Struggling With chem!!!Please Help

[mclauja]

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Guys,

I am so confused on where to start. I took one of the pretests in the kaplan book for chem and hardly knew anything. Chem is where i am putting most of my focus. Those of you who did well on the chem section how did you study? Should I make a list of all the topics im struggling with then tackle each? where do you think the majority of the questions stem? Any help would be greatly apprechiated

 

[parabolic]

Guys,

I am so confused on where to start. I took one of the pretests in the kaplan book for chem and hardly knew anything. Chem is where i am putting most of my focus. Those of you who did well on the chem section how did you study? Should I make a list of all the topics im struggling with then tackle each? where do you think the majority of the questions stem? Any help would be greatly apprechiated

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=472752

That's another chem section thread; I answered the OP about how I'd studied for that part of the PCAT. Maybe it will help you.

Anyway, a couple questions for you:
1) Have you taken a full year's worth of general chemistry?
2) Have you taken at least one semester of organic chemistry?

If you can't answer 'yes' to both, it's probably a good idea to finish those classes before attempting the PCAT. If you've already taken those classes and are still having difficulty, find out if your school offers tutoring in chemistry. A list of topics you're struggling with would be a great start.

Expect about 50-50 between organic chemistry and general chemistry on the PCAT. O-chem was mostly nomenclature, functional groups and basic reactions; your Kaplan book might not cover enough to be helpful in that regard. Anything is fair game in the general chemistry section, but IIRC there weren't as many calculation questions are there were concept questions.

When are you planning to take the PCAT? If you truly 'hardly knew anything' on the pretest, I'd say give yourself at least a few months to review. There's a lot to cover. Good luck!

 

[NateAZSD]

Hi,

I took the PCAT 3 times and received scores of 90, 97, and 98 on the chemistry section.

My best advice for the chemistry section:

1. PV=nRT (this equation and its variations will be used in almost all chemistry calculation problem on the PCAT)...These questions typically have give an initial state and a final state where one entity is unknown (i.e. P1=50torr, P2=?, V1=50mL, and V2=100mL). If n & T are not given, then treat them as constants. I guarantee you will have at least 5-7 questions similar to this, or more.

2. Know all types of radioactive decay (i.e. beta, alpha, gamma, ect...). You will probably get 1-3 problems where you must identify the right type of decay.

3. Know how to quickly calculate half-lifes. There will usually be 1-2 problems of this variety.

4. OCHEM: Basic knowledge of organic nomenclature is a must. As far as reactions go, I saw a lot of alkene reactions (i.e. HBr + alkene). Also, there were quite a few general reactions (i.e. alcohol + acid = ester).

5. Know the generic P vs. T graph and be able to identify the triple point, solid phase, gas phase, and liquid phase...this problem always comes up in some variation.

6. Know the definition of the boiling point. This question was on the exam every time.

These are the main points I would focus on prior to taking the PCAT. Sections 2-5, & 6 seem like very minor topics, but if you spend a day memorizing them, then your score will increase greatly. I hope this helps.

Good luck!

 

[lvp0021]

Please go ahead and take college-level gen chem (2 semesters) and at least enroll in ochem (1st semester) before attempting the PCAT chem. That's my best advice! Good luck (I scored at 99 on chem section for pcat by the way)

 

[AngelaCL]

I improved from a 69 to an 89 in chem by reading through an AP chem book and a Cliffs Notes organic chem book and writing down/reviewing everything I didn't know.

 

[ANXIOUSnSCARED]

I took summer ochem at UC Riverside, which ate up all my time to study anything else. I had 2 days to study after the class was up before the August PCAT, and I looked only at the Kaplan Review Book. I only got an 83% composite, but that was with hardly any study time and I did 1 practice test. I got a 95% on chem tho...haha

 

[manutdmax]

i am studying from the examkrackers chemistry books .. i think these books are good source..

 

[mclauja]

I have taken two semesters of gen chem 2 semesters of organic and 2 semesters of biochem. Right now I am going through the Kaplan Book chapter by chapter. Once I get through that I am going to review orgo a little deeper. Would you say there is more gen II chem than gen I on the pcat? I have a harder time going back and trying to remember things like oxidation number electron configs, quantum mechanical topics and that sort of thing.


What are the biggest topics in gen chem and orgo that i should look at?


Thanks again for all of your help!!!!!👍

 

[pharmacyanalyst]

A PP gave a good starting point on topics to study. My advice is don't just study the material- you have to be able to do them FAST. The time flies by so do the easiest ones first even if you feel like you are skipping a ton of questions. I wish I could go back and do the chem section again but I am not retaking to raise one score!! 😀