MCAT and Nursing Exams

Exams and structure

• Sections: Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems; Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS); Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems; Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
• Question style: passage-based multiple-choice that tests scientific reasoning, experimental design, and interpretation of figures and tables
• Skills focus: scientific inquiry, reading comprehension, and statistical reasoning under time pressure

Core skills you will practise

• Extracting variables, relationships, and trends from research-style passages and datasets
• Applying general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, biology, and biochemistry principles to novel scenarios
• CARS reasoning: argument structure, inference, and main-idea synthesis
• Psychology and sociology reasoning applied to real-world contexts
• Timing strategy: question triage, elimination, and avoiding common passage traps

Exams and structure

• Common areas: Safe and Effective Care Environment; Health Promotion and Maintenance; Psychosocial Integrity; Physiological Integrity
• Clinical Judgment is emphasised through Next Generation NCLEX style items (including case studies and alternate-format questions)
• Core safety themes: assessment, medication safety, infection prevention, delegation, and patient education

Core skills you will practise

• Clinical judgment: recognize cues, analyze cues, prioritize hypotheses, generate solutions, take action, and evaluate outcomes
• Prioritization and delegation based on scope of practice and patient acuity
• Medication safety: checks, contraindications, monitoring, and escalation
• Infection prevention and control: isolation principles and safe practice habits
• Therapeutic communication, SBAR handover, and documentation essentials

Exams and structure

• Common categories: Safe and Effective Care Environment; Health Promotion and Maintenance; Psychosocial Integrity; Physiological Integrity
• Scope-driven emphasis: basic care, comfort, observation, reporting, and safe task execution
• Question styles: multiple-choice and alternate formats testing judgment and safety

Core skills you will practise

• Applying scope of practice rules: what a PN can do independently versus under supervision
• Fundamentals: hygiene, mobility, wound care basics, and vital sign interpretation
• Medication safety: checks, routes, side effects, and when to escalate
• Infection prevention: aseptic technique, standard precautions, and isolation concepts
• Client teaching reinforcement and prompt reporting of changes in condition

Exams and structure

• Credential review: education and licensure verification steps (vary by program and destination)
• Some pathways include an exam component and or English language evidence depending on jurisdiction rules
• Documentation focus: transcripts, licenses, identity verification, and professional history

Core skills you will practise

• Understanding required documents and submission standards to avoid delays
• Planning timelines for verification, test scheduling, and report delivery
• Identifying the pathway aligned with the target regulator's requirements
• Preparing for any qualifying exam components where applicable
• Compliance with identity and license verification processes

Exams and structure

• Common domains: nursing fundamentals, adult health, maternal and child health, mental health, pharmacology, infection prevention
• Emphasis on safe practice: assessment, triage, medication safety, and documentation
• Question style: multiple-choice scenarios with prioritization and patient safety decisions

Core skills you will practise

• Clinical assessment and care planning across common conditions
• Medication calculations and medication safety principles
• Infection prevention and control aligned with facility policies
• Prioritization using ABCs and escalation thresholds
• Professional practice: ethics, documentation, and patient education

Exams and structure

• Common topics: fundamentals, adult health, maternity, pediatrics, mental health, pharmacology, infection prevention
• Scenario orientation: prioritization, patient safety, and evidence-based interventions
• Professional practice: ethics, documentation, and communication

Core skills you will practise

• Applying clinical judgment to common acute and chronic scenarios
• Recognizing red flags and escalation criteria
• Medication safety and basic calculations
• Infection prevention, isolation, and outbreak hygiene practices
• Communication and documentation in multidisciplinary care