Biochem panic..

[plumerias]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Sorry for the length of this post- it's a mix of me venting and asking for your advice.

My biochem I class has been majorly stressing me out this semester. There's three exams (50%) and homework (20%) and the final exam (30%). I bombed my first exam cause I just didn't study enough, but from then on studied my butt off and improved on my second exam, but I somehow bombed my 3rd exam worse than my first..

I've put all of my other classes and studying for the DAT on the backburner all semester to get this grade up. I feel like I've done everything possible.. I read the chapter and highlight, watch lectures on it on YouTube, go to my own lecture, re-read and outline, did all the recommended problems, and studied with a friend (who also said I know the material really well, I just get tripped up on the exam.) I did back exams and questions from other university's back exams.

The average for the exams have been way higher than usual for this class. The prof said it's usually a 60- in which case I would be doing awesome- but it's a 75 this semester. I'm looking at a b- at best right now and I am panicking to say the least.

My biggest weakness on the exams is the multiple choice. There's also a fill in the blank and open ended section, where I lose a couple points here and there, but they're not my main concern. I'm terrified because the final is possibly all multiple choice. I don't know how to get better at them besides practice- the book (Lehninger) doesn't have mc and the test bank mc are much easier than hers.

Other than the actual class, I'm panicking because it's my only upper level sci so far and I'm having nightmares of what will happen if I get a b- or even a c+. My sciGPA is about a 3.45 right now and I feel like I can't afford to take a big hit. 🙁

If you read to the end, thank you for listening to my meltdown. Any advice is appreciated. My final is in a little less than 2 weeks.

 

[Blake1e]

Your main issue is your study technique. You should be making your own practices questions (mc, fill-in, short answer, essay) based on the slides/textbook. I dont consider myself to be a smart guy but with this technique I was able to get an A for both biochem 1 & 2. Its been over a year and I can still recall bits of what I studied and if I probe harder and think a little I can pull out even more info. During a tour in a dental school I walked in on a biochem lecture and it all instantly came flying back. By creating your own exams all the info is engraved in your mind and understanding just flows naturally.

Bonus: skimming through the slides/textbook then creating your own practice questions will save you a lot of time compared to what youre currently doing.

As for your situation: if you cant drop or pass/fail it then study my way and kick ass on the final. Take that B- or C+ (maybe youll even get a B). If it brings down your GPA too much then just retake next semester and get an A, or just take a bunch of easy-A science classes to mitigate the your biochem grade's effect on your GPA.

 

[Dentalguy8621]

Sorry for the length of this post- it's a mix of me venting and asking for your advice.

My biochem I class has been majorly stressing me out this semester. There's three exams (50%) and homework (20%) and the final exam (30%). I bombed my first exam cause I just didn't study enough, but from then on studied my butt off and improved on my second exam, but I somehow bombed my 3rd exam worse than my first..

I've put all of my other classes and studying for the DAT on the backburner all semester to get this grade up. I feel like I've done everything possible.. I read the chapter and highlight, watch lectures on it on YouTube, go to my own lecture, re-read and outline, did all the recommended problems, and studied with a friend (who also said I know the material really well, I just get tripped up on the exam.) I did back exams and questions from other university's back exams.

The average for the exams have been way higher than usual for this class. The prof said it's usually a 60- in which case I would be doing awesome- but it's a 75 this semester. I'm looking at a b- at best right now and I am panicking to say the least.

My biggest weakness on the exams is the multiple choice. There's also a fill in the blank and open ended section, where I lose a couple points here and there, but they're not my main concern. I'm terrified because the final is possibly all multiple choice. I don't know how to get better at them besides practice- the book (Lehninger) doesn't have mc and the test bank mc are much easier than hers.

Other than the actual class, I'm panicking because it's my only upper level sci so far and I'm having nightmares of what will happen if I get a b- or even a c+. My sciGPA is about a 3.45 right now and I feel like I can't afford to take a big hit. 🙁

If you read to the end, thank you for listening to my meltdown. Any advice is appreciated. My final is in a little less than 2 weeks.

Take a deep breathe. Biochem is the worst! I was a supplemental instructor for the course and it was very rigorous at my university. I try and help out all the students that I can. My school was a little different in the fact that we didn't utilize the book very often (same book as yours tho) and by very often I mean never. The best bet was to record lectures and play them back. Is your final cumulative? Have you scored perfectly on all the homework (easy points I assume)? Have you gone to the professor and asked him/her what the best approach is? What about the students who are at the top end, what do they do?

 

[Blake1e]

i like your study technique. can you elaborate some more on how you make your practice questions? like do you hand write them out, type it in word, use quizlet/anki type of software? also, when you skim the book, do you write down notes from the book or just skim then come up with questions . i have a similar problem as the OP for an equally grueling bio class, so i really appreciate your help! i also waste so much time reading the book for hours. exam results are still C and Ds for me cuz i cant answer questions

If a test covers 3 chapters I'll tackle them one at a time. First Ill skim the slides and/or textbook covering the 1st chap just to get the basic idea, I don't write anything down but I do read it aloud sometimes (it engages the brain on another level and makes you feel more familiar with the topic & aids in understanding). Then I'll go back to the beginning and start making up my own practice questions based on the format I believe the real test will have. I'd also write an answer key on a separate page(s) with explanations if needed.

I hand write it. Writing it out is powerfully effective and since most exams are written and not on computers you'll be able to access the information that much easier & quicker without having to adjust. Also it's a bitch to type out biochem equations on a computer.

With this method I went from getting between 2.6 -3,1 GPAs to consistently getting 3.9s and up. I used to think school was hard but now that I found a way to easily encode new information into my brain it all seems kinda babyish. It's all in the technique.

 

[plumerias]

Thanks so much for all your responses and support, guys.

Dentalguy, I've gone to the professor after my first exam and we talked about different styles of studying for the overall exam as there wasn't one clear section I was struggling with. But I'm going to see her tomorrow and talk about tackling her multiple choice specifically. And yes, there is homework- I do have a 100 or a little over on that, so it will help a bit. I have two friends/study buddies who are top scorers, one studies hard (I studied with her and copied her study method- didn't work for me, clearly) and the other is one of those genius types who can simply read the text a few times and understand/figure out all the questions.... I'm also not a science major, so I think everyone else may have a slight edge over me since some topics overlap from other advanced sciclasses. I'm always baffled by how much these people know.

I'm definitely going to try your question making method, blake1e. I already have a good grasp on most of the chapters so I think it'll really give me the problem solving boost I need for the final. And thanks for reminding me it's not the end of the world if I do end up with a bad grade.

 

[taylorh75]

It's one class- don't stress out so hard! I got a C+ in biochem and I got into two schools on December 1st. Just do your best in there without letting your other classes slip.

 

[Julian Delphiki]

When I was first reading your post, it sounded like you were going to fail the class. But apparently you can gun for a B-/C+. I got a B- in my ochem class and that was it. I was damn proud of my grade and felt like I learned a lot.