MCAT Examkrackers 1001 Question Books

[XM Examkrackers]

Dear SDN Members:

The 1001 Questions books are resources for extra practice questions, and they follow the outline of the course manuals. They make an excellent complement for students enrolled in the comprehensive course or for those using the MCAT Complete Study Package who would like more questions to tackle. The questions in the 1001 books are particularly useful for building confidence and for MCAT troubleshooting—addressing your specific weaknesses by practicing on questions related to a particular sub-topic. The questions and explanations are designed to teach you to think intuitively. Conceptual thinking is encouraged, while lengthy calculations are discouraged, which is exactly how you should approach the MCAT. We’ll show you how the memorization of basic formulas is required, but will usually not, in itself, provide the fastest method of reaching the answer. Questions are conveniently arranged by topic, and their difficulty ranges from easy to very challenging. You’ll find that the questions are formatted identically to those on the MCAT, and that the answers and explanations provided in the back of the book are insightful and helpful. The titles available are:

· 1001 Questions in MCAT Biology
· 1001 Questions in MCAT Chemistry
· 1001 Questions in MCAT Organic Chemistry
· 1001 Questions in MCAT Physics

101 Passages in Verbal Reasoning
This book is the verbal companion to the 1001 Questions series books. It includes:
· Fourteen 60-minute full length practice MCAT verbal exams
· 14 Solid hours of MCAT verbal testing
· 560 MCAT verbal questions in total
· 2,240 explanations for correct and incorrect answer choices
· 14 tear-out answer sheets for simulation accuracy

If you have any questions about the 1001 question books or 101 verbal passages book, please post them here.

Yours,

The EK Team
www.examkrackers.com

Examkrackers will giving away one free set of Examkrackers 1001 Question books to one lucky member. Winners for each raffle will be drawn from among the members who post questions about the product or otherwise meaningfully contribute to the discussion.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[aevea]

Do you have plans to make the science books passage based?

 

[derArzt]

Are the questions in the science books divided into topics (ie. physics: mechanics, optics...) or are the questions randomly divided up?

 

[idiosyncratici]

Are the 1001 questions in this book in passage form (like the CBT) or free based like the non-descriptive based questions on the exam? Also, are there any timed portions that you can measure your timing in preparation for the exam? Thanks!

 

[Maygyver]

Is the 1001 question series helpful as a supplement for a test prep course without purchasing the entire EK review set? I have heard they are very useful, but I wasn't sure how much use they would be without the EK review set as well.

 

[mrfunnyman]

Is the 1001 question series helpful as a supplement for a test prep course without purchasing the entire EK review set? I have heard they are very useful, but I wasn't sure how much use they would be without the EK review set as well.

Id say they are. Ive seen two of the books from the series and they give a lot of good practice

 

[BobbyT]

i heard that these EK question books are close to the real MCAT questions. Is this true?

 

[PharMed2016]

I've heard the MCAT recently changed their organic section, does the 1001 reflect these changes in content?

 

[badapplestix]

What format are the science books in?

 

[maeryn]

In the Exam Krackers full book set, the introduction states that the easy questions have been taken out because (hopefully) we can answer the easy questions on our own. Are the 1001 book sets the same? Mostly the harder questions? Or are they more evenly distributed between easy and hard?

 

[de_la_soul]

are these meant to make gains on the 'discrete questions' of the mcat exam? or also the passages?

 

[XM Examkrackers]

Dear SDN members,

Thanks for checking out the 1001 Questions books and asking good questions and offering feedback. I will do my best to answer your questions.

@aevea
I don't think so. The science 1001 question books are more appropriate for helping you gain a better understanding of the concepts being tested and the question format of easy to hard questions for each topic works best I believe.

@derArzt, badapplestix
They are divided up by topic with easier questions at the beginning of each topic and really hard questions towards the end to help you really grasp the concepts, even though you will never see questions of that difficulty on the MCAT.

@idiosyncratici
The verbal and biology books are all passage based while the physics, chem and organic chem are all discrete questions organized by topic. There are no timed portions in the book because the questions are set up to help you understand a concept and are not supposed to be used like a set of MCAT test questions which are mixed in topics.

@Maygyver, mrfunnyman, maeryn
The 1001 questions and 101 passages books cover everything that is in the study package and will often give you practice questions that are much harder than the real exam to help improve your understanding of a subject. What I usually tell my classes is to start off with the study package and only buy the 1001 and 101 books in the subjects that you feel that you need more practice in. The study package books have so much content and questions that some students will not have time to use the 1001 and 101 books so it would just be a waste if they bought them right off the bat. However, if you know that you are particular weak in a certain subject, I would buy the 1001 book for that subject so you can work the problems in the 1001 book when you are going over the topic in the study package.

@BobbyT
These EK question books are not organized like the MCAT with a mix of topics and difficulty. They are a progression from easy to hard all based around each topic. The complete study package questions are close to the real MCAT questions.

@PharMed2016
The MCAT recently changed the amount of organic chemistry on the MCAT but the content has not changed that much. However, these 1001 Organic Chem book is designed to help you understand ALL of the topics tested in orgo on the MCAT so you should be ok using them.

@de_la_soul
As the books are designed to help you gain a better understanding of the underlying concepts tested on the MCAT, it should help you gain in both the passage based and discrete questions.

 

[TheBoondocks]

Dear SDN members,

Thanks for checking out the 1001 Questions books and asking good questions and offering feedback. I will do my best to answer your questions.

@aevea
I don't think so. The science 1001 question books are more appropriate for helping you gain a better understanding of the concepts being tested and the question format of easy to hard questions for each topic works best I believe.

@derArzt, badapplestix
They are divided up by topic with easier questions at the beginning of each topic and really hard questions towards the end to help you really grasp the concepts, even though you will never see questions of that difficulty on the MCAT.

@idiosyncratici
The verbal and biology books are all passage based while the physics, chem and organic chem are all discrete questions organized by topic. There are no timed portions in the book because the questions are set up to help you understand a concept and are not supposed to be used like a set of MCAT test questions which are mixed in topics.

@Maygyver, mrfunnyman, maeryn
The 1001 questions and 101 passages books cover everything that is in the study package and will often give you practice questions that are much harder than the real exam to help improve your understanding of a subject. What I usually tell my classes is to start off with the study package and only buy the 1001 and 101 books in the subjects that you feel that you need more practice in. The study package books have so much content and questions that some students will not have time to use the 1001 and 101 books so it would just be a waste if they bought them right off the bat. However, if you know that you are particular weak in a certain subject, I would buy the 1001 book for that subject so you can work the problems in the 1001 book when you are going over the topic in the study package.

@BobbyT
These EK question books are not organized like the MCAT with a mix of topics and difficulty. They are a progression from easy to hard all based around each topic. The complete study package questions are close to the real MCAT questions.

@PharMed2016
The MCAT recently changed the amount of organic chemistry on the MCAT but the content has not changed that much. However, these 1001 Organic Chem book is designed to help you understand ALL of the topics tested in orgo on the MCAT so you should be ok using them.

@de_la_soul
As the books are designed to help you gain a better understanding of the underlying concepts tested on the MCAT, it should help you gain in both the passage based and discrete questions.

I think they're good even if you're strong. Some of the physics questions really test the nuances. I like the conservative/non conservative questions. It really tests your conceptual understanding and I did well in physics.

 

[milliya]

Are the questions in each book separated by topic/skill or is it just a random assortment of questions?

 

[EkramVahsedi86]

Are the questions in each book separated by topic/skill or is it just a random assortment of questions?

They are divided up by topic with easier questions at the beginning of each topic and really hard questions towards the end to help you really grasp the concepts, even though you will never see questions of that difficulty on the MCAT.

 

[gsquared]

So, given that the difficulty increases as you progress through the passages, do people feel like the passages are an accurate reflection of the actual MCAT (especially in light of the switch to CBT). Could this replace the online practice tests, or should this be used as a supplement?

 

[BP Examkrackers]

Hi people. I want to help out my colleague, Xiaosong and even add to some of his answers. I have somewhat long responses, so I'm going to post separately for many of them. Some of you seem to be posting things that scream, "God, I hope I win this package," and I can't say I blame you. I too love our materials and I too am broke. Still, I hope you guys read each other's posts and our posts, especially the first one put up by XM Examkrackers.

 

[BP Examkrackers]

Do you have plans to make the science books passage based?

What format are the science books in?

So, given that the difficulty increases as you progress through the passages, do people feel like the passages are an accurate reflection of the actual MCAT (especially in light of the switch to CBT). Could this replace the online practice tests, or should this be used as a supplement?

The point of the 1001 series is not the same as that of a diagnostic [“practice”] exam. They are not (outside of verbal, which necessarily MUST be passage-based, and biology) passage based, partially because this makes it very difficult for them to thoroughly explore every topic. The 1001 books are used for fine-tuning the understanding and application of concepts. You can then test your recognition and handling of those concepts when presented in passage-format by taking practice exams (aside from the in-class exams in our lecture books). This is very different from a real exam, but that’s the point. This way, if you struggle with just, say, Archimedes’ Principle, you can attack it from every conceivable angle rather than looking for a passage that addresses it. I tell my students that practice exams are just for practice, and what you get in them is random. If you want to make sure that you have seen and applied everything we expect you to know for the MCAT, you must go through the lecture books (comprehensive series) and do all the problems in there. If necessary, you can supplement them with the 1001 books for the same purpose.

 

[BP Examkrackers]

Are the questions in the science books divided into topics (ie. physics: mechanics, optics...) or are the questions randomly divided up?

What format are the science books in?

Are the questions in each book separated by topic/skill or is it just a random assortment of questions?

The topics correspond with those in our lecture books (comprehensive series).

 

[BP Examkrackers]

Is the 1001 question series helpful as a supplement for a test prep course without purchasing the entire EK review set? I have heard they are very useful, but I wasn't sure how much use they would be without the EK review set as well.

One big reason why I liked using EK books way back when I took the MCAT, and why I love teaching for EK is that we keep things simple. We don’t overwhelm students with everything that could ever conceivably be tested on the MCAT (to achieve that would be ludicrous and also miss the point of the MCAT, which is to test both a foundation of basic information as well as the ability to comprehend and manipulate new information in light of that foundation). Unfortunately, that masochistic tendency of pre-meds is hard to defeat and they’ll use our materials in an overwhelming way even if we structure our course to prevent that. In light of this, I DO NOT recommend that you simply buy and plow through all 4004 questions. Most students (myself included) don’t have the perseverance required for this and many will get to the 300s of any given book in the series and contemplate changing professions. Instead, use a given book only if you have not broken 10 on that section, or if you are really aiming to get a 15 on that section. If you are weak on the subject as a whole, take every 5th question. If you find a question difficult to understand even after looking through the explanation, or you just don’t feel confident about it, then do all the problems around it or in that sub-topic. If you know where specifically you’re weak (if you feel, “I hate all things dealing with fluids,” for example), do that section. Picking and choosing the sections you need from these books will keep you from burning out unnecessarily, and that’s a better use of the books than to “get your money’s worth” by buying them all and trying to do all the problems in order.

 

[BP Examkrackers]

i heard that these EK question books are close to the real MCAT questions. Is this true?

For the most part, I would say that that is truer of the questions in our comprehensive series than with these books. These are very specific questions and, if you think about it, there’s a logical progression between the questions. For example, when doing a torque problem, students ask, “I understand why you chose that point for your point of rotation—because it’s more easy that way, or because that fits the problem given to us—but could we have solved it by using another point of rotation? Or what if they had changed the given information slightly?” I have to then adjust the problem on the fly to show them how we can use the same principles to solve the new problem. These books incorporate those sorts of adjustments into grouped questions. The point of this is not to simulate how questions would be asked, but to force students to understand concepts fully. In our comprehensive books, a difficult subject might be approached from only 2 perspectives in problems because of the need to cover all the other concepts. A student who struggles on that concept would find the 1001 section on that concept to be helpful for the reason described.

In the Exam Krackers full book set, the introduction states that the easy questions have been taken out because (hopefully) we can answer the easy questions on our own. Are the 1001 book sets the same? Mostly the harder questions? Or are they more evenly distributed between easy and hard?

I wouldn’t describe our 1001 books as having an order of increasing difficulty for each subject. Rather, they approach the concept, at first, from a superficial or conventional approach, and then, with each subsequent question, dig deeper and explore new perspectives.

 

[BP Examkrackers]

I've heard the MCAT recently changed their organic section, does the 1001 reflect these changes in content?

As Xiaosong explained, the major change to Orgo, at least the one effected earlier in this decade, was mostly in terms of its contribution to the BS section. It is now about 20% or less of the BS section. Also, specific things, such as benzene, were removed as directly tested concepts. In essence, Orgo was DEemphasized on the BS section. Ironically, changes were made in the EK book version that I used in 2002 to prepare for the MCAT and the 2003 version that I first taught with. Flashcards were added (unfortunately, since it’s understanding of basic organic chemistry and the chemistry of certain functional groups that is required on the MCAT over an extensive memory of reactions…unlike the Orgo class that you took in college) and a bunch of reactions were added to the end of chapter 3, though they weren’t explained in the detail of the reactions of chapter 2, nor the detail of nucleophilic substitution. Why would we add more Orgo and give students tools for memorization when the AAMC had made it clear that Orgo wasn’t proportionately important on the MCAT? Because students demanded it. Our Orgo book is already very thin and the fragile pre-med mind could not accept that its fears (self-inflicted and conditioned by others) were unfounded, that there was justification for making our book even thinner. We didn’t just throw in random reactions, mind you. They’re reactions that you very well could see on the MCAT, and you would be well served by the familiarity you would gain from examining them in our books. Also, while memorization isn’t the most important thing in your Orgo studies, it’ll help if it’s built upon a foundation of conceptual understanding.

But please, I beg of you, trust me when I say that the MCAT does not test Orgo knowledge but, instead, Orgo understanding. I can assure you of this because while I had a great Orgo professor in college, and I attended lecture and took notes, I never looked at those notes again, never studied for exams, never did my homework (am I the only one who got Sophomoritis?). The result was that I reasoned my way to a borderline B in the class, but didn’t know ANY reactions and didn’t even know the significance of –one, -al, -yl, -ene, or –ate endings, let alone the differences and relationships between E1/E2 and SN1 and SN2 reactions. I learned Orgo truly when I used the EK books. I know what’s in our books and nothing else. And this actually gives me a leg up on most of my students. When I see a complicated problem and huge, complex structures on an MCAT Orgo passage, I don’t freak out because I don’t recognize the structure or the reaction. I’m not expecting to know it. I’ve accepted that I don’t know any but the most basic Orgo. So I don’t bother searching my memory for anything more complex. I just look for functional groups that I DO recognize. I look through the passage for exceptions and if there are none, I expect the functional groups to interact the way I was taught they would. For example, if a complicated molecule with an OH on it and a complicated molecule with a secondary carbonyl on it interact, unless I’m told otherwise, I expect the alcohol to behave as a nucleophile and the ketone to behave as a substrate for nucleophilic addition. I then look for evidence of this in the passage or answer choices.

Orgo is a very small part of the MCAT, so you have to allot study time accordingly. Even within Orgo, the first two chapters in our book are much more high yield than the majority of chapter 3 and all of chapter 4. I’m not saying that any of it is unnecessary, just that you should spend your time accordingly. Don’t bother memorizing fingerprint regions if you don’t know elimination or stereochemistry, and if you’re weak on the first 7 chapters of Bio, you seriously have to restructure your priorities. I realize that most of my advice above is in regard to our comprehensive series, but the lectures in those books and the sections of the 1001 books correspond, so apply my advice to both. I long ago typed up the notes I used to take up to the board with me when I taught for the sake of clarity. I noticed that students were disorganized in their studying/note-taking, and that they sometimes incorrectly wrote down important definitions or explanations that I’d given them, so I posted my notes online for them and other students who were studying on their own. They don’t have all the answers and have spaces for students to take notes. After all, they’re intended for students who print them out and bring them to my class. Still, I think any of you who are worried about how to study for Orgo would benefit from them (aside from the other lectures). You can find them here: http://hellobirju.googlepages.com

In general, confirm the news/advice you hear about the MCAT. The best place to confirm any supposed changes in the MCAT subjects is on the AAMC MCAT website. Nobody knows better than they do.

 

[DocHope]

I'm mostly struggling with physics as my undergrad course was not all that enjoyable (and therefore I didn't really engage!). Would this be the product to get for help with physics in general? I'm looking for home study help.

 

[BP Examkrackers]

I'm mostly struggling with physics as my undergrad course was not all that enjoyable (and therefore I didn't really engage!). Would this be the product to get for help with physics in general? I'm looking for home study help.

Yes. Jordan and Jon do a great job of explaining Physics...as good a job as they do with all the other subjects.

Haha, you guys crack me up. Good luck winning these CDs.

 

[BP Examkrackers]

I realized I was just talking about the 1001 question books and ignored 101 Verbal Reasoning Passages. I've explained above when and how you should use 1001 books. Most people can use at least one of these books to some extent, but not everyone needs to get any 1001 books.

This is not the case with the 101 VR Passages book. EVERYONE should be using this book. Our concepts for VR are amazing. No matter what anyone else tells you, THIS is what's going to get your VR score to really improve. Hopefully you'll realize that when you first come across:
--A question that asks you how the author would respond to new information and you realize that the answer isn't in the passage
--You realize that the correct answer wasn't necessarily the most "true" statement nor a statement that came directly from the passage but instead the statement that both answered the question and took into consideration the author's "Main Idea."

But even once you do realize those things, you cannot just know to do that and break all the habits you have in reading and answering questions. It takes a lot of practice for us to read passages, questions and answers differently than we normally would, and to answer them differently than we normally would. You NEED to be using this book for that kind of practice. Even when you learn what a Main Idea is, you won't immediately be able to make one that says the point of the passage rather than the topic or subjects of the passage. This takes practice. Do yourself a favor and buy this book NOW and start practicing immediately and regularly. If you're in a course, continue practicing VR even after you've finished discussing it in class, and sprinkle it in between your science studies so that you don't lose sight of a subject that is 1/3 of your MCAT score and requires no outside knowledge from you--just practice.

"Practice? We talkin' 'bout practice! Practice?!"
See? Even MVPs need to hear this (if you don't get that allusion, you gotta brush up on your study of AI).

 

[Westernhealer]

Hi, I have heard that there is a new edition for the EK 101 VR book. How is this version any different from the older ones? Are there new passages?

(P.S. I noticed you mentioned that they made changes from your 2002 version but I would like a clarification on what those changes are. Thank you.)

 

[BP Examkrackers]

Hi, I have heard that there is a new edition for the EK 101 VR book. How is this version any different from the older ones? Are there new passages?

(P.S. I noticed you mentioned that they made changes from your 2002 version but I would like a clarification on what those changes are. Thank you.)

I'd check with 888-KRACKEM to be certain, though I doubt that all or most passages were changed, if any. Most likely, they were just rearranged and reorganized to fit the new size of the VR section. The VR section is now 7 passages long (I believe it was 9 before), so 101 passages in this book represents 14 full VR sections, plus 3 practice passages. It is, unfortunately, still written. The thing is, though, the most important resource in the book is the extensive explanation section in the back. If you use it completely, it will teach you how to think like an MCAT VR taker. It will help you make better Main Ideas and help you get better at finding the right answer and avoiding the wrong one. Our explanations are something that even an AAMC test can't give you and so this book is more than just practice (though that's still plenty important, however you get it). The outlook and approach that Jon Orsay taught through the VR lecture and VR 101 Passages books is unchanged. All that's changed is how long the section is. That's why we're leaving well enough alone--at least, that's what I suspect has happened, unless Jon found a whole bunch of free time and created a new set of passages. Even if he has, so long as its his name on the front of the book, though, you should definitely buy it, trust it, and use it.

 

[udlax16]

I am in the process of looking around at what MCAT books I should get to study with. Do you see the 1001 books as a group of books to be used in the weeks leading up to the exam or to be constantly used throughout the studying process?

 

[BP Examkrackers]

I am in the process of looking around at what MCAT books I should get to study with. Do you see the 1001 books as a group of books to be used in the weeks leading up to the exam or to be constantly used throughout the studying process?

Good question. I would recommend you use them all along rather than starting their use at the end of your studies. They will help you with fine-tuning your understanding. They will be very difficult and even frustrating and you have to give it time and patience. It's not the sort of thing to start at the end. At the end, you should tone things down, review, focus more on Verbal. Basically, don't take the most difficult things (1001 series and in-class exams) and save them for late in the process. You cannot simply read concepts and wait until the end to apply them. If you're going to use the 1001 series at all, if you need or desire that level of practice, start it as soon as you've gotten through your initial read through our chapters.

 

[Auron]

are the questions passage based like on the mcat?

 

[aemed724]

Say if you're stuck on a question and dont understand it is there a way to get help, such as online, to better grasp the answer?

 

[BP Examkrackers]

are the questions passage based like on the mcat?

Yes for bio and verbal, no for the rest. See above. All your questions have been discussed in great detail already.

 

[BP Examkrackers]

Say if you're stuck on a question and dont understand it is there a way to get help, such as online, to better grasp the answer?

You can post and read other posts on the EK forum for the problems about which you have questions. Or you can pose your questions to MCAT experts on the forum. At least for the latter, and perhaps for the former as well, you might have to buy a membership to the forum. I think it's only for the expert one that you'll need a paid membership. Sign up for a free account and check, or call 888-KRACKEM

 

[DO hopeful]

I heard that the MCAT changed the format to include more genetics. Does the books reflect this change?

 

[BP Examkrackers]

I heard that the MCAT changed the format to include more genetics. Does the books reflect this change?

This question was asked by someone else on the EK Comprehensive Study Package thread and answered by XM Examkrackers (see his answer) and by me. Here's what I said:

As Xiaosong explained, it’s a matter of the number of questions on a given topic, not the depth. For example, Newton’s Laws are tested much more than the thin-lens equation in Physics, but we don’t have three chapters on Newton’s Laws and one that deals with the thin-lens equation. You just have to know to spend three times as much time making sure you’ve mastered the former. Same thing here. If genetics is a bigger portion of the test, just read that stuff more. It’s not like there are new genetics concepts that nobody who took bio a few years ago was exposed to that are now required for the MCAT.

So to recap...genetics is covered in as much depth now in our books as it ever was, by which I mean that our books are a great resource for genetics understanding. Just spend more time on genetics to make sure you really understand it, since it's more heavily tested now than in the past.

 

[KiwiBruin]

Do you recommend we finish the appropriated EK science book before we do the 1001 questions of do both at the same time? I am not exactly sure how the book is divided.

Thanks~

 

[bigslick]

Do you recommend we finish the appropriated EK science book before we do the 1001 questions of do both at the same time? I am not exactly sure how the book is divided.

Thanks~

The 1001 questions series are divided up by topic. It's probably best to work through the lecture, do the questions at the end of lecture, and then IF you need more practice on that subject, do the questions in the 1001 on that topic. You could also go through the entire lecture book, do all the questions, and at the end assess where you need extra help on and then doing questions starting with your weakest area. But basically, don't just go straight through the lecture book, and then straight through all 1001 questions, because you probably won't get through all 1001 and you won't be getting the most out of your time.

 

[BP Examkrackers]

The 1001 questions series are divided up by topic. It's probably best to work through the lecture, do the questions at the end of lecture, and then IF you need more practice on that subject, do the questions in the 1001 on that topic. You could also go through the entire lecture book, do all the questions, and at the end assess where you need extra help on and then doing questions starting with your weakest area. But basically, don't just go straight through the lecture book, and then straight through all 1001 questions, because you probably won't get through all 1001 and you won't be getting the most out of your time.

I'd have to agree with bigslick's response to that question. Efficiency is really important. The 1001 books are divided into subjects that correspond to the lecture book, so it makes sense to use the 1001 books truly as supplementary sources/practice.

 

[RedRaider19]

I have heard that EK has a very unique method for doing well on the VR. Which just about everyone agrees is the best method. Does the 101 Passage book adress this technique at all, or is it just passages and answer with explanations? Or do you needto get the VR book as well to truly understand the EK method of success?

 

[bostonmedical]

What year were these books published. I thought I saw one with a copyright of 07 but read there was a new one that came out in 08? Is that true?

 

[ejcarrol]

how come the 101 verbal passages book is out of stock at amazon? i have been meaning to buy it from amazon for a while and it's always out of stock. i bought it about 2 weeks ago when it was back in stock; but my book never arrived and since it's out of stock again, amazon will not send a replacement but only provide full refund. are these books in short supply?

 

[Forkit]

Are the Chemistry and Organic Chemistry 1001 books passage based?

 

[EP123]

Are there any free-standing questions in the science books?

 

[RedRaider19]

EP123. No, only Biology and Verbal Reasoning are passage based.

 

[mfrick]

I've been using my roommates 1001 Physics questions and it is awesome. While I would be grateful to receive a full set, I will buy the set if not.