Ochem lab and MCAT

[riddler]

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I'm planning my schedule for future years and it seems that if I want to have at most one lab a semester, I'd be taking the MCAT BEFORE taking Organic Chemistry Lab.

How essential is it to have taken this lab before taking the MCAT, or would I be fine taking the test without this lab experience?

Also, I will not have taken biochemistry either. I know that biochem is not necessary, but that does it help. Is it valuable enough for me to wait to take the test, or should I still plan to take the test the summer after I complete my main pre-reqs (physics, bio, ochem)?
I'm not sure if this is relevant, but, I am using my AP credit to opt out of general chemistry. Of course, I will thoroughly review this content to make sure I know it--I just added this in case it affected any decisions.

I can clear up any confusion if this post was abstruse in any way.

Thank you!

 

[Mackey]

If you have taken ochem lecture, there is no reason you would be at a disadvantage on the MCAT without taking the lab. Sitting by a beaker waiting for something to boil off is not a tested skill.

The ochem I experienced on the MCAT was actually such superficial nonsense that I'm not sure even the lecture was necessary. A good review book would have been just fine. The tests do vary though, so thats just my own little experience.

 

[The Enchanter]

O. Chem lab is minimally helpful. It's possible that you will get one or two questions on the MCAT where some knowledge you gained from O. Chem lab will come in handy, but this is nothing that can't be learned from a MCAT review book. The one thing you'll want to make sure you brush up on are NMR and IR spectra. You will be expected to know some very basic concepts with these (e.g. what sort of IR peak would correspond to an alcohol? How does electron shielding affect NMR? and so on).

As for biochem, completely and totally unnecessary for the MCAT because the only biochem tested is covered in other classes. The only things I can think of that I learned in biochem that are tested on the MCAT is buffers, titrations and Henderson Hasselbalch (these are covered in gen chem) and very very basic things about metabolism (glycolysis, Krebs cycle - stuff covered in Freshman bio).

If you feel that taking these classes will better prepare you, go for it. i don't think they're necessary by any means though.

 

[FloatOn]

I have to disagree with the others. I would say ochem lab is pretty damn important and something I found very helpful. Reading about fractional distillation in a review book is one thing, but doing the actual experiment and interpreting the results is another. I did not learn NMR or IR in lecture; it was all in lab. You have to be able to recognize certain methods like recrystallization, vacuum filtration, etc. and analyze the results, often in table format. I personally think it would just be added work and stress on your part if you didn't have ochem lab (both semesters) before the MCAT.

 

[riddler]

Thanks for the responses!

So, from what I've gathered, it seems that not having taken biochemistry will not have any profound negative effects while opinions vary on the importance of having taken ochem lab.
I assume that whether or not to take ochem lab before the test is personal preference and a matter of how one learns--if I think I learn better by actually performing a lab or by just reading a review book.

Any more opinions on this would be great as I am still a little confused on what is the most prudent choice! Part of my dilemma is that I am taking Biology and Orgo at the same time--Bio has lab both semesters while there is only one semester of orgo lab. I'm not sure if taking more than one lab on top of those lectures would be wise and/or doable.

 

[tallandshort]

I agree with the previous posters who said you don't need O chem lab. You can easily get all the info from a review book (I used examkrackers) without ever doing the stuff in lab and still understand it very easily. I looked at the experiments in the examkrackers book (ch 4 I think?) but didn't bother memorizing any o chem equations since I didn't think based on practice AAMC exams that it would be high yield for the real test. I'm so glad I did that. I got a really good biological sciences score (the portion of the MCAT covering O chem) and know a lot of fellow students who spent a lot of time memorizing every o chem equation known to man and it didn't help them. Do whatever you feel comfortable with, but in my opinion taking o chem lab is completely unnecessary to get a good MCAT score. Good luck!

 

[GoSpursGo]

Is there any particular reason you're set on keeping it to only one lab per semester? I think most people wind up averaging two labs a semester, especially freshman and sophomore years.

 

[riddler]

I can easily keep it one lab a semester if I move ochem lab to spring of Junior year, and if it doesn't impact my testing, then I see no reason to not do that. I mean, why take two a semester if one is possible? After all, one lab is certainly easier and less time consuming than two at one time.

That makes sense to me, but my reasoning might be flawed somewhere. Is there any reason for me not to do this?

 

[bigbad]

What if you haven't finished the entire o-chem series before you take the MCAT? Is it mostly general stuff?

 

[riddler]

I will have my ochem series complete in time for the MCAT, just not the lab portion. Now, I am not sure how essential it is to have the ochem series fully completely, although I'd imagine that it would be a good idea.

 

[FloatOn]

What if you haven't finished the entire o-chem series before you take the MCAT? Is it mostly general stuff?

I would highly recommend taking ochem 2 before the MCAT. The fundamentals are in ochem 1, but second semester is when you really apply it and are exposed to a lot more reactions. I think it certainly helps with understanding reaction mechanisms more in depth.

I will have my ochem series complete in time for the MCAT, just not the lab portion. Now, I am not sure how essential it is to have the ochem series fully completely, although I'd imagine that it would be a good idea.

So, after thinking way, way back on ochem lab and the MCAT, I still say it's important, but I could see why people say you don't need it. I guess the one thing that I found the lab to be truly helpful with was NMR. Again, I didn't have NMR in lecture, so dealing with NMR in lab made me learn that splitting/coupling shiz like no other. However, there are probably at most 2 questions on NMR, so you'll probably be good on this.

OP, it's just hard to imagine what the MCAT would have been like without certain classes. I feel like every class that I've taken is helpful on the MCAT, even random stuff from random classes. To me, the more classes you take and the more difficult they are, the easier it is to approach the MCAT. For example, you see a "new" topic in a passage and it was mentioned in one of your classes, so you immediately feel more comfortable with it than someone who has never heard of it before. That doesn't mean take every class your college offers and read the encyclopedia, but just be aware of what you do learn in your classes and take interest in the world around you.

 

[riddler]

Indeed, I understand. Thank you all for the input! 🙂

 

[Morsetlis]

Everything you need to know to get a 35+ on the MCAT can be learned through a review book. I got a 36T with one day of studying (Princeton Review book).

Some people learn better through repetition--those people should take the classes and labs.

IR and NMR and HH equations will be important, by the way. And don't forget your physical sciences (kinematics, quantum, thermo, etc.)