C on First Biochemistry Exam

[Medico o Muerte]

I'm really disappointed with how my first biochemistry exam turned out. I scored 4% below the average, but still got only a "C". This class took up 80% of my study time during the summer, and I did everything to try to understand everything. I wrote down notes, wrote down questions to test myself, and wrote down things I would forget. I also understand and could follow the lecture.

Anyone have any study tips or if its possible to pull myself up to at least an A-? I just forget little details in the powerpoint. Would going over lectures over and over again be futile?

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[altblue]

I did everything to try to understand everything. I wrote down notes, wrote down questions to test myself, and wrote down things I would forget. I also understand and could follow the lecture.
I think I found the problem. That's not quite enough to allow you absorb the wealth of information they throw at you in biochemistry.

Have you made a good faith effort to systematically memorize info? Have you used physical flashcards, used Anki, or tested yourself slide-by-slide?

How many hours do you put in per week? Be honest here.

But hey, I think you can do better! From personal experience, I did quite badly initially in Biology II, but my grades improved dramatically after I fixed my study habits.

 

[carnelian]

Try to focus more on understanding rather than rote memorization. If you find yourself trying to memorize every single detail, you're doing something wrong... If you can explain the processes well to someone else, then you probably have a good grasp of the concepts.

 

[ChymeofPassion]

I got a C- on my first Biochem exam. Really kicked me into gear and made me change my study methods. I brought it up to an A- and I think I'm better off than if it had been an easy class and I sailed through with an A.

 

[Medico o Muerte]

@altblue I put in on average 30 hours a week outside of class. But I do agree that its not the time I put in, but how I use it.

 

[altblue]

@altblue I put in on average 30 hours a week outside of class. But I do agree that its not the time I put in, but how I use it.

It sounds like you're understanding the questions on exams and lectures just fine. Its likely memorization relared. A deficient that great suggests problems with memorising the information tol

I'm ****ing beat and can try to give more thorough advice later, but try out spaced repetition with the methods i suggested and ACTIVE memorization. You need to start retaining information better.

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

I take it that this is a summer course. If so, I'd try to dedicate more than 80% as summer courses go over 3 months of material in 1 month. Also go to office hours and talk to your professor about what he/she thinks you can do to improve and go over your exam. While science professor usually don't curve, some will if they see you really put in the effort. The way I studied biochemistry is I memorize every term that is highlighted and then integrated all of it. Look over what you got wrong.

 

[Dr. Scribe]

I suggest trying to do as many practice problems as you can.

A good source for them might be MCAT prep books (obviously, topic specific).

 

[altblue]

@altblue I put in on average 30 hours a week outside of class. But I do agree that its not the time I put in, but how I use it.

Well what are you going to do differently?

 

[Biochemistry69]

Do you have practice exams? Our exams were "Please select the true statement:" followed by really detailed statements. Go through those, and reason your way through everything. If a statement is false, correct it to be true. If a statement is true, explain why, and relate it to as many other concepts as possible. This is 100% paramount to your success.

When you get into pathways, use recall practice. View the first step of the pathway, close your book/laptop, and try your very best to recall everything, from names, structures, types of arrows, what step it is, etc. You won't get it right on the first try, but if you persist, you'll find that you'll eventually memorize the entire pathway.

 

[863168]

@Medico o Muerte Chances are you have a system that works considering you have a 3.8 cGPA/sGPA from the previous threads you have posted about your horrible sophomore year GPA. Biochemistry is a class that can be taught in completely different ways by different professors because of its broad topical matter. Some topics can be simple requiring you identify the R groups of amino acids and whether you know sucrose from fructose or mannose from galactose. Other topics of emphasis could be on zwitterion behavior and ask that you to calculate isoelectric points while another form of demonstration could be to actually draw the behavior out. To put it frankly, there is no way to tell you what to do because everyone could have a very different experience of the exact same class.

 

[BBBallIsLife]

Put your mind to it.

I did summer biochem 1 (10 week course), got a D+ and B- on first two exams, managed to ace third test and final, pulled up to an A. Talk to people who have previously taken the class and ask for tips. Also, im the kind of person who likes to know alllll the details from each lecture, so depending how you learn, make wise investments of your time.

Find some friends to study with. Its easier to suffer in a group than by yourself (even though you should probably spend time by yourself studying too, all depends how well you study in groups).

Don't be discouraged now, trust me. I was in a much worse situation, felt the discouragement, but had to think positively and what I needed to do to progress forward.

Good luck with your studies!

 

[jtd2081]

To be fair I think biochem was the hardest class I took during undergrad. Obviously, the class will be different for each professor who teaches it but something might need to change in your study habits as others have mentioned. How you need to change is always a self reflective experience as well as a sort of trial and error in my experience. When you find what really works for you in a particular class stick to it. This strategy will not always be the same across different classes but it is something to keep in mind about the type of studying you need to do. Some people are great at rote memorization while others really need to work top-down or visa versa.