Dear Students in BCHS3304-Liu,
I would like to make available this note for exam preparation, because many students have asked for
guidance. This is rather my perspective on learning in general, not specific for this course. I hope
this is helpful.
1. Start with reviewing the lecture notes. Use your language to describe the contents. You can
try to explain to a study buddy if available, or simply talk to yourself. You may find very
quickly where your confusion is by doing this. Otherwise, you will be forcing yourself to
memorize what I said. Put yourself in the commander’s chair. Clarify your confusion by
reading the textbook or finding additional material online. Use me as your assistants.
Establishing this habit will boost your confidence. In the future, you will find that you do not
need confirmation for your answers, because you know it is correct.
2. Ask “why” as often as possible during your review. We say that protons are removed if the
pH is greater than pKa, but why? You could simply memorize the statement but asking “why”
will drive your study to the next level. The question will prompt you to study the titration curve
and the HH equation in great details. Don’t drop our study to memorizing. And it is hard to
memorize without understanding.
3. Build connections during your review. For example, we discussed the classification of amino
acids into groups based on their polarity and charge. When we move to post-translational
modification, you should ask how Ser, Thr and Tyr are structurally related therefore they are
ideal substrates of protein kinases. When we discuss the specificity of trypsin, you may ask
how Lys and Arg are similar and therefore they are substrates of trypsin. Build as much
connections as possible to drive the depth of your learning. After all, learning unrelated,
fragmented information is super difficult.
4. Aim for clarity and accuracy. When you see that the structures of Ser and Thr are easily
confused, distinguish them. Same for Asp, Glu, Asn, Gln, et al. When you decide the priority
order in the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog system, there are clear rules to follow; please do not allow
any ambiguity. We can only build upon solid knowledge. Adding to confused concept will
only lead to more confusion. It won’t bode well in multiple choices!
5. From the Quizzes, I can tell that many of you put a lot of efforts in but not everyone. The
quizzes cover most important contents and they are previews for midterm exams. It is not too
late if you start now to command those contents. You may not be able to cover everything,
but why don’t you start with amino acid names, classification, charges, pH and pKa. If you
still have capacity, go to pH calculations. Those are going to get tested heavily!
6. The contents to be tested. It is stated in my syllabus, but I state here again. It’s chapter 1, 2,
4 and chapter 5 section 3&4.
7. Finally, do some practice problems following the order as shown.
a. Quizzes.
b. In-class example problems and homework problems in lecture notes.
c. Chapter-end problems.
i. For chapter 1: Q2, 3, 6-15, 20-22
ii. For chapter 2: Q1, 5-14, 16, 18, 25, 29, 30, 32
iii. For chapter 4: Q1-3, 5-10, 12, 14-17, 23, 25, 26, 31, 33, 34
iv. For chapter 5: Q13, 14, 18, 27, 30-34
d. The practice exam 1 in TEAMS Class Materials.
Don’t hesitate to ask questions and I hope that you have learned something of Biochemistry!
I wish everyone good luck in Exam 1!
Yu Liu PhD, Associate Professor in Biochemistry
