Raihan Mirza Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Hi I am thinking about studying for the MCATs starting January. I have been researching books to study for the MCATs and reading reviews. While doing my research I came across The Gold Standard MCAT Home Study Package. The link to the package is given below. http://www.mcat-bookstore.com/images/new_new_composite_w1.jpg Does this book cover enough information for a student who forgot most of the he learned in science class in college? Those of you who bought this package, what did you think? Do you recommend it? What other books do you recommend and why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CutieYellow Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 I bought the Gold Standard and the Silver bullet, and although it's been eons since i've done the MCATs, i remember it being so-so as a package. I found it very non-user friendly. Can't explain why now, but i remember not liking it. And i ended up using Princeton Review stuff in the end. CY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haiku_guy Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 I also had a Gold Standard book. I thought it was crap. Mind you, I bought it in 2001 before I wrote the MCAT for the first time. However, I re-wrote this year and did use some of the practice exams. I also took a Kaplan course and thought that their books weren't much better in terms of organization. All that being said, I did very well on the MCAT this time around. I would say that overall, the chances of doing well on the test drastically increase with your dedication to studying, and less so with which book you buy/course you take. Set a goal and stick too it. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippie Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 Haiku_guy, Did you take the online or the classroom course? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haiku_guy Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 I took a classroom course, which was good for me, since it was like 10 years ago I took general chem and physics... You can PM me if you want more deets... Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 NOOOO! don't take those bs classes... such a waste of time and money... my advice is to just tell yourself you'll get a $1500 reward for killing the MCAT by studying on your own. You already know everything you need to know if you've completed year 2 of undergrad in life sciences. i bought the gold standard and thought it provided a good overview of everything you needed to know. quite breif; exactly like the knowledge base you actually need to write the mcat. i found the best prep for the mcat was buying official tests and doing those timed as though it was the real test. the 3 tests that come with the gold standard i found to be much tougher than the real tests, but they got me scared enough to study hard. depends on your personality though... if you're not very self directed, i'd suggest taking the course, although i still feel it's much more a psychological thing (oooh all the other crazy pre-meds are doing it, so i should too!) than an actual help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Baller Posted April 12, 2008 Report Share Posted April 12, 2008 Go for TPR and use EK for VR. youll be set!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon01 Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 Know your own study habits best. Do you find you learn alot in undergrad when you go to lectures or do you learn mostly from studying in the library? Don't change what has worked for you in the past. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g0921 Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 Are the 10 practise CBT that the Golden Standard offers any good? Like, are they close to AAMC? I'll for sure be buying the AAMC 3-7 but everyone says practice is essential so I was wondering if the Golden Standard CBTs would be good practise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THX Posted April 18, 2008 Report Share Posted April 18, 2008 Why don't you just use EK? EK is usually gold for those that use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcat student Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 I also had a Gold Standard book. I thought it was crap. Mind you, I bought it in 2001 before I wrote the MCAT for the first time. However, I re-wrote this year and did use some of the practice exams. I also took a Kaplan course and thought that their books weren't much better in terms of organization. All that being said, I did very well on the MCAT this time around. I would say that overall, the chances of doing well on the test drastically increase with your dedication to studying, and less so with which book you buy/course you take. Set a goal and stick too it. Cheers! Actually, the gold standard mcat is amazing in my opinion. I used it and did excellent on the mcat exam. I also tried the examkraker and kaplan and they are okay, nothing special. As someone who took the mcat using the gold standard mcat, i would recommend it to all students that are planning on taking the mcat exam. Many premed groups use the gold standard mcat - maybe because they get a group discount, but yet no complains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Future Doctor Jenny Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 The Gold Standard is really good. I used it when i was younger. The author seems to really know his stuff. Clear explanations and outline of what you need to know. I would give it a 4 star and a half- to me nothing deserves a 5 star. Kaplan a 4 star, examkraker a 3.7 star. The rest i wouldnt know, i didnt use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 I guess everyone has their own opinion, but i found the gold standard mcat very useful and helpful. The content is excellent compared to kaplan and examkraker. I looked at kaplan and examkraker books and i found those to be crappy. Too much information, half of it you dont even need to know. The gold standard outlines what you need to know- as someonementioned above. I would recommend the gold standard to students who wants a good review book for the mcat exam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Brown Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Are the 10 practise CBT that the Golden Standard offers any good? Like, are they close to AAMC? I'll for sure be buying the AAMC 3-7 but everyone says practice is essential so I was wondering if the Golden Standard CBTs would be good practise. Ya they are pretty good. I used them and liked them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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