orgo chem - how to study!! (no prereq)

[yestomeds]

Hey everyone, I have a question about organic chemistry and how to best prepare for any sections having anything to do with organic them concepts (even though I know they reduced the # of Qs pertaining to it).

I didn't take the prereq because many schools up here in Canada have taken orgo as a prereq out.

Yes I know it's always easier to have taken courses the MCAT tests on before studying for the MCAT and so on cuz then you'll find studying easier.
But that being said, I'm looking for your advice on how to study and prepare given my situation.

What book/prep book/books to go with? How to start? How long should content "review" (learning) be? etc. Thankful of your help! 🙂

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[RCatalyticalChemist]

It's been about four years since I took the MCAT, so my answers may be irrelevant, but I think the best thing you can do in your situation is to obtain syllabi for a year sequence of Organic Chem (either two for semester, three for quarter), and then follow those syllabi as if you were taking the course in its entirety. I.e. if you're going over Catalytic Hydrogenation of Alkynes three months into the course, make sure you understand Elimination, SN1/SN2, confirmations, acid/base, etc etc, just like you would in a normal class. Basically, don't fall behind or slack just because you aren't receiving a grade. Also, most of the MCAT content (when I took the exam) was understanding and applying information on mechanisms towards overall medical principles. It may be beneficial for you to begin your learning during the 2nd quarter, assuming you are a quick learner.

I believe the book I used was Wade or Loudon, but my studying for the MCAT consisted of TPR, EK, and a strong foundation already in my prereq courses.

But, with that being said, there really is no substitution for attending lecture, and then applying those concepts in lab. Not only that, but lab is good fun, and was one of the highlights of my undergrad courses.

Good luck!

 

[realba11]

Organic Chemistry is largely about following the electrons: which compounds are donors, and which are acceptors. Which compounds have withdrawing groups and donating groups within a molecule to determine relative acidity between two molecules. If you can develop intuition about these areas, you are on your way to understanding and predicting most of the reactions that you are responsible for. This is also useful for the lab techniques as well.

Cheers

 

[mikil100]

If you can train yourself about the characteristics of molecules, MANY of the reactions become predictable. It's really the 'special case' reactions that take a lot of work IMO.

The most important things to learn about are

1) electronegativity and acids/bases (these go hand in hand I think)
2) The "structure" of carbon, as in its orbitals and how it forms it's bonds.. probably should learn about oxygen and nitrogens bonding as well
3)Electrophilic addition reactions (learn the mechanism and for which molecules it applies)
4) SN2, SN1, E1, E2 reactions.---IE nucleophilic addition/elimination
5) The basic premises of Carbonyl compounds, alpha carbons, etc... this will be higher yield than the rest because it goes over stuff needed for amino acids.


As others have said if you can follow the flow of electrons, from a reaction stand point you are sitting pretty. If you were to have one day to study Orgo I would emphasize point one.. if you know what atoms are more electronegative and how many electrons they take/bonds they make, if they like to give up protons, etc etc you will have covered the main idea of Orgo

If you have any specific questions let me know... I just finished Orgo II and have a very strong grasp of it

 

[yestomeds]

...but I think the best thing you can do in your situation is to obtain syllabi for a year sequence of Organic Chem (either two for semester, three for quarter), and then follow those syllabi as if you were taking the course in its entirety. I.e. if you're going over Catalytic Hydrogenation of Alkynes three months into the course, make sure you understand Elimination, SN1/SN2, confirmations, acid/base, etc etc, just like you would in a normal class. Basically, don't fall behind or slack just because you aren't receiving a grade. Also, most of the MCAT content (when I took the exam) was understanding and applying information on mechanisms towards overall medical principles. It may be beneficial for you to begin your learning during the 2nd quarter, assuming you are a quick learner.

I believe the book I used was Wade or Loudon, but my studying for the MCAT consisted of TPR, EK, and a strong foundation already in my prereq courses.

But, with that being said, there really is no substitution for attending lecture, and then applying those concepts in lab.
Good luck!

Thank you!! @RCatalyticalChemist Since I am Canadian and our schools don't require these prereqs now (they rank us based on GPA, MCAT, and of course ECs and all the other good stuff), I won't actually be taking orgo as a class, in school (thus, no lab work despite what good fun it seems to be...) 🙂

For the purpose of preparing for the MCAT though, you would advise me to pick up the syllabi and follow along in class (i.e. learn the class content as a regular pre-med would?), prior to picking up prep books on the subject (the TPR or EK that you mentioned)?

1) electronegativity and acids/bases (these go hand in hand I think)

As others have said if you can follow the flow of electrons, from a reaction stand point you are sitting pretty. If you were to have one day to study Orgo I would emphasize point one.. if you know what atoms are more electronegative and how many electrons they take/bonds they make, if they like to give up protons, etc etc you will have covered the main idea of Orgo

If you have any specific questions let me know... I just finished Orgo II and have a very strong grasp of it

Thanks @mikil100 🙂 Point one is covered a bit in gen chem too, no? (Sorry, it has been a while).

I just wonder if I should be reading a text so to get a solid foundation, OR watching vidoes to only watch the "most important stuff," or to jump ahead and delve into the prep books (my worry here is they are too concise as they generally serve as a review for those to whom orgo them ISN'T a new topic). Does my question/concern make sense?

 

[mikil100]

It depends how much time you have.. if you have the time I would read the first few chapters of an Orgo book to get the main mechanics down, and then condense the study of reactions as they get way too specific for the MCAT.

The prep books do a good job covering the bases, but as you said may be a bit too general. If you were strapped on time I would stick with the prep books and Khan academy, as a text book is going to give low yield information."

And yes, the first point has a lot to do with Gen chem, but in my opinion Orgo forces you to look at things a bit differently.. but overal its the same exact idea. more electronegative molecules have electrons and a partial negative charge in covalent bonds or negative charge in ionic bonds or with acid/base stuff... they will react accordingly...... a big part of Orgo is the effect of resonance (or electron delocalization) on these charges. Resonance probably should have its own spot on my little list I made. It's quite an important topic.

 

[yestomeds]

It depends how much time you have.. if you have the time I would read the first few chapters of an Orgo book to get the main mechanics down, and then condense the study of reactions as they get way too specific for the MCAT."

Ah ok, and by getting the "main mechanics down" found within the "first few chapters," you are referring to the numbered list from 1 to 5, plus what you just said about resonance, as the main topics/main mechanics?

So these topics you mentioned = seem to be the "main" backbone of intro orgo... on which later orgo topics rely?

And so if you get these down, then the later stuff you can glean from prep books might make more sense - is that what you mean?

 

[yestomeds]

Hi everyone, if you've used TBR books for orgo, particularly for the 2015 test, I would love to hear from you.
Which sections/pages of the Berkeley review would you recommend one skip for this 2015 test, since it's less comprehensive when it comes to orgo now?

Thanks for your advice! Orgo is new to me so trying to look at the AAMC list to 'match' all the bullets/section headings in TBR is proving to be not so easy.

 

[sarah990123]

KhanAcademy is the holy grail for orgo in my opinion.

 

[Dreamstoo]

The Wade Organic book would be pretty brutal to study off for the MCAT IMO. Even when I took my Orgo classes, those books were hard to follow and their questions were wayyyy beyond the scope of the MCAT. So OP, I would recommend buying a TPR orgo book. Don't get any organic textbook.. trust me those are still very hard to read/answer questions in those books

 

[yestomeds]

KhanAcademy is the holy grail for orgo in my opinion.

Thanks! Did you follow the videos in order (like just start on the first topic and work your way down each video)?

Was that sufficient to get you to understand all concepts? I've watched some khan mcat videos in bio (like for the microbio section) and I found them to be pretty simplistic! "Easier" or more straightforward than the material covered by TPR books for example. So, your thoughts here are appreciated. 🙄

 

[NSxortho]

Just remember Ottawa and UBC still require Orgo.

 

[sarah990123]

Thanks! Did you follow the videos in order (like just start on the first topic and work your way down each video)?

Was that sufficient to get you to understand all concepts? I've watched some khan mcat videos in bio (like for the microbio section) and I found them to be pretty simplistic! "Easier" or more straightforward than the material covered by TPR books for example. So, your thoughts here are appreciated. 🙄

I definitely think it would be best for you to tick off the topics going down the AAMC outline to begin your orgo studying! It'll help you organize your learning. While I was taking orgo classes I barely learned from the textbook or class notes, I strictly used YouTube. After you learn a concept just make sure you understand the mechanism, why you would use it, and how you would use it. For the MCAT it's more valuable to understand the why's and how's behind each concept rather than memorizing which mechanisms to use and when mindlessly! I also recommend solidifying your knowledge with the practice questions that come with your prep books, but really don't stress too hard about orgo on its own. If they're gonna test you on it I heard that it's going to intertwine with biochemistry more than just being a stand-alone straight up "what are the intermediates behind this mechanism" like in a typical college exam. Nonetheless, still important to know how it relates to other topics on the AAMC list - always think about how it could apply to other contexts.
Also, sometimes if Khan doesn't suffice I highly recommend Leah4Sci. Her orgo videos saved my ass multiple times throughout the year! Goodluck!

 

[yestomeds]

The Wade Organic book would be pretty brutal to study off for the MCAT IMO. Even when I took my Orgo classes, those books were hard to follow and their questions were wayyyy beyond the scope of the MCAT. So OP, I would recommend buying a TPR orgo book. Don't get any organic textbook.. trust me those are still very hard to read/answer questions in those books

Thank you! I got ahold of a TPR book. But what about the fact that orgo has been cut down? As the subject is new to me I'm not yet sure how to match the TPR book to the AAMC list, I.e. Not sure what to skip yet. Would you or anyone have advice regarding this?

What are your thoughts in TBR for orgo, for the 2015 exam?

Thank you.