Re-Cap of Orgo II

Hey everyone,

First and foremost, if you have not yet done Full-Length #1, that is your official homework for MSCT II! Do NOT forget to complete this test! When you take Full-Length #1, do so in Internet Explorer. There have occasionally been glitches reported with Chrome, Safari and Firefox. Also, don’t forget to turn off spell-check, grammar-check, and auto correct if you plan to complete the writing samples.

Let’s review your required homework for Biology II:

• Biology Review Notes Chapters 6, 7, 9, 10 & 13 (Musculoskeletal System, Digestion, Cardiovascular System, Immune System, Nervous System)
  • Comment: Yeah, it is a lot, but it’s Bio! You love Bio!
    At least, I hope you do because that’s what you’re choosing to become an expert on for the rest of your life!
• Skeletal & Immune System Workshop & Quiz
  • Comment: the portion of this workshop that reviews the skeletal system goes into a lot of depth, so I’ll let you in on a secret. The key information you really need to know about the skeletal system is on slide 8 (bone turnover). Also, the immunology component of this workshop more than makes up for the first half of the workshop. The animation on slide 22 is particularly useful. Make sure you’re comfortable with the immune system and don’t hesitate to ask me questions.

For those of you who would like some additional Biology review before class, I recommend the following:

• Biology Foundation Review Unit 2

To reinforce what we have covered in Organic Chemistry II, complete the following topical tests:

• Oxygen Containing Compounds Test 1
  • Comment: Both of the passages on this exam are testing concepts we do not review until Organic Chemistry III, thus I would recommend setting this topical test aside until then.
• Molecular Spectroscopy Test 1
  • Comment: spectroscopy is not likely to be the focus of an entire passage or question set on the MCAT, but this exam provides a neat little review of the basic concepts discussed in class and in the online workshop.
• Hydrocarbons Test 1
  • Comment: this topical test was assigned as a review assignment for Organic Chemistry I, but since I didn’t comment on this test earlier I’ll share some comments now. Question #2 is particularly nice as it tests your understanding of how kinetics and thermodynamics may not always see eye to eye. The other questions are nothing special, but the MCAT has played around with these concepts in the BS section before so make sure you can follow along with the logic on this question. Passage 2 is about free radicals and it’s no big deal. A few discrete questions are slightly out of scope in that the AAMC will no longer ask you about alkene addition reactions without a passage that describes various alkene reactions. Still, it’s good to be clear on Markovnikov v. anti-Markovnikov.
• Molecular Structure of Organic Compounds Test 1

Helpful Hints:

• Much of the reactivity discussed in class boils down to nucleophilicity and electrophilicity. Whenever presented with an organic reaction you’ve never seen before, always identify the nucleophile (which will have a concentration of electron density, in the form of a double bond, lone pair or negative charge) and the electrophile (which will be electron deficient).
• Carboxylic acids and the carboxylic acid derivatives can undergo nucleophilic acyl substitution because they have leaving groups. Aldehydes and ketones can undergo nucleophilic addition, but not substitution, because they do not have leaving groups. As long as you understand how these reactions look under acidic and basic conditions you’re in good shape.
• We are almost to the first full length practice test (the “midterm”)! Start gearing up for it by scheduling at least 5 hours of uninterrupted time between now and the MSCT II class. Don’t be afraid and don’t procrastinate – it’s important that you take the first full length now, even though you know and feel you aren’t fully prepared, so that you can assess the progress you’ve made so far and be more informed about what you need to continue to work on.
• When you take your practice test, be sure to replicate Test Day procedures and protocol. This means that you should start your practice test at the same time that your actual test will start. Take your practice test in a quiet but not isolated area, such as the Kaplan computer lab or your school’s library. Follow testing regulations regarding food, drink, calculators and cell phones. None of these are allowed into the testing room. Allow yourself the 10-minute breaks but don’t take more than the allotted time. Finally don’t forget about your computer functionalities: highlighting text and crossing out wrong answer choices. Disable autocorrect, autocapitalization and spell check when writing your writing samples. The whole point of the practice tests is to help you get into to Test Day mode and get used to Test Day procedures. Do everything that you will do on Test Day and nothing that you won’t.

• A table of C-NMR values has been attached to this email, but we can reduce this down to a few key numbers (last two are most important). Do not misconstrue this (like standing waves) to mean that C-NMR is a common or high-yield topic; it’s not!
  • Regular sp³ (0-40); if ewg is present, then slightly higher
  • Regular sp (65-90); if ewg is present, then slightly higher
  • regular sp² (100-150)
  • benzene (110-175)
  • carboxylic acids & esters (160-185)
  • aldehydes & ketones (190-220)

I’ll see you all at Biology II!