What you should do before taking organic chemistry

Do this at the beginning of the year or before you take organic chemistry.

Ask your friends for old exams and answer keys from organic chemistry classes or find them on the Internet. Give yourself a preview of what organic chemistry exams are like. Try to get exams and answer keys that were written by your instructor. Try to get a copy of the syllabus too.

Memorize the names and structures of different functional groups, common organic chemicals, and solvents. Make flash cards if necessary. You can print out the pictures in this guide and cut them into mini flash cards.

Read a prep book like Schaum's Easy Outline of Organic chemistry or some good tutorial websites that explain individual concepts from your textbook. Using online tutorials to study is much more effective than just reading the textbook. If you want to know reaction mechanisms really well, there are some excellent websites that you can visit or you can get a copy of The Art of Drawing Reasonable Reaction Mechanisms.

Students are welcome to print out the pictures in this guide and use them as flash cards.