WikiPremed MCAT Course Syllabus - Module 14 - Viruses- Bacteria and Archaea- Protista- Fungi- Plants- Animals- Animal Development and Embryology-

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Module 14 To be completed soon.

Main Progression - Viruses, Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plants optional for MCAT, Animals taxonomy optional for MCAT, and Animal Development and Embryology

Review & Preview - This is the first module in which we find ourselves responsible for the outlines of all four disciplines: Physics, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Biology.

Knowledge Mapping - An intense and challenging set of discussions designed to help you integrate a great deal of physics and chemistry.

Verbal Reasoning and Essay - Continuing the regimin of reading program, exercise, and writing assignment.

Main Progression

Viruses

Monera

You have covered Monera already in the section on the Prokaryotic Cell in Module 11. The tasks and goals below are a repeat from that module as a refresher now that we are re-encountering Monera in the context of biological diversity.

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Protista

Although Protista might serve within an MCAT passage as an opportunity for discussion of general principles regarding eukaryotic cell biology or genetics, a detailed understanding of the taxonomy of Protista is not required for the MCAT. WikiPremed Protista resources are for pleasure reading in MCAT Preparation.

Assignments

	Browse the terminology and images within the Protista Chapter of your Learning System Book. Do not get too involved in the taxonomy if time is a concern. Complete the basic terms Crossword Puzzle (Solution) and perform an online drill at the Question Server.
	Read through selected materials in the Learning Center on the Protista starting HERE.

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Goals

	Be familiar with the characteristics of the major groups of protista, i.e. the plant-like autotrophs, slime molds, and animal-like heterotrophs.
	Although Protista taxonomy is not an MCAT focus, it is a good idea to pay special attention to pathagenic protozoa.

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Fungi

Assignments

	Fungi is an area in which you need a good familiarity for the MCAT but not every detail. Work through the Fungi chapter in your ManDala Premedical Learning System Book with your question slider. Take your time to look carefully at the figures in the margins. Make sure you can answer all Level 2 questions. Study the more difficult terms as well. Fungi are favorites for MCAT passages where the questions will be about molecular biology. You want a good comfort level with the terminology.
	Check your mastery of the vocabulary of Fungi with a drill up to Level 3 at the Question Server, and then try to perform the Fundamental Terms Crossword Puzzle without pausing. Click here for the Solution to the crossword.
	Read p. 70 in ExamKrackers Biology. Perform the questions on p. 71.
	Finish your Main Progression work on Fungi with a review tour of the Fungi external resources in the Learning Center.

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Goals

	Be able to describe fungal tissue structure in general terms using vocabulary such as hyphae, mycelium, and sporangia.
	Understand how to distinguish zygomycetes, ascomycetes, and basidiomycetes.
	Gain familiarity with fungal life cycles including asexual and sexual modes of reproduction and alternation of generations.

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Plants

Plants are a major topic in Biology but very minor for the MCAT. Plants often can appear on the MCAT but always in contexts where the passage and questions are really about other subject matter, such as cell biology or genetics. Although Plants comprise an extensive chapter in WikiPremed, this is more for the love of the knowledge than for the MCAT, so if you are pressured for time, do not expend a great deal of effort with this topic. More than any other topic, the assignments below are in the 'if you feel like it' category.

Assignments

	Browse the terminology and images within the Plants Chapter of your Learning System Book. Complete the basic terms Crossword Puzzle (Solution) and perform an online drill at the Question Server.
	Read through selected materials in the Learning Center on the Plants starting HERE.

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Goals

For the MCAT it is helpful to understand plant biology within the broader biological contexts such as biochemistry, cell biology, evolution or ecology, but there are no specific learning goals for the MCAT.

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Animals

The MCAT does expect students to be familiar with the basic evolutionary history of the Animal kindgom and to recognize chordate features in the context of natural history as well as embryology. However, the MCAT does not seem to expect much knowledge of taxonomy, especially invertebrate taxonomy.

Assignments

	You need to have the basic vocabulary with this topic, but do not spend much time learning the classes and subclasses of Porifera, which will not be on the MCAT. Perform the Crossword Puzzle. Here is the Solution.
	Browse through the Learning Center on the Animals starting HERE. What you want is a good, fundamental basis as part of your overall scientific fluency. There is a way of looking at detailed information where you get a good sense of the topic without worrying about memorizing everything.

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Goals

	Be able to demonstrate an understanding of what makes animals different from the other kingdoms of life.
	Possess a fairly good sense of the relationship between evolutionary history and cladistics in the animal kingdom.

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Animal Development and Embryology

Assignments

	Develop a reasonable mastery of the vocabulary of Animal Development and Embryology with a drill of Levels 1,2, and 3 Question Server. Then see if you can perform the Fundamental Terms Crossword Puzzle without pausing. Click here for the Solution to the crossword.
	Read pp 115-116 in ExamKrackers Biology.
	Take a review tour of the Animal Development and Embryology resources in the Learning Center.

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Goals

	You must be able to describe in moderate detail the pathway of human embryonic development through the phases of cleavage, patterning, and differentiation.
	Have a clear picture of the process of gastrulation in human embryonic development.
	Be able to describe the germ layer origin of various body tissues.
	Understand some of the regulatory mechanisms which allow differentiated cells to express the appropriate subsets of genes specific to their developmental fate.
	Be familiar with the experimental history and understand the significance of the Spemann organizer.
	Be able to narrate the development of the notochord in gastrulation, the neural folds stage, and the formation of the neural tube.
	Be able to name the extraembryonic membranes which are common to the embryos of reptiles, birds and mammals and understand what happens with these in placental mammals.

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Review & Preview

Assignments

Study the outlines of Physics, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Biology accessible through the links below. Read them slowly and carefully. Try to picture the model phenomena of importance within each area. Instead of the accustomed learning process in which you add new pieces of material to a series of concepts that grows longer each module, think of studying for the MCAT as a planned process of laying down a comprehensive foundation and elaborating a mental structure through repetition and articulation. Be sure you can reproduce each outline on a blank sheet of paper.

Physics

Chemistry

Organic

Biology

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Goals

Be able to reproduce the outlines of Physics, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Biology at the main topic level.

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Knowledge Mapping

Assignments

Read the Coaching Discussions associated with the Main Sequence topics of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, Chemical Thermodynamics and the Equilibrium State, the States of Matter, the Physical Properties of Organic Compounds, and Chemical Kinetics. These discussions are somewhat difficult. Don't be afraid to read some of them several times. Start HERE and proceed by clicking 'Next Discussion'.

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Goals

	Be able to narrate the Carnot Cycle in terms of the concepts of Heat & Temperature, Ideal Gas & Kinetic Theory, The First Law of Thermodynamics, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
	Pull together concepts of Work & Energy, the Electric Force, Heat & Temperature, Thermochemistry and the Second Law of Thermodynamics to develop a concrete, intuitive sense of the Gibbs free energy.
	Apply the concepts of Thermochemistry and Chemical Thermodynamics to understand equilibrium in important examples such as phase change, dissolving an electrolyte in water, autoprotolysis of an acid, and oxidation-reduction.
	Be prepared to distinguish reasoning based on the concepts of Chemical Thermodynamics from propositions based on Chemical Kinetics.

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Verbal Reasoning

Assignments

	Revisit the WikiPremed treatment of Verbal Reasoning on the MCAT.
	Perform Passages 1-10 in ExamKrackers 101 Passages in MCAT Verbal Reasoning.
	Go through the test you completed. Label every question by type in the margin: Main Idea, Author's Tone, Thematic Extension, Specific Inference, or Facts & Information. Which types seem to be giving the most problems? In the ones you missed, how do your chosen answers differ from the correct answers?

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Goals

	Remember the five main types of Verbal Reasoning questions. Main Idea Author's Tone Thematic Extension Specific Inference Facts & Information
Verbal Reasoning Tip of the Week Watch out for wrong answers designed to entice you to answer what your own opinion is instead of the author's. The question prompt will not say, 'according to you'. It will say, 'according to the author'.

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Essay

Assignments

	Read the WikiPremed guide to Writing the MCAT Essay.
	Arrange an undisturbed half hour to write an essay. Click Here for your essay topic for module seveb. Don't advance to page 2 until you are ready to begin writing.

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Goals

Focus on how to lean a bit towards either the first or the second essay task to give your essay dynamism and unity.

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MECHANICS AND WAVES		Course Modules
	Kinematics Newton's Laws Work, Energy, and Power Momentum and Impulse

*** * ***	Rotation Harmonic Motion Elastic Properties of Solids Fluid Mechanics Waves

FUNDAMENTAL FORCES
	Gravitation Electricity

THE STRUCTURE OF MATTER
	Atomic Theory Periodic Properties The Chemical Bond Intermolecular Forces

	Functional Groups in Organic Chemistry Stereochemistry

THERMODYNAMICS AND KINETICS
	Temperature and Heat Flow The Ideal Gas and Kinetic Theory The First Law of Thermodynamics Stoichiometry Thermochemistry

	The Second Law of Thermodynamics and Heat Engines Chemical Thermodynamics and the Equilibrium State The States of Matter The Physical Properties of Organic Compounds Chemical Kinetics

SOLUTIONS AND AQUEOUS SYSTEMS
	Water Solutions Acids and Bases Organic Acids and Bases

ORGANIC REACTION CHEMISTRY
	Nucleophiles and Electrophiles Intramolecular Cationic Rearrangements Reactions with Radical Intermediates Conjugated π Systems and Aromaticity Reactions of Alkanes Reactions of Alkenes Reactions of Alkynes Reactions of Alkyl Halides Reactions of Allylic and Benzylic Conjugation Reactions of Aromatic Compounds Reactions of Alcohols and Ethers Reactions of Aldehydes and Ketones Reactions of Carboxylic Acids and Derivatives Reactions of Amines Reactions of Organic Phosphorus Compounds Reactions of Organic Sulfur Compounds

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BIOMOLECULES
	Proteins Carbohydrates Nucleic Acids Lipids

THE CELL
	Biological Membranes The Prokaryotic Cell The Eukaryotic Cell

BIOENERGETICS AND BIOSYNTHESIS
	Coordination Chemistry Oxidation/Reduction Oxidation/Reduction in Organic Chemistry Electrochemistry Bioenergetics and Cellular Respiration Photosynthesis optional for MCAT Integration of Metabolism


GENETICS & REPRODUCTION
	Gene Expression Cellular Reproduction Mendelian Genetics Recombination and Mutation The Molecular Biology Laboratory Human Genetics

DIVERSITY OF LIFE
	Viruses Monera Protista taxonomy optional for MCAT Fungi Plants optional for MCAT Animals taxonomy optional for MCAT Animal Development and Embryology

	Mammalian Tissues and Histology

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY
	The Nervous System Sensory Systems The Endocrine System The Musculoskeletal System The Cardiovascular System Blood The Respiratory System The Lymphatic System and Immunity The Urinary System The Digestive System and Nutrition The Reproductive System

POPULATION BIOLOGY
	Evolution Ecology

ELECTROMAGNETISM, LIGHT, AND MODERN PHYSICS

	Electricity DC Current Magnetism Electomagnetic Induction AC Current

	The Properties of Light Geometric Optics Wave Optics

	Modern Physics relativity optional for MCAT Molecular Spectroscopy
	Molecular Spectroscopy Nuclear Physics

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The WikiPremed MCAT Course is a free comprehensive course in the undergraduate level general sciences. Undergraduate level physics, chemistry, organic chemistry and biology are presented by this course as a unified whole within a spiraling curriculum.

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