reactions on/not on the mcat

[estradiol9]

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So after reviewing organic chem with a review book and going over the topic list on the MCAT website.. I made a list of reactions that are included on the topic list. However, my review book went over a lot of reactions that are NOT included in the topic list. Does that mean we won't be tested on them?

Here are the ones that were in my review book but I didn't see on the o-chem topic list:

-Williamson Ether Synthesis
-Acid Cleavage of Ethers
-Epoxidation of Halohydrins
-Epoxide ring opening
-Diels Alder
- 1,2 & 1,4 addition to conjugated diene
-Claisen Condensation
-Nitrile hydrolysis and reductions
-Esterification of acid anhydride
-Wittig Reaction
-Cannizzaro Reaction
-Addition of Gilman Reagent to Ketone
-Alkoxide ion formation
-Alkyne reactions (hydration, halogenation, hydroboration, hydrogenation)
-Alkene reactions (hydration, halogenation, hydroboration, hydrogenation, ozonolysis, oxymercuration-demurcuration, halohydrin formation)
-Aromatic reactions (i'm aware this was taken off the MCAT several years ago)

 

[Melomare17]

any of that is fair game to show up, though it will most likely be covered in the passage/figure.

deff know the following:
-Acid Cleavage of Ethers
-Epoxide ring opening
-Diels Alder
- 1,2 & 1,4 addition to conjugated diene
-Claisen Condensation
-Nitrile hydrolysis and reductions
-Esterification of acid anhydride
-Wittig Reaction
-Alkyne reactions (hydration, halogenation, hydroboration, hydrogenation)
-Alkene reactions (hydration, halogenation, hydroboration, hydrogenation, ozonolysis, oxymercuration-demurcuration, halohydrin formation)
-Aromatic reactions

 

[estradiol9]

any of that is fair game to show up, though it will most likely be covered in the passage/figure.

deff know the following:
-Acid Cleavage of Ethers
-Epoxide ring opening
-Diels Alder
- 1,2 & 1,4 addition to conjugated diene
-Claisen Condensation
-Nitrile hydrolysis and reductions
-Esterification of acid anhydride
-Wittig Reaction
-Alkyne reactions (hydration, halogenation, hydroboration, hydrogenation)
-Alkene reactions (hydration, halogenation, hydroboration, hydrogenation, ozonolysis, oxymercuration-demurcuration, halohydrin formation)
-Aromatic reactions

=[

I would very upset if there is a question requiring us to have memorized these reactions or their mechanism if they are listed on the topics list.

 

[Melomare17]

there may or may not be, but if it is and it's in a passage you'll be able to answer it better because you know how it works

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Please forgive me for my bad attitude here, but why won't this question go away and why do people keep giving advice out that says you should study things that are NOT tested? I get the play it safe mentality to a point, but alkyne reactions have not been tested since the early 90s, alkene reactions have not been tested since 2003 (although alkene biochemistry is possible--things like hydrogenation using FADH2), and benzene reactions have not been tested since 2003. In 2003, they (the AAMC people) had a major information release on their site that ethers, alkenes, and benzene were being removed from the test. No one has mentioned those things appearing on exam since then, and you can bet there would have been some gripes about those topics had they been on the test.

This question pops up every three months or so. The answer is still "no, you don't need to study those subjects." My thought is that people using outdated materials are asking this. Current prep materials reflect these updates. If it's not listed by AAMC, not on their practice exams, and not in current prep materials, then it's not going to be on the MCAT.

With that said, I believe esterification and claisen are listed under the generic heading of "Keto acids and esters" and the Wittig reaction is specfiic listed on page 17 of the BS pdf under important reactions of Phosporus compounds.

 

[Dr.TurkandJD]

Please forgive me for my bad attitude here, but why won't this question go away and why do people keep giving advice out that says you should study things that are NOT tested? I get the play it safe mentality to a point, but alkyne reactions have not been tested since the early 90s, alkene reactions have not been tested since 2003 (although alkene biochemistry is possible--things like hydrogenation using FADH2), and benzene reactions have not been tested since 2003. In 2003, they (the AAMC people) had a major information release on their site that ethers, alkenes, and benzene were being removed from the test. No one has mentioned those things appearing on exam since then, and you can bet there would have been some gripes about those topics had they been on the test.

This question pops up every three months or so. The answer is still "no, you don't need to study those subjects." My thought is that people using outdated materials are asking this. Current prep materials reflect these updates. If it's not listed by AAMC, not on their practice exams, and not in current prep materials, then it's not going to be on the MCAT.

With that said, I believe esterification and claisen are listed under the generic heading of "Keto acids and esters" and the Wittig reaction is specfiic listed on page 17 of the BS pdf under important reactions of Phosporus compounds.

would you be able to summarize of which reactions we SHOULD know for the exam?

 

[couldabeenadoc]

Please forgive me for my bad attitude here, but why won't this question go away and why do people keep giving advice out that says you should study things that are NOT tested? I get the play it safe mentality to a point, but alkyne reactions have not been tested since the early 90s, alkene reactions have not been tested since 2003 (although alkene biochemistry is possible--things like hydrogenation using FADH2), and benzene reactions have not been tested since 2003. In 2003, they (the AAMC people) had a major information release on their site that ethers, alkenes, and benzene were being removed from the test. No one has mentioned those things appearing on exam since then, and you can bet there would have been some gripes about those topics had they been on the test.

This question pops up every three months or so. The answer is still "no, you don't need to study those subjects." My thought is that people using outdated materials are asking this. Current prep materials reflect these updates. If it's not listed by AAMC, not on their practice exams, and not in current prep materials, then it's not going to be on the MCAT.

With that said, I believe esterification and claisen are listed under the generic heading of "Keto acids and esters" and the Wittig reaction is specfiic listed on page 17 of the BS pdf under important reactions of Phosporus compounds.

That is some very insightful information not many people could tell you. I'm curious; do you (TBR) have a team member taking periodic MCAT exams to keep current of the AAMC's passages and discrete questions on these tests? Or is your information just derived from select customer feedback?

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

That is some very insightful information not many people could tell you.

I wish it were that insightful, but a five-minute web search could tell you the same thing. The AAMC website gave an update in 2003 that the test was going to change starting in 2004. There would be reduced organic chemistry (specifically the removal of ethers, alkenes, and benzene chemistry) and increased molecular biology and genetics. If you go through feedback threads over the last eight years, you won't read anything about those topics being on the exam. I guarantee that if a passage on benzene or alkene reactions appeared on the MCAT, someone would have complained that it was unfair. The conclusion is that the exams test the topics on their list. Also, that topic list has been revised over the years, so the AAMC people are staying current. A great resource is their study guide, which probaly has more insightful information in it than all of the other MCAT prep materials combined.