Biochem / Genetics on the MCAT

[mcarrick]

I have been reading on this forum that biochem and genetics have lately been emphasized by the MCAT and they have slowly been shifting away from physiology.

Can anyone tell me what this means specifically? Biochem and genetics are very broad terms so I don't know exactly what they encompass. I have a strong science background (studying biomedical engineering at a top school) but I haven't taken an official biochem or genetics class. What kind of genetics is it? and biochem?

I am unfamiliar with the terminology everyone uses on this site but I presume on the MCAT Molecular Genetics deals with the central dogma and mitosis/meiosis, Evolutionary Genetics is Punnett squares and Hardy-Weinberg, and biochem deals with enzymes and the molecular basis of glycolysis, Krebs cycle, etc. Am I on the right track?

Can anyone please give me example of what kind of questions I should be expecting with regards to these questions?

Thanks!

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[paul411]

I think your best source of information on this topic would be an MCAT prep book. Usually the biology section will have a genetics chapter and a biochemistry chapter

 

[mcarrick]

I am taking the Kaplan class at the moment. I took 4 of their FLs as well as AAMC 5 (I will take more). However, these exams are very physiology heavy and don't have too much genetics/biochemistry on them so I was wondering what the real deal is like.

 

[paul411]

It's really a mixed bag. You might have a whole passages on genetics/biochemistry or they could just be in standalone questions - it's fairly random.

Everything is fair game, so make sure you master all the topics before you take the real thing. Don't have any "weak areas"; you definitely don't want to end up in a situation where you weak areas show up in a passage.

 

[mcarrick]

Thanks for your reply.

I think you're misunderstanding my question though. I'm not concerned with the type of question (discrete, passage, etc.) but more regarding the topic. So when someone says biochemistry, what topic does that mean? In my Kaplan book there is no "biochemistry" chapter - so it must encompass several chapters. I would consider the very specifics of glycolysis and the Krebs cycle to be biochemistry, but what are some other examples? and of the genetics?

Thanks

 

[Nkeflin]

Thanks for your reply.

I think you're misunderstanding my question though. I'm not concerned with the type of question (discrete, passage, etc.) but more regarding the topic. So when someone says biochemistry, what topic does that mean? In my Kaplan book there is no "biochemistry" chapter - so it must encompass several chapters. I would consider the very specifics of glycolysis and the Krebs cycle to be biochemistry, but what are some other examples? and of the genetics?

Thanks

Biochemistry typically refers to cellular metabolism, so yes, glycolysis and Krebs cycle are examples. Other examples are Oxidative Phosphorylation, Fatty Acid (beta) Oxidation, Urea Cycle, and other chemical processes that occur within an organism.

Molecular genetics refers to anything dealing with the genetic code at the molecular level, i.e. DNA replication, transcription, protein synthesis, mutations, bacterial/viral genetics...

Berkeley Review has a great review of molecular genetics and lots of passages, although many people on this site say it's a little bit too detailed

hope this helps

 

[paul411]

Also try to check out the Examkrackers Biology book if you can. IIRC, they had a whole chapter on genetics and a chapter on cellular metabolism with practice problems and an end of chapter 30-minute mini-exam with passages. Also, I hear good things about Berkeley Review as the above poster mentioned.