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MCAT CARS Workshop: Mastering a “History & Literature” Passage (Timing, Mapping, Traps)
Sharpen your CARS instincts with a full walkthrough of an AAMC-style “History & Literature” passage. We’ll map the argument, separate author vs. viewpoint voices, and dismantle common trap answers so you can move faster without sacrificing accuracy.What you’ll learn:Passage mapping for humanities texts (thesis, tone, shifts)Timing & pacing: when to skim vs. slow downQuestion strategy by type (main idea, author attitude, inference, function)Wrong-answer patterns (extreme, outside scope, flip choices)Read the passage first: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/history-and-literatureWant to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at [email protected]! 📱📌 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
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MCAT DNA Replication Explained: Semi-Conservative Copying, Okazaki Fragments, & Mutation Repair
In this episode we connect genetics + central dogma to the next big step: how cells copy DNA and what happens when it goes wrong.What you’ll learn (MCAT-high yield):Semi-conservative replication: why each daughter DNA has one old + one new strandOrigins of replication & replication bubblesKey enzymes: helicase, SSB proteins, topoisomerase, DNA pol III & I, primase, ligaseLeading vs. lagging strands and Okazaki fragmentsProofreading & repair: exonuclease activity, mismatch repair, nucleotide excision repair (UV/thymine dimers)Mutation types: silent, nonsense, frameshift (+ why location matters)Where this shows up in cell cycle, cancer biology, and classic experimental set-ups (knockouts)Perfect for MCAT Bio/Biochem passages that love replication, mutations, and repair pathways.Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at [email protected]! 📱📌 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
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Central Dogma for the MCAT: Transcription, Translation & Gene Regulation
DNA doesn’t “do", it instructs. In this episode of the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast, Mike and Molly walk through the central dogma, how we go from DNA → RNA → protein—and the regulation that makes different cells, well, different. Perfect for MCAT Bio/Biochem: we hit transcription, RNA processing, translation mechanics (A–P–E sites), start/stop codons, eukaryote vs. prokaryote differences, and multi-layered gene expression regulation (chromatin, transcription factors, miRNA/siRNA, ubiquitin, & more).🔑 What you’ll learnCentral dogma overview (DNA → RNA → protein)Transcription: promoter, template vs. coding strand, initiation/elongation/terminationEukaryotic RNA processing: 5′ cap, splicing (introns vs. exons, alternative splicing), poly-A tailTranslation: AUG start (Met), codons/anticodons, tRNA charging, ribosome A–P–E sites, stop codons (UAA/UAG/UGA)Eukaryotes vs. Prokaryotes: 40/60/80S vs. 30/50/70S ribosomes, coupled transcription–translation, operons (lac/trp)Regulation: heterochromatin vs. euchromatin, histone acetylation, DNA methylation, transcription factors, miRNA/siRNA silencing, post-translational mods (ubiquitin, phosphorylation)Want to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at [email protected]! 📱📌 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=youtube&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
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“Reflective Art” CARS Passage Breakdown: Distance, Detachment & Bresson
Join Molly and Jack for a CARS Reading Skills Workshop as they unpack Susan Sontag’s “Reflective Art”. Learn how to spot main ideas, separate concrete from “wishy-washy” lines, and use author tone and repetition to navigate dense prose. We also dive into why Sontag highlights emotional distance, postponed gratification, and filmmaker Robert Bresson and how these themes show up in CARS questions.What you’ll learn:How to find the main idea when the writing is abstract“Concrete vs. wishy-washy” sentence filter (what to cling to vs. skim)Why detachment changes emotional responses in reflective artHow labels like “cold” vs “hot” art can be trapsPractical CARS habits: stay engaged without importing your own opinionsTry the passage & 5 questions:👉 Reflective Art – Oct 15 Daily Passage: https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/reflective-artWant to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at [email protected]! 📱📌 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
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Urban Species CARS Passage Breakdown | How to Find the Author’s Argument in Science-Heavy Passages
Science-heavy CARS passages got you zoning out? In this Jack Westin CARS Reading Skills Workshop, Molly and Jack unpack the “Urban Species” passage, showing how to track scientific tone, spot the author’s stance, and separate data from argument without overreading.You’ll learn how to: ✅ Identify when examples (like species adaptation or ecology studies) support vs. distract from the claim✅ Stay focused when scientific details feel overwhelming✅ Build a clear main idea from subtle cues and contrast words💡 Practice the “Urban Species” passage here:👉 https://jackwestin.com/daily/mcat-practice-passages/cars-practice-passages/urban-speciesWant to learn more? Shoot us a text at 415-855-4435 or email us at [email protected]! 📱📌 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
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About Jack Westin MCAT Podcast

Mike and Molly from Jack Westin discusses anecdotes, advice, and ramblings on the premed years, the MCAT, and life beyond. Have new episodes delivered to you by subscribing.

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