How Biochem Heavy is the Test?

[Old_Mil]

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350 questions...about roughly what % are we looking at that deal with specific enzyme names, pathways, etc?

 

[blz]

350 questions...about roughly what % are we looking at that deal with specific enzyme names, pathways, etc?

There's very few questions on biochem that are purely pathway related. A lot of biochem is vitamin deficiencies, enzyme deficiencies, golycogen/lysosomal storage diseases, and integrations in other disciplines (like pharm, path, cell bio, etc.) Don't bother memorizing all steps of a pathway. Know your key regulatory enzyme steps and specific aspects of biochem that have a clinical application. Make sure you really understand your vitamins, cofactors, and important amino acids and what important clinical context they may show up in. I can't stress this enough, VITAMINS/NUTRITION (poisons as well, like LEAD esp!) is HUGE on this test. Goljan's nutrition lecture is solid.

 

[bulldoc]

the above is true. and plus, everyone's test has different % biochem etc, so it's hard to give a direct answer.

the way FA portrays biochem is a decent way to have to know it...clinical relevance.

 

[lord_jeebus]

Inversely proportional to the amount of time you spend studying it

 

[WhoisJohnGalt]

Inversely proportional to the amount of time you spend studying it

So true...

 

[domer621]

So true...

I thought you were taking your test on the 23rd?

 

[WhoisJohnGalt]

I thought you were taking your test on the 23rd?

I am, it just seems to be the theme from everyone I know that's taken the exam (i.e. they are guaranteed to get an exam that's heaviest on the things they're least prepared for, and vice versa)... which I guess is a good thing, because people usually study the most for the things they're weakest on. My plan is to pound biochem for the next week, in the hopes that I might avoid any biochem questions

 

[JohnnieBlue]

I am, it just seems to be the theme from everyone I know that's taken the exam (i.e. they are guaranteed to get an exam that's heaviest on the things they're least prepared for, and vice versa)... which I guess is a good thing, because people usually study the most for the things they're weakest on. My plan is to pound biochem for the next week, in the hopes that I might avoid any biochem questions

Taking my test on the 29th, and I can't help but say that this phenomenon must have a component of recall bias. You only remember the questions that dealt with things you weren't prepared for.

Wow, I am such a loser. I can't wait until I have a life again.

 

[Arctic Char]

Wow, I am such a loser. I can't wait until I have a life again.

i hear ya . . .

 

[Old_Mil]

The reason I ask, is that I'm doing alright on the UWorld question bank overall, but 4 subjects are destroying me: Anatomy (which I'm prepared to blow off - I didn't like it and wasn't very good at this useless craphole of a class the first go around anyway), Biochemistry, Pharmacology [all in the 30th percentile], and Genetics [15th percentile - ouch]...everything else, I'm 60th percentile +.

Pharm bothers me - did well in Pharm in school and what we got was good but it apparently wasn't up to UWorld standards so I'm going to hit that hard, and was wondering if I can get away with blowing off Anatomy and Genetics and Biochem. I'm guessing, probably not. Think I can get away with blowing off Anatomy and Genetics at least?

(and by "get away with" I mean passing + 1 point. I'm headed for rural primary care and at this point don't give a damn).

 

[anesthesiarocks]

The reason I ask, is that I'm doing alright on the UWorld question bank overall, but 4 subjects are destroying me: Anatomy (which I'm prepared to blow off - I didn't like it and wasn't very good at this useless craphole of a class the first go around anyway), Biochemistry, Pharmacology [all in the 30th percentile], and Genetics [15th percentile - ouch]...everything else, I'm 60th percentile +.

Pharm bothers me - did well in Pharm in school and what we got was good but it apparently wasn't up to UWorld standards so I'm going to hit that hard, and was wondering if I can get away with blowing off Anatomy and Genetics and Biochem. I'm guessing, probably not. Think I can get away with blowing off Anatomy and Genetics at least?

(and by "get away with" I mean passing + 1 point. I'm headed for rural primary care and at this point don't give a damn).

what are uworld standards for pharm? Just know FA for pharm and understand all the autonomic diagrams and you'll be fine. Know FA cold for pharm and the 30 or so pharm questions you get you'll get 27 or so right.

If all you want to do is pass, blow off anatomy and a good bit of biochem(like all off the molecular bio). Go over stuff like vitamin deficiencies and a lot of the non-biochempathway diseases that FA lists in the biochem section(CF for example, DS) but blow off something like a big confusing chart on collagen synthesis or the krebs cycle or what histones bind what other histones together. If all you want to do is pass know your pharm, phys, path, and micro pretty well........you'll pass with those 4 if you know them well and just blow anatomy, molecular bio, biochem, embryo, etc completely off.

 

[Taus]

The reason I ask, is that I'm doing alright on the UWorld question bank overall, but 4 subjects are destroying me: Anatomy (which I'm prepared to blow off - I didn't like it and wasn't very good at this useless craphole of a class the first go around anyway), Biochemistry, Pharmacology [all in the 30th percentile], and Genetics [15th percentile - ouch]...everything else, I'm 60th percentile +.

Pharm bothers me - did well in Pharm in school and what we got was good but it apparently wasn't up to UWorld standards so I'm going to hit that hard, and was wondering if I can get away with blowing off Anatomy and Genetics and Biochem. I'm guessing, probably not. Think I can get away with blowing off Anatomy and Genetics at least?

(and by "get away with" I mean passing + 1 point. I'm headed for rural primary care and at this point don't give a damn).

wait a sec....aren't you a DO student?....why are you taking the usmle if you want rural primary care?

either way you'll need to know your pharm well as the comlex is loaded w/ it

 

[marr]

The reason I ask, is that I'm doing alright on the UWorld question bank overall, but 4 subjects are destroying me: Anatomy (which I'm prepared to blow off - I didn't like it and wasn't very good at this useless craphole of a class the first go around anyway), Biochemistry, Pharmacology [all in the 30th percentile], and Genetics [15th percentile - ouch]...everything else, I'm 60th percentile +.

Pharm bothers me - did well in Pharm in school and what we got was good but it apparently wasn't up to UWorld standards so I'm going to hit that hard, and was wondering if I can get away with blowing off Anatomy and Genetics and Biochem. I'm guessing, probably not. Think I can get away with blowing off Anatomy and Genetics at least?

(and by "get away with" I mean passing + 1 point. I'm headed for rural primary care and at this point don't give a damn).

UWorld pharm is not representative of the real deal. Okay, think back to your micro class, your professor said that X antibiotics covers these organisms, which antibiotics? This is Uworld pharm, and it will net about 1 question on the real deal. Know side effects, can't stress this enough.

 

[stargirl50]

If you did well in your pharm class, I wouldn't stress over that subject too much. 1 day of review (if you did well the first time around) is plenty IMO.

 

[hyperbaric]

Inversely proportional to the amount of time you spend studying it

😆

 

[Taus]

If you did well in your pharm class, I wouldn't stress over that subject too much. 1 day of review (if you did well the first time around) is plenty IMO.

I agree....pharm was a cakewalk if you knew all the moa's and major sides in FA....some of the pharmacodynamics got a little hairy though

 

[Old_Mil]

wait a sec....aren't you a DO student?....why are you taking the usmle if you want rural primary care?

(1) Yes. (2) If Dracula and AT Still were lying in identical coffins in front of me and I only had one stake...

 

[Taus]

(1) Yes. (2) If Dracula and AT Still were lying in identical coffins in front of me and I only had one stake...

point taken