This is true. Some of the reason that American students in particular have a hard time in organic chemistry is the insistence of teaching intro orgo by functional group rather than reaction mechanism. In the UK, it's far more common to organize a course around mechanisms (which is how most graduate and advanced orgo is taught).
The functional group approach exposes you early and often to seemingly non-sensical (or at least challenging) exceptions that don't seem to follow any pattern, all of which makes perfect sense when you learn them grouped with other situations where the same mechanism applies.
The functional group approach exposes you early and often to seemingly non-sensical (or at least challenging) exceptions that don't seem to follow any pattern, all of which makes perfect sense when you learn them grouped with other situations where the same mechanism applies.