Skip Biochem....for later?

[Detective SnowBucket]

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Hi all, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to leave biochem for the last semester before I take the MCAT (My biochem final is the day before I take the MCAT). Which isn't a problem except for the fact that I cannot review biochem as I go. I tried to learn the lipids section out of the Kaplan book, Not. A. Chance. Then we just did it in class and it was easy (like perfect quiz score easy) so....should I not do any biochem until like right before the MCAT when I really am 'reviewing' it? But that also means I would have to cram the entirety of biochem I/II in a week or two. I know its a simple question but I just don't feel right every time my study schedule says "study section X of biochem" and I just say to myself 'I cannoooot learn biochem out of the review book, but I also don't wanna outright skip it' soo...thoughts?

 

[workaholic181]

Hi all, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to leave biochem for the last semester before I take the MCAT (My biochem final is the day before I take the MCAT). Which isn't a problem except for the fact that I cannot review biochem as I go. I tried to learn the lipids section out of the Kaplan book, Not. A. Chance. Then we just did it in class and it was easy (like perfect quiz score easy) so....should I not do any biochem until like right before the MCAT when I really am 'reviewing' it? But that also means I would have to cram the entirety of biochem I/II in a week or two. I know its a simple question but I just don't feel right every time my study schedule says "study section X of biochem" and I just say to myself 'I cannoooot learn biochem out of the review book, but I also don't wanna outright skip it' soo...thoughts?

I would focus on high yield Biochem stuff now. Every official FL I took and the real MCAT itself had tons of amino acid questions; for example something basically positing that there’s a hydrophobic area of a molecule, what kind of amino acid is likely found there. For those questions you obviously need to know the amino acid classifications as well as there single letter and three letter abbreviations. Again I saw a ton of this both in my preparation and on the real MCAT.

In addition to that I would suggest knowing the enzyme kinetic formulas (lineweaver Burke and all that).

I would also suggest you consider postponing the exam. The only mistake you could make is rushing the MCAT at this point in your medical career. Biochem questions are asked in both the C/P and B/B sections, so it’s arguably the most important area to be feeling confident in. Just a suggestion for something to consider. Good luck either way.

 

[NextStepTutor_1]

Hi @Detective SnowBucket -

It's important to keep in mind that the MCAT has a specific "flavor" of how it tests biochem. As @workaholic181 mentioned, there's crossover with chemistry and physics, they love to ask about certain applications such as predicting AA residues in certain parts of a molecule, and so on. Plus there's a certain art to reading the dense biochem passages on the MCAT in a timely & efficient way. This is why I always recommend that students build some realistic practice into their study plan even early on in the process, when you still might have some gaps remaining in your content -- the earlier you start training your mental muscles for MCAT-like thinking, the more effectively you'll study the content and the more chance you'll have to build the mental habits that translate into success on the MCAT.

With that in mind, I would definitely not recommend only starting MCAT biochem 1-2 weeks before Test Day, even if you're taking a great biochem course at the same time. I would very strongly recommend incorporating active and realistic practice early on, even if that means that you miss some questions on content that you have yet to study in depth (for such questions, the idea is to focus on how you would use a piece of knowledge). One strategy that you might use would be to study MCAT biochem at the same time as you cover the topics in your biochem course -- so after you do lipids in your course, you can go back and review the lipid-related topics that are tested on the MCAT, alongside whichever practice tests/exams you're doing. That would help you get the most benefit from the biochem course you're taking.

I'd also second @workaholic181's advice to consider postponing. Although I don't know the details of your situation, I'm always cautious about the idea of taking the MCAT immediately after finals, because it leaves so little room for error in terms of sleep cycles, restedness, and stress. Being well-rested and in a positive mind-frame can really make a huge difference on Test Day, and I've known people to get burned by scheduling the MCAT right after finals only to go in to the MCAT sleep-deprived and burnt-out, causing them to underperform compared to their practice tests. Even a week or two of buffer can really help in this regard. Anyway, you know your own situation best, but hopefully this might be some food for thought.

Best of luck as you study!!

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

@NextStepTutor_1 , that was among the most cogent responses I've ever got on this forum. That's a great idea about going back and reviewing as I do the material in class, I'll definitely do that. Additionally, Im not too worried about being burned out because I only have 2 finals (evolution - which might get dropped anyways - on Tuesday and biochem on friday) before the MCAT Saturday morning. That leaves a lot of time free that week to chill out/review for MCAT/sleep
I am currently taking an FL every week now until early May when I have the MCAT, I hope that takes care of what you mentioned as test-like biochem content.

 

[NextStepTutor_1]

@NextStepTutor_1 , that was among the most cogent responses I've ever got on this forum. That's a great idea about going back and reviewing as I do the material in class, I'll definitely do that. Additionally, Im not too worried about being burned out because I only have 2 finals (evolution - which might get dropped anyways - on Tuesday and biochem on friday) before the MCAT Saturday morning. That leaves a lot of time free that week to chill out/review for MCAT/sleep
I am currently taking an FL every week now until early May when I have the MCAT, I hope that takes care of what you mentioned as test-like biochem content.

Thank you! Glad to be of help 🙂. Yes, if you're doing a realistic FL weekly that should cover you in terms of practice. The only caveat is just to make sure that you're able to take the time to review the test carefully, with an eye towards both strategy and content. Your finals week plan also sounds about as good as it can be -- a lighter courseload should definitely help. Best of luck as you study!!

 

[Deleted member 737595]

Hi all, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to leave biochem for the last semester before I take the MCAT (My biochem final is the day before I take the MCAT). Which isn't a problem except for the fact that I cannot review biochem as I go. I tried to learn the lipids section out of the Kaplan book, Not. A. Chance. Then we just did it in class and it was easy (like perfect quiz score easy) so....should I not do any biochem until like right before the MCAT when I really am 'reviewing' it? But that also means I would have to cram the entirety of biochem I/II in a week or two. I know its a simple question but I just don't feel right every time my study schedule says "study section X of biochem" and I just say to myself 'I cannoooot learn biochem out of the review book, but I also don't wanna outright skip it' soo...thoughts?

I have not taken Biochem yet, and am learning it for the MCAT from the Kaplan book like you.

Which lipid section? Chapter 5? This is straight memorization and not very difficult I find. Also, I don't know when your final is, but could you postpone the MCAT to have some buffer time for full on study? This may be better. I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but I'm learning Biochem on my own with Ahern's lectures and it is going very well, a lot is review from Biology except for Enzyme Kinetics and AA and proteins. I even covered pathways in high school, but maybe this isn't the norm.

Don't take the MCAT feeling rushed. I just started prepping for the MCAT, I have 6 months left to go. Be realistic and take the MCAT ONCE if possible. You will thank yourself later.

But I want to hear what other people say too, since I am in a somewhat similar boat as you learning biochem right now.