The Law Posted November 20, 2009 Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 Just wondering, I have both TPR and Kaplan. I have the feeling that TPR is TMI and Kaplan is too brief... which one should I go with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Notyet Posted November 20, 2009 Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 I really liked the princeton review books. If you have the time to put into it, between now and your test day, I don't believe it is too much information. I'd rather a resource go in-depth than skim a topic because the MCAT is a lot like life, which is a lot like a box of chocolates (you never know what you're going to get). You'll get a solid understanding with TPR. Then again, if you've got both of them, you can use one to complement the other because they should both have more practice passages/questions. And veering off-topic, if you check out your public library, theres a good chance you can find more practice passages/MCAT books free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted November 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 Ah thanks for the tip! Dr.SoontoBe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ace of Spades Posted November 20, 2009 Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 I just read through Exam Krackers and scored 14 on BS. Of course, having taken a little cell biology and microbiology helped a bit. But don't disregard the organic chemistry either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Notyet Posted November 20, 2009 Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 I got way too much Organic on the MCAT this summer. I'm never writing this test again, so I sure hope I get in Best of luck Law, I'm sure you'll do well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewfieMike Posted November 20, 2009 Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 Just wondering, I have both TPR and Kaplan. I have the feeling that TPR is TMI and Kaplan is too brief... which one should I go with? Law I used princeton as my only source of info. And I was hittin 12's-13's in bio on my last few practice tests... WHYYYY did I only get 11 on the real deal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madz25 Posted November 20, 2009 Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 Law I used princeton as my only source of info. And I was hittin 12's-13's in bio on my last few practice tests... WHYYYY did I only get 11 on the real deal same thing happened to me newf. law - i used TPR and kaplan comprehensive review. i felt strong in bio but dunno what happened on exam day, only got 11. u know how those things go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sv3 Posted November 20, 2009 Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 it depends on your background. for BIO: I really needed TPR (it had been 10 years since i did 1st year bio) but i had also had examkrackers. I found that after spending alot of time on TPR, I could breeze through Ek to find anything that wasn't covered in TPR (rarely happened but some of the Ek visuals were nice supplements but unecessary). For ORGO: I thought this was the best of the Ek subjects but they do a horrible job on stereochem and the intro. If you got this down pat, I'd def use Ek over anything else. I had to spent a ton of time on TPR but I had no choice I ended up with a 13 on the real deal (just one orgo passage, few discretes). If you have the time, you will not go wrong with TPR for the bio as their in chapter questions are great and make you think - its not just memory work and i found it to be like the real deal gluck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janny_jan Posted November 20, 2009 Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 I am seriously struggling with bio. I've gotten a 9 both times i've written. The first, I deserved because I didn't study enough. The second, I thought I was going to do waaaaay better (I improved on my other sections by like 5 points on each!) I don't come from a bio background but have taken orgo. I felt like I knew the material but the questions seemed to be from another planet. Any tips from the masters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sv3 Posted November 20, 2009 Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 I am seriously struggling with bio. I've gotten a 9 both times i've written. The first, I deserved because I didn't study enough. The second, I thought I was going to do waaaaay better (I improved on my other sections by like 5 points on each!)I don't come from a bio background but have taken orgo. I felt like I knew the material but the questions seemed to be from another planet. Any tips from the masters? i have heard that Ek doesn't prepare you well with their questions - they are too simple and don't require enough thought. That's why I liked TPR. I don't know how Kaplan is but I hear their bio is good too. It's def alot more than just memorization. A good portion of it is kind of like VR in that the answers are sometimes right there in the passage - however, if you don't have enough content down, you might not even notice this. Some people may make it sound easy like "all you need to do is read the passage" but I really think you need to prepare well for it to seem easy. I'd focus on questions that make you think and that involve multiple body systems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted November 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2009 Yeah EK 1001 bio is really bad for bio prep. I scored 9 first time, 10 second time... and I know bio very well. It's definitely test-taking that I have to improve for this section. I am using TPR this time, going to read through it slowly and just practice my heart out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octavius Posted November 21, 2009 Report Share Posted November 21, 2009 Having used both, TPR Hyperlearning's Science workbook is far superior to EK's Biology 1001 questions...Sometimes it astounds me how off people can be hahah. Maybe the tests changed over the years. It's always the parts your bad at that comes on the test (I had kidneys which I didn't look over and molecular bio and mendelian genetics - my weakest spots). Ended up with a 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janny_jan Posted November 22, 2009 Report Share Posted November 22, 2009 yea i'm using TPR too...and taking the TPR course. I know its expensive but this is my third time and final time writing the beast and i figure im going to exhaust all my resources. I didnt improve on bio so there is something im not quite getting...hopefully this course can show moi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octavius Posted November 22, 2009 Report Share Posted November 22, 2009 yea i'm using TPR too...and taking the TPR course. I know its expensive but this is my third time and final time writing the beast and i figure im going to exhaust all my resources. I didnt improve on bio so there is something im not quite getting...hopefully this course can show moi! I just bought the books for 100 bucks lol - I never go to lectures, if I do, I fall asleep. Yeah you might as well though, 1000 is a drop in the ocean compared to the med school debt you're about to incur and you can recover that back. I would pay for it if lectures was a viable means of learning for me but for science, it's best with textbook and practice. Good luck. Make sure you use those AAMC practice tests, those are probably the most critical factor, learn to take the test rather than memorizing the **** out of the materials...I went from 20 on diagnostic to 34 on last diagnostic - but I credit the insane amount of passages from Berkeley Review...The actual test didn't go so hot, I'm one of the few who had an actual score deviate (31) far from my practice scores...C'est la vie. Practice practice! Go over each mistake you make on practice tests with a fine tooth comb and remember the TPR version of the MCAT (and their verbal workbook) are much harder than the real thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted November 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2009 I've decided to go with Kaplan for bio again. TPR is just so fricken long and boring. Kaplan is concise and for the areas of bio I'm good at, I'll be using it. For stuff that I need more help, I'll refer to TPR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octavius Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 I think I'll need a molecular and genetics supplementary book. That area shredded me on that exam...And I'll be a kidney expert next time only to not have that subject area show up on my test! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted November 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 Wow the EK biology book is great. I switched to it from Kaplan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmosis Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 so, do the majority of you find TPR is suprior to EK for MCAT prep? i have copies of both, and am currently studying, but i am trying to decide which books i should use? TPR is good, but i find it's way too long, and takes awhile to get through all the info. EK is def. concise and to the point, but i often find gaps in my knowledge b/c they do not provide sufficient background. which books did all of you find prepared you best? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HBP Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 well, if you read this thread... you would see it depends on how much background you have bio background = EK non-bio = TPR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted November 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 I tried to read TPR because it's so comprehensive, but it's such a tedious read... I just couldn't stand it. Too much information. Kaplan is not good enough at explaining some concepts. EK = amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmosis Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 I tried to read TPR because it's so comprehensive, but it's such a tedious read... I just couldn't stand it. Too much information. Kaplan is not good enough at explaining some concepts. EK = amazing. Law i was wondering how far removed you were from your prerequisite courses when you took the MCAT? b/c it's been about 6-7 years since i took those courses in undergrad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KamG Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 I used kaplan for bio, scored 13 first try and i dont have a bio background. I think any of the books will provide you with the basics you need to "memorize" from there on just try to extract as much info as possible from passages. My organic was pretty solid so i doubt i missed any of those q's which probably made up for my lack of knowledge in biochem/bio etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Law i was wondering how far removed you were from your prerequisite courses when you took the MCAT? b/c it's been about 6-7 years since i took those courses in undergrad. Hey, Well, for biology, a lot of the material was covered constantly throughout my undergrad (minus the physiology, my studies focused on molecular bio). I never actually took a physiology course during undergrad. EK is definitely more than enough info for this section though. With physics, I have never taken a true physics course (the one I took was "for bio students" and was too easy) and I find the EK book is VERY VERY good at helping you know what are the key points to learn. I suck at physics and managed to score an 11 last time, and I'm pretty sure that the EK materials helped a lot with that. Chem, I only took back in first year (five years ago now), but I've always been good at it so I don't even really feel the need to review it that much since I generally just remember how to do a lot of it from first year. I'd say - do not worry. Even if you are 6-7 years removed. I recommend EK and the EK 1001 questions series for physics and chem. These will help you get the knowledge down. Then, it's all about test taking. Seriously. Test taking skill is more than half the battle on the MCAT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KamG Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Test taking skill is more than half the battle on the MCAT. couldn't agree more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmosis Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Hey, Well, for biology, a lot of the material was covered constantly throughout my undergrad (minus the physiology, my studies focused on molecular bio). I never actually took a physiology course during undergrad. EK is definitely more than enough info for this section though. With physics, I have never taken a true physics course (the one I took was "for bio students" and was too easy) and I find the EK book is VERY VERY good at helping you know what are the key points to learn. I suck at physics and managed to score an 11 last time, and I'm pretty sure that the EK materials helped a lot with that. Chem, I only took back in first year (five years ago now), but I've always been good at it so I don't even really feel the need to review it that much since I generally just remember how to do a lot of it from first year. I'd say - do not worry. Even if you are 6-7 years removed. I recommend EK and the EK 1001 questions series for physics and chem. These will help you get the knowledge down. Then, it's all about test taking. Seriously. Test taking skill is more than half the battle on the MCAT. KamG, Law, thanks alot guys. I was getting concerned about having to spend too much time reading through TPR and EK material, and not having enough time to do the AAMC practice tests. Thanks for the tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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