nucleophilic_attack Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Before anyone roasts me, I've attempted to use search to see if my question has already been answered before. Unfortunately, I only get fragmented answers, at best, as to which MCAT prep books are best for each subject. I'm done second year of undergrad, and I'm planning to study for MCAT which I'll be writing at the end of August. I'll have roughly 3 months to study, depending on how long it takes to get the books. That being said, I know I'm weak in Organic Chem and Physics. The last Physics I did was UBC Phys 107, 108, and the last O-Chem I did was UBC Chem 233. I know for a fact - because I took the course - that the Physics material I learned is not very relevant (to the MCAT). Could some kind souls help me out in acquiring the best/better books in each category? Also, would it be better to stick with one company for consistency, or spread yourself to what's best? I would like to thank those who take my reply seriously in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van der Waals Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 IMO, BS - The Princeton Review Hyperlearning PS - The Princeton Review Hyperlearning VR - Examkrackers (both verbal and 101 passages in verbal) TPR was a bit weak in orgo, but it's a really small part of the MCAT so depending on how much detail you want it may be ok. I used an orgo textbook (Wade) and coursesaver.com videos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intrepid86 Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Could some kind souls help me out in acquiring the best/better books in each category? Also, would it be better to stick with one company for consistency, or spread yourself to what's best? I would like to thank those who take my reply seriously in advance. It's been a few years since I did my MCAT, so I'll let other posters suggest actual resources to use. However, I did find it helpful to stick with one company for a cohesive point of view. In my opinion, using multiple sources isn't a good idea, but if it works for you then do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WtsupDoc? Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 You aren't necessarily going to get definitive responses, because all you are going to get is opinions. But here is my two sense: I used Kaplan (the big book with content in all areas) to review BS and PS. I found it well organized, comprehensive (probably more detail that you need to know) and a great review tool. I complemented the Kaplan book (which lacked practice questions) with the 1001 question books and 101 verbal passages from Exam Krackers. The 1001 questions I gave up on because I had limited time (with a full time job), but I found them very useful to go over concepts that I was weaker in. The EK 101 verbal book was great, in my opinion. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucleophilic_attack Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Yep, I suppose 'definitive' wasn't really the best word to use. I suppose what I mean is that I'm looking for a set of opinions regarding which books are good and which ones I should avoid. I hope I can get a few opinions, and then I plan on sifting through them to see which ones appear to be crowd-favourites. ------------------------------------------- On topic, I do believe I have seen several people mention using the Examkrackers guide for the verbal section of the exam. I guess that's what I'll stick with, as well. The books don't look so expensive either, at $35 and $15 (CAD) on Amazon. So that leaves me with the Biological and Physics sections of the exam to worry about. The Kaplan book is great in the fact that it covers "everything". That makes studying less painful when you can just refer to one book. On the flip side, I am also worried that a comprehensive book will not be as detailed in the sense that it sacrifices depth for breadth. Also, WtsupDoc, do you mind also clarifying which Kaplan all-in-one book you used? I'm searching on Amazon, and I can only guess it's the one priced at $100 As for the Princeton Review - Hyperlearning series, I searched Amazon.ca and they don't appear to be selling it. Checking on eBay, I get the less-than-savory glimpses of 200 - 250 quids. I mean, if I HAVE to, I'd be willing to pay that much for a great review book. Problem is, I don't know if they are that great (because I don't know anything), and I don't know if it's really necessary to spend that much (feel free to correct me). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdy Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 I have the Kaplan, TPR, and EK books but have not gone over the TPR ones a great deal yet so I can't comment much on them. For orgo, I do not recommend the EK book. It assumes more knowledge coming into studying than I have, but I have not taken organic chemistry yet myself, which may be a bias. I'm finding that Kaplan covers the material much more thoroughly, but it is not as good about saying what will or won't be tested, but I have the MCAT outlines that help me there. The EK book tends to jump around and gloss over a lot of stuff, which I'm not terribly fond of. I've been supplementing with Khan academy videos, for areas where I run into problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucleophilic_attack Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Hrmm... I'm kinda getting more confused by all the choices. I see there's a Kaplan's comprehensive, and an Examkrackers comprehensive. They go for 100 and 150, respectively. I haven't been able to find any TPR books (not on Amazon, anyway). What would be the best way to acquire them quickly? If all else fails, I'll do the Kaplan Comprehensive + Examkrackers Verbal from Amazon. I am already short a month of studying time, so I really need to make the most of these last 3 months that I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intrepid86 Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 What would be the best way to acquire them quickly? If all else fails, I'll do the Kaplan Comprehensive + Examkrackers Verbal from Amazon. I am already short a month of studying time, so I really need to make the most of these last 3 months that I have. Three months is more than enough time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serine Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 I used TPR for all sections. I found them all to work well for me. For verbal, I used both TPR and Exam Krackers. So along with EK, I would suggest for you to give TPR Verbal workbook a try too. I definitely found it helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucleophilic_attack Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Serine, do you mean TPR - Hyperlearning, TPR - Cracking the MCAT, or all of the TPR books that deal with each section of the MCAT separately? For an example of the latter, http://www.amazon.ca/MCAT-General-Chemistry-Review-Princeton/dp/0375427945/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1369179366&sr=8-2&keywords=the+princeton+review. If it's the latter, can you tell me which of the books are worse/better? When the review books are split by material, it's highly likely the quality is going to vary quite widely. I need to know if it's worth it to buy from several companies to avoid the volumes in a particular series that are 'bad'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucleophilic_attack Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 I'm probably planning to order tonight. As of right now, I'm setting my eyes on the EK 101 verbal passages book as well as the EK verbal reasoning book. Unless convinced otherwise, I'm going to be purchasing the Kaplan 5-volume set for the Biology, Physics, Gen Chem, and O-Chem section. I appreciate everybody giving me advice regarding TPR, but the problem is that either I can't find the TPR to be bought (hyperlearning), or the recommender isn't specifying which TPR I should buy (hyperlearning, Cracking the MCAT, the books by subject-matter, etc...). I'm just worried that the Kaplan book won't be as in-depth as I would like. Even if I have covered the first two years of undergrad, I'm not sure I understand everything as thoroughly as I would like (for example, I haven't touched MCAT physics for 2 years now). So I'm hoping whatever guide I'm buying will allow me to really UNDERSTAND what's going on so I am ready for the MCAT, which stresses conceptual knowledge as opposed to rote memory. I guess what I'm really looking for is a set of resources that will enable me to score 35+. I don't mean some resources that will magically enable me to get this score just because I happened to read it over once or twice. That's not what I mean. What I do mean is that the book, itself, provides ENOUGH information in a CLEAR enough manner that a person willing to put in serious effort (as well as a dash of talent and luck), can reasonably expect to score in the mid-thirties. I just don't want to buy buy some "comprehensive" book that skips over a bunch of things or barely explains concepts that effectively robs me of the opportunity of even doing well in the MCAT, much less to my full potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megi Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Serine, do you mean TPR - Hyperlearning, TPR - Cracking the MCAT, or all of the TPR books that deal with each section of the MCAT separately? For an example of the latter, http://www.amazon.ca/MCAT-General-Chemistry-Review-Princeton/dp/0375427945/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1369179366&sr=8-2&keywords=the+princeton+review. If it's the latter, can you tell me which of the books are worse/better? When the review books are split by material, it's highly likely the quality is going to vary quite widely. I need to know if it's worth it to buy from several companies to avoid the volumes in a particular series that are 'bad'. no not those books, there's another set of princeton books that people only receive from taking the prep course. They are supposed to be much better than the store bought ones, you can buy them on ebay and they specifically say hyperlearning on them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucleophilic_attack Posted May 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 Yeesh!! These are quite expensive. Most are asking for ~300, and it doesn't seem I can buy the Bio, Chem, and Physics books separately (don't need verbal). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucleophilic_attack Posted May 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 What does everyone think about the SDN 3-month schedule? Is it still viable despite the fact that it was written in 2009? I also noticed the topic creator heavily emphasizes the Berkeley series. I live in BC, so I don't think I'll be able to buy the books or try out that schedule until next year. How are they compared to the other resources? As for TPRH, as great as it appears to be, my only options are to purchase it off of eBay. I'm not so keen on doing that (not to mention it's expensive). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucleophilic_attack Posted May 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 So I've narrowed it down to these 3 choices: 1. Kaplan 5-Volume Set http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1609786122/ref=gno_cart_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB 2. Examkrackers Complete Package http://www.amazon.ca/Examkrackers-Complete-MCAT-Study-Package/dp/1893858499/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369193094&sr=1-1&keywords=examkrackers 3. The Princeton Review Gen/O-Chem, Bio, Phys & Math Review http://www.amazon.ca/MCAT-General-Chemistry-Review-Princeton/dp/0375427945/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369193128&sr=1-2&keywords=the+princeton+review (for example) Anyone want to steer me to one of these 3, or to dissuade me from buying one of these 3? As it stands right now, I'll be getting the Kaplan set. I was also going to buy all the EK 1001 books (besides Bio, which I heard was bad). However, the questions are all discrete, as opposed to passage-based. I'm wondering if these books are worth it for reinforcement of material alone (as they don't seem to prepare you for the actual exam). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van der Waals Posted May 22, 2013 Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 I would recommend you check out the pirate bay (all in one mcat) before buying. I know TPR and Examkrackers are up there as well as a ton of Kaplan stuff. Look through the materials and see which one fits you best. I should also mention that the hyperlearning/coursebook with passages can be found there if you can't get it off amazon. The TPR content hasn't changed for the past decade, so if you can find used that works too. I think the sn2ed schedule is overkill. I ended up reviewing each topic by itself then studying problem areas found with practice tests. Found this very helpful: http://krnpremed.blogspot.ca/2012/02/how-to-destroy-mcat-with-minimal-study.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucleophilic_attack Posted May 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 Van der Waals, when that blogger said that the big Kaplan book would be better for those solid in Science, did he mean the 5-volume set that I may buy? If that is so, then I should probably err more toward the TPR books (I assume he's referring to the hyperlearning series). While I think I have a decent grasp of all the materials (besides Physiology), I'm afraid that may only be me mistakenly thinking I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constance Posted May 22, 2013 Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 Somewhat of a shameless plug guys (but with some morsels of wisdom). I'm going on vacation soon and then moving for residency so I'd like to get rid of my brand new TPR set from 2009 for $50 only. I live in Ottawa and would ideally like local pickup but shipping extra is OK too. See http://premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78390 It's all I used to study for the MCAT (except for the practice exams) but I literally read it 3x and memorized every single detail I could and I got a 41S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmitty Posted May 22, 2013 Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 For what it's worth, I used EK books only for all the sections...I think this works best if your fundamentals are already strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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