Organic

[MCATMountain]

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Hey guys,

Any tips on improving organic? Also, is the organic on the practice tests more difficult in general than the organic on the actual test?

I seem to have problems when there are complex reactions and knowing what reagents are doing what, etc. I haven't completed the organic pre-req. What advice would you guys have on the essentials required to do well on the organic passages?

Thanks in advance.

 

[derrick rose]

I second this.

 

[NextStepTutor_2]

Organic on the practice tests is in line with the real tests. One of the first things you can do is group mechanisms into categories and study broad trends. Start with carbonyl reactions because the MCAT loves those. Know the basic reaction (nucleophilic attack of the carbonyl carbon) and how it can vary depending on the reactants (grignard reagents, water, etc). Always bring everything back to the major themes. Practice using those themes to predict products (acid anhydrides, acid halides, etc). When you approach organic this way, you get better at quickly adapting to the variety of scenarios presented on the test.

 

[MCATMountain]

Organic on the practice tests is in line with the real tests. One of the first things you can do is group mechanisms into categories and study broad trends. Start with carbonyl reactions because the MCAT loves those. Know the basic reaction (nucleophilic attack of the carbonyl carbon) and how it can vary depending on the reactants (grignard reagents, water, etc). Always bring everything back to the major themes. Practice using those themes to predict products (acid anhydrides, acid halides, etc). When you approach organic this way, you get better at quickly adapting to the variety of scenarios presented on the test.

Sounds reasonable. Thanks. I'll see what I can do. You wouldn't happen to know an easy PDF file floating around the internet that classifies them would you?

 

[NextStepTutor_2]

I'm not aware of any but maybe others can chime in. Honestly, even if you do find one, there's such a great opportunity to solidify your knowledge through the act of making one.