How to Score High in Biochemistry Exams?

“Half of the books bought are not read; half of the books read are not
understood; half of the books understood are not remembered; half of the books
remembered are not reproduced (say in an exam) “

Therefore, the best and the essential way to score high in Biochemistry
exams are to read more number of biochemistry books and try to know and
remember at the least, the key facts of all the topics.

Fill-in-the-blank questions are good targets of scoring, especially when the

lines may have been reproduced from a good text book. Remembering the
mnemonics will be very useful.

Important information never changes

A survey of multiple years of exams will show that some things are always
important. If a particular topic is asked in more than one exam, then those areas is
worth studying. Old exams are to gather intelligence related to what you need to
know, how it will be asked, and how much time is needed for studying. When you
look at old exams, the question in your mind should be “If the same questions were
asked, will I be able to answer it?”

Let us look at few strategies to be adopted in the examination hall. If you

feel that a very significant point or word should be highlighted, there is no harm in
writing it in capital letters or resorting to underlining. For example when you write a
biochemical pathway you can use different colors for enzymes, substrates, cofactors
and final product.

Read and understand the question first. Know the scoring pattern of exam
questions, and put more energy into questions with more score. If there are pertinent
facts or formulas that you are afraid you will forget, then write them down (i.e., do a
"brain dump"). (For example you can write down the michaelis-menten equation
or Hendorson-hasselbach equation or the mnemonics of certain pathways and so
on).

Find out if you will be penalized for guessing: If you will not be penalized
for guessing, NEVER LEAVE ANY QUESTION BLANK and try the luck of
your wild guesses.

If you feel that you are behind the clock, shorten the answer, or mention only
the relevant points. (You can skip some of the intermediates in a pathway and write
the final end product OR in discussing the kinetics of enzyme reactions you may
skip the effect of one or two factors affecting). In descriptive papers, it is essential
that you answer the required number of questions. What counts ultimately is the
total score, and not the score gained for any particular question.

Always leave a little extra space in the answer paper while you write, so that
you can insert an extra point that may come to your mind later (such as you can
include an inhibitor of a reaction in a metabolic pathway). There is no award for
those who quit the hall earliest. Any time that you get should be usefully utilized for
going through what you have written, correcting any error you have committed
inadvertently, and improving the answers wherever there is need for it.
Most of these are ideas about "attitude" and "approach" rather than specific
"methodology”.
Keep in mind that, although, there is only a finite amount of information
that is required to be learned, there are infinite ways of asking for that information.
For more details on Biochemistry check out my webpage at Biochemistry Online
or for specific topics in Biochemistry check Prof.PTS
Best of luck
Prof.PTS