MCAT flashcards

9 decks · 570 cards · built into Willys · free samples below

Written against: AAMC MCAT content outline (2015 exam, current through 2026). Updated 2026-10-10.

What's in it

Every deck follows the course outline, with tags you can study or suspend topic by topic. Open a deck to study its free sample right here.

Learn · 5 decks · 290 cards

Concepts, mechanisms and the questions a course or exam asks about them.

Amino Acids & Proteins The 20 amino acids by code, side-chain class, charge and pKa, then peptide bonds, the four levels of protein structure, denaturation, pI calculations, protein separation and analysis, and hemoglobin versus myoglobin. 10 free · 60 cards in the app Enzymes & Kinetics Enzyme classes, cofactors, Michaelis–Menten and Lineweaver–Burk reasoning, the four inhibition types and their effects on Km and Vmax, allostery and cooperativity, zymogens, covalent modification, feedback inhibition and the difference between spontaneity and rate. 10 free · 50 cards in the app Metabolism Glycolysis and fermentation, pyruvate dehydrogenase, the citric acid cycle, electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation, gluconeogenesis, glycogen, the pentose phosphate pathway, fatty acid synthesis and β-oxidation, ketone bodies, and the fed-versus-fasting hormones. 10 free · 60 cards in the app Cell & Molecular DNA replication, transcription and RNA processing, translation, gene regulation, mutations and repair, the cell cycle and meiosis, membranes and transport, organelles, signaling, viruses and prokaryotes, and the recombinant DNA toolkit. 10 free · 60 cards in the app High-Yield Terms & Theorists Sensation and perception, learning and reinforcement schedules, memory models, cognition and language, emotion and stress theories, personality, DSM-level disorders, social psychology classics, developmental theorists, and the core sociology frameworks and terms. 10 free · 60 cards in the app

Drills · 2 decks · 150 cards

Short answers and cloze blanks for the facts you simply have to know cold.

Quick Drills: Amino Acids Rapid one-line drills on all 20 amino acids: one-letter and three-letter codes, side-chain class, the nine essential amino acids, and the special cases the MCAT returns to. 10 free · 80 cards in the app Cloze: Enzymes & Regulators Fill-in-the-blank drills on metabolic control: the rate-limiting enzyme of each pathway, its allosteric activators and inhibitors, insulin, glucagon, epinephrine and cortisol effects, and where each pathway runs. 8 free · 70 cards in the app

Practice · 2 decks · 130 questions

Multiple-choice practice questions, one best answer each, with the reasoning.

Practice Questions, Part 1: Biochemistry Multiple-choice practice questions, one best answer each, on amino acid charge and pI, protein structure and separation, hemoglobin, enzyme kinetics and inhibition, and metabolism. 6 free · 70 questions in the app Practice Questions, Part 2: Biology & Psych/Soc Multiple-choice practice questions, one best answer each, on gene expression, mutations, cell division, membranes, signaling, lab techniques, learning, memory, emotion and social behavior. 6 free · 60 questions in the app

Cloze decks have one or more blanks per sentence; the app makes one card per blank.

Study guide

Topics covered

The decks follow the order of the course outline. Numbers are cards per topic.

Amino Acid Structure 5
Side-Chain Classes 32
Acid-Base & pKa 11
Isoelectric Point 9
Peptide Bonds 5
Protein Structure 11
Denaturation & Folding 7
Separation & Analysis 12
Hemoglobin & Myoglobin 10
One-Letter Codes 20
Three-Letter Codes 20
Essential Amino Acids 10
Special Cases 10
Enzyme Basics 9
Enzyme Classes 10
Cofactors & Coenzymes 4
Michaelis-Menten Kinetics 9
Lineweaver-Burk Plots 7
Inhibition 11
Allostery & Cooperativity 8
Zymogens & Covalent Modification 7
Feedback Regulation 2
Thermodynamics vs Kinetics 4
Glycolysis 20
Fermentation 3
Pyruvate Dehydrogenase 7
Citric Acid Cycle 15
Electron Transport Chain 10
Oxidative Phosphorylation 6
Gluconeogenesis 15
Glycogen 15
Pentose Phosphate Pathway 8
Fatty Acid Synthesis 12
Beta-Oxidation 8
Ketone Bodies 8
Fed vs Fasting Hormones 15
Pathway Locations 9
Other Rate-Limiting Steps 6
DNA Structure & Replication 9
Transcription & RNA Processing 9
Translation 9
Gene Regulation 10
Mutations & DNA Repair 8
Cell Cycle & Division 9
Membranes & Transport 7
Organelles 7
Cell Signaling 6
Viruses & Prokaryotes 7
Recombinant DNA Techniques 9
Sensation & Perception 9
Learning 10
Memory 9
Cognition & Language 9
Emotion & Stress 8
Personality 7
Psychological Disorders 9
Social Psychology 11
Identity & Development 9
Sociology 9

A study plan

21 new cards a day covers everything in a month, leaving the last weeks for review.
11 new cards a day covers everything in two months, leaving the last weeks for review.
7 new cards a day covers everything in three months, leaving the last weeks for review.

Willys schedules reviews for you (FSRS spaced repetition), so the daily number above is only for new cards; reviews of what you have learned come back on their own. Study a topic's cards right after you meet it in class, suspend topics you have not reached yet, and use the app's quiz mode in the final two weeks.

How to get these decks

Install Willys on your iPhone, iPad or Mac — App Store. 14-day free trial, then $14.99 a year.
In Willys, tap Exam Library at the top of your Decks (or Browse Exam Library… under the + button), find the exam on its shelf or by search, tick it and tap Add.
Study. The exam comes in as its own collapsible folder, every card scheduled by FSRS spaced repetition. Nothing you already have is changed.

Every deck is built into Willys

All 9 MCAT decks (570 cards), with FSRS spaced repetition, quizzes and mock tests, on iPhone, iPad and Mac. 14-day free trial, then $14.99 a year.

Get the app

In Willys, tap Exam Library at the top of your Decks (or Browse Exam Library… under the + button), find the exam on its shelf or by search, tick it and tap Add.

About these cards

Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.

Checked against:

OpenStax Biology 2e and OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, consulted as references; no text copied.
Facts cross-checked against Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, 8th ed. (reference only; no text copied).
OpenStax Biology 2e, consulted as a reference; no text copied.
OpenStax Biology 2e and OpenStax Chemistry 2e, consulted as references; no text copied.
OpenStax Biology 2e, OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e and OpenStax Chemistry 2e, consulted as references; no text copied.
OpenStax Biology 2e and OpenStax Microbiology, consulted as references; no text copied.
Facts cross-checked against Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 7th ed. (reference only; no text copied).
APA Dictionary of Psychology (dictionary.apa.org), NIH and MedlinePlus pages and the original studies, consulted as references; no text copied.
Disorder descriptions follow the DSM-5-TR criteria (reference only; no text copied).
OpenStax Introduction to Sociology 3e, consulted as a reference; no text copied.
Biology facts cross-checked against Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 7th ed. (reference only; no text copied).

These are independent study notes written for Willys. They are not official exam material, may contain mistakes, and are no substitute for your course, your teacher or the exam owner's own publications. Found an error? Tell us — corrections ship as a new version of the deck.

Not clinical guidance. These cards prepare you for an exam. Never use them to make decisions about a patient's care: follow current guidelines, prescribing information and your institution's policies. The decks contain no doses.

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