Master MCAT Physics: 146 Flashcards From Kinematics to Optics

MCAT Physics is the section premeds fear most, but most of its points come from a fairly short list of equations. The Flip It deck MCAT Physics (SO2400) packs that list into 146 cards. It runs in textbook order: kinematics, then energy, momentum, rotation, fluids, heat, electrostatics, circuits, magnetism, waves and optics. Here is how to get it into long-term memory.

A sample of the deck

What the 146 cards cover

Newton's three laws, displacement vs distance, projectile motion (constant horizontal velocity), work W = Fd cos θ, KE = ½mv², PE = mgh, power P = Fv, elastic, inelastic and perfectly inelastic collisions, static vs kinetic friction, centripetal force mv²/r, torque τ = rF sin θ, moment of inertia, angular momentum L = Iω, density, gauge vs absolute pressure, hydrostatic pressure ρgh, Pascal's and Archimedes' principles, the continuity equation A₁v₁ = A₂v₂, laminar vs turbulent flow, surface tension, Kelvin and Fahrenheit conversions, specific heat Q = mcΔT, latent heat, thermal expansion, conduction/convection/radiation, Coulomb's law and k ≈ 9.0 × 10⁹, electric field and potential, Ohm's law, resistivity R = ρL/A, Kirchhoff's laws, F = qvB sin θ and the right-hand rule, Faraday's and Lenz's laws, magnetic flux, solenoids, v = fλ, the EM spectrum order, total internal reflection, diffraction, interference, the Doppler effect and magnification.

Two study tips specific to this deck

Pair every formula with its "twin". The deck is full of analogies it never puts side by side: F = ma ↔ τ = Iα, p = mv ↔ L = Iω, ½mv² ↔ ½Iω², and above all resistors vs capacitors. Resistors in series add; capacitors in series combine as reciprocals (cards 101-104), and the MCAT loves swapping them. Review those four cards as one block. After each one, say the opposite rule out loud.

Write the cards the deck is missing. For an MCAT deck, the coverage has real gaps. There is nothing on sound (decibels, standing waves and harmonics in pipes and strings) and nothing on atomic and nuclear physics (half-life, alpha/beta/gamma decay, the photoelectric effect). Poiseuille's law is absent even though blood-flow passages rely on it. So is lens power in diopters (P = 1/f), and so are mirror sign conventions. Write those 8-10 cards before test day. Also fix card 97: resistivity is not "resistance per unit length and area". It is ρ = RA/L, measured in Ω·m.

A realistic schedule

Take 20 new cards a day in deck order, so the whole deck is introduced in eight days. Keep the reviews going daily. Each time a card shows a formula, check the units (N·m, J/C, C/V, T·m²). Unit analysis rescues more MCAT physics questions than memorised equations do. None of the 146 cards has a hint, so add a one-line hint to any formula you miss twice, such as "derived from energy conservation" for Bernoulli.

For the rest of the Chem/Phys section, pair this deck with our MCAT Chemistry flashcards guide. For the exam itself, see the MCAT format and scoring guide.

Open Flip It and search for deck code SO2400 (MCAT Physics) to start.