best books

[Guest seonagh]

Hello all,

I'm planning to write next April and due to the fact that the test date falls right at the end of my term exams I am planning to pick away at the studying starting any time now with practice tests for the most part being reserved for just before the test.

I have the Barron's book and really don't like it other than the fact that it has some practice tests. I also have the ExamKrackers verbal reasoning book and I do like that one although I have only worked through the initial sample passage (I got a 9 on this does anyone have feedback on how the EK scores related to the real thing for them??)

 

Anyway, I want to buy a book or set of books that, in addition to my basic texts from school, will be sufficient to prepare me. I am thinking about the EK material and am even intrigued by the audio osmosis especially since I have so much lead time to do things like listen to the CDs in the car, at the gym etc. I'm not planning on taking a course (I don't think Kaplan or Princeton is even offered in my area.)

 

Seonagh

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there Seonagh,

 

I've sent you a private message regarding this.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest avisee]

I have sampled a little bit of a variety of books, and there certainly is a difference, so this is a good question. I'll tell you a little bit about what I thought of each set, because I imagine there may not be one answer that is best for everyone.

 

My personal favourite, by far, is the ExamKrackers series. I haven't used the 1001 questions or 101 passages books, but I did purchase the instructional set (they can also be purchased individually if you just want to hone up on one area, which is also an asset you don't usually get with the other series). It's a little on the expensive side (I got mine from Amazon for about $160, but well worth the money. Rather than running through study topics like a boring crib sheet, as in most other books, ExamKrackers reviews concepts like a beautiful textbook - with pictures and pacing that keeps you awake while reading. After each subsection, there are about 8 practice questions focusing on the specifics. Then, after each unit, there is a 30 minute unit-specific practice exam that resembles 3 passages and a handful of stand-alone questions in MCAT format. Finally, if you purchase the complete set, you get a full-length practice exam.

 

ExamKrackers is probably the best tailored to the style of the MCAT. The practice questions really resemble the MCAT, actually more like the most challenging/tricky questions on the test. This could be a little bit of a downside if it causes you to start second-guessing yourself all the time on the real MCAT, but it's really opened my eyes to the sort of subtle things I might miss out in the questions.

 

EK is also tailored to the MCAT in the sense that they give you little margin notes to tell you whether or not something will be important to know for the MCAT. This may be a disadvantage in that it encourages you to only learn the stuff you will be tested on which seems so shallow and wrong, but given the volume of material, it really is helpful. It doesn't prevent you from overlearning (and in fact, there are some sections where in-depth information is provided even though it notes that you likely won't be asked - including a section on alkenes which aren't even in the test, but are useful to understand for other testable concepts), but it does remind you which things are most important, which I find is a distinction not made in other study books.

 

The other thing I liked about ExamKrackers was that it really keeps my attention as I read. By breaking down the material into short paragraphs, I ensure that I understand each paragraph before moving on, rather than gunning through on a mission to completion. Also, unlike most other study books, EK is written so that there are no real low-level review sections. The first chapter of the chemistry section, when teaching atomic theory and stuff that normally is a major snooze when I read through in other texts, actually combines fundamental chemistry information with difficult material right off the bat, so I have to stay nimble when reading it.

 

EK has a few other discrete advantages. The Verbal Reasoning Section is the only one that really makes me think it can teach me to improve my VR score, because it doesn't try to force some undesirable (in my opinion) strategy (like skimming or note-taking) down your throat like most other review books. I'm sure not everyone would agree they prefer the common sense advice provided by EK, especially if they are looking for a formula for improvement, but the EK advice really hit home for me. Also, unlike many other review books, EK doesn't get lazy around Organic Chem. Many other review books I've picked up say something like "There are too many things to cover in this limited space, so you should consult your orgo chem textbook for a full review." (Barrons), or don't seem to teach you any theory other than listing a bunch of reactions for you to memorize (Kaplan). EK actually goes through the theory behind the reactions, and it does it in a pretty thin subject book.

 

That's the other advantage of EK - having the discrete books for each subject means that you don't have to lug around some huge study book. The biggest book is about 350 or 400 pages, which makes it easy to read on the subway or bus, or even just to lug around the house.

 

Enough of a soliloque on ExamKrackers! Bottom line is I would wholeheartedly recommend EK, whether for beginners or for advanced review. You know that it will retain its resale value if you want to get rid of it after.

 

Other books I have:

 

-Barrons and Petersons - the cheap models, going for 40-60 bucks for a complete review book. They're heavy but comprehensive. But the text is dull and very dense, so it's easy to drift off while reading. Some difficult concepts (for me: a lot of physics sections) are easy to get lost in. They do contain 3 or 4 sample exams at the end, but I find the sample exams aren't very representative of the MCAT. The passages are too short, and there are often more stand-alone questions than on the real test. I find that there are many questions that rely on your ability to answer the question before them. The verbal reasoning passages too often test factual information, which isn't really emphasized on the MCAT anymore. It looks like they really haven't updated their material much over the years. I think the 2003 or 2004 Petersons I own still has too many Verbal questions, like the older exams.

 

-Kaplan: I have the old in-class books for Physical and Biological Sciences, Verbal, and the in-class cue cards, all from 2000. I also have the MCAT Workbook and MCAT 45. The in-class books are more helpful than Petersons and Barrons, but I still prefer EK. Each chapter has review questions, and the solutions are pretty in-depth. However, unlike ExamKrackers, the practice questions are more comprehensive and test your broad understanding of the fundamentals described in the chapter (more high-school textbook style); whereas the questions from EK are more challenging and tricky but not necessarily comprehensive (more MCAT stand-alone question style). The cue cards may come in handy if you're the type that likes to use them, although to find these, you have to find a person who is selling Kaplan in-class materials (or take the class yourself), so you'll likely have to buy all the materials as a package. The MCAT Workbook is fairly useful - it talks about a lot of strategies and tips for writing the exam, but it's not a comprehensive book. For that you would have to buy the Comprehensive Review ($60 on Amazon or $90 in stores), which is one of those big fat books with, I believe, one practice test in the end. Kaplan's practice tests are pretty accurate as well. Comprehensive Review is the same as the subject books from the in-class course.

 

For me, I think the Workbook and the MCAT 45 (designed to cross the plateau into the higher scores - a lot of the more challenging question styles are presented) are worth looking into as supplementary material, but if you want a cheaper comprehensive review book, the Kaplan Comprehensive Review may be worthwhile.

 

I haven't looked at Princeton Review materials, so I can't comment on those. But, compared to ExamKrackers, I think that TPR books are fairly similar to Kaplan books. There is debate in other threads about how practice exams compare by publisher, but I think for you, the objective would be to find the best review material, with the test quality being a secondary concern.

 

I hope that helps you decide!