Struggling with OCHEM for MCAT, help! Chad's videos enough?

[nashaiy]

Hello everyone,

So I am a non-trad student in that I graduated from engineering last year and have most of the pre-reqs already (I took a Biomedical Engineering minor) except for a semester of biology and a semester of ochem. I took one semester of ochem 5 years ago and don't remember any of it but remember that I understood it really well and got an A+ in the course. However, I just started studying for ochem following EK's 10 week study plan (my MCAT date is September 11, 2012) and am doing horribly on their in-class exams and having difficulty in general on all the many reactions, etc for Ochem. I tried to supplement my studying by reading "Organic Chemistry as a Second Language" which was highly reviewed on these forums. It helped clear up the basics but, as it isn't for the MCAT, it doesn't cover most of the material listed by AAMC as being tested. I don't know what to do to help with the Ochem studying! Should I buy Chad's videos? Were they enough for the material on the MCAT and well-explained for someone who doesn't remember any Ochem at all? Any other suggestions for me in terms of Ochem help? Thanks everyone and sorry if this is a repeat post, I tried doing a search ahead of time but none of the questions seemed to match my needs.

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[Jepstein30]

Hello everyone,

So I am a non-trad student in that I graduated from engineering last year and have most of the pre-reqs already (I took a Biomedical Engineering minor) except for a semester of biology and a semester of ochem. I took one semester of ochem 5 years ago and don't remember any of it but remember that I understood it really well and got an A+ in the course. However, I just started studying for ochem following EK's 10 week study plan (my MCAT date is September 11, 2012) and am doing horribly on their in-class exams and having difficulty in general on all the many reactions, etc for Ochem. I tried to supplement my studying by reading "Organic Chemistry as a Second Language" which was highly reviewed on these forums. It helped clear up the basics but, as it isn't for the MCAT, it doesn't cover most of the material listed by AAMC as being tested. I don't know what to do to help with the Ochem studying! Should I buy Chad's videos? Were they enough for the material on the MCAT and well-explained for someone who doesn't remember any Ochem at all? Any other suggestions for me in terms of Ochem help? Thanks everyone and sorry if this is a repeat post, I tried doing a search ahead of time but none of the questions seemed to match my needs.

Orgo on the MCAT is very, very, very basic. Short of intro to NMR and a few of the main reaction mechanisms (SN1, SN2, aldol), you really don't need to know much.

I would buy the AAMC self assessment for Orgo if you are really worried. Take that, see how you do and then figure out what topics you need to focus on. It's likely you really don't need to do much review.

As for resources, look into Berkeley Review. Their orgo books were pretty good but I still felt EK covered everything necessary and in a much more concise fashion. Don't know about Chad's videos as I didn't use them.

 

[BB8730]

Yes, Chad explains everything well enough so that you'll understand things even if you don't remember much. Just keep in mind that Chad teaches for the MCAT and the DAT, so he covers more o-chem than needed for the MCAT. Watch his videos and then look at the AAMC topic list for o-chem to see what subjects you should review.

 

[Vertwous]

The EK in-class exams, as they stated, are not good predictors of what you'll get on the real thing. In my opinion, their orgo questions are equivalent to the hardest orgo questions you will ever get on the real MCAT save a few questions.

 

[areserine]

I agree with what's been said. Chad's videos are great. I have a really hard time learning science concepts from a book, but he explains everything in a clear and concise way and his outlines are helpful. That said, he explains things that we don't need to know for the MCAT so just skip those sections or ignore the parts that we don't need. Using his videos I was able to go through all of orgo in about 3 days (I was pretty strong to begin with).

 

[nashaiy]

Thanks everyone!

It's good to hear that the EK questions are likely to be the hardest ones on the AAMC exam (I've been really stressing about the fact that I'm not doing well on them, especially right after I study the chapter). I'm not strong in orgo just because I took it ages ago but at the time, I was good at it but don't remember it at all. I think I'll try Chad's videos as I need a quick way to get through all the material as I have less than a month to the MCAT and have only done half the review of the other subjects (as per the 10 week EK schedule). I do have older versions of the Berkeley review (TBR) but there is way too much information in there for me to be able to cover in time without focusing all my time on orgo. I have found it is helpful for Physics and Chem (not Bio, way too much detail) and use it for bio passages but EK for bio content.

Keep the suggestions for Orgo coming (i.e. any other resources that people have used)!

 

[b05010445]

I have a really weak Ochem background, I took it maybe 2-3 years ago and didn't do very well. I've been using KhanAcademy.org, it's been helpful and free.

 

[nashaiy]

I've tried using khanacademy and although I find it helpful to clarify some topics, since it doesn't include all of the material listed by AAMC as being tested, I don't think it'll be sufficient for me. I really like the concept of khan academy and have listened to a couple of speeches by khan academy founder (and the guy who makes all of the videos) Salman Khan. His concept of making education available to everyone is incredible!

 

[Chunkle]

I had a solid understanding of Ochem before studying for the test, and I reviewed with TPR. TPR had pretty much everything you needed to know for the MCAT orgo. The books is based around a few important concepts, which are key to doing well on the section. Go to your local bookstore and check out TPR, and see if you like it or not.

 

[kl0117]

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