Graduate & Professional Test Preparation

MCAT: Critical Analysis and Reading Skills (CARS)

The American Association of Medical Colleges, the organization responsible for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), notes that the CARS section of the test is designed to:

• "test your comprehension, analysis, and reasoning skills by asking you to critically analyze information provided in passages;
• include content from ethics, philosophy, studies of diverse cultures, population health, and a wide range of social sciences and humanities disciplines; and
• provide all the information you need to answer questions in the passages and questions themselves."

More information can be found on the AAMC's CARS Section Overview.

Guidelines for Stevens Students

If you are preparing to take the MCAT, Stevens' Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) recommends that students spend at least 15 minutes every morning and evening reading and thinking about substantive articles on current events to prepare for the CARS portion of the exam.

For more information, contact Professor Kumbaraci or Professor Muisener, co-chairs of the Health Professions Advisory Committee.

Recommended Publications

• New York Times Digital Edition

  Current Stevens students, faculty, and staff can activate a digital subscription to the New York Times at no cost. Subscribers have a free, personal account at nytimes.com with access to digital content, including videos, podcasts, and interactive media. Print & digital articles from 1851 to the present are also included. Create an account using your Stevens email and a new password for The New York Times. Do NOT use your Stevens password. Click here for more info on setting up your account.

• Wall Street Journal

  The Wall Street Journal is a national daily newspaper publishing news, commentary, and analysis with an emphasis on business and financial news. Content includes 4 years of rolling backfiles. Current Stevens students, faculty, and staff can activate a digital subscription to the Wall Street Journal at no cost​​​​. Create an account using your Stevens email and a new password. Click here for more info on setting up your account.

• News & Newspapers 

  The News & Newspapers database from ProQuest provides access to a wide variety of regional, national, and international newspapers, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. 

• Journal Finder

  Looking for a specific publication? Use this tool to find out whether or not the library provides full-text access to a specific journal, magazine, or newspaper.

MCAT Test Prep