MCAT Biology: Top Study Strategies from a 528 Scorer
what is the last word of the learning goals box for chapter 3.2 in mcat biology review? This is a topic that many people are looking for. chibariku.com is a channel providing useful information about learning, life, digital marketing and online courses …. it will help you have an overview and solid multi-faceted knowledge . Today, chibariku.com would like to introduce to you MCAT Biology: Top Study Strategies from a 528 Scorer. Following along are instructions in the video below:
Well discuss strategies for tackling the mcat biology. And biochemistry section. The mcat biology biology biochemistry section.
Often includes the most experiment based passages on the exam. So it important to be able to interpret figures graphs and tables im vikram shaw mcat expert and 528 mcat scorer in this video. Ill share the exact strategies.
I used to ace the mcat biology and biochemistry section. Ill tell you what topics are on the exam. A formula for how to read figures graphs and tables and some helpful study tips you can use to improve your mcat score.
So lets get started whats actually on the biology biochemistry section of the mcat. The mcat biology biochemistry section will test your knowledge of key concepts in the fields of biology and biochemistry as they relate to the human body like the chemistry physics and psychology sociology. Sections of the exam.
The biology biochemistry section. Contains. 59 questions that you must answer in 95.
Minutes. 44. Of these questions are based on 10 passages while 15 questions are standalone.
The american association of medical colleges or aamc writes. The mcat and they break down whats actually going to be on your exam. According to the aamc the biology biochemistry section of the mcat is composed of 25 first semester.
Biochemistry 65. Introductory biology. 5.
General chemistry and 5 organic chemistry. You might be wondering what exact topics are covered in each of these categories topic. Number.
One is amino acids and the structure and function of proteins for example. Do you know what a ligase does topic. Number two is the central dogma of biology in which dna is replicated to dna transcribed to rna and translated into protein topic number three covers genetics such as mitosis meiosis and mendelian inheritance.
A question may ask about the difference between mitosis and meiosis topic. Number four covers metabolism. Which includes topics such as glycolysis gluconeogenesis.
The krebs cycle and the electron transport chain among others topic number six covers the nervous and endocrine systems and topic number seven covers the structure and function of main organ systems such as the kidney or liver. Many students worry that they have not yet taken physiology and if that is the case you are not alone using the building blocks from your introductory undergraduate biology class you will be able to learn the level of detail tested on organ systems for the mcat now that you know what youre gonna be tested on lets go over tips and study strategies you can use to score a 132 on the biology and biochemistry section mcat biology biochemistry tip number one practice interpreting graphs figures and tables using the taid p method taid p stands for title axes independent variable dependent variable and patterns if you can identify these elements in a graph figure or table. Youll be able to understand what the data is telling you lets look at this example using the taid p.
Method the title t states effect of drug on cell survival. So we can determine that the researchers are treating cells with a drug and measuring cell survival. Now lets look at the axes or a the x axis shows increasing concentrations of drug in micromolar while the y axis measures.
The percentage response. Which we know from the title has something to do with survival when we look at the graphs. The axes make it easy to determine the independent and dependent variables.
Which are i and d. In the taid p. Method first what do the independent and dependent variables measure.
The independent variable is something that you change on purpose while the dependent variable is the response. The independent variable is also shown on the x axis so we know here that drug concentration is our independent variable the dependent variable on the other hand is shown on the y axis so we know that drug response is our dependent variable finally lets look at the patterns or p are there any patterns in this curve at what drug concentration. Do we see the greatest percentage response.
There seems to be a sharp transition between seven and eight micromolar in that drug. Concentrations above eight micromolar lead to a favorable percent response. Now that we have completed this exercise.
We are ready to approach any questions you should aim to identify the taid p elements for any given figure within 15 to 20 seconds. The goal is to understand the big picture without getting lost in any small details. The reason you should not spend too much time on any given figure.
During your first reading of the passage. Is that there may not even be a question on that figure for example. If an mcat biology biochemistry passage has three figures they may only ask a question about two of them.
So you dont want to waste a minute understanding the figure in great detail if theyre not even gonna ask a question about it so how do you get faster at applying the taid p. Method mcat biology. Biochemistry tip number two when you review a bio biochem figure while going over your mistakes study every small detail of each figure carefully anytime.
You take an mcat biology biochemistry passage that has a figure you should come back after you have submitted the answers and thoroughly review it during your test review. Why should you do this by practicing applying the taid p. Method under no time constraints you will get better at being able to quickly and accurately interpret figures by the time you have completed several full length practice exams you will have taken almost a hundred mcat biology.
Biochemistry practice passages if you spend the time to review. The figures on each of those there are very few figures that you will encounter on your mcat that you would not have seen at least some variation of before mcat biology biochemistry tip number three. Know the one letter code.
Three letter code structures and chemical properties of all 20 amino acids. This tip is one of the most important tips you will receive as it is virtually guaranteed that you will see amino acid questions on both the mcat biology biochemistry and chemistry physics sections. It is not enough to memorize the structures.
But you should know what properties different structures. Provide the amino acids for example would you be more likely to see an arginine. Which carries a positive charge or a valine.
Which is hydrophobic on the exterior of a protein. The exterior of a protein is usually composed of hydrophilic residues since it interacts with water. So we would be much more likely to see the charged arginine which can interact with water lets go through an example of an mcat style biology and biochemistry question.
Which of the following amino acids is most likely located at the junction of two alpha helices in a protein domain. A proline b. Tryptophan.
C. Serine and d glutamine. There are two amino acids that are known to introduce flexibility and kinks into peptide chains.
These are proline and glycine. We are likely to see an amino acid that changes the direction of the chain by introducing flexibility at the junction of two alpha helices. So answer choice.
A is correct notice that the question did not ask us what the structure of proline is but rather it asked us to identify. Which amino acid side chain has the necessary properties to be located at the junction of two alpha helices. Lets now look at mcat biology.
Biochemistry tip number four understand the integration of metabolism by focusing on rate. Limiting steps and big picture ideas. Many students often assume that they will need to memorize every enzyme reactant product and how to draw the reactants or products in metabolic pathways.
Such as glycolysis your time and effort. However is very valuable while studying for the mcat and is probably better spent elsewhere on high yield material. What is high yield from glycolysis instead of memorizing every reactant product and enzyme memorize.
The rate limiting enzymes that control movement through the pathway. What are the non reversible enzymes in glycolysis and how does the body regulate. These enzymes in order to control our metabolism.
Lets look at an example phosphofructokinase. 1. Or pfk.
1. Is the rate. Limiting step of glycolysis this means that the entire glycolysis pathway can only move as quickly as pfk.
1. Why does the body do this rate. Limiting steps are often very important regulatory.
Points. Within metabolism and biological pathways. In general.
Lets say we eat a large meal and have a lot of glucose in our bloodstream. We want to process this glucose and either use it as immediate energy or store. It for future use in order to do this we need to carry out glycolysis after we eat the large meal insulin is also released in our bloodstream insulin through a series of steps upregulates pfk.
1. So that it works more quickly allowing glycolysis to also occur more quickly. This is an example of the level at which you should understand a given metabolic pathway.
The metabolic pathways you should know are glycolysis gluconeogenesis glycogenesis glycogenolysis krebs cycle electron transport chain and atp synthesis fermentation the pentose phosphate pathway fatty acid synthesis and fatty acid oxidation also known as beta oxidation finally mcat biology biochemistry tip number five be familiar with experimental techniques experimental techniques on the mcat biology biochemistry section include pcr western blot southern blot northern blot gel. Electrophoresis sds page and reducing gels versus native gels molecular cloning and transformation. Conjugation and transduction.
You will encounter. These techniques in biology biochemistry passages and by applying strategies. One and two you will be able to work your way through them here.
Well go over what each technique does at a high level. So lets start with pcr this technique can amplify small amounts of dna and is useful in modern applications such as sequencing or determining cellular mrna levels. Western blot this technique measures protein levels in a sample.
Using antibodies southern blot this technique detects dna levels northern blot this technique detects rna levels gel electrophoresis this technique separates molecules on the basis of size and charge sds page. Reducing gels this technique separates denatured proteins on the basis of size native gels this technique separates proteins in their native conformation that allows subunits to remain intact molecular cloning this technique is used to introduce genetic information into a plasmid for protein expression or genetic manipulation transformation conjugation and transduction these techniques are used to transfer genetic information into bacterial species and thats how to master the mcat biology and biochemistry section. Now you have a toolbox of study strategies to attack your practice problems.
So you can achieve your highest score on the mcat biology. Biochemistry section. If you found this video.
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