MCAT Psychology and Sociology
Reviewed Practice Exam
2026/2027 Updated Verified
Questions and Solutions A+ Pass
Guaranteed
1. Absolute poverty
- ANS - inability to meet a bare minimum of basic necessities,
including clean drinking water, food, safe housing, and reliable
access to healthcare
2. acetylcholine (ACh)
- ANS - the neurotransmitter used at the neuromuscular junction,
throughout the PNS and by the preganglionic neurons of the SNS
3. acetylcholinesterase
- ANS - the enzyme that breaks down ACh in the synaptic cleft
4. achieved status
- ANS - statuses that are considered to be due largely to an
individual's efforts
,5. acquisition
- ANS - in classical conditioning, the process of learning the
association between a conditioned stimulus and response
6. action potential
- ANS - localized change in the neuron's membrane potential that
propagates away from its point of origin. All-or-none processes
mediated by the opening of voltage gated sodium and potassium
channels when the membrane is brought to threshold potential;
opening of sodium channels causes characteristic depolarization,
while opening sodium channels repolarizes the membrane
7. activation-synthesis theory
- ANS - theory that dreams are simply byproducts of brain
activation during REM sleep. Suggests that the content of dreams is
not purposeful or meaningful
8. actor-observer bias/self-serving bias
- ANS - tendency to blame our actions on the situation and blame
the actions of others on their personalities
,9. addiction
- ANS - a compulsion to do an act repeatedly; can consist of a
psychological dependence and/or a physical dependence as
evidenced by drug addiction withdrawal
10. adrenal cortex
- ANS - outer region of the adrenal gland. the adrenal cortex
produces cortisol in response to long-term chronic stress and
aldosterone in response to low blood pressure and blood
osmolarity
11. adrenal medulla
- ANS - inner region of the adrenal gland, and part of the SNS and
releases epinephrine and norepinephrine into the bloodstream
when stimulated. Epi and norepi. prolong and enhance the effect of
the sympathetic stimulation on the body
12. adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
- ANS - a tropic hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland
that targets the adrenal cortex, stimulating it to release cortisol and
aldosterone
, 13. affect
- ANS - a person's visible emotion in the moment
14. affirmative action
- ANS - policies that take factors like race and sex into
consideration to benefit underrepresented groups in admissions or
job hiring decisions; these policies have been used to benefit those
believed to be current or past victims of discrimination
15. aggregate
- ANS - people who exist in the same space but do not interact or
share a common sense of identity
16. aggression
- ANS - behavior that is forceful, hostile, or attacking. in sociology,
aggression is considered something that is intended to cause harm
or promote social dominance within a group
17. Mary Ainsworth
- ANS - famous for her strange situation experiments where
mothers would leave their infants in an unfamiliar environment to
Reviewed Practice Exam
2026/2027 Updated Verified
Questions and Solutions A+ Pass
Guaranteed
1. Absolute poverty
- ANS - inability to meet a bare minimum of basic necessities,
including clean drinking water, food, safe housing, and reliable
access to healthcare
2. acetylcholine (ACh)
- ANS - the neurotransmitter used at the neuromuscular junction,
throughout the PNS and by the preganglionic neurons of the SNS
3. acetylcholinesterase
- ANS - the enzyme that breaks down ACh in the synaptic cleft
4. achieved status
- ANS - statuses that are considered to be due largely to an
individual's efforts
,5. acquisition
- ANS - in classical conditioning, the process of learning the
association between a conditioned stimulus and response
6. action potential
- ANS - localized change in the neuron's membrane potential that
propagates away from its point of origin. All-or-none processes
mediated by the opening of voltage gated sodium and potassium
channels when the membrane is brought to threshold potential;
opening of sodium channels causes characteristic depolarization,
while opening sodium channels repolarizes the membrane
7. activation-synthesis theory
- ANS - theory that dreams are simply byproducts of brain
activation during REM sleep. Suggests that the content of dreams is
not purposeful or meaningful
8. actor-observer bias/self-serving bias
- ANS - tendency to blame our actions on the situation and blame
the actions of others on their personalities
,9. addiction
- ANS - a compulsion to do an act repeatedly; can consist of a
psychological dependence and/or a physical dependence as
evidenced by drug addiction withdrawal
10. adrenal cortex
- ANS - outer region of the adrenal gland. the adrenal cortex
produces cortisol in response to long-term chronic stress and
aldosterone in response to low blood pressure and blood
osmolarity
11. adrenal medulla
- ANS - inner region of the adrenal gland, and part of the SNS and
releases epinephrine and norepinephrine into the bloodstream
when stimulated. Epi and norepi. prolong and enhance the effect of
the sympathetic stimulation on the body
12. adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
- ANS - a tropic hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland
that targets the adrenal cortex, stimulating it to release cortisol and
aldosterone
, 13. affect
- ANS - a person's visible emotion in the moment
14. affirmative action
- ANS - policies that take factors like race and sex into
consideration to benefit underrepresented groups in admissions or
job hiring decisions; these policies have been used to benefit those
believed to be current or past victims of discrimination
15. aggregate
- ANS - people who exist in the same space but do not interact or
share a common sense of identity
16. aggression
- ANS - behavior that is forceful, hostile, or attacking. in sociology,
aggression is considered something that is intended to cause harm
or promote social dominance within a group
17. Mary Ainsworth
- ANS - famous for her strange situation experiments where
mothers would leave their infants in an unfamiliar environment to
