MCAT - Biochem = Disaster?

[deleted1040417]

So, the ***** I am, I was scared to add biochem to my spring schedule due to organic 2, which I'm doing entirely fine. Have yet to find out what's to happen with shifting online.

With that note, is the Kaplan Biochem MCAT review enough for biochem material expected on the MCAT? I don't know how to begin teaching myself biochem outside of AK Lectures. I did get a pdf of Lehninger's text, but its well over 1000 pages and I don't think one biochem course covers all 1000....

Otherwise I have to take a 2nd gap year or apply late next summer due to the MCAT.

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[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

It depends on how motivated you are. I took the mcat without taking biochem first, and I did fine. I used khan academy and a few other resources I can’t remember but were on YouTube. I learned a lot from uworld too. Bio/biochem was almost entirely biochem on my exam, and I got a 131 on that section.

It can also be a recipe for disaster. I did a bunch of google searches to make sure I had a list of all the high yield biochem topics for the mcat and made sure I knew them cold, then did tons of practice passages.

 

[deleted859689]

Just take practice tests and don’t take the real thing until you are comfortably scoring consistently within your desired range.

 

[deleted1040417]

It depends on how motivated you are. I took the mcat without taking biochem first, and I did fine. I used khan academy and a few other resources I can’t remember but were on YouTube. I learned a lot from uworld too. Bio/biochem was almost entirely biochem on my exam, and I got a 131 on that section.

It can also be a recipe for disaster. I did a bunch of google searches to make sure I had a list of all the high yield biochem topics for the mcat and made sure I knew them cold, then did tons of practice passages.

Thank you for the motivation and suggested resources. I'll make the most out of the situation and if not scoring where I'd like to be I'll take it at another time.

 

[deleted1040417]

Just take practice tests and don’t take the real thing until you are comfortably scoring consistently within your desired range.

Thank you for that note. Will do plenty of practice. Hopefully teaching myself biochem won't take up too much of the time. All I know is cellular respiration and the amino acids from intro bio.

 

[deleted859689]

Thank you for that note. Will do plenty of practice. Hopefully teaching myself biochem won't take up too much of the time. All I know is cellular respiration and the amino acids from intro bio.

The first time I took bio/biochem i took 0 practice tests and did not have any bioogy/biochem classes at all. I scored a 124. After an SMP with two semesters of graduate biochem, i scored a 130. It was funny cause some pathways i learned in those classes came up on the MCAT albeit easy to decipher from the information provided. I just knew the answer cold so I think that saved me on that section.

 

[deleted1040417]

The first time I took bio/biochem i took 0 practice tests and did not have any biology/biochem classes at all. I scored a 124. After an SMP with two semesters of graduate biochem, i scored a 130. It was funny cause some pathways i learned in those classes came up on the MCAT albeit easy to decipher from the information provided. I just knew the answer cold so I think that saved me on that section.

A 124 score without practice is pretty impressive IMO, especially without any bio/biochem. I'll probably take advantage of all the free time with the current situation to teach myself a little biochem before the summer.


I highly doubt I'll start so strong, but definitely will build on it.

I might see how the summer pans out and de-load on coursework during the fall semester if my B/B scores are lacking.

 

[lanzhou_lamian]

MCAT is biochem heavy. While there are good resources available (Khan Academy, AK Lectures) I definitely found taking biochem prior to the exam was very helpful.

 

[deleted859689]

A 124 score without practice is pretty impressive IMO, especially without any bio/biochem. I'll probably take advantage of all the free time with the current situation to teach myself a little biochem before the summer.


I highly doubt I'll start so strong, but definitely will build on it.

I might see how the summer pans out and de-load on coursework during the fall semester if my B/B scores are lacking.

When you do take the MCAT make sure you fundamentally understand the concepts for all the hard sciences (chem/phys/bio/biochem). If you UNDERSTAND the concepts and not just how to get to the right answer, you can either find the right answer intuitively or narrow it down to 50/50. I didn’t take any full lengths the second time but went through some Qbanks. Don’t be like me. Take the full lengths - it is the best way to mitigate a bad score and calm your nerves after the test. “Trust your full lengths” is probably the most common phrase to those people freaking out after the test.

 

[GreenDuck12]

As the poster above mentioned, the MCAT is very biochem heavy, and not just in the B/B section. For my exam, biochem permeated every section with the exception of CARS. Physics, chemistry, and psychology concepts were tested within the context of biochemical passages and data presented through a biochemical lens.

If the choice is between an additional gap year and taking biochemistry, while improving other aspects of your application, or taking the mcat before completing biochemistry, then for me the choice would be clear: take biochemistry and the gap year. I would rather take the gap year that risk an MCAT retake. Remember, your MCAT is scored on a scale that ranks you relative to other test takers. A competitive score at minimum is the top 20% of test takers. That means you need to do better than 4 out of every 5 students that take the MCAT. Do you think the other 4 students will have taken biochemistry before taking the MCAT?

The single biggest mistake I see people on the forums make is trying to rush the process and either take the mcat or apply without being in the strongest position possible to do well. The strongest position possible to succeed on the MCAT is when you have completed all prerequisite classes and have had significant time to prepare for the exam. The strongest position possible to have a successful application cycle is when you have completed all components of your application.

 

[deleted1040417]

 

[GreenDuck12]

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On a personal note, I completely understand not wanting to add a gap year especially when it isn’t planned ahead of time. I wrestled with it in March and April of 2018 for the 18-19 cycle and it was hard. On the one hand, I wanted to get moving with applying to and starting medical school. On the other, I knew that there were things missing in my application that could potentially hold me back. At the end of the day I realized that by waiting I would have a stronger application by completing some additional pieces that I otherwise would not have, and be able to send completed prerequisites. While it delayed things for a year, it ultimately helped me gain admission to my target program by having the strongest application possible. Best of luck to you.

 

[deleted1040417]

On a personal note, I completely understand not wanting to add a gap year especially when it isn’t planned ahead of time. I wrestled with it in March and April of 2018 for the 18-19 cycle and it was hard. On the one hand, I wanted to get moving with applying to and starting medical school. On the other, I knew that there were things missing in my application that could potentially hold me back. At the end of the day I realized that by waiting I would have a stronger application by completing some additional pieces that I otherwise would not have, and be able to send completed prerequisites. While it delayed things for a year, it ultimately helped me gain admission to my target program by having the strongest application possible. Best of luck to you.

Thank you for your advice, just a quick picture I found hilarious and relevant. As much as it hurts, I'm happy with the additional gap year in a sense. Stronger application, better chance at remaining in-state, and opportunity to save up some pocket money so I'm not bumming off my parents through life. Undegrad I got a full ride, so I managed to be "independent" in the sense of paying for my current education.

 

[Paprika41]

If lehninger's is too long and you are wanting to read a text for review, I would recommend Lippincott's BCH review. I thought it was well written (you obviously don't need to read all of the chapters, just like the first 15 and then like 5 towards then end on nucleic acids/techniques). Chapters aren't too long either.

 

[ThePotatoDoctor]

I don't think you really need to take the class to learn the biochem for the MCAT. It would probably help, but the class may include more depth on topics that are not high yield or even tested at all. A few major topics to absolutely master would be amino acids (1 letter, 3 letter, defining characteristics - like polarity and charge, and unique characteristics - like able to be phosphorylated, able to form disulfide bonds) enzyme kinetics - MM and Lineweaver Burk, Basic properties of peptides/proteins, metabolism. Take a lot of practice tests and do practice questions -- and learn from them when yo review.

 

[deleted910026]

It depends on how motivated you are. I took the mcat without taking biochem first, and I did fine. I used khan academy and a few other resources I can’t remember but were on YouTube. I learned a lot from uworld too. Bio/biochem was almost entirely biochem on my exam, and I got a 131 on that section.

It can also be a recipe for disaster. I did a bunch of google searches to make sure I had a list of all the high yield biochem topics for the mcat and made sure I knew them cold, then did tons of practice passages.

I am also trying to self-study biochem, do you mind sharing the high-yield topics please? I know that I definitely need to memorize amino acid and enzyme plus carbohydrate metabolism, is lipid and nucleic acid metabolism going to be there? Thanks a lot.

 

[GreenDuck12]

I am also trying to self-study biochem, do you mind sharing the high-yield topics please? I know that I definitely need to memorize amino acid and enzyme plus carbohydrate metabolism, is lipid and nucleic acid metabolism going to be there? Thanks a lot.

There really isn't any topic that is not high yield. This is a pretty comprehensive list that is covered in a biochemistry class and of the following are high yield: