Membranes
Phospholipid bilayer and fluid mosaic model, membrane proteins, fluidity, passive and active transport, cell signaling, and endocytosis.
Free MCAT resources Cheat sheets
Free MCAT Cheat Sheets
Content review gets heavy fast, so we put each topic on a few printable pages you can keep beside you while you study.
68 review sheets across biochem, biology, gen chem, orgo, physics and psych/soc, made by our mentors (90+ percentile MCAT scorers and current med students).
One free account opens all 68 sheets :)
- 68 sheets
- 3 to 6 pages each
- 6 subjects
- Paired with our free study notes
MCAT Biochemistry Cheat Sheets 9 sheets
Amino Acids
Amino acids grouped as nonpolar, polar, acidic, basic and aromatic, with side-chain features and one-letter and three-letter codes.
Protein
Four levels of protein structure, folding stability, binding and immune proteins, motor proteins, receptors, and ion channels.
Enzyme Inhibitions and Kinetics
Michaelis-Menten equation, Vmax and Km, Lineweaver-Burk plots, competitive, noncompetitive, uncompetitive and mixed inhibition, kcat, and allosteric regulation.
Structures, Properties, and Metabolism of Nucleic Acids
DNA versus RNA, base pairing, melting temperature, replication, transcription, translation, mutations, DNA repair, and nucleotide metabolism.
Structures, Properties and Metabolism of Carbs, Fats, and Proteins
Carbohydrate, fat and protein structures, glycolysis, glycogen metabolism, beta-oxidation, ketogenesis, the urea cycle, and how these pathways connect.
Aerobic and Anaerobic Respiration
Glycolysis, pyruvate oxidation, the TCA cycle, the electron transport chain, ATP yield, and lactic acid and alcoholic fermentation.
Lab Techniques
Reducing and non-reducing SDS-PAGE, PCR, Southern, Northern and Western blots, cation and anion exchange, and ligand affinity chromatography.
Gluconeogenesis, Beta-Oxidation, and the Pentose Phosphate Pathway
Gluconeogenesis, beta-oxidation of fatty acids, and the pentose phosphate pathway, with their enzymes, regulation, and a side-by-side comparison.
MCAT Biology Cheat Sheets 12 sheets
Nervous System
CNS and PNS divisions, brain regions, sympathetic versus parasympathetic effects, neurons, action potentials, synapses, and the reflex arc.
Cell Membrane
Phospholipid bilayer, integral and peripheral proteins, cholesterol, membrane carbohydrates, fluid mosaic model, transport types, receptors, and selective permeability.
Mitosis and Meiosis
Mitosis versus meiosis, phases of each division, crossing over, independent assortment, ploidy changes, and genetic variation.
DNA Biotechnology
Recombinant DNA, plasmids, restriction enzymes, cloning, expression vectors, PCR, CRISPR-Cas9, Sanger and next-generation sequencing, and blotting techniques.
Enzymes
Active site, substrate specificity, induced fit, inhibition types, temperature and pH effects, cofactors, coenzymes, Km, and Vmax.
Cytoskeleton Components
Microfilaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules, with actin, myosin, keratin, vimentin, desmin, lamin, tubulin, kinesin, and dynein.
Regulation of Metabolism
Hormonal effects of insulin, glucagon, epinephrine, cortisol and growth hormone, fed versus fasting states, enzyme regulation, and AMPK.
Anatomy & Life Cycles of Bacteria and Viruses
Gram-positive and gram-negative walls, bacterial anatomy, growth phases, virus types, viral life cycle, and lytic versus lysogenic cycles.
Organ Systems
Reproductive, respiratory, digestive, muscular, skeletal, integumentary, circulatory, excretory and lymphatic systems, with structures, functions and mnemonics.
Central Dogma of Biology
DNA replication enzymes, transcription steps, RNA types, codons and the genetic code, and translation steps.
Classical and Molecular Genetics
Mendel's laws, dominant and recessive alleles, Punnett squares, pedigrees, DNA structure, mutations, genetic code, and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
Endocrine System
Pituitary, adrenal, thyroid, parathyroid, pancreatic, pineal and gonadal hormones, feedback loops, peptide versus steroid hormones, and common disorders.
MCAT General Chemistry Cheat Sheets 11 sheets
Redox Reactions
Oxidation and reduction, oxidizing and reducing agents, oxidation numbers, half-reaction balancing, reaction types, and galvanic versus electrolytic cells.
Equilibrium
Dynamic equilibrium, equilibrium constant, reaction quotient Q, ICE tables, Le Chatelier's principle, and converting between Kp and Kc.
Gases and Pressure
Pressure units, the ideal gas law, Boyle's, Charles's, Avogadro's and Gay-Lussac's laws, combined gas law, and Dalton's law.
Basic Chemistry Math
Balancing equations, scientific notation, SI units and prefixes, dimensional analysis, the mole and Avogadro's number, and significant figures.
Bioenergetics
Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, entropy, exergonic and endergonic reactions, ATP coupling, and the two laws of thermodynamics.
Acid/Base
Acid and base strength, pH and pOH, Ka and Kb, conjugate pairs, buffers, common ion effect, and titration.
Periodic Trends
Electronegativity, effective nuclear charge, shielding, electron affinity, metallic character, reactivity, atomic and ionic radius, and ionization energy.
Solubility and Molarity
Factors affecting solubility, saturated and unsaturated solutions, molarity, dilutions, Ksp and precipitation, Henry's law, and miscibility.
Electrochemistry
Galvanic versus electrolytic cells, anode and cathode, standard electrode potential, the Nernst equation, Faraday's laws, and applications.
Stoichiometry
Molar mass, the mole, mole ratios from balanced equations, limiting reactant, theoretical yield, and mass-to-mole conversions.
Buffers
pH and pOH, isoelectric point, buffer components, Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, effective buffering range, common buffer systems, and titration curves.
MCAT Organic Chemistry Cheat Sheets 7 sheets
Nomenclature (IUPAC)
Alkane, alkene and alkyne naming, lowest locants, substituents, cyclic compounds, functional group priority, and cis-trans and E/Z notation.
Types of Isomers
Structural isomers, enantiomers, diastereomers, cis-trans isomers, anomers, epimers, and amine reactions with carbonyl groups.
Lab Techniques
Centrifugation, chromatography, spectroscopy, microscopy, PCR, gel electrophoresis, Western blotting, flow cytometry and FACS, cell culture, and ELISA.
Bonding
Carbonyl group bonding, sp2 hybridization, polarity, electrophilic carbon, inductive effect, aldehydes, ketones, esters, carboxylic acids, and nucleophilic addition.
Functional Groups
Hydroxyl, carbonyl, alkyl and amino groups, with NMR shifts, IR peaks, chromatography behavior, polarity, and boiling points.
SN1 vs SN2 Reactions
SN1 and SN2 mechanisms, kinetics, substrate, solvent and leaving group effects, stereochemistry, electrophilic aromatic substitution, and nucleophilic addition.
Aldol Condensation
Enolate formation, nucleophilic attack, aldol product, dehydration to enones, self, crossed and intramolecular types, conditions, and side reactions.
MCAT Physics Cheat Sheets 9 sheets
Electromagnetism
Electric and magnetic fields, Coulomb's law, Lorentz force, Faraday's and Lenz's laws, magnetic flux, and Maxwell's equations.
Light and Optics
Reflection, refraction and Snell's law, mirrors and lenses, myopia and hyperopia, interference, diffraction, photon energy, and optical instruments.
Sound and Wave
Frequency, wavelength, amplitude, wave speed, sound versus light waves, photon energy, and photon number.
Energy and Force
Kinetic and potential energy, work and power, Newton's laws, friction, Hooke's law, impulse and momentum, and centripetal force.
Units and Conversions
Metric base units and prefixes, step-by-step unit conversion, deciding whether to multiply or divide, and common metric equivalents.
Radioactive Decay
Alpha, beta and gamma decay, half-life, nuclear stability, the electromagnetic spectrum, visible light, decay series, and radiation shielding.
Fluids
Pressure, flow and resistance relationships, Poiseuille's law, vessel diameter effects, vasoconstriction and vasodilation, systemic versus pulmonary circulation.
Circuits
Ohm's law, circuit components, series versus parallel, Kirchhoff's laws, AC versus DC, and RC, RL and RLC circuits.
Kinetic Molecular Theory
Kinetic molecular theory assumptions, temperature and kinetic energy, gas laws, diffusion and effusion, non-ideal gases, and rms velocity.
MCAT Psych/Soc Cheat Sheets 20 sheets
Memory
Sensory, short-term, working and long-term memory, explicit and implicit memory, memory brain structures, long-term potentiation, and retrieval cues.
Attribution Theory
Internal and external attribution, locus, stability, controllability, fundamental attribution error, actor-observer bias, self-serving bias, and applications.
Theories of Motivation
Maslow's hierarchy, Herzberg's two-factor theory, self-determination theory, expectancy theory, drives, arousal, Yerkes-Dodson law, needs, and instincts.
Social Perception
Halo and horn effects, just-world hypothesis, blaming the victim, primacy effect, recency effect, and balancing primacy with recency.
Classical and Operant Conditioning
Classical conditioning terms and phases, operant conditioning, reinforcement and punishment, reinforcement schedules, and how the two methods differ.
Roles, Groups, and Status
Role conflict, strain and exit, ascribed and achieved status, group types, social ties, leadership styles, conformity, and groupthink.
Psychological Disorders
DSM-5 basics and anxiety, mood, obsessive-compulsive, personality, psychotic, eating, trauma-related, and neurodevelopmental disorders, plus treatments.
Neurobiology and Neurotransmitters
CNS and PNS organization, neuron structure, neurotransmitters, release and reuptake, neuroplasticity, long-term potentiation, drug effects, and brain regions.
Biases (Cognitive Bias)
Anchoring, availability and representativeness heuristics, confirmation, hindsight, recency and self-serving biases, Dunning-Kruger effect, overconfidence, and sunk cost fallacy.
Theories of Emotion
James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, Schachter-Singer, Lazarus and Zajonc-LeDoux theories, the facial feedback hypothesis, Ekman's basic emotions, and Plutchik's wheel.
Sensation and Perception
Sensation and perception, signal detection theory, hits, misses, false alarms, correct rejections, sensitivity, criterion, and ROC curves.
Stereotype vs. Discrimination vs. Prejudice
Stereotypes as cognitive beliefs, prejudice as emotional bias, discrimination as behavior, and the ABC components of attitudes.
Identity and Development Theories (Piaget and Kohlberg)
Piaget's stages of cognitive development, Kohlberg's three levels and six stages of moral reasoning, and how they compare.
Social Determinants of Health
Economic stability, neighborhood environment, social context, education, socio-cultural factors, stress and behavioral pathways, and upstream versus downstream factors.
Healthcare Disparities
Socioeconomic, racial, gender and geographic drivers, social determinants, access barriers, consequences, and efforts to reduce disparities.
Cultural Relativism vs. Ethnocentrism
Cultural relativism versus ethnocentrism, elements of culture, norms and sanctions, subcultures and countercultures, cultural lag, and ethnography.
Dramaturgical Theory
Front and back stage, impression management, face-work, social scripts, role strain versus conflict, and Mead's I and Me.
Functionalism vs. Conflict Theory vs. Symbolic Interactionism vs. Social Constructionism
Functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, social constructionism, manifest and latent functions, class conflict, the looking-glass self, and theorists.
Social Institutions
Family, education, government, religion, economy and healthcare institutions, with kinship, authority types, and functionalist versus conflict views.
Research Design and Interpreting Statistical Data
Experimental and non-experimental designs, variables, sampling, data types, hypothesis testing, descriptive and inferential statistics, regression, and common pitfalls.
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How to use these cheat sheets
The sheets work best once you've studied a topic, when you want all of it on a few pages.
- Read the study notes for the topic first. Every card links to them.
- Print the sheet, cover one section, and say what's under it out loud before you check.
- Keep the sheet beside you during practice questions and circle anything you had to look up.
- Come back to the circled parts a few days later.
Questions about the cheat sheets
Are the cheat sheets free?
Yes. You'll need a free MedLife account to download them, and one account opens all 68.
How long is each sheet?
Between 3 and 6 pages. Each card shows its length.
Can I print them?
Yes. Every sheet is a PDF laid out for printing.
Who made them?
Our mentors, who are 90+ percentile MCAT scorers and current med students.
Is there a CARS cheat sheet?
No. CARS tests reading and reasoning rather than science content, so the sheets cover biochem, biology, gen chem, orgo, physics and psych/soc.
We're a team of 70+ future doctors who scored 515 (up to 528) on the MCAT. Over 10+ years, we've distilled strategies from hundreds of 90th+ percentile scorers into systems built for fast results - with mental health woven in, because the MCAT, just like medicine, tests the whole person.
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