MCAT Vocab of the Day
Meet one advanced word a day in a passage, the way the MCAT uses it. Pick its meaning, then learn how to remember it.
Psych / Soc
Anomie
In context
Anomie is not the absence of rules but the absence of rules that bind. Durkheim observed that suicide rates rose during economic booms as well as busts, which no theory of hardship explains. What both periods share is a mismatch between what people expect and what the situation supplies. Sudden prosperity dissolves the expectations that had been regulating desire, and nothing arrives to replace them.
Choose the meaning that fits the passage.
Recent words
Missed a day? Here is what the last 3 words meant.
TautomerChem / Physics
One of two isomers that interconvert rapidly by moving a proton and a double bond.
EpistasisBio / Biochem
One gene masking or modifying the phenotypic effect of another gene.
EquivocateCARS
To use ambiguous language to avoid a clear commitment or to mislead.
MCAT vocabulary, answered
What is the MCAT Vocab of the Day?
One advanced word a day, the kind MCAT passages and science questions rely on. You meet it in a short passage, choose what it means there, then see its meaning, a way to remember it, and an example sentence.
When does the word change?
At midnight Central time. It is the same word a new Motivate MD Portal account starts with that day.
Does the MCAT test vocabulary?
Not as its own section, and the AAMC publishes no vocabulary list. In CARS, the AAMC says everything you need is in the passages and questions, so one misread word can change what you think an author is arguing. The science sections name their concepts precisely, with terms like epistasis or diastereomer.
Where do the words come from?
Motivate MD chose 64 advanced words, 16 from each of the four MCAT sections: CARS, Bio/Biochem, Chem/Physics and Psych/Soc. Elementary terms are left out.
How does spaced review work in the Portal?
Each word you answer in a free Portal account comes back for review. Get it right and the gaps grow: 1, 3, 7, 14, then 30 days. Miss it and it returns the next day. A word counts as retained after four right answers in a row.
Is it free?
Yes. This page needs no account, and vocabulary practice in the Motivate MD Portal, with spaced review, bonus words and levels, comes with a free account.
Keep studying
Try today’s MCAT question of the day, see where a score lands with MCAT score percentiles, or read our MCAT study tips. For one-on-one help, see MCAT tutoring.
Sources
Words are chosen by Motivate MD and match the Portal’s vocabulary bank of 64. For how CARS passages work, see the AAMC’s Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills section overview. MCAT is a registered trademark of the AAMC; Motivate MD is not affiliated with or endorsed by the AAMC.