Gen Chem self study for mcat

[PreMedGal20]

Hi guys,

I Feel like I have a solid background on all subjects the MCAT covers besides gen chem. I got C's in gen chem 1 and 2 (wasnt really motivated my freshman year). All other pre-reqs I got A's.

I will dedicate about 3 months of self study to MCAT. How long would it take for me to get a great understanding of gen chem( in terms of weeks or so).

Also has anyone studied for mcat with feeling super weak in a specific subject matter? And how did it go?

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[BerkReviewTeach]

The reality is that general chemistry was part of your academic life after your first year. You will find that at least half of the material in general chemistry was re-taught (and relearned) in later classes. Biochemistry probably taught titration curves and pH better than general chemistry. Organic chemistry probably taught kinetics (through SN1 and SN2) better than general chemistry. Energy diagrams in organic chemistry and biology were applications of thermodynamics, covered in general chemistry. Electrochemistry was subtly reviewed in circuits, EM, oxidation-reduction reactions in organic chemistry, and NADH/NAD+ and FADH2/FAD in biochemistry. You will likely be able to blow through half of the general chemistry content pretty quickly.

Don't be so stress out about general chemistry if you have a good understanding of the other topics. A good general chemistry review will encompass applications in many other areas.

Good luck.

 

[BBBallIsLife]

Do you have any prep books? Have you done a diagnostic?

I agree w/ everything the poster said above. If you want to go back and review something in particular though, I always find learning equations and periodic trends nice to have in your back pocket. If you have a review book, just re-read over the material or the end of chapter summaries which shouldn't take that long (since you said you had 3 months of time).

When I started studying for the MCAT, i felt super weak in psych. I took a class, but didnt get anything except an A out of it. How i improved: devoted a lot of time in a psych MCAT prep book and memorized all the important terms and info. Then I finally began to remember the stuff taught in my class lol

 

[PreMedGal20]

Do you have any prep books? Have you done a diagnostic?

I agree w/ everything the poster said above. If you want to go back and review something in particular though, I always find learning equations and periodic trends nice to have in your back pocket. If you have a review book, just re-read over the material or the end of chapter summaries which shouldn't take that long (since you said you had 3 months of time).

When I started studying for the MCAT, i felt super weak in psych. I took a class, but didnt get anything except an A out of it. How i improved: devoted a lot of time in a psych MCAT prep book and memorized all the important terms and info. Then I finally began to remember the stuff taught in my class lol

I will be taking the princeton review prep course during my 3-month study so hopefully that'll cover it well enough. I do realize now that biochem and ochem did cover some of topics from gen chem lol so i'm just gonna focus mainly on what i dont remember from gen chem.