Pre-Med Coursework: The Prerequisites Every Medical School Requires

The core science sequence

Most MD and DO programs build their prerequisites around four science subjects: biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. Each one typically means a full academic year, two semesters or three quarters, with a lab component attached. A course missing its lab section can leave a prerequisite technically incomplete on your transcript.

Biology prerequisites usually mean introductory biology built for science majors, not a survey course aimed at non-majors. Chemistry splits into two separate years: general chemistry first, then organic chemistry, since organic chemistry builds directly on general chemistry material. Physics requirements do not always specify calculus-based versus algebra-based physics, so check the individual school if your college offers both tracks.

Standard prerequisite pattern

Treat this as a starting map, not a checklist to submit as is. Individual schools add, drop, or reword items, and the only reliable list is the one each program publishes.

Math requirements vary more than the sciences

Math prerequisites are less consistent across schools than the science ones. Some ask for a year of calculus, others accept statistics instead, and some want both. A share of schools list math as recommended rather than required. Confirm the exact wording for every school on your list, since a recommended course still matters when your application sits close to the cutoff.

Biochemistry has become close to standard

Biochemistry was optional at most schools a decade ago. It now appears as a required or strongly recommended course at a large share of MD programs, driven in part by the MCAT, which tests biochemistry content directly in its biological and biochemical foundations section. Plan for one semester of biochemistry, taken after you finish organic chemistry, since the material assumes that background.

Beyond the sciences

Many schools list English or writing-intensive coursework as a requirement, tied to the verbal reasoning demands of the MCAT and of medical training generally. Behavioral and social science courses, psychology and sociology especially, show up on a growing number of prerequisite lists, reflecting the Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section the MCAT added in 2015.

Verify requirements school by school

There is no single national prerequisite list every school follows. The AAMC publishes per-school requirements through its Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) database, and admissions offices point applicants there first. Cross-check your planned coursework against every school you intend to apply to instead of trusting a generic pre-med checklist to cover all of them.

Watch for common variations: some schools require upper-level biology beyond the intro sequence, some cap how old your prerequisite coursework can be by the time you enroll, and some will not accept AP or IB credit toward a requirement unless you complete a higher-level course in that subject afterward.

Community college and AP credit

Many schools accept community college credit for prerequisites. A portion prefer coursework completed at a four-year institution, especially for lab-based science courses, so check before you build a two-year college into your plan. If you used AP or IB credit to skip an intro science course, find out whether your target schools require you to complete a higher-level course in that subject instead of leaving the prerequisite blank on your transcript.

Retaking a prerequisite that went badly

A single low grade in a prerequisite course does not end your application, but a pattern of low grades across the science sequence draws attention from admissions committees. Retaking the course, or taking an upper-level course in the same subject and doing well, gives committees a clearer signal than the original grade alone. AMCAS records every attempt on your transcript, including repeats, so a retake does not erase the first grade, it adds context around it.

Common mistakes to avoid

Applicants sometimes finish prerequisites early and let two or three years pass before the MCAT, then find the material has faded by test day. Others skip a lab section because their college offered a lecture-only version of a course, not realizing a target school required the lab component specifically. Cross-check every prerequisite against MSAR again in your junior year, once your course schedule is mostly set, rather than only checking when you first declared your major.

Scheduling prerequisites around the MCAT

Spread the four core science sequences across your first two or three undergraduate years so you finish before MCAT preparation starts. Most applicants sit for the MCAT after completing biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics, since the exam draws content from all four subjects plus biochemistry and psychology. Talk to your college's pre-health advising office early. Advisors track how local course numbering maps to AAMC prerequisite categories and catch mismatches before they become a problem on your AMCAS application.