Organic Chemistry on MCAT... WTF?!

[MedGrl@2022]

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I still have a bit more than month until my actual MCAT and I have a lot of Organic Chemistry memorization/review to do. However, I recently took AAMC 4 and some of the Orgo passages scared me. For instance, passage VII in the BS section. Should I be able to follow that mechanism perfectly? I am still sort of confused how they were able to synthesize the end product. Should I be able to figure it out for the real MCAT exam?

In addition, for item 135, I understand that isopropyl iodide is the only possible solution to produce product 5 but I don't understand the mechanism once again...

Can someone please help me out. I really need to review Organic Chemistry, but I would appreciate your help.

Thank you!!!!

 

[SKaminski]

From the first page of Exam Krackers; Organic Chemistry:

Organic chemistry is probably the most feared topic on the MCAT. Few MCAT test takers feel confident about their organic chemistry skills... Attempting to master advanced organic chemistry concepts in order to improve your MCAT score is not JUST a futile waste of time; it is likely to lower your MCAT score... You should expect questions to look complex and to appear that they require in depth knowledge of organic chemistry. When answering such questions, consider only the simplest organic chemistry concepts and answer the questions accordingly.

So, no. You should not be able to follow the mechanism perfectly. You do not have a PhD in organic chemistry. It is made to look tough, to provide you with extra information, and you have to figure out whats important. It's kind of the point of the MCAT.

 

[yellowjellybean]

I felt the same way when i first started studying for ochem. You definitely should not memorize every detail of the mechanisms but you should be familiar/categorize in your mind common steps (attacking at the carbonyl carbon, protonating OH to form a better leaving group, etc. etc.) It looks daunting at first but once you go over the lessons 2-3 times you will come to find the mechanisms are based on not that many concepts (that are within the scope of the MCAT).

 

[MedGrl@2022]

From the first page of Exam Krackers; Organic Chemistry:

Organic chemistry is probably the most feared topic on the MCAT. Few MCAT test takers feel confident about their organic chemistry skills... Attempting to master advanced organic chemistry concepts in order to improve your MCAT score is not JUST a futile waste of time; it is likely to lower your MCAT score... You should expect questions to look complex and to appear that they require in depth knowledge of organic chemistry. When answering such questions, consider only the simplest organic chemistry concepts and answer the questions accordingly.

So, no. You should not be able to follow the mechanism perfectly. You do not have a PhD in organic chemistry. It is made to look tough, to provide you with extra information, and you have to figure out whats important. It's kind of the point of the MCAT.

Okay good. So what are your suggestions to attacking the questions/problems? I often get so wrapped up in trying to understand the passage which could be hurtful to my score? Do you think I should just skim it and go straight to trying to answer the questions when it comes to organic chemistry, since at least with mechanism problems you are not expected to be able to follow the mechanism completely anyways?

 

[kmp0410]

Okay good. So what are your suggestions to attacking the questions/problems? I often get so wrapped up in trying to understand the passage which could be hurtful to my score? Do you think I should just skim it and go straight to trying to answer the questions when it comes to organic chemistry, since at least with mechanism problems you are not expected to be able to follow the mechanism completely anyways?

This is what I tend to do, I just skim the mechanisms and then when reading the questions I go back and look for the relationships they are talking about. There's no way you are going to be able to fully comprehend everything on first glance anyways (meaning you will have to refer back), so I wouldn't waste time really studying the mechanism the first time through.

 

[dudewheresmymd]

My suggestion would be to focus on getting as much of the BIO part of the BS section down since you are limited on time and then use a sort of hat trick as SN2ed suggests for the orgo topics since they are only 25%. Look at the outline of orgo topics and in the interest of time eliminate your weaknesses ASAP.