# Biochemistry — The Complete Playbook

> How to split Step 1 biochemistry into 7 pieces and place each one immediately before the organ system that depends on it.

URL: https://vault-guides.vercel.app/biochem.html
Canonical: https://usmlevault.com/blog/biochem-strategy
Note: canonical version lives on usmlevault.com; this page is a mirror.

## Summary

A method for studying Step 1 biochemistry by treating it as a prerequisite rather than an opening block. Instead of front-loading all of biochem on day one, it is split into 7 pieces, each placed right before the system that depends on it — nutrition before GI, carbohydrates and fats before endocrine, cellular, molecular and amino acids before immunology/HemOnc, and genetics before neurology. The article states front-loading takes about 64 hours with roughly 30% retention while the split approach takes about 35 hours with roughly 80% retention, saving about 29 hours. Biochem is run inside the Vault only, page by page with MCQs the same day, and closed with a single pass of the Mehlman Medical Biochemistry playlist before revision.

## Key facts

- Front-loaded biochem: ~64 hours at ~30% retention; split and placed before each system: ~35 hours at ~80% retention; ~29 hours saved
- 7 placements in schedule order: Nutrition before GIT; Carbohydrates before Endocrine; Fats/Lipids before Endocrine; Cellular before Immunology/HemOnc; Molecular before Immunology/HemOnc; Amino Acids before Immunology/HemOnc; Genetics before Neurology
- Total biochem spans roughly First Aid pages 32–92 with ~138 page-by-page Vault MCQs
- Fixed system orders: Reproductive → Endocrine, MSK → Psychiatry, Immunology → HemOnc
- Biochem pieces are Vault-only — no Mehlman, no separate Anki deck, no UWorld block of their own
- After all 7 placements are done and before the revision phase, do one clean start-to-finish pass of the Mehlman Medical Biochemistry playlist
- Daily loop: read the Vault page with First Aid open, watch the attached HY video for hard pages, do that page's MCQs the same day, open the ELI5 for brutal pages

## Covers

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## Source

USMLE Vault — https://usmlevault.com
Author: Dr. Marish Asudani

Updated: 2026-08-26