

• Stage 3 (Late Expanding): Birth rates start to go down because of family planning and city living. Death rates stay low. The population still grows, but more slowly.

• Stage 4 (Low Fluctuating): Birth rates and death rates are both low. The total population is high and stays stable.

• Stage 5 (Decline): Birth rates drop lower than death rates. The total population starts to shrink

social stratifications and institutions

Social stratification is how society groups people into a hierarchy based on wealth, power, and prestige. (Class system, Caste system, and Slavery)

Social institutions like schools, laws, and the economy maintain these unequal ranks by controlling access to resources and shaping opportunities from generation to generation. (Economic systems, educational systems, and political and legla systems)

Experimental studies

In these designs, the researcher controls the treatment or intervention to see its effect.

• Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT): Randomly assigns people to a treatment group or a control group. It is the gold standard for safety and testing.

• Crossover Study: Gives the same patients different treatments one after another in a random order.

• Quasi-Experimental: Tests an intervention without random assignment.

Observational studies

In these designs, the researcher watches subjects without changing anything.

• Cohort Study: Follows a group over time to see who develops an outcome based on exposures.

• Case-Control Study: Compares people with a specific condition (cases) to those without it (controls) to look at past exposures.

• Cross-Sectional Study: Looks at a population at one single point in time.

• Case Report / Case Series: Describes medical details or outcomes for one patient or a small group

Review studies

These summarize existing research rather than collecting new primary data.

• Systematic Review: Gathers and appraises all available literature on a clear topic.

• Meta-Analysis: Uses statistics to combine results from multiple independent studies

Attribution & Social Biases

• Fundamental Attribution Error:

• Actor-Observer Bias:

• Self-Serving Bias:

• In-Group / Out-Group Bias:

• Just-World Fallacy:

• Fundamental Attribution Error: Overemphasizing internal (dispositional) traits rather than external (situational) factors when explaining other people's behavior.

• Actor-Observer Bias: Attributing your own bad actions to situational contexts, but other people's identical actions to their personality.

• Self-Serving Bias: Attributing success to internal factors (talent, hard work) and failure to external factors (bad luck, unfair test).

• In-Group / Out-Group Bias: Favoring members of your own group (in-group) while stereotyping or mistreating out-group members.

• Just-World Fallacy: Believing that the world is inherently fair and people "get what they deserve" (often leads to victim-blaming).

Decision-Making & Cognitive Biases

• Confirmation Bias:

• Hindsight Bias:

• Overconfidence Bias:

• Availability Heuristic / Bias:

• Representativeness Heuristic / Bias:

• Base Rate Fallacy:

• Confirmation Bias: Searching for, interpreting, or recalling only the information that confirms your preexisting beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence.

• Hindsight Bias: Believing, after an event has occurred, that you predicted or "knew it all along".

• Overconfidence Bias: Overestimating the accuracy or certainty of your own knowledge, judgments, or skills.

• Availability Heuristic / Bias: Judging the likelihood of an event based on how easily vivid or recent examples come to mind.

• Representativeness Heuristic / Bias: Categorizing things based on how closely they match your mental prototype or stereotype, often causing you to ignore actual mathematical probabilities.

• Base Rate Fallacy: Ignoring statistical baseline (prevalence) data when making a judgment about a specific case or individual

Research & Study Design Biases

• Selection Bias:

• Recall Bias:

• Observer / Experimenter Bias:

• Social Desirability Bias:

• Attrition / Drop-out Bias:

• Selection Bias: Using a study sample that is not truly representative of the target population, destroying external validity.

• Recall Bias: Errors in data collection caused by participants failing to remember past events or exposures accurately, common in retrospective surveys.

• Observer / Experimenter Bias: Unintentional skewing of data collection or interpretation by researchers who expect a certain study outcome.

• Social Desirability Bias: Participants answering survey questions in a socially acceptable way rather than telling the truth.

• Attrition / Drop-out Bias: Systematic differences in participants leaving a longitudinal study, skewing final group comparisons.

Sodium-Potassium pump shortcut mnemonic

321 NOKIA

3 Na+ out

2 K+ in

1 ATP used

Purines vs Pyrimidines mnemonic

Pure As Gold

Purines → Adenine Guanine

Cut the Pie

Cytosine Uracil Thymine → Pyrimidines

molecular biology blotting techniques mnemonic

SNOWDROP

Southern DNA

Northern RNA

O O O O O O

Western Protein

Nuerons Classification mnemonic

SAME DAVE

Sensory Afferent Motor Efferent

Dorsal Afferent Ventral Efferent

Afferent/Efferent

Afferent = Arrive

Efferent = Exit

hormones released by the anterior pituitary gland mnemonic

• F: Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH)

• L: Luteinizing Hormone (LH)

• A: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH)

• T: Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH)

• P: Prolactin

• E: Endorphins

• G: Growth Hormone (GH)

Myopia and Hyperopia mnemonic

Need Medical Doctors

• nearsightedness

• myopia

• diverging/concave

For Healthy Children

• Farsightedness

• Hyperopia

• Converging/Convex