Biochemistry might not be that hard👀
🧠HERE’S HOW I DID IT:
🍭I start off with the✨BLURTING METHOD✨
1. Look at your notes, some people look at videos, or wherever you can find the information. For example it’s the Kreb’s cycle: Copy it and write it down on a piece of paper!
2. Write and re-write it until you start to remember the steps of the cycle!
3. Once you feel confident enough, take away the source of notes and just write on a piece of paper whatever you remember! It doesn’t have to be perfect or accurate, just write whatever you remembered!
4. Now compare what you wrote to the original source of notes. I am sure you will find gaps and that’s okay, it is very normal! It’s a learning process. Now you know what you missed so next time you will focus on it to fill the gaps!
5. Write and re-write the cycle again so that you can stick it into your brain!
🤯At this point it is in your short term memory🤩 This means you might forget it in a day or two! How do we make sure you translate it to your long term memory just so you don’t forget it for the test you have 3 months away??
🍭This is where ✨SPACED REPETITION✨ comes in!!!
6. Try to write down the cycles each and everyday without looking at your notes in order to make sure you are remembering it after several days of learning it! Now it depends on your memory but I used to write it everyday because the cycles are an important part of the MCAT!
7. Make Anki cards, or just flashcards related to the cycles in order to help with memory, try to answer them and see if you get it write!!
‼️One MAJOR TECHNIQUE that also helped me with these cycles was talking out loud and teaching it to myself and friends or anyone who can listen to you!! I would just deeply explain the cycles out loud as if I was explaining it to a baby who knew nothing about it🥰 This was the best way to incorporate it into my long term memory🥰
🧠The rest is trial and error, try everything to see what works best for you!!!
I remember feeling completely overwhelmed when I first started biochemistry. It felt like a different language, full of complex pathways and structures. But trust me, it's not impossible, and with the right approach, you can totally conquer it! Beyond just memorizing, I found that really understanding what biochemistry is all about made a huge difference. Think of it as the language of life – how our bodies work at a molecular level. It's not just about textbooks; it's about seeing how those glycolysis steps power your muscles or how the citric acid cycle generates energy for every thought you have. When you connect it to real-life functions, it suddenly becomes so much more engaging. One of the biggest hurdles for me was tackling those tricky biochemistry questions and problems. Just knowing the steps of a pathway wasn't enough; I needed to apply them. My strategy was always to break down the question. First, identify what the question is really asking. Is it about enzyme kinetics? Metabolic regulation? Then, recall the relevant pathway or concept. For example, if it's about the Glycolysis pathway, I'd quickly sketch it out (just like drawing out cycles really helps visualize!) and then think about the key enzymes, substrates, and products. Don't be afraid to draw out amino acid structures if the question involves them, categorizing them by polarity or charge helped me a ton with those. For metabolic pathways like Glycolysis or the Citric Acid Cycle, I found that simply blurting out the steps wasn't enough for true mastery. I had to understand the why behind each step and, crucially, the *regulation*. What activates this enzyme? What inhibits it? Why does this pathway speed up or slow down under certain conditions? Creating those visual aids, maybe even color-coding different types of reactions or regulatory points, was a game-changer. I'd imagine the molecules moving, transforming – it felt like watching a tiny movie inside my brain! And practice, practice, practice! It's key. Don’t just read solutions; try to solve problems from scratch. Work through practice questions from your textbook, online resources, or even past exams. If you get stuck, go back to your notes, re-draw the cycle, and try to find where your understanding broke down. This iterative process of identifying gaps and filling them is exactly what makes the blurting method so powerful. Finally, don't underestimate the power of your mindset. I used to think, 'Oh, biochemistry is just hard!' But when I shifted to 'No, it's not hard. I can do anything I put my mind to!' it truly changed my approach. It's a challenging subject, yes, but it’s entirely doable. Keep practicing, keep drawing, keep teaching yourself, and you'll see those complex concepts start to click!
