Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) Practice Exam
LATEST UPDATE 2025 JANUARY
The author implies which of the following about clinical practice?
A.
Some physicians tend to give clinical experience undue preeminence over research experience.
B.
Even at its best, clinical experience is anarchic.
C.
The role of clinical experience in the practice of medicine is overly complex.
D.
Physicians embrace clinical experience primarily because it gives priority to their own intuitions.
A. Some physicians tend to give clinical experience undue preeminence over research experience.
Which of the following is most illustrative of "the illusory correlation bias" (paragraph 3), as it is described in the
passage?
,A.
A flutist sometimes performs a difficult trill correctly, and sometimes does not, and is unable to determine the
cause of her inconsistency.
B.
An athlete looks like she has mastered the pole vaulting technique, but since she never actually clears the bar,
her coach calls her mastery an illusion.
C.
A teacher measures his students' performance, praises them in hopes their performance will improve, and then
measures their performance again, to assess the effect of the praise.
D.
A dog trainer attributes a dog's correct response to "Lie down" to the dog's training, but the trainer gives the
command only at the end of a tiring walk.
D. A dog trainer attributes a dog's correct response to "Lie down" to the dog's training, but the trainer gives the
command only at the end of a tiring walk.
Why does the author most likely mention "the role of chance" (paragraph 4)?
A.
As part of an explanation of why clinical impressions may be flawed
B.
As a response to concerns about the small sample size clinicians may use
C.
As a feature that makes clinical experience superior to evidence-based medicine
D.
As part of an argument against the use of intuition in medical practice
A. As part of an explanation of why clinical impressions may be flawed
Why does the author most likely mention Norway?
,A.
To provide an exemplar of clinical practice
B.
To provide an exemplar of evidence-based medicine
C.
To provide an example of accounting for economics
D.
To provide an example of one drug being less effective than it seems
C.
To provide an example of accounting for economics
Suppose that rigorous scientific research demonstrated that physicians who use a clinically-based model provide
better care and have better patient outcomes than those who use an evidence-based model. How would this
finding affect passage claims?
A.
It would undermine the views of those clinicians who see clinically-based experience as sacrosanct.
B.
It would support the suggestion that the approach taken in Norway is very unlikely to be effective.
C.
It would challenge the views of the economists and health experts, as represented in the passage.
D.
It would support the idea that music is an apt metaphor for medical practice.
C.
It would challenge the views of the economists and health experts, as represented in the passage.
Suppose that a psychologist is interested in the performance of trial lawyers. On the basis of Experiment 1, the
psychologist should predict that a legal argument will be more effectively presented if:
A.
, the lawyer is serving without compensation than if the case involves a large financial settlement.
B.
the judge is unknown to the lawyer than if the two have a cordial relationship.
C.
the courtroom is empty than if it is filled with spectators whose sympathies are unknown.
D.
jurors watch the trial through a one-way mirror than if they are present in the courtroom.
B.
the judge is unknown to the lawyer than if the two have a cordial relationship.
What is the most likely explanation of the slower rate of performance observed in Experiment 1?
A.
A desire to maintain an appearance of relaxed competence before friends
B.
A feeling of being judged more harshly by friends than by strangers
C.
An inability to concentrate on mental tasks when friends are present
D.
A belief that accuracy is more important than speed on certain tasks
A.
A desire to maintain an appearance of relaxed competence before friends
What conclusion about the nature of audience support is justified by the results of Experiment 2 alone?
A.
Supportive friends can disrupt a performance if they would benefit from its success.
B.
Supportive strangers can enhance a performance if they would not benefit from its success.
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) Practice Exam
LATEST UPDATE 2025 JANUARY
The author implies which of the following about clinical practice?
A.
Some physicians tend to give clinical experience undue preeminence over research experience.
B.
Even at its best, clinical experience is anarchic.
C.
The role of clinical experience in the practice of medicine is overly complex.
D.
Physicians embrace clinical experience primarily because it gives priority to their own intuitions.
A. Some physicians tend to give clinical experience undue preeminence over research experience.
Which of the following is most illustrative of "the illusory correlation bias" (paragraph 3), as it is described in the
passage?
,A.
A flutist sometimes performs a difficult trill correctly, and sometimes does not, and is unable to determine the
cause of her inconsistency.
B.
An athlete looks like she has mastered the pole vaulting technique, but since she never actually clears the bar,
her coach calls her mastery an illusion.
C.
A teacher measures his students' performance, praises them in hopes their performance will improve, and then
measures their performance again, to assess the effect of the praise.
D.
A dog trainer attributes a dog's correct response to "Lie down" to the dog's training, but the trainer gives the
command only at the end of a tiring walk.
D. A dog trainer attributes a dog's correct response to "Lie down" to the dog's training, but the trainer gives the
command only at the end of a tiring walk.
Why does the author most likely mention "the role of chance" (paragraph 4)?
A.
As part of an explanation of why clinical impressions may be flawed
B.
As a response to concerns about the small sample size clinicians may use
C.
As a feature that makes clinical experience superior to evidence-based medicine
D.
As part of an argument against the use of intuition in medical practice
A. As part of an explanation of why clinical impressions may be flawed
Why does the author most likely mention Norway?
,A.
To provide an exemplar of clinical practice
B.
To provide an exemplar of evidence-based medicine
C.
To provide an example of accounting for economics
D.
To provide an example of one drug being less effective than it seems
C.
To provide an example of accounting for economics
Suppose that rigorous scientific research demonstrated that physicians who use a clinically-based model provide
better care and have better patient outcomes than those who use an evidence-based model. How would this
finding affect passage claims?
A.
It would undermine the views of those clinicians who see clinically-based experience as sacrosanct.
B.
It would support the suggestion that the approach taken in Norway is very unlikely to be effective.
C.
It would challenge the views of the economists and health experts, as represented in the passage.
D.
It would support the idea that music is an apt metaphor for medical practice.
C.
It would challenge the views of the economists and health experts, as represented in the passage.
Suppose that a psychologist is interested in the performance of trial lawyers. On the basis of Experiment 1, the
psychologist should predict that a legal argument will be more effectively presented if:
A.
, the lawyer is serving without compensation than if the case involves a large financial settlement.
B.
the judge is unknown to the lawyer than if the two have a cordial relationship.
C.
the courtroom is empty than if it is filled with spectators whose sympathies are unknown.
D.
jurors watch the trial through a one-way mirror than if they are present in the courtroom.
B.
the judge is unknown to the lawyer than if the two have a cordial relationship.
What is the most likely explanation of the slower rate of performance observed in Experiment 1?
A.
A desire to maintain an appearance of relaxed competence before friends
B.
A feeling of being judged more harshly by friends than by strangers
C.
An inability to concentrate on mental tasks when friends are present
D.
A belief that accuracy is more important than speed on certain tasks
A.
A desire to maintain an appearance of relaxed competence before friends
What conclusion about the nature of audience support is justified by the results of Experiment 2 alone?
A.
Supportive friends can disrupt a performance if they would benefit from its success.
B.
Supportive strangers can enhance a performance if they would not benefit from its success.
