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Well surely taking a course in a subject that's gonna be tested will help you, but that doesn't mean you can't self study it. Now the problem here is that Biochem is a relatively dense course, so if you are going to self study it you will need to have a good amount of time before your exam.
My opinion would be to take the course since it's still a new section with many unknowns as to how it will be tested and try to enjoy it (horrible times...)
My opinion would be to take the course since it's still a new section with many unknowns as to how it will be tested and try to enjoy it (horrible times...)
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I took a summer Biochem course prior to my MCAT, and when I got to the trial section, I got Biochem. Some of the things were familiar enough (maybe because I knew I was taking the old MCAT and wasn't as...super rigorous about my class over the summer because I was already MCAT studying or ..a bunch of other factors), but dang that was killer. I gave up halfway and just selected random answers 🙂.
I do think you could possibly teach yourself some of the material at a lighter level (I do think you can teach some metabolic pathways and enzyme kinematics, etc yourself), but a couple of other pathways, I think would take some time. That being said, I don't know what parts of Biochem is to be covered on the MCAT. The stuff I got seemed to be more beginning biochem, which probably explains why I was vaguely familiar..
I do think you could possibly teach yourself some of the material at a lighter level (I do think you can teach some metabolic pathways and enzyme kinematics, etc yourself), but a couple of other pathways, I think would take some time. That being said, I don't know what parts of Biochem is to be covered on the MCAT. The stuff I got seemed to be more beginning biochem, which probably explains why I was vaguely familiar..
It is strongly recommended for the new mcat since its "cornerstone" so to speak will be Biochemistry. It was already a recommended course for many medical schools so I wouldn't shy away from taking it.
some medical schools require it so you're better off taking it anyway
You know what, we're almost done with our biochem and I'm not sure why schools are so focused on teaching it. The type of biochem that we learn is really not like the stuff I learned in my biochemistry class. This biochem actually feels way more relevant (which is saying something since most physicians I talk to say that we'll never use biochem on a regular basis). I daresay I might enjoy it. None of this answers your question, OP, but I felt like sharing it because I'm surprised at the growing emphasis on biochem when it so often is not as useful in preparing for med school.
