Explore every episode of the podcast Jack Westin MCAT Podcast

Welcome back to the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast with Mike and Molly! In this episode, we're breaking down one of the most high-yield neuroscience topics on the MCAT, the biology of language and the brain areas behind it.

Ever wonder why some people lose the ability to speak clearly after a stroke, while others speak fluently but make zero sense? That's not random, it comes down to specific brain regions, and the MCAT loves to test exactly this.

🔑 High-yield MCAT tip: If you see broken, labored speech with intact comprehension → Broca's. Fluent speech that makes no sense → Wernicke's. Can't repeat phrases → conduction aphasia (arcuate fasciculus).

🎧 Next episode: Theories of language and language development — Chomsky, Whorf, and more. Don't miss it.

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this episode of the Jack Westin CARS Podcast, Usher and Molly tackle one of the trickier philosophy passages in recent memory, "Moral Relations" from May 6th. If philosophy passages make you nervous on the MCAT, this one's for you.

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📖 This passage is linked in the description and available free on jackwestin.com as part of our daily CARS practice passages.

Is stress a bad thing? Not according to the science. In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly flip the coin from last episode's neurobiology of emotion to the psychology of emotion and stress. They walk through the major theories of emotion, break down eustress vs. distress, explain cognitive appraisal, and connect it to the MCAT study experience in a way that might actually change how you approach test day.

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Next episode: Language, thought, and aphasias

Did chimpanzees domesticate us? And if wild chimps don't exploit each other, why do captive chimps exploit humans? In this Jack Westin CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Usher and Molly break down the daily CARS passage "Chimpanzee Domestication" (April 29th), a surprisingly philosophical passage about the mutual relationship between humans and chimps that's way more nuanced than it first appears.

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

This is a great episode for anyone who struggles with passages where the same idea appears in slightly different forms across paragraphs, or who tends to over-complicate a passage that's actually more straightforward than it seems.

Why do you remember your most stressful moments so vividly but can't recall what you had for lunch last Tuesday? It's all about the limbic system. In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly break down the biology of emotion and stress, covering every limbic system structure, the HPA axis, cortisol, and general adaptation syndrome, plus how all of it directly applies to surviving your MCAT prep without burning out.

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Next episode: The psychology of emotion and stress (theories, stages of experiencing emotion, and how we respond to stressors)

What do you do when a CARS passage gives you a laundry list of examples in one paragraph and then repeats the same idea with a new layer in every paragraph after that? You learn to recognize the pattern and stop over-mapping.

In this Jack Westin CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Usher and Molly break down the daily CARS passage "Ritual Failures" (April 22nd), an unusual passage that blends philosophy, anthropology, and speech act theory to explore why rituals go wrong. This one is packed with examples, parallel structure across paragraphs, and a rare gift-wrapped thesis statement that makes the main idea surprisingly clear if you know what to look for.

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

This is a great episode for anyone who struggles with philosophy or anthropology passages, tends to over-map examples, or has trouble recognizing when paragraphs are just adding layers to the same core argument.

Alpha, beta minus, beta plus, gamma. Do you know which decay changes mass, which changes identity, and which changes nothing? In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly finally cover the topic they've been putting off for over a year: atoms and radioactive decay. They build from the ground up, starting with atomic structure, isotopes, and stability, then walk through every type of decay and connect it all back to PET scans and carbon dating.

Next episode: The limbic system, emotion, and stress

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

What do you do when a CARS passage goes back and forth on the same idea for six paragraphs and only gives you the answer in the last sentence? You stay calm and trust the process.

In this Jack Westin CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Usher and Molly break down the daily CARS passage "Philosophical Driving" (April 15th), one of the toughest and least interesting passages they've covered on the podcast. This episode is essential for anyone who struggles with dense philosophical CARS passages or who panics when the author doesn't take a clear stance until the very end.

This is one of the best episodes for building your tolerance for uncomfortable, unclear CARS passages where the author makes you wait for the punchline.

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

There are only two scenarios in MCAT magnetism. That's it. In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly break down everything you need to know about magnetic fields, both right hand rules, the key equations, and how it all connects to how MRI machines actually produce those high-resolution images of your brain.

Next episode: Atoms and radioactive decay (and how it connects to PET scans)

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

How do you find the main idea when every paragraph has a different argument? In this Jack Westin CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Usher and Molly break down the daily CARS passage "Teacher's Merit Pay" (April 8th), a passage they've both taught many times in their CARS strategy courses. This one is packed with arguments, counterarguments, examples, and named individuals, making it the perfect passage to practice identifying what actually matters.

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

This is one of the best episodes for anyone who struggles with argument-heavy CARS passages, tends to over-map, or has trouble choosing a main idea when the passage doesn't repeat one idea clearly.

You probably had a psychoactive drug today and didn't even realize it. In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly break down every major class of psychoactive drugs you need to know for the MCAT, including how each one hijacks your synapses, which neurotransmitters are involved, and why some are incredibly addictive.

Next episode: Magnetism and how MRIs actually work

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

#MCAT #MCATPrep #JackWestin #PreMed #PsychoactiveDrugs #MCATpsychsoc #Neuroscience #Dopamine #Caffeine #MedSchool #MCATStudy #MCATpodcast #Pharmacology #Serotonin

Why did humans invent the wheel when animals never did? And what does a running spider have to do with your CARS score?

In this Jack Westin CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Usher and Molly break down the daily CARS passage "Wheels" (April 1st) sentence by sentence. This passage blends history, evolutionary biology, and a surprisingly entertaining argument about why human legs are, well, mid. Together they show you how to stay engaged with a fun passage without letting your reactions pull you off track.

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

This is a great episode for anyone who tends to over-map example-heavy paragraphs or who struggles to find the main idea when passages start with context before introducing the real argument.

#MCAT #MCATCARS #JackWestin #MCATPrep #CARSStrategy #PreMed #MedSchool #MCATStudy #PassageMapping #CARSWorkshop #ReadingComprehension #MCATTips

You spend a third of your life doing it, but do you actually understand how sleep works? In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly break down everything you need to know about consciousness, sleep stages, circadian rhythm, and dream theories for the MCAT, plus how all of it connects directly to optimizing your own study schedule.

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Next episode: Psychoactive drugs and how they alter consciousness

#MCAT #MCATPrep #JackWestin #PreMed #Sleep #SleepStages #CircadianRhythm #REMsleep #MCATpsychsoc #Neuroscience #MedSchool #MCATStudy #MCATpodcast #EEG #Consciousness #DreamTheories

Electrostatics doesn't have to be the topic you dread. In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly break down everything you need to know about charge, forces, electric fields, potential energy, and voltage, then connect it all back to how EEGs and ECGs actually work.

Whether electrostatics is your weakest topic or you just need a solid review, this episode gives you the conceptual foundation and equation relationships to handle any question the MCAT throws at you.

Next episode: Consciousness, sleep stages, and psychoactive drugs

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

#MCAT #MCATPrep #JackWestin #PreMed #Electrostatics #CoulombsLaw #MCATPhysics #ElectricFields #Voltage #EEG #MedSchool #MCATStudy #MCATpodcast #ChemPhys

Can evolution explain why you love your family? In this Jack Westin CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Usher and Molly break down the daily CARS passage "Family Genes" (March 18th) sentence by sentence. This passage blends biology and philosophy in a way that feels familiar to pre-meds but still requires pure CARS reasoning to navigate.

Get started with our resources!

📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Which brain imaging technique should you pick on the MCAT? In this episode, Mike and Molly break down every major brain imaging method you need to know: EEG, CT, PET, MRI, and fMRI. They cover what each technique actually measures (structural vs. functional), when to use each one, key limitations, and how to answer those tricky "which imaging method is most appropriate?" questions. Includes a rapid-fire quiz to test your understanding.Next episode: Electrostatics and how it connects to brain imaging.

Get started with our resources!📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast#MCAT #MCATPrep #JackWestin #PreMed #BrainImaging #EEG #MRI #fMRI #PETscan #CTscan #MCATpsychsoc #Neuroscience #MedSchool #MCATStudy #MCATpodcast

In this Jack Westin CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Usher and Molly walk through a daily CARS passage about Quentin Tarantino's use of pop music in violent film scenes. Together they break down each paragraph in real time, showing you how to identify arguments, separate key ideas from supporting details, and build a passage map that actually helps you answer questions.

In this episode, you'll learn:

🎬 How to map a CARS passage about film analysis without getting lost in the details

🎵 How to track a repeated idea (violence + music) across multiple paragraphs without over-mapping

✍️ When to draw arrows back to earlier paragraphs vs. adding new notes

🧠 How to recognize when the author is building on the same argument vs. introducing something new

🔍 How to handle unfamiliar vocabulary in context (like "scoring" and "temporal dislocation")

🎯 How to identify the main idea when it develops gradually across the entire passage

📌 Why outside knowledge (even if you've seen the movie) should never influence your reading

This is a great episode for anyone who struggles with film, art, or cultural analysis passages on CARS, or for anyone who tends to over-map and wants to learn how to keep it simple.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Success Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

What's the actual difference between sensation and perception? And why does the MCAT test it so heavily?

In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly break down one of the most commonly confused topics in psych/soc: sensation vs. perception. They walk through the key definitions, thresholds, theories, and perceptual principles you need to know, all with real-world examples, MCAT applications, and even a few optical illusions to prove how easily your brain can be tricked.

In this episode, you'll learn:

🧠 The core difference between sensation (raw data from receptors) and perception (how your brain interprets that data)

📊 Absolute threshold: the minimum intensity needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time

⚖️ Difference threshold / just noticeable difference (JND): detecting the difference between two stimuli

🔢 Weber's Law: why the same change feels different depending on the original intensity (with a full calculation walkthrough)

👻 Subliminal stimuli: what they are, how they relate to absolute threshold, and whether subliminal messaging actually works

🎯 Signal detection theory: hits, misses, false alarms, correct rejections, and liberal vs. conservative response biases

🏥 How signal detection applies to medical testing (cancer screenings, COVID tests)

🔼 Bottom-up vs. top-down processing: when your brain builds from raw data vs. when expectations shape your perception

📐 All 7 Gestalt principles: proximity, similarity, common fate, closure, continuity, Pragnanz (law of good figure), and figure-ground

🎈 Perceptual constancies: size, shape, and color constancy explained with everyday examples

🧩 How top-down processing connects directly to improving your MCAT passage strategy

👁️ Optical illusions and the checkerboard shadow illusion as proof of how perception can be tricked

Whether you're just starting psych/soc content review or brushing up before test day, this episode gives you everything you need to confidently answer sensation and perception questions on the MCAT.

📚 Free daily CARS practice and resources at jackwestin.com

🎧 Full episodes on the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast

Next episode: Brain imaging methods (fMRI, EEG, CT, PET and more)

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Success Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

How does your brain actually detect smell and taste? And why does the MCAT care so much about the difference between flavor and taste?

In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly break down everything you need to know about olfaction and gustation for the MCAT. Building on our previous episode about GPCR signaling, we walk through how smell and taste both rely on chemoreceptors, why they use different signaling pathways, and how they combine to create your perception of flavor.

In this episode, you'll learn:

👃 How odorants bind to olfactory receptor neurons and trigger a Gs/cAMP signaling cascade

🧬 Why olfactory neurons are unique (they're actual neurons AND they regenerate throughout life)

🧠 Why smell bypasses the thalamus and goes directly to the limbic system (and why certain smells trigger strong emotional memories)

🦠 How COVID causes anosmia (loss of smell) through inflammation of the olfactory epithelium

🧪 The connection between anosmia and early Parkinson's diagnosis

👅 The 5 basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami

⚡ Why salty and sour use direct ion channels while sweet, bitter, and umami use a Gq/calcium GPCR pathway

🍕 Why hot food smells (and tastes) better than cold food

🫒 Why cilantro tastes like soap to some people (it's about receptor variants)

🍽️ The difference between taste and flavor, and a simple at-home experiment to prove it

📌 Sensation vs. perception: a preview of our next episode

This episode wraps up our full series on the senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste) and sets the stage for our next deep dive into sensation vs. perception.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Success Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

MCAT CARS Reading Skills Workshop: Struggling to find the main idea on MCAT CARS passages? In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast, Molly and Usher break down the Jack Westin Daily CARS Passage "Quitting Smoking" sentence-by-sentence, showing you exactly how to track repeated arguments across multiple paragraphs, avoid getting distracted by science-heavy details in a CARS context, and identify the main idea when it dominates the second half of a passage.

In this episode you'll learn:

✅ How to stay focused on arguments, not biochemistry, when a CARS passage uses scientific terminology 🧪🧠

✅ How to track expert names and tie them to specific arguments in your passage map 🗺️👤

✅ Why the main idea isn't always in the first or last paragraph and how repeated ideas across 5 paragraphs reveal it 🔁🔎

✅ How to map a vicious cycle (smoking ↔ depression ↔ quitting ↔ relapse) without losing paragraph-level context 🚫🪤

✅ When to use symbols, arrows, and even drawings to keep your map short and effective ✏️⚡

Practice this passage: jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/quitting-smoking

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly break down MCAT signaling cascades with a clear, test-focused walkthrough of G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs). You’ll learn the core GPCR structure, how GDP → GTP activation works , why signaling pathways create amplification, and how cells shut signals off with built-in termination steps.

We cover the high-yield cAMP pathway in detail, including Gs vs Gi, adenylyl cyclase → cAMP → protein kinase A (PKA), plus the key ideas behind the Gq pathway (PLC and calcium signaling). We also connect GPCR signaling to common MCAT contexts like hormones, fast cellular responses, and a classic passage-style example (cholera toxin) to show how the AAMC tests cause-and-effect in pathways.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

🌊 What a signaling cascade is: signal → receptor → transduction → amplification → response → termination

🧬 GPCR basics (membrane receptor + G protein alpha/beta/gamma)

🔄 How GPCRs activate G proteins (GDP swapped for GTP, then subunits dissociate)

🚀 The Gs pathway: adenylyl cyclase → cAMP → PKA → phosphorylation

🛑 The Gi pathway: inhibiting adenylyl cyclase and lowering cAMP

🧩 The Gq pathway: PLC, second messengers, and calcium

📈 Why amplification matters (small signal, big cellular response)

⏱️ How signaling is shut off (GTP hydrolysis + cleanup of second messengers)

👁️ Vision callback: how GPCR-style signaling shows up in phototransduction

Next up: Smell & taste and how these senses rely heavily on GPCR signaling

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Success Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

MCAT CARS Reading Skills Workshop: Struggling to find the main idea on MCAT CARS passages? In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast, Molly and Usher break down the Jack Westin Daily CARS Passage "Quitting Smoking" sentence-by-sentence, showing you exactly how to track repeated arguments across multiple paragraphs, avoid getting distracted by science-heavy details in a CARS context, and identify the main idea when it dominates the second half of a passage.

In this episode you'll learn:✅ How to stay focused on arguments — not biochemistry — when a CARS passage uses scientific terminology 🧪🧠✅ How to track expert names and tie them to specific arguments in your passage map 🗺️👤✅ Why the main idea isn't always in the first or last paragraph — and how repeated ideas across 5 paragraphs reveal it 🔁🔎✅ How to map a vicious cycle (smoking ↔ depression ↔ quitting ↔ relapse) without losing paragraph-level context 🚫🪤✅ When to use symbols, arrows, and even drawings to keep your map short and effective ✏️⚡

Practice this passage: jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/quitting-smoking

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly break down how vision works from start to finish, tying together physics (optics) and biology (retina + neural pathway) in the exact way the MCAT can test it across Chem/Phys, Bio/Biochem, and Psych/Soc.

You’ll learn how light refracts through the cornea and lens, why the cornea does most of the refraction, and how the eye focuses images onto the retina. Then we walk through transduction in the retina (rods and cones → bipolar cells → ganglion cells), how signals travel through the optic nerve, cross at the optic chiasm (by visual field, not by eye), relay through the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), and arrive at the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe for perception.

We also cover high-yield MCAT optics and vision topics, including:

Cornea vs lens refraction and why LASIK reshapes the cornea

Fovea and why cones drive high-acuity color vision

Rods vs cones (low light vs color/detail)

Myopia vs hyperopia and which lenses correct each (diverging vs converging)

The blind spot and why it exists

Why real images are inverted on the retina and how the brain interprets vision

🎧 Listen, take notes, and use this as a clear, connected review for any MCAT passage that mixes optics + anatomy + perception.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this episode, we break down the Jack Westin daily CARS passage “Sibling Relationships” (Feb 11) sentence-by-sentence to train you how to:

Identify key ideas in each sentence and paragraph

Track repeating themes across short paragraphs

Lock in the main idea (without bringing in your own opinions)

Build a clean passage map you can use on test day

Avoid the #1 trap: letting your personal experience change your answers

We also unpack the passage’s biggest throughline: how sibling competition, family roles, and birth order connect to personality traits (first-born vs last-born vs middle child), plus terms like de-identification and finding a “niche” in the family environment.

✅ Try the passage before you listen (recommended): pause here, attempt it, then come back and follow along with the walkthrough.

📌 Daily Passage Link: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/sibling-relationships

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Light and optics show up everywhere on the MCAT, especially when physics meets biology (vision). In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly break down the must-know foundations of light as a wave and how it behaves in optical systems so you can stop memorizing and start solving.

You’ll learn:

🌈 Light as a transverse wave and why it can travel in a vacuum

🧮 The wave equation v = fλ and what actually changes when the medium changes

🪞 Reflection basics: the law of reflection and the “angle is measured from the normal” trap

💧 Refraction and why light “bends” when its speed changes

📐 Snell’s Law (n₁sinθ₁ = n₂sinθ₂) and how to reason through relationship questions

🔁 Total internal reflection + the critical angle (and real-world examples)

🔍 Lenses vs mirrors, concave vs convex, and what “converging vs diverging” means

👀 Real vs virtual images, and the high-yield patterns (SUV for diverging systems)

🧾 The thin lens equation and magnification (and how to use them on test day)

Watch next: Vision and the Eye (how optics becomes biology) in the next episode.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Molly and Usher break down the Jack Westin Daily Passage “Cuban Crisis” (Feb 4) sentence-by-sentence to help you read faster under time pressure, map smarter, and avoid common CARS traps 🧠📚

You’ll learn how to:

✅ Spot what the author is really asking in a “question-heavy” opening

🗺️ Map each paragraph with just a few words (without over-noting)

🎯 Lock in the main idea through repetition and structure

⚖️ Track the passage’s key distinction: political vs military confrontation

📌 Handle dense historical context without getting lost

Try the passage first, then listen and compare your map to ours 👀✍️

🔗 Daily Passage Link: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/cuban-crisis

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this episode, Mike and Molly bridge the gap between the physics of waves and the biology of sensation. The MCAT loves the auditory system because it requires you to integrate knowledge from Physics (wave properties), Biology (structure of the ear and nervous system), and Psychology (signal detection).

We take a "bird's ear view" of the auditory pathway, breaking it down into three critical stages:

Mechanical Transmission: The outer and middle ear.

Transduction: Converting movement into electricity in the inner ear.

Neural Transmission: Sending the signal to the brain for interpretation.

👂 Outer Ear Anatomy: The Pinna, auditory canal, and the "drum" (Tympanic Membrane).

🦴 The Middle Ear & Ossicles: How the Malleus, Incus, and Stapes amplify sound.

🐌 Inner Ear Magic: A deep dive into the Cochlea and the Organ of Corti.

⚡ The Mechanism of Transduction: How mechanically-gated potassium channels create depolarization.

📍 Place Theory (Tonotopic Mapping): Why high-frequency sounds vibrate the base of the cochlea while low-frequency sounds travel to the apex.

🔊 Encoding Loudness: Understanding that loudness is coded by the frequency of action potentials, not the amplitude of the electrical signal.

🧠 The Auditory Pathway: Tracing the signal from the Cochlea → Auditory Nerve → Thalamus (MGN) → Auditory Cortex (Temporal Lobe).

🔄 Semicircular Canals: Detecting rotational (angular) acceleration in three dimensions.

🪨 Otolith Organs (Utricle & Saccule): Using "ear stones" (calcium carbonate crystals) to detect linear acceleration and head tilt.

🌊 Conductive vs. Sensorineural Loss: Why "Surfer’s Ear" differs from noise-induced damage.

🎸 Permanent Damage: Why loud concerts can destroy hair cells that never grow back.

🔌 Cochlear Implants: Why they can fix hair cell issues but can't help if the auditory nerve is damaged.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Struggling to find the main idea under time pressure? 😵‍💫 In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Molly and Usher break down the Jack Westin Daily Passage “War on Drugs” (Jan 28) sentence-by-sentence to show you exactly how to read faster, map smarter, and avoid common CARS traps. 🧠✍️

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

✅ Pause after key sentences to lock in structure

🗺️ Build a quick passage map (without writing too much)

🔎 Track author attitude and contrast words like “however”

📌 Follow names + claims (Shoemaker, Pellow & Jangaleski, Nenspiel)

🎯 Identify the main idea: why drug education keeps showing up across paragraphs

⏱️ Make better “what matters most” decisions when reading timed

🔗 Daily Passage Link: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/war-on-drugs

Try the questions right after listening 🧪 There are 5 questions tied to this passage, and this walkthrough is designed to help you answer both big-picture and detail questions with confidence. 💪📚

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast, Mike & Molly dive into one of the most tested MCAT Physics topics: Waves 🌊

We break down the essentials (and the traps) so you stop guessing and start getting points ✅

You’ll learn:

🌊 What a wave actually is (energy transfer, not matter)

↕️ Transverse vs longitudinal waves (easy examples)

📏 Wavelength vs frequency vs amplitude (no confusion)

🧠 The wave equation: v = fλ (and the #1 MCAT trick)

🌬️ Why wave speed depends on the medium, not frequency

🔊 Sound waves vs light waves (who needs a medium?)

🚑 Doppler effect + how it shows up (including ultrasound)

🌈 Electromagnetic spectrum basics + speed of light c

👂👁️ How waves connect to hearing and vision on the MCAT

Next up: Hearing + the ear 👂🔔

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Molly is joined by Usher (one of our Jack Westin CARS instructors) for a CARS Reading Skills Workshop using the Jack Westin Daily Passage: “Paul Cezanne”.Together, we go sentence-by-sentence and paragraph-by-paragraph to show you how to:✅ Track contrast words like “yet” (and why the MCAT loves them)✅ Spot the most repeated idea to lock in the main idea✅ Recognize when the passage keeps returning to the same theme✅ Map the passage so questions feel easier and faster✅ Avoid outside knowledge traps (even if you know the topic)✅ Improve elimination by repeating your core ideas before reading answer choicesKey theme in this passage: Cezanne’s work feels fresh by blending Impressionist techniques with older “old master” methods (new + old = the MCAT’s favorite kind of tension).Want to follow along?📌 Read the passage is here: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/paul-czanne📌 If not, the passage link is in the description so you can try the questions first.🎯 After listening, go attempt the 5 questions for this passage and practice applying the main idea under test conditions.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this episode of the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast, Mike and Molly continue their MCAT brain anatomy series by tackling one of the most underrated topics on the exam: how the brain actually makes you move.

If you’ve ever thought “why are there so many brain parts just for movement?” this episode is your roadmap.

You’ll learn:

🧠 Motor cortex basics – where voluntary movement starts and why it lives in the frontal lobe

🚦 Basal ganglia as the gatekeeper – suppression vs initiation of movement, not just “on/off”

💊 Dopamine & Parkinson’s – substantia nigra, why dopamine loss causes bradykinesia, and why L-Dopa (not dopamine) works

🎭 Huntington’s disease – when the problem isn’t too little movement, but too much

🎯 Cerebellum & coordination – balance, smooth movements, and why alcohol messes it up

🔁 How these brain regions connect to motor neurons, muscle contraction, and earlier muscle episodes

📚 MCAT-style takeaways – what the test actually expects you to recognize in passages and questions

You’ll also hear:

How to think about initiation → coordination → execution of movement in a simple, testable way

How to use real life (walking, writing, sports, feeling off-balance, being sleepy) as built-in “flashcards” for MCAT physics, bio, and psych/soc

If motor cortex vs basal ganglia vs cerebellum all blur together for you, this episode will finally separate them in your head.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Struggling with MCAT CARS, especially when the passage is about something science-y you actually like? 🤯In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Molly and guest tutor Asher (4th year med student & CARS expert) walk you through the “Eco-Archaeology” CARS passage from January 14 sentence by sentence and show you exactly how to think while you read.You’ll see how they:🧠 Track the author’s argument & main idea across multiple paragraphs⚖️ Use contrast words like “however” to spot subtle shifts the MCAT loves to test🌲 Handle topic interest & personal bias so your outside knowledge doesn’t tank your CARS scoreThey also show how archaeologists, forests, fish bones, and “manmade ecosystems” all tie into a single main idea the MCAT expects you to recognize and how to use that understanding to crush the questions.Read the passage here first: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/eco-archeology

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

What the medulla oblongata actually does on the MCAT (besides sounding fancy)? In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly kick off a new MCAT brain anatomy series by starting with the structures that literally keep you alive: the brainstem and vital functions.

Instead of drowning you in neuroanatomy, they connect what you see in MCAT passages to how the brain actually works in real life.

You’ll learn:

🧬 How the neural tube develops into forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain (and which parts matter most for the MCAT)

🫁 Why the medulla oblongata is the “vital functions HQ” for breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure

😴 How the pons and RAS (reticular activating system) control arousal, sleep–wake cycles, and what happens in coma or under anesthesia

☕ How caffeine hacks adenosine receptors to keep you “awake” while parts of your brain are still tired

⚡ How the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic vs parasympathetic) actually uses these brainstem regions to run fight-or-flight and rest-and-digest

This episode is perfect if you:

🤯 Keep mixing up medulla, pons, and midbrain on MCAT questions

📚 Want a story-based way to remember brainstem functions instead of brute-force memorization

🧪 Like seeing how MCAT psych/soc and bio/biochem overlap in real physiology

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this MCAT CARS Reading Skills Workshop episode of the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast, Jack and Molly break down the Jack Westin Daily CARS passage “Old Folks Homes” (January 7) sentence by sentence and show you how to lock onto the author’s argument when the passage feels straightforward, but still testable.

This passage is a great example of how clear tone and repeated contrasts point directly to the main idea if you know what to track. We treat this like a live CARS tutoring session, reading carefully, flagging tone shifts, and mapping how the author builds a case against institutionalized elderly housing in favor of residential, community-focused design.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

🧠 Identify the main idea when the passage feels “easy” but still hides traps

🎯 Track strong tone words that signal the author’s opinion early

🔍 Separate background criticism from the author’s real argument

🧭 Follow how ideas repeat and evolve across paragraphs

⚖️ Understand the key contrast between institutionalized healthcare and residential housing with services

🚦 Recognize when a contrast word (but) signals emphasis not a change in direction

What we cover using the “Old Folks Homes” passage:

- Why the author views modern elderly housing as a “depressing wasteland”

- How treating seniors as a “monolithic group” creates design failures

- Why architects are urged to rethink zoning, healthcare codes, and assumptions

- How repeated expert opinions reinforce the passage’s core claim

- How MCAT CARS rewards tracking arguments, not memorizing details

Read the passage first: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/old-folks-homes

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly continue the reproductive story, picking up right where the menstrual cycle left off. This time, they walk you through what actually happens after fertilization, from zygote to blastula to the three germ layers, focusing only on what the MCAT really cares about, not med school level detail.

Instead of memorizing random diagrams and timelines, you will learn the logic and sequence behind early embryonic development so you can handle any MCAT passage or discrete that touches fertilization, implantation, stem cells, or germ layers.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Start the new year by finally making peace with MCAT CARS. In this CARS Reading Skills Workshop episode of the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast, we walk through a full Jack Westin Daily CARS passage called “Standardized Tests” (posted on December 31) and show you exactly how to think while you read.

We treat this like a live CARS tutoring session: reading sentence by sentence, talking through confusion, and mapping the author’s argument so main idea questions feel way less mysterious.

In this MCAT CARS episode, you’ll learn how to:

🧠 Understand what the author actually believes about standardized tests

🧩 Separate background / history (Thorndike, criterion-referenced tests, etc.) from the real argument

🎯 Spot the author’s subtle skepticism about “objective” testing and statistics

🧾 Use validity and reliability the way this passage defines them (not your psych/soc memory)

🧭 Track when the passage shifts from standardized tests to criterion-referenced tests and why that matters

⚖️ Recognize when an author is questioning “objectivity” and hinting at subjectivity and judgment

Read the passage here first: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/standardized-tests

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this episode of the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast, Mike and Molly break down one of the most confusing and heavily tested topics in MCAT Biology: the menstrual cycle.

Instead of memorizing hormone charts and phase names, we focus on understanding the story behind the cycle so you can answer any MCAT question, even when it’s asked in an unfamiliar way.

We cover:

🧠 Why the menstrual cycle is really two parallel cycles (ovarian vs uterine)

🔁 The follicular phase, ovulation, and luteal phase—and what actually drives each one

📈 How estrogen switches from negative to positive feedback

⚡ The LH surge and what truly triggers ovulation

🟡 The role of the corpus luteum and why progesterone matters

🧬 How the ovarian cycle “calls the shots” for the uterine cycle

🚫 Why memorization fails on MCAT hormone questions

🧪 How the AAMC tests this topic using passage-based reasoning

If hormone graphs blur together for you, or you’ve ever missed a question because you knew the facts but didn’t understand the why, this episode will help everything finally click.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this MCAT CARS episode, we walk through a full Jack Westin Daily CARS Passage called “Nativity Ode” (originally posted on December 24) and show you exactly how to read, interpret, and track the author’s ideas for tougher humanities passages.

You’ll see us go sentence by sentence and break down:

📌 How to identify the subject vs. the author’s point

🖼️ Why familiar, domestic nativity paintings matter to the argument

✒️ How Milton’s nativity poem contrasts with those paintings

🤫 What the author really means by an “uncluttered” poem focused on silence

🧩 How to tell when a paragraph is just example/support vs. a new argument

🎯 How to extract the main idea without understanding every dense sentence

🌀 What to do when a CARS paragraph feels esoteric, abstract, or confusing

This episode is perfect if you’re:

❓ Struggling with MCAT CARS main idea questions

📚 Unsure how to handle art/literature passages

🔁 Over-rereading and still not “getting” what the author wants to say

🎧 Looking for guided CARS practice you can follow along with in real time

🔗 You can find the original Jack Westin Daily CARS passage “Nativity Ode” here: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/nativity-ode

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

You can enjoy the holidays and still make real progress on your MCAT prep. This episode walks through how to balance family time, rest, and intentional studying so you don’t burn out or lose momentum.

We talk about:

🎄 How to handle MCAT studying during the winter holidays without guilt

😴 Why rest is required for score growth, not a “reward”

🧱 What a “maintenance phase” looks like if your MCAT is still a few months away

🎯 How to study intentionally instead of half-studying all day

📅 Why consistency matters more than intensity over the holidays

📚 How often you should do CARS passages so you don’t “lose” your skills

🃏 Smart ways to use Anki, practice questions, and review without grinding 8+ hours

📆 What to do if your MCAT is in January vs later in the year

✅ Quality over quantity: doing less, but doing it better

If you’ve ever felt like the MCAT is hanging over your shoulder when you’re trying to relax with family, this conversation is for you. You deserve focused study time and focused rest.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Art passages making your MCAT CARS practice feel extra confusing? In this Jack Westin CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Molly and Jack break down a Rembrandt passage sentence by sentence and show you how to separate tone from main idea without getting lost in the details.

Using this Daily CARS Passage, they walk through:

How to spot tone words vs argument/content words

Why “always,” “never,” and other extreme phrases matter so much on CARS

How religion, nature, and spirituality are used to build the author’s main idea

When to ignore overly dense sentences and focus on clear, direct claims

How to track support (like pupil conversations and biblical references) without memorizing details

By the end, you’ll see how to read CARS passages like arguments, not puzzles, and how to turn vague “CARS anxiety” into specific, fixable skills.

Read the passage first: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/rembrandt

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Struggling with meiosis, gametogenesis, and all the weird details the MCAT loves to test? 🧬 In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode 🎧, we walk through meiosis step by step and connect it directly to spermatogenesis and oogenesis so you can finally see the full picture.

You will learn how to:

🧠 Tell the difference between mitosis and meiosis in an MCAT context

🔁 Track ploidy changes from 2N to 1N without getting lost

🤯 Understand why "everything weird" in meiosis happens in meiosis I

🧷 Visualize tetrads, crossing over, independent assortment, and genetic diversity

⚠️ Explain nondisjunction, trisomy, and monosomy with real examples

🧪 Map out spermatogenesis from spermatogonia to mature spermatozoa

🥚 Map out oogenesis, timing, and why female gamete production is so unique

This episode is perfect if you want a clear and conversational review of:

🧬 Meiosis vs mitosis

👶 Gametogenesis in humans

🎓 High-yield MCAT biology and genetics topics

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Struggling with dense MCAT CARS passages full of history, old quotes, and abstract ideas? In this CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Molly and Jack walk through the Jack Westin daily passage “Western Colonization” sentence by sentence and show you how to stay calm, focused, and accurate even when the passage feels impossible.

Using this tough passage, they show you how to:

- Tell the subject apart from the author’s argument

- Track big ideas like glory, colonization, and commerce without getting lost

- Notice when the author does not actually agree with what they just said

- Deal with confusing Old English quotes and still pull out what matters

- Avoid dangerous assumptions that wreck CARS questions

- Find the true main idea, not just the first sentence of each paragraph

- Stay confident when a passage feels boring, dense, or way above your comfort zone

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this episode, Mike and Molly turn one of the most complex MCAT topics, muscle contraction, into a story you’ll actually remember. You’ll follow a single movement from brain to bicep: motor neuron → neuromuscular junction → calcium surge → actin–myosin “love story” → sarcomere changes.

We break down skeletal vs cardiac vs smooth muscle, why calcium is the real puppet master, and how ATP can both start and end contraction (and what that has to do with rigor mortis 👀). If sliding filaments, troponin, tropomyosin and band changes all blur together for you right now, this episode will finally make it click.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Economic CARS passages feel intimidating or dry? In this MCAT CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Jack and Molly walk through our “Microloans” daily passage sentence by sentence and show you how to actually enjoy an econ passage while still reading with precision.

In this episode you will learn how to:

- Separate the subject from the argument so you stop missing main idea questions

- Track big ideas like capitalism in crisis and community trust without getting lost in the details

- Use context clues to handle unfamiliar econ terms like “collateral” and “loan sharking”

- Visualize abstract ideas so economic passages feel concrete and human

- Apply the same strategy to any dense MCAT CARS passage, not just this one

What we cover using the “Microloans” passage:

- How microcredit works and why the author thinks it matters

- Why the passage spends so much time on capitalism and conventional banks

- How microloans create an economy based on community trust

- How to spot repeated ideas that signal the true main idea

📌 Read the passage first:https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/microloans

If this breakdown helped you see economic passages in a new light, like and subscribe for more MCAT CARS strategy sessions with Jack and Molly.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Is the MCAT actually getting harder… or just noisier? 👀

In this episode of the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast, Mike and Molly sit down after taking AAMC Practice Exam 6 themselves and doing a full data-backed breakdown with the JW content team. No spoilers, no specific passages or questions discussed – just trends, strategy, and what this exam tells us about the future of the MCAT in 2025 and 2026.

✅ What we cover:

- How AAMC Exam 6 compares to Exams 1–4 and the rebranded Free Practice / Exam 5

- Why pure recall (P0) questions are decreasing and P1/P2 “content + passage” questions are on the rise

- What P0, P1, P2, P3 actually mean for how you should study

- The big picture: why content is necessary but not sufficient anymore

🧪 Section-by-section trends:

Chem/Phys

- “Scary-looking, not that deep” questions

- Passages that look intimidating but boil down to one core idea

- Why a solid passage-reading process can turn “impossible” questions into 20–30 second wins

Bio/Biochem

- Very Section Bank Volume 1–coded energy

- Heavy on pathways, relationships, inhibitors/activators, and mapping

- Fewer pure content grabs, more questions that truly blend content + passage strategy

Psych/Soc

- Fewer straight-up vocab questions, more application questions tied to passages

- Why people say it’s “becoming like CARS” (and what that actually means)

- How to use CARS-style reasoning (“least wrong answer”) to survive tricky psych/soc sets

🧠 Key takeaways for your MCAT prep:

- The exam isn’t necessarily harder – it’s messier and more data-dense

- You cannot rely on memorization alone

You need:

- A real passage-reading system

- Deeper conceptual understanding (not just flashcards)

- Consistent practice blending content + passage reasoning

Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and drop a comment with:

- Your AAMC Exam 6 experience

- What section scares you the most right now

- Topics you want us to break down next on the podcast

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Economic CARS passages feel dry or confusing? In this clip from our CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Jack and Molly break down the “Economic Models” daily passage and show you how to:

- Use tone words like “financial gloom” to catch the author’s attitude 🎯

- Focus on “What is the author trying to convey?” in every paragraph

- Stop fearing econ passages and start using them to your advantage

Read the passage first: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/economic-models

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Most students treat full length exams like a score check and move on. High scorers do the opposite. In this episode of the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast, Mike and Molly share how they both sat for the new AAMC Exam 6, what they noticed, and why your review, not your raw score, is what actually moves your MCAT score long term.

They walk through the mindset and step-by-step process for turning every exam into a roadmap for improvement instead of just a painful seven and a half hour report card.

In this episode, you will learn:

- Why full length exams are not a report card but a roadmap for what to do next

- The biggest misconceptions about reviewing exams and practice questions

- How to tell the difference between content gaps and strategy problems

- Why “I just need more content” is often holding you back

- How to use your passages and figures as your primary clues instead of your memory

- What to do if you are stuck at the same score for weeks or months

- How to handle timing, fatigue, and stress more intentionally

- How to know if you are actually ready to take another full length

- The four main “buckets” your mistakes tend to fall into and how to respond to each

- Why specific, targeted review beats trying to fix everything at once

Mike and Molly also tease next week’s episode, where they will share data they are crunching on AAMC Exam 6 to answer the big question: Has the MCAT really changed, or does it just feel that way?

If you have ever finished a full length, glanced at your score, and thought “Now what?”, this episode is your playbook.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Philosophy passages in CARS can feel overwhelming, but they don’t have to be. In this workshop clip, Jack and Molly walk through the Jack Westin Daily Passage titled “Moral Relativism” and break it down sentence by sentence so you can see exactly how to approach complex arguments without getting lost.

You’ll learn:

• How to identify the author’s main point even when the passage feels abstract

• Why moral relativism vs moral nihilism matters for understanding the argument

• How comparisons like motion relativism, football relativism, and legal relativism help you decode the passage

• What to prioritize when reading dense, conceptual CARS passages

• How to connect ideas across paragraphs so the whole passage finally clicks

If moral philosophy usually makes your head spin, this breakdown will show you how to stay calm, read with purpose, and pull out only what matters.

Read the passage first: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/moral-relativism

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

In this episode of the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast, Mike and Molly break down one of the highest-yield (and most commonly missed) topics in the entire Psych/Soc section:

→ Experimental vs. Observational research

→ When you can (and CANNOT) conclude causality

→ Cross-sectional vs. longitudinal

→ Cohort vs. case-control vs. case studies

→ Prospective vs. retrospective

→ Validity vs. reliability (internal vs. external + the dartboard analogy)

→ Real AAMC examples (including the cocaine exposure passage)

→ Classic studies: Phineas Gage, H.M., Milgram, Little Albert, Asch, Bobo doll, and more

If you’ve ever picked the “causes” answer choice on an observational study and gotten wrecked, this episode is for you. Skill 3 (reasoning about research design & execution) shows up in EVERY section, but Psych/Soc is where it can make or break your score.

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

Music passages are some of the most intimidating ones on the MCAT CARS section but they don’t have to be.

In this episode of the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast, Molly and Jack break down the November 12th Daily CARS Passage, “Bach’s Fugue,” sentence by sentence. You’ll learn how to handle abstract, dense topics (like art and music) even when you know nothing about them.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

🎵 How to approach intimidating CARS passages on unfamiliar topics

🧠 Why outside knowledge can hurt you in CARS (and what to do instead)

📖 How to find the author’s main idea, fast

💡 Why structure and tone matter more than subject matter

🔍 Step-by-step reading of “Bach’s Fugue” with expert analysis

Whether you’re struggling with abstract art passages or just want to sharpen your CARS instincts, this workshop will help you read smarter, not harder.

Read the passage first: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/bachs-fugue

Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at podcast@jackwestin.com! 📱

📌 Free Academic Advising: https://calendly.com/academic-advising-4/jack-westin-academic-advising?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

💻 Try our Chrome Extension (video solutions to every AAMC passage) https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8

📚 Free Resources: https://jackwestin.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🎓 Live Education Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👨🏻‍🏫 Courses: https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

🙋 Tutoring: https://jackwestin.com/services/live-online-mcat-tutoring?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

📸 Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackwestinmcat?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast

👥 Join our Facebook Study Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freemcatprep?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast