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Berkeley or Princeton? and when should I register for MCAT?


Remy

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Hi,

 

I'm trying to decide between using Berkeley or Princeton books to study for the orgo section. I have not taken orgo yet. What are your thoughts on the two review books??

 

Also, how early before the MCAT date should I register to ensure a spot? generally speaking ofc, I know sometimes it'll fill up faster/slower. I've just began studying so I'm not quite sure yet how long it will take to prepare me.

 

Thanks!

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Hi,

 

I'm trying to decide between using Berkeley or Princeton books to study for the orgo section. I have not taken orgo yet. What are your thoughts on the two review books??

 

Also, how early before the MCAT date should I register to ensure a spot? generally speaking ofc, I know sometimes it'll fill up faster/slower. I've just began studying so I'm not quite sure yet how long it will take to prepare me.

 

Thanks!

 

I have not seen/used the Berkeley, I have used TPR. Their orgo section is ok but I felt that often it didn't connect the dots for me. I suggest using a regular introductory orgo book (eg. Mcmurray has an ebook), and then complementing it with EK (or TPR if you want). Also, the Khan Academy orgo videos were great I thought, you might want to check those out as well.

 

If you have not done the undergrad courses for the subjects, you might need couple months to prep. Perhaps a late aug-early sept date might work best for you. Do register now though, they fill up pretty fast!

 

Good luck!

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Use Berkeley for organic chem if you can get them. If its too much trouble the Princeton is OK too.

 

If you need the MCAT score this year you should register NOW.

 

If i register now for an early sept date, and i find that by late july/early aug that i would just be wasting my time writing the MCAT because i'm only 30% done studying, then what would my options be for refunds and such?

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If i register now for an early sept date, and i find that by late july/early aug that i would just be wasting my time writing the MCAT because i'm only 30% done studying, then what would my options be for refunds and such?

 

You get half money back.

It really depends on when you plan to apply. If you absolutely need the score this year then you have to take it this year. If not, it is still not a good idea to study this year but take the test next year. When you take it next year you wont remember anything you study this year.

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You get half money back.

It really depends on when you plan to apply. If you absolutely need the score this year then you have to take it this year. If not, it is still not a good idea to study this year but take the test next year. When you take it next year you wont remember anything you study this year.

 

With my situation, I am unable to take it next year as I have full time school from May-Dec (plan to graduate in Dec instead of April) so.. its either this summer or ..not for a very long time

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I have not seen/used the Berkeley, I have used TPR. Their orgo section is ok but I felt that often it didn't connect the dots for me. I suggest using a regular introductory orgo book (eg. Mcmurray has an ebook), and then complementing it with EK (or TPR if you want). Also, the Khan Academy orgo videos were great I thought, you might want to check those out as well.

 

If you have not done the undergrad courses for the subjects, you might need couple months to prep. Perhaps a late aug-early sept date might work best for you. Do register now though, they fill up pretty fast!

 

Good luck!

 

omg, i came across the khanacademy videos yesterday when studying for general chem and i was flabbergasted! to anyone reading this, you should seriously try them out. in my opinion, for some of material, these videos may be better than textbook material because someone's teaching you how to think/approach the content. other than the khanacademy videos, there are also videos by freelance-teacher which I found to be super-awesome as well. :)

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With my situation, I am unable to take it next year as I have full time school from May-Dec (plan to graduate in Dec instead of April) so.. its either this summer or ..not for a very long time

 

Well that case you could wait, but I dont think theres any MCAT scheduled between late Sep to Dec, so if you study now and not take it this summer, you'll end up taking it after at leat 6 months, which may be a bit too long as well.

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