MCAT Mnemonics

Biology

ADH: always digging holes. this is an easy way to remember that

antidieuretic hormone allows reabsorption of water from
kidneys, therby concentrating the urine.
caffeine and alcohol are ADH blockers
Anterior Pituitary Hormones
"FLAGTOP"
F: Follicle Stimulating Hormone
L: Luteinizing Hormone
A: ACTH
G: Growth Hormone
T: Thyroid Stimulating Hormone
O: MSH - melanOcyte stimulating hormone
P: Prolactin
FSH in males
directly stimulates spermatogenesis - sperm look like "FiSH." In
females, FSH obviously stimulates ovarian follicles (which
secrete estrogens, which stimulate endometrial proliferation).
LH in males
stimulates androgen secretion so males become "Like Hairy
Apes" (LH ? A). Androgens also stimulate spermatogenesis, so
LH also indirectly stimulates spermatogenesis. In females, LH
stimulates the corpus luteum (which secretes estrogens and
progesterone, which stimulate the endometrium).
Autonomic Nervous System
Sympathetic: fight or flight
Parasympathetic: rest and digest
Causes of Deviations from Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

"Maggie May Does Not Smoke"

Mutations, Migration, genetic Drift, Non-random mating,
Selection.
Cell Cycle
"Go Sally Go! Make Children!"
G1, S, G2, M, C
Growth phase 1, DNA Synthesis (replication), Growth phase 2,
Mitosis, Cytokinesis.
Mitosis
"People Meet And Talk", or
"PMAT"
Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase.
Meiosis
"PMAT x2"
Prophase I, Metaphase I, Anaphase I, Telophase I,
Prophase II, Metaphase II, Anaphase II, Telophase II,
(Note: 4 haploid daughter cells instead of 2 diploid daughter
cells)
Chordate Features
"Do Not Pinch People"
Dorsal, hollow nerve cord
Notochord
Pharyngeal slits
Postanal tail
Developmental Stages
"Must Be Good"
Morula, Blastula, Gastrula

Fat-soluble Vitamins
"ADEK"
Vitamins A,D,E, and K
Gastrointestinal Hormones
(i.e. ones that originate from the GI tract)
"Garlic Cloves Smell Exquisite"
Hormone Source Target Triggers Effects
Gastrin Gastric mucosa Stomach Food in stomach, psychic
factors Increased HCl secretion & gastric emptying
Cholecystokinin (CCK) Duodenal mucosa Gallbladder &
pancreas Amino acids, peptides, fatty acids in duodenum
Contraction of gallbladder & secretion of pancreatic juice
Secretin Gastric mucosa Pancreas Acid in duodenum Increased
bicarbonate secretion
Enterogastrone (gastric inhibitory peptide) Duodenal mucosa
Stomach Fat digestion products in duodenum Decreases gastric
emptying
Hormones that Increase Blood Glucose
"STENGG"
Somatotropin (growth hormone)
Thyroid hormones (thyroxine and triiodothyronine)
Epinephrine
Norepinephrine
Glucagon
Glucocorticosteroids
Immunoglobulins
"MADGE"
IgM, IgA, IgD, IgG, IgE

Kingdoms
"My Poor Friend Picks Apples"
Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plants, Animals
Male Reproductive Tract (path of sperm)
"SEVEN UP"
Seminiferous tubules
Epididymis
Vas deferens
Ejaculatory duct
(Nothing)
Urethra
Penis
Menstrual Cycle
"FOL(d) M(a)PS"
Ovarian cycle: Follicular phase, Ovulatory phase, Luteal phase
Menstrual cycle: Menstrual flow, Proliferative phase, Secretory
phase
The ovarian cycle controls the menstrual cycle. The cycles begin
(day 0) when menstrual flow starts. At day 14, the luteal and
secretory phases begin and last until day 28, after which the
cycles begin again.
Molecular Genetics
"EXons EXpressed, INtrons IN the trash"
DNA expression into mature mRNA
"CUT the PY"
Cytosine, Uracil, and Thiamine are PYrimidines (one-ring
structures)
"GAPur"

Guanine and Adenine are PURines (two-ring structures)

"All Tigers Can Growl"
Adenine bonds to Thymine; Cytosine bonds to Guanine
Or, "Pure Silver Taxi"
Purines, A and G, bond to pyrimidines, T and C, respectively
Oxyhemoglobin Dissociation Curve
Think of an exercising muscle for a rightward shift:
Exercising muscle is:
hot,
acidic (lactic acid),
hypercarbic,
and has increased 2,3-DPG.
Exercising muscle benefits from increased oxygen unloading
from red blood cells.
Proteases in the Duodenum
"Eat Tender Chicken Chunks Elegantly"
Enterokinase
Trypsin
Chymotrypsin
Carboxypeptidase
Elastase
Note: The first enzyme is produced by intestinal mucosal cells,
while the others are produced in inactive precursor forms by the
pancreas.
Enterokinase converts trypsinogen into trypsin

Trypsin converts other trypsinogen molecules into trypsin

Trypsin converts chymotrypsinogen into chymotrypsin
Trypsin converts procarboxypeptidase into carboxypeptidase
Trypsin converts proelastase into elastase
Scientific Method
Inductive Reasoning
"IS GOHH"
Induction: Specific ? General. Or, Observation ? Hypothesis ?
Hypothesis-testing.
The inductive process proceeds from specific observations to a
general hypothesis.
Deductive Reasoning
"D(o)GS"
Deduction: General ? Specific
The deductive process proceeds from a general hypothesis to
predictions about specific observations.
Sedimentation
Rate of SeDimentation is proportional to Size and Density
More precisely,
terminal velocity of particle ? radius2 x (density - density of
medium)
Sizes
"Bowel Movement" or "BM"
A Bacterium is about 1 Micron (1 mm)
A eukaryotic cell is about 10 times larger (10 mm)
A virus is about 100 times smaller (0.01 mm)
Note: these are very, very rough guides. The ranges of sizes are
wide.
Striated Muscle

"ZIAH"
Z-line, I-band, A-band, H-zone
Taxonomy
"King Phillip Came Over From Great Spain"
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species
Vertebrate Features
"CEVASACK"
Cephalization
Endoskeleton
Vertebrae
Axial skeleton
Skull
Appendicular skeleton
Closed circulatory system
Kidneys
White Blood Cells
(In order of decreasing numbers.)
"Nobody Likes My Educational Background"
N Neutrophils
L Lymphocytes
M Monocytes
E Eosinophils
B Basophils
SAME DAVE - for spinal cord nerve origins
sensory - afferent
motor - efferent
dorsal - afferent
ventral - efferent

General Chemistry
MM of a gas is what a dog does outdoors. "Dirt over pee," or
MM=dRT/P (d=density, R=ideal gas constant, T=temp, P=pressure)

Bonding
"HONC"
H requires 1 more electron in its outer shell to become stable.
O requires 2.
N requires 3.
C requires 4.
Cation
The "t" in cation looks like a plus sign: "ca+ion."
Electrochemistry
Reduction occurs at the Cathode; Oxidation at the Anode.
Remember that the terms beginning with consonants are
together, and those beginning with vowels are together.
"LEO is A GERC (jerk)"
Loss of Electrons is Oxidation, which occurs at the Anode. Gain
of Electrons is Reduction, which occurs at the Cathode.
Electrolysis
"MIT enough"
Moles deposited at an electrode = It/nF
Gibb's Free Energy
"Good Honey Tastes Sweet"
DG = DH - TDS
"Gee! Plus Arty! Thank you!"

DG = DG? + RTlnQ
"Delicious Grapefruit - Not For Everyone"
DG? = -nFE?
Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation
"HK + AHA"
or "Hong Kong + American Hospital Association"
pH = pKa + log10(A-/HA)
Hydrogen Bonding
"FON"
When a hydrogen atom is attached to either a fluorine, oxygen,
or nitrogen atom, it can form a hydrogen bond between it and
another fluorine, oxygen, or nitrogen atom.
Nernst Equation
"We minus Arty (is) enough, thank you."
E = E? - (RT/nF)lnQ
Paramagnetism
If a compound has at least one unpaired electron,
it is Paramagnetic,
and will be Pulled toward a magnetic field.
If not, it is diamagnetic, and is weakly repelled by a magnetic
field. There is also a third type of magnetism: ferromagnetism,
which is present in what we casually call "magnets," e.g. iron,
nickel, cobalt.
Quantum Numbers
"National Library (of) Medicine Sizzles"

n, l, m, s
l Quantum Numbers
"Sensual People Do Foreplay"
s, p, d, f. Then it follows the alphabet: g, h, i, j, k, etc.
State Functions
"VG PHEST" (Very Good Festival)
The following are all state functions:
V for volume
G for Gibb's free energy
P for pressure
H for enthalpy
E for internal energy
S for entropy
T for temperature
Organic Chemistry
HAL = basic amino acids (Histidine, Arginine, Lysine); courtesy
of examkrackers...
Nonpolar (hydrophobic) amino acids:
I saw (ISO) LEUcy METHodically PRObe and PHEel ALAN and
then VAL TRYPped on the GLYCINE
(This would be Isoleucine, Leucine, Methionine, Proline,
Phenylalanine, Alanine, Valine, Tryptophan, Glycine)
Actions of some hormones:
INsuline makes glucose go INto the cell.
GlucaGON makes glucose GONE from the cell.
CalciTONin TONES down calcium concentrations in the blood.
Addition of Amine to Carbonyl Group

"SE PI" (or "SEe PIe")

Secondary amine ? Enamine
Primary amine ? Imine
(Note: tertiary and quaternary amines do not react with the C=0
group.)
Cis/trans (Geometric) Isomers
"Z: Zame Zide
E: Epposite"
Z for same side and E for opposite sides
Conformations
Gauche conformation: It's "gauche" (inappropriate) for one
methyl group to stand too close to another group.
Cyclohexane ring: When you have low energy, you sit down in a
"CHAIR" to rest. "BOATS" can be tippy, so they are less stable.
Isomers
"SS - ED - CC"
Isomers of a sugar: If the second lowest -OH is on the Left, the
molecule is L.
If the -OH is on the Right, it's D.
Meso Compounds
"MeSo compounds have a Mirror of Symmetry"
Thus, even though they may have stereogenic centers, they are
achiral and so do not have enantiomers.
NMR
Downfield is Deshielded.
Meta-Directing Groups on a Benezene Ring
"Queen Elizabeth Second's Navy Commands, Controls,

Communicates"
Q Quaternary amino -NR3+
E Ester -COOR
S Sulfonic acid -SO3H
N Nitro -NO2
C Carbonyl -CHO
C Carboxyl -COOH
C Cyano -CN
Ortho- and Para- Directing Groups on a Benezene Ring
"AHA AHA P"
A Alkyl -R
H Halogen -X
A Alkoxyl -OR
A Amino -NH2, -NHR, -NR2 (not -NR3+)
H Hydroxyl -OH
A Amide -NHCOR
P Phenyl -C6H5
Types of Reactions
"SEA MOuRNS CANned PEAs"
Substitution Electrophilic - Aromatic
Most Other Reactions - Nucleophilic Substitution
Carbonyl - Addition Nucleophilic
Pi bonds - Electrophilic Addition
"Essay"
Elastic modulus = stress / strain
i.e. "es" / "ai" or "essay"
Ectoderm = "attractoderm" anything that attracts you to

someone else ... lens of eye (eyes), nervous system (personality),

skin, etc.
Mesoderm = "meanstoderm" anything that it takes to do
something or go somewhere. Bladder (gotta GO pee),
musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular system (running and
moving), tendons etc (to pull against), etc
Endoderm: What is inside, lining of digestive system, etc.
-------Cells:
EPA (environmental protection agency) E lectrolytic (galvanic) P
ositive A node
Remember Galvanic cells ARE electrolytic cells (synonyms) and
the ANODE IS NEGATIVE IN THE OTHER CELL TYPE (non
electrolytic)
Cathode and Reduce both have "C" in them .... (so anodes
ALWAYS oxidize).
Oil Rig (oxidation is loss [of electrons], Reduction is Gain)
Another way to remember this same thing is to look at the
CHARGE above the atom.
Ag (in ground state, the CHARGE is 0) --> Ag+ (this has been
OXIDIZED) since the number above Ag has increased.
Cu3+ --> Cu2+ (this has been REDUCED sinced the number
above it is REDUCED [went down]
Cl --> Cl- (this is also REDUCED [went from 0 --> -1]
If you remember this, you need NOT remember OIL RIG or LEO
says GER

Electronegativity, Electron Affinity, Energy of Ionization

Encreases going up and to the right on the periodic table.
The only one that goes the opposite way (left and down on the
periodic table) is atomic radius.