Kaplan books sufficient? (April/early 2017 test)

[Patterned_illuminator]

Hey-o,

I'm applying in the 2017-2018 cycle, and am a rising junior. I'm starting my studying now since my upcoming school year is going to be very busy and even if I end up reviewing the material 2x, I think it's not a useless endeavour.

I bought the Kaplan books because they weren't that expensive and someone recommended them to me. However, while perusing this forum, many/most people have recommended TBR, which is more expensive or EK. Do you think I should purchase either, and if so, which one?

For reference, I've taken Gen Chem I and 2, Physics, Math, Bio, Biochem (it was heavily included in our bio course), but will be taking Orgo in the school year and will only be done with Orgo I and midway through Orgo 2 at the time of the test. I am tentatively registered for psych but I would rather not take it if possible since it's going to be a lot of busy work. In terms of content, I think I remember the general ideas but am a little loose on the details.

Thank you so much!

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[Susanoo951]

Any of those resources should be good, I used multiple resources so I could kinda see what one prep company missed and what kinda material was emphasized across the board from all resources to kinda get consensus on whats most important..remember though, the one thing I am finding with this new MCAT is that practice is king, but not just blind practice. You have to practice with those skills they mention in the official MCAT guide in mind. Ive also been reading alot of biochemistry journals to get familiar with seeing how scientific data/ results are presented/ reported on, and doing more CARS practice. IMO the MCAT is more a critical thinking than a content exam....

 

[tjo422]

I personally would not study for the exam on Kaplan alone. I took the old MCAT and used only Kaplan and did well enough, but having just finished taking the new MCAT it's a different ball game. I found both Kaplan and Examkrackers to be inadequate for Behavioral on their own. There were things in the Section Banks (and on the actual exam) not covered in either of those books, although reading both will give you a decent overview. The best BS materials are the Kahn Academy videos.

I prepped this time around using Kaplan, EK, AAMC Materials, and the Kahn videos, and those worked very well for me.

 

[Patterned_illuminator]

Thanks for the info! I just ordered the EK books now. I think Kaplan is really textbook-y which leaves me bored sometimes, so I'll use a mix of EK, Kaplan, and KA.

 

[NYCmedHopeful]

I'm planning on taking Jan 2017 so I'm in a similar boat as you. From what I've heard and seen about the P/S section, Kaplan is decent, EK is pretty bad, but Khan's is really good. Someone on reddit posted his/her notes from Khan's videos: https://www.reddit.com/r/Mcat/comments/4b2h3u/khan_academy_psychology_sociology_psychsociology/
And also, orgo is a very small portion of the test. Maybe a few questions (some of my friends only had 1 or 2) regarding it come up, but nothing close to the difficulty that you'll face on your course exams. It's mainly gen bio, gen chem, and biochem for the first two sections.

 

[DrHart]

AAMC materials > Kaplan (for content)=TPR (content) ~ EK (for practice) > Khan

Khan has some good sections but isn't as consistent as EK. Khan also goes into too much detail in some videos. The practice passages in Khan are (for the most part) way to specific and detail focused

 

[luckypenny555]

You got this OP! I found the Kaplan books extremely helpful and it was all I used and was unbelievably happy with the outcome. I found that their questions were similar to the actual test questions, and the book set I purchased came with online resources that were also helpful. I'd recommend signing up for their MCAT question a day. You get a question in your email every day, which is a nice way to just get in the habit of thinking about topics you may not have reviewed in a while, especially if you have a significant amount of time until you take the test. Flashcards are a great way to go too. Also, definitely do a couple full length practice tests if you're not used to studying/focusing continuously for an extended period of time. I was lucky enough to have a three week period between the end of school and starting an internship before the test where literally all I did was study for 10 hours a day and sleep, and when it was time to take the actual test, it was basically routine to concentrate for that long. Hang in there, this process is very hard and may seem endless at times, but you can do it!! It'll pay off in the end, and you'll become a wonderful physician!!

 

[Chromium Surfer]

I'm planning on taking Jan 2017 so I'm in a similar boat as you. From what I've heard and seen about the P/S section, Kaplan is decent, EK is pretty bad, but Khan's is really good. Someone on reddit posted his/her notes from Khan's videos: https://www.reddit.com/r/Mcat/comments/4b2h3u/khan_academy_psychology_sociology_psychsociology/
And also, orgo is a very small portion of the test. Maybe a few questions (some of my friends only had 1 or 2) regarding it come up, but nothing close to the difficulty that you'll face on your course exams. It's mainly gen bio, gen chem, and biochem for the first two sections.

Just one thing to be aware of for you and the OP. Everyone's test is different even though your friends may not have had a lot of ochem and they publicize the percentages of content people have different tests.

Some people have reported how they had a lot of ochem or a lot of physics on their tests and because they neglected these subjects they were not as prepared.

To get the highest score possible you need to be prepared for anything and everything. So I would print out the AAMC content outline and make sure you know all the things on it.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

However, while perusing this forum, many/most people have recommended TBR, which is more expensive or EK. Do you think I should purchase either, and if so, which one?

If you are willing to work hard and you feel you need test taking skills and questions that apply the material (rather than ask you to simply recall information), then it's a great way to go. But you have to be willing to put the time in and trust the shortcuts and strategies. They work very well, but it takes time and practice to master many of them.

 

[Patterned_illuminator]

Wow, thank you all for your informative responses - I just saw them now because I was so busy this last month. It's kind of frustrating that there's no one comprehensive course, but ah, so is life. It seems that it would work to use Kaplan and EK for content review, with TBR as a supp and then just run through as many AAMC and other FLs/practice questions as possible. I would love to get the new TBR - I found copies of the old one - but I've already spent money on Kaplan and EK, and will have to buy the AAMC stuff too, so I don't want to spend more if possible.

I have another question - I observed from reading around that most individuals take the MCAT after a break. My issue is that I am applying for MD/PhD programs and do not want to take a gap year (since I would be expected to do research in that gap year for a job, and if I were to take a gap year, I'd want to do something different), so I absolutely must take the MCAT prior to June so its available to AMCAS. Both May dates are during or before my finals week (yeah, I have no idea why my school does finals so late). This leaves me with either January 22/23 or April 1/23. From an initial glance, January is better because it's immediately after a 3 week long break and just 1 week into the term - aka - no work. Would you all say that Orgo I would be sufficient for the MCAT, or that I should try to get as much of Orgo II in prior to taking the test? April 1/23 are right in the middle of the semester, and I'm not sure if I'd want to take a test then.

Thank you so, so much.

 

[tjo422]

Id go with January, as long as you are willing to study hard through the holidays. There's not a ton of orgo on the test, and most of it that is is from orgo I. There may be a few things you need to teach yourself, but with Khan videos at your disposal I don't think that's a reason to take it in April.


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