I am taking the MCAT without taking Ochem II.
Reasoning:
1. On all of the practice tests I've taken, I've been able to figure out probably 9/10 of the organic questions just by looking at it and thinking logically (electron-rich to electron-poor... acid/base... hmm..). The last 1/10? I don't KNOW it, but I can usually throw out at least one possible answer, and then I have a good shot at it.
2. Also, I have EK Organic, and there's only 1 section that I haven't gone over in my 1st semester ochem class. That should help narrow down questions even more.
3. I am much more concerned about raising my score in physical sciences. It's WORTH more. It's going to mean a ton of work and studying for me - especially since I'm writing the MCAT in March. Since I need to focus on PS while still keeping up in BS and Verbal, I want to have a minimum courseload. Ochem is just going to be a much harder 3 credits than the general bio class I'm taking instead.
Don't know how helpful any of that is to your situations, but the bottom line is probably that you don't want to bomb the ochem portion of BS, but in the end, physics, chemistry, and biology are all individually worth more points. You just have to figure out your own priorities as far as studying goes.
