For anyone who has taken Biochemistry 1...

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Is it possible to learn the material from Biochemistry 1 for MCAT 2015 and beyond without having taken the actual college course? I know the ideal situation would be to take the course, but I'm wondering if this could at least be possible; I already took the four basic pre-med pre-requisites but I don't have the time to take another course.

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Is it possible to learn the material from Biochemistry 1 for MCAT 2015 and beyond without having taken the actual college course? I know the ideal situation would be to take the course, but I'm wondering if this could at least be possible; I already took the four basic pre-med pre-requisites but I don't have the time to take another course.

Possible? Yes, certainly, just like it's possible to self-study any of the other MCAT subjects. It's just typically not recommended because it doesn't usually turn out well.

I recently took biochem, not in preparation for the 2015 MCAT, but for requirements of schools I'd like to apply to. I would say that 40-50% of the material was information I had already learned at least once elsewhere, but I've also taken a wide variety of other upper level bio classes. If you feel your bio and organic knowledge is strong, I think it can be done. I would just heavily weigh the risks vs benefits. Why not take one of the last "old" MCATs if you already have your pre-reqs finished?
 
I took biochem after I took the MCAT and I would say >90% of class material was covered in The Berkeley Review bio II book (molec cell).
 
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Between a review book and something like Khan Academy to fill in any gaps, you can teach yourself Biochem... if you have the motivation.
 
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This is all encouraging. SweetCaroline7, the reason I don't want to take the "old" MCAT is because it's been a while since I've taken the courses (I'm an old pre-med) and I need time to re-learn the material. If it's possible to learn biochemistry on my own or with the aid of a prep course, I'd feel much more comfortable spending more time to familiarize myself with the pre-reqs and take care of the biochemistry.
 
You could probably get by without taking the course. The course overlaps with genetics, cell physiology, immunology, etc--basically a variety of upper-level courses in biology. There are plenty of free online course alternatives (eg MIT OpenCourseWare, Coursera, edx, etc) that you can use as resources along with the official MCAT syllabus (https://www.aamc.org/students/download/374008/data/mcat2015-bb-content-outline.pdf). Get a good biochem book (I liked Stryer), print out the guide, and go ham.
 
Sounds good. I think I'm going to give this a shot...self-studying biochemistry.
 
Is it possible to learn the material from Biochemistry 1 for MCAT 2015 and beyond without having taken the actual college course? I know the ideal situation would be to take the course, but I'm wondering if this could at least be possible; I already took the four basic pre-med pre-requisites but I don't have the time to take another course.
Even with a Biochem course, you have no way of knowing what's on the MCAT bc it's only now coming out. If you're really interested in learning it, get a Lippincott's Biochem review book, maybe?
 
Is it possible to learn the material from Biochemistry 1 for MCAT 2015 and beyond without having taken the actual college course? I know the ideal situation would be to take the course, but I'm wondering if this could at least be possible; I already took the four basic pre-med pre-requisites but I don't have the time to take another course.
For the current MCAT yes, but judging from biochem trial section I took you absolutely need an in dept understanding of metabolic pathways and enzyme kinetics for the 2015 MCAT.
 
Between a review book and something like Khan Academy to fill in any gaps, you can teach yourself Biochem... if you have the motivation.
I find Khan Academy material a joke compared to what I tested in the biochem trial section.
 
I took Biochem I this past semester and found the course pretty straightforward with a lot of overlap from other subjects. Our instructors knew their stuff deeply but taught fairly surface level. Our book was my least favorite book of all undergrad. Didn't work too hard, got an A+

I took the biochem trial section during my MCAT. HOLY SNAPPLEBUCKETS it was hard.

Moral of the story: it depends on the course you would take, instructors, book, etc.
 
I took Biochem I this past semester and found the course pretty straightforward with a lot of overlap from other subjects. Our instructors knew their stuff deeply but taught fairly surface level. Our book was my least favorite book of all undergrad. Didn't work too hard, got an A+

I took the biochem trial section during my MCAT. HOLY SNAPPLEBUCKETS it was hard.

Moral of the story: it depends on the course you would take, instructors, book, etc.

What book did you use?
 
I used the same book, and took the class and it was difficult. The information is very dense, and of all the classes I would not want to teach myself biochemistry. I would personally avoid it, but it is up to you since it is certainly possible.
 
I took Biochem I this past semester and found the course pretty straightforward with a lot of overlap from other subjects. Our instructors knew their stuff deeply but taught fairly surface level. Our book was my least favorite book of all undergrad. Didn't work too hard, got an A+

I took the biochem trial section during my MCAT. HOLY SNAPPLEBUCKETS it was hard.

Moral of the story: it depends on the course you would take, instructors, book, etc.
Biochemistry is a course that we have to take in first year of medical school anyway so we might as well learn some of it now to make life easier in med school.
 
Which book is the most closely related to the biochem section on the MCAT? I have the Lehninger, and it's excellent for review, but I'm concerned that there are too few problems.
 
Which book is the most closely related to the biochem section on the MCAT? I have the Lehninger, and it's excellent for review, but I'm concerned that there are too few problems.
That's unknown at this time.
 
Which book is the most closely related to the biochem section on the MCAT? I have the Lehninger, and it's excellent for review, but I'm concerned that there are too few problems.

Lol i use sporcle for pathways (with caution). Did you try the website for Lehninger or Voet? They have online quizzes
 
Lol i use sporcle for pathways (with caution). Did you try the website for Lehninger or Voet? They have online quizzes

Really? I didn't know that. Thank you!
 
Nobody at this time can tell you what is going to be on MCAT 2015 Biochem-wise from their own experiences. Yes I believe it is possible to self-study for anything on MCAT (does not mean it's advisable).
 
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