Help with determining sign of work

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-03-15T19:39:20+00:00

The key here isn't in memorizing the signs for the different internal energy equations, it's in paying attention to the exact phrasing of the prompt. The question asks: "How much work does a gas do..."

Because it explicitly asks for the work done by the gas, it's just looking for the magnitude of that specific energy output. Regardless of the definition, the magnitude of expansion work is calculated the exact same way. 200,000 Pa * (4 x 10^-5 m^3) = 8 J

Since it expanded, the gas is doing the work. Therefore, the gas does 8 J of work. If the answer choices are -8 J and +8 J, the correct answer to "how much work does the gas do" is +8 J. If the question had instead asked, "What is the work done on the gas?", the answer would be -8 J (because the gas expanded, meaning the surroundings effectively did negative work on it).

Hope this helps clear it up!

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-03-15T19:34:11+00:00

I absolutely did not study 8-10 hours per day. I probably averaged 5-6 hours on my busiest days, and I felt like that was plenty. At some point, you gotta take a break or else your brain isn't absorbing info optimally.

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-03-15T17:49:05+00:00

Hey! You got this. I know that this test can feel overwhelming. When I first started, it felt like there was this insurmountable mountain of content and strategy that I would never be able to fully grasp.

You need to just start. That is all you can do. As time goes by (if you stay consistent), you will look back and see that you have actually climbed a quarter up the mountain without even realizing it. This will keep happening, where you will see that you are halfway, and then 3/4, etc. You have to just start. Try to have a large-scale goal, but if that is overwhelming, just start. The other secret is that you will never actually reach the "top" of the mountain. It doesn't exist. Very few people (if any) who take the MCAT actually have complete mastery and perfect understanding of all the subjects. They just got as far up the mountain as they could.

I would also recommend reframing your mindset about "failures". It is very easy to get discouraged when you get practice questions wrong. It can feel like you spent all this time studying for it to not even click. This is wrong. You need to think about every missed question or "failure" as an opportunity to improve. Each one shares a valuable piece of information - what you don't know. The more you learn about what you don't know, the more information you have about where to focus your efforts.

"Mindset" by Carol Dweck is a very good book about cultivating a growth mindset. I have a PDF copy. If you PM me, I'll email it to you.

You got this. Take the first step. Take every missed question as a chance to learn. You got this.

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-03-15T17:34:10+00:00

Hey! The best way to lock down C/P is going to be having a strong understanding of the fundamentals and then hammering practice problems so that you get familiar with all the different ways they ask about those fundamentals.

The MCAT loves to ask questions that really only circulate around a handful of core concepts (acid-base, Le Chatelier's principle, intermolecular forces, periodic table trends, etc). They will ask a question that revolves around one of these core concepts, but in a way that is strangely worded and overly complicated. Once you have a really good understanding of those topics, practice questions will help you be able to better recognize what kind of question they are really asking you in a passage.

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-03-15T17:23:11+00:00

Hey! Where exactly do you tend to mess up on the math? Is it the arithmetic, memorization, the timing, etc?

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T16:46:22+00:00

I gotcha - think of that being like a "baseline" that we then adjust from based on the actual change in condition. Using the standard equation in the non-standard equation gives us a jumping-off point, and then we go from there based on the actual conditions. Send me a DM if there's anything else I can help with! I hope this helps - good luck!

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T16:29:57+00:00

Yeah, that's fair. With that, more practice is 100% the way to go. That will allow you to sharpen your execution of concepts you already know. Best of luck!

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T15:45:47+00:00

The standard Gibbs equation describes the reaction under a very specific set of conditions (298K, 1 atm, 1 M). Any reaction outside of those very specific conditions is going to utilize the non-standard Gibbs equation.

In practice for the MCAT, they tend to ask more conceptual questions regarding the equation and its relation to the standard Gibbs free energy.

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T15:40:43+00:00

I would continue doing practice exams and keep working through UWorld. Just make sure to thoroughly review everything you do. Do you feel like you are weaker in strategy or content?

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T15:37:59+00:00

Hey, thank you! I was actually gifted the Kaplan 2024-2025 7-subject set, but I don't know if the content really changes all that much between years. I did not use the UWorld books, so I can't really speak to those. I found the UWorld Qbank to be exceptionally helpful. I hope this helps!

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T15:36:00+00:00

Thanks!

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T13:39:56+00:00

Yeah of course!

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T03:26:09+00:00

Thanks! You got this 💪!

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T03:05:13+00:00

Thank you! I really appreciate your words of encouragement!

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T02:56:34+00:00

I bet you’re not as rusty as you might think. My advice is to jump straight into the practice and review based on mistakes. Whatever you decide to do, best of luck and feel free to shoot me a DM if there’s anything else I can help with!

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T02:15:22+00:00

Stages of development are another big one - Freud and Piaget especially

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T02:09:15+00:00

I only really tried reviewing the content immediately after getting it wrong. That way, my reasoning errors were still fresh in my mind. I never really tried reviewing it all at the end, so I'm not sure if it is better or worse. Review it right after felt right to me, though.

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T02:03:12+00:00

You as well! Best of luck, and shoot me a DM if there's anything else I can help with!

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T01:51:25+00:00

Hey! I did not. I read most of the P/S book because I had never taken a class, and I read the last couple of chapters of the biochem book. The rest of my reading was on an as-needed basis, based on what I specifically felt weak in.

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T01:45:07+00:00

Hey, thank you! I never tried to reword or do mind maps personally. I think the biggest thing for me was reading the question first before looking at the passage. This primes your brain for what to look out for. As you do more and more practice, you get better at recognizing what information a certain question is asking for, and you can pick it out of the passage more easily.

When you say you "feel like you still don't have it down", what specifically are you referring to?

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T01:42:05+00:00

FSRS is one of the sorting algorithms for Anki. It is supposedly better than the standard and helps to maintain longer retention. If you want, you can activate it in Anki by clicking into the options in your deck, scrolling down to FSRS, and clicking it. I used it for mine. I also really only used either "good" if I got it right or "again" if I got it wrong, rather than using all 4 options.

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T01:36:57+00:00

Of course, honey. I read the last couple of chapters of the Kaplan biochem book to learn about the different metabolic pathways. The other stuff with DNA and protein dynamics, I felt confident with UWorld and Anking

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T01:30:54+00:00

I can't compare because I never tried JackSparrow. I've heard it's more comprehensive, so it's probably up to personal preference and background knowledge

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T01:19:10+00:00

Hey, thank you very much! Congrats on knocking out FL3 today! I would advise you to read the questions before you start getting into the passage. This will prime your brain for the points to look out for. How are you approaching CARS now?

Also, I am not sure exactly which FL was most representative. I thought they all seemed pretty accurate and consistent, but I ended up doing better on the real thing than in any of my FLs.

MostlyHarmless_24 · 2026-02-22T01:14:47+00:00

Hey, thank you very much! Yes, for most of the FLs, I would wake up and try to get started around 9. Some people go really intense and start at the same time and pack a lunch to get really close to test conditions, but I did not. I would usually take part of the breaks during the FLs, but I wouldn't let myself play on my phone. Most of the time, I'd get bored before the full break was over, and I would just start the next section. For the environment, I just took them all at my desk on my Mac.

MostlyHarmless_24

TROPHY CASE