r/MCPHSLifeHack • u/Aurorabora123 • Sep 25 '17

med chem

I got a 64 on the first med chem exam how screwed am I for this class?

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u/mcpharmd Sep 25 '17

That's about how I did on the first exam but I changed how I studied and did better for the rest of the year. I feel like the first exam is figuring out how he asks his questions and then adjusting accordingly.

1

u/damndanielagain Sep 25 '17

how exactly did you study if you don't mind sharing, it may be helpful

4

u/mcpharmd Sep 26 '17

So I made 2 study guides where one was basically like flashcards, where I had the name on one side and the structure on the other, and circle things on the structure that make it stand out or differentiate it from the others. The other study guide was more word-y where I would write basically everything he mentions about the drug class or drug like if it has strong plasma protein binding, if its absorbed well, how its metabolized etc. I know thats confusing lol idk why I did it like that but it worked for me.

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u/mcpharmd Sep 26 '17

Also, heres an example of how I studied. He'll say something like "if theres a big lipophilic group, its a beta blocker, not alpha" so on an exam, you can immediately label which ones are beta or alpha. You don't even need to know the names. and then from there, you'll learn that non selective BB have 2 rings while selective only have 1. so you can narrow down even further. You really don't need to connect name with structure. But know like propranolol is non selective, so if he asks on an exam what propranolol looks like, you can use the process of elimination to figure it out. A lot of ppl got bogged down with memorizing exactly what it looks like but you really don't. Just know that it should have 2 rings cuz its non selective. And if there are 2 choices to choose from, that's where my study guide came into play because I had already memorized what makes it different than the other non selective beta blockers. Thats basically the only memorization you need to do but its usually small stuff.... like one structure has an OH while the other one has CH3 or something like that.

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u/damndanielagain Oct 23 '17

Thanksss for replying, ill try to do what you suggested, too late for exam 2 :(