PRC Chemist study plan

Build a one-page equation sheet covering stoichiometry, gas laws, thermochemistry (ΔH, Hess's law, calorimetry), and chemical equilibrium, then solve 30 mixed calculation problems using only that sheet

Derive and apply the first and second laws of thermodynamics to compute ΔU, ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG for at least 15 reactions, including temperature dependence via ΔG = ΔH − TΔS

Calculate pH, pKa, and buffer compositions for weak acid/base systems and verify each answer by mass-and-charge balance

Draw and interpret phase diagrams and solve Clausius–Clapeyron problems for vapor pressure and boiling-point elevation

Solve kinetics problems to determine rate law, order, rate constant, half-life, and activation energy from concentration–time and Arrhenius data

Apply electrochemical relationships (Nernst equation, cell potentials, Faraday's law) to compute cell EMF, equilibrium constants, and electrolysis quantities

Set up and solve quantitative analytical calculations for gravimetric analysis, volumetric titrations, and standard-addition calibrations, propagating uncertainty

Explain the operating principle of UV-Vis, atomic absorption, and potentiometric measurements well enough to predict how each responds to a concentration change

Predict products and mechanisms for substitution (SN1/SN2), elimination (E1/E2), and addition reactions, justifying regiochemistry and stereochemistry in writing

Assign R/S and E/Z configurations and draw chair conformations to rank conformer stability for at least 20 structures

Design multi-step syntheses of 10 target molecules from given starting materials, listing reagents and conditions for each step

Interpret IR, 1H NMR (splitting, integration, chemical shift), 13C NMR, and mass spectra to propose structures for 15 unknowns

Classify and predict reactivity of carbonyl compounds, aromatic systems, and functional-group interconversions, writing mechanisms for at least 15 reactions

Describe amino acid side-chain chemistry, peptide-bond formation, and protein primary-to-quaternary structure, and predict how pH and denaturants alter charge and folding

Explain enzyme kinetics using Michaelis–Menten, Lineweaver–Burk, and inhibition models, and calculate Km, Vmax, and Ki from supplied data

Outline the core pathways of carbohydrate metabolism (glycolysis, TCA cycle, oxidative phosphorylation) and identify the regulatory and energy-yielding steps

Trace lipid and nitrogen metabolism, including beta-oxidation, ketone bodies, urea cycle, and transamination, and compute ATP yield per substrate

Explain DNA replication, transcription, translation, and common mutation consequences, and relate them to analytical or clinical measurements

Solve problems on nucleic acid and protein quantification (Beer–Lambert, A260/A280, molar extinction coefficients, molecular-weight estimation)

Connect organic reaction types to biochemical transformations, identifying at least 10 mechanistic parallels (e.g., ester hydrolysis, aldol, decarboxylation)

Describe the chemistry behind major industrial processes (ammonia synthesis, sulfuric and nitric acid production, chlor-alkali, petroleum cracking/reforming, polymerization) and identify catalysts, conditions, and yield-limiting factors

Perform process calculations: mass and energy balances, limiting reagent, percent yield, recycle, and selectivity for at least 10 process scenarios

Explain corrosion mechanisms and mitigation, plus water treatment and scale control chemistry

Evaluate process safety and environmental controls (exothermic runaway, waste neutralization, emission limits) in written case analyses

Design a complete analytical method for a specified sample: sampling plan, sample prep, instrument choice, calibration strategy, and quality-control acceptance criteria

Calculate and interpret detection limits, recovery, precision, and accuracy, and diagnose out-of-control QC results

Apply quality-assurance and regulatory reasoning to method validation and reporting decisions

Rehearse explaining instrument choice and method limitations concisely in exam-style short answers

Complete two full-length timed mock exams under exam conditions and score them against the answer key

Re-drill every item missed on the mocks and on the week-4 mock until each is solved correctly without notes

Consolidate one condensed review sheet per domain (key equations, mechanisms, pathways, process conditions) and recite each from memory

Simulate exam-day pacing to confirm time allocation per question and a strategy for flagging and returning to hard items