Review Material Advice

[sanguinee]

Hi everyone

I was hoping others could tell me what the best review material is for taking the 2015 exam. I am quite weak on certain basics and needed to do a comprehensive review for the January exam. I am leaning towards getting the TPR self-paced material because it is most inexpensive, but was hoping to get some other advice before doing so.

Thanks

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[Jack Westin]

In terms of science review, you really can't go wrong with a major test prep company. But before committing to one, I highly recommend the topic outline the MCAT provides students: https://www.aamc.org/students/download/377882/data/mcat2015-content.pdf

That is by far the best resource students have to prepare for the sciences. Although the topic outline do not give you content information on the topics, it tells you what you need to study. Whatever is on the topic outlines is fair game on the MCAT. This helps you spend your time wisely. Typically if you google each term, you can get better insight into what the topic is about. However, you definitely need to practice the content well by doing plenty of questions on it. A college textbook is usually too heavy on information but you could do problems from such books if you are careful.

Below are my current recommendations on a review book per subject (keep in mind that I change my recommendations as I find better or more suitable review books for my students):

Biology Content: I recommend EK bio if you are strong in bio. I recommend TBR or TPR bio if you are weak in bio
Biology Problems: I recommend EK bio

Biochemistry Content: I recommend TBR bio
Biochemistry Problems: I recommend TBR bio

Physics Content: I recommend EK physics if you are strong in physics. I recommend TBR physics if you are weak in physics.
Physics Problems: I recommend TBR physics

Chemistry Content: I recommend EK chemistry if you are strong in chemistry. I recommend TBR chemistry if you are weak in chemistry.
Chemistry Content: I recommend EK chemistry.

Organic Chemistry Content: I recommend EK organic chemistry
Organic Chemistry Problems: I recommend EK organic chemistry

Behavioral section: Print the following PDF and go to your library and look at the books/ pages they list: https://www.aamc.org/students/download/440692/data/psychsoctextbook.pdf

I am weary of recommending a certain review book for the behavioral sections until I can get a hold a majority of them. However, this link gives you an excellent guide to textbooks with exact chapters for each topic addressed. No matter what, for the behavioral section, I recommend knowing all of the terms addressed in the topics outline.

I am in the process of creating an MCAT Study Schedule to be released on SDN sometime in November and more information will be provided soon on my recommendations.

 

[Swagster]

Agree mostly with the above list, except I found the chemistry problems in TBR to be better (the explanations are gold) than EK. Also, the new TBR organic chemistry book (which has biology in it) is excellent and easier to work through now. It's got amino acids tricks that you won't find anywhere else, and for that reason alone it's the best for the new MCAT (heavy in amino acid chemistry).

 

[Swagster]

I think Khan Academy is good for passages, but only after you've reviewed using other materials.

BTW JW, the 2015 MCAT Poll thread supports your list 100%, so it's the SDN consensus opinion as well.

 

[iamsunny]

In terms of science review, you really can't go wrong with a major test prep company. But before committing to one, I highly recommend the topic outline the MCAT provides students: https://www.aamc.org/students/download/377882/data/mcat2015-content.pdf

That is by far the best resource students have to prepare for the sciences. Although the topic outline do not give you content information on the topics, it tells you what you need to study. Whatever is on the topic outlines is fair game on the MCAT. This helps you spend your time wisely. Typically if you google each term, you can get better insight into what the topic is about. However, you definitely need to practice the content well by doing plenty of questions on it. A college textbook is usually too heavy on information but you could do problems from such books if you are careful.

Below are my current recommendations on a review book per subject (keep in mind that I change my recommendations as I find better or more suitable review books for my students):

Biology Content: I recommend EK bio if you are strong in bio. I recommend TBR or TPR bio if you are weak in bio
Biology Problems: I recommend EK bio

Biochemistry Content: I recommend TBR bio
Biochemistry Problems: I recommend TBR bio

Physics Content: I recommend EK physics if you are strong in physics. I recommend TBR physics if you are weak in physics.
Physics Problems: I recommend TBR physics

Chemistry Content: I recommend EK chemistry if you are strong in chemistry. I recommend TBR chemistry if you are weak in chemistry.
Chemistry Content: I recommend EK chemistry.

Organic Chemistry Content: I recommend EK organic chemistry
Organic Chemistry Problems: I recommend EK organic chemistry

Behavioral section: Print the following PDF and go to your library and look at the books/ pages they list: https://www.aamc.org/students/download/440692/data/psychsoctextbook.pdf

I am weary of recommending a certain review book for the behavioral sections until I can get a hold a majority of them. However, this link gives you an excellent guide to textbooks with exact chapters for each topic addressed. No matter what, for the behavioral section, I recommend knowing all of the terms addressed in the topics outline.

I am in the process of creating an MCAT Study Schedule to be released on SDN sometime in November and more information will be provided soon on my recommendations.

Which textbooks in that behavioral sciences PDF do you suggest?

I think Khan Academy is good for passages, but only after you've reviewed using other materials.

BTW JW, the 2015 MCAT Poll thread supports your list 100%, so it's the SDN consensus opinion as well.

What MCAT poll are you referring to?

 

[Jack Westin]

@iamsunny I haven't had a chance to look at them yet but I would recommend going to your school library and checking out two or three of the books. I'm sure they are all roughly equivalent.

 

[iamsunny]

@iamsunny I haven't had a chance to look at them yet but I would recommend going to your school library and checking out two or three of the books. I'm sure they are all roughly equivalent.

Ah, I see. Is there a particular reason why you prefer EK O-Chem over TBR? Also, you say that TBR Biology is pretty good for biochemistry. Would you recommend reading the relevant portions of the TBR O-Chem that overlap into biochemistry?

Finally, what's your take on TBR psychology?

 

[Altius Premier Tutor]

We don't sell any study books a la carte, only with our program, so I think I can offer unbiased advice on this matter. I have reviewed all of the Kaplan, Princeton, TBR, and EK books. I like the TBR and EK materials as a whole best, because they do the better job of emphasizing conceptual knowledge over rote memorization. Kaplan and PR books are still too focused on detailed information presentation. The issue I have with TBR, in all subjects, is that they go into more detail than will ever be tested on the MCAT. I would guess they are going for "complete coverage" or "overtraining," but for MCAT-2015 in particular it is very important to balance content review with strategy and practice. One cannot play the game well without solid science knowledge, but once the game starts, the points are all scored in the "conceptual/analytical/passage-based" endzone. Thus, over-presentation of detail leaves too many students spending time memorizing one more detail, or studying one more topic that is rather esoteric and highly unlikely to get them any points on the actual exam. I like EK in that they attempt to narrow the focus on general broad principles (not always successful). Most people like TBR who are looking for fullest coverage.

My recommendation for a self-studier would be to combine resources, but take primary responsibility as a student for comparing what is presented in the books to the AAMC topics outline. Most of the MCAT-2015 books dive deeper into topics on the list than they should. As a student, you should ask yourself..."Is this topic on the list?" Often the answer is NO. That doesn't mean it couldn't be on the MCAT, but it should pass this test: "This isn't on the list verbatim, but it is a widely-taught, very commonly-discussed subtopic which pertains very clearly to a topic which IS on the list." I look at some of the topics covered in these MCAT-2015 books and think "What in the heck? What topic from the list would that fit under?"

Then, you must analyze real AAMC MCAT-2015 material and get a feel for what AAMC questions look like, feel like, the kind of critical thinking they require, etc. (e.g., from AAMC FL1, Official Guide, etc.; Beware that the question packs are the old MCAT and are not always representative of MCAT-2015). Finally, get as many good full-length exams as you can and do a lot of "learning by doing"--take the test then analyze the heck out of it. Altius offers 10 Full-Lengths, NextStep offers some, Gold Standard, TBR, etc. They are not all equally representative of AAMC, but I won't say that Altius exams are the best, you can check them all out and make your own conclusions. In the end, it is how you perform on realistic AAMC-like practice questions and the few real AAMC materials available which you should use to determine readiness for the exam.

That's my two cents. Overall, I think the SDN community overemphasizes content. Don't fall into the trap of studying the science while neglecting what the exam actually tests.

 

[sanguinee]

@Altius Premier Tutor @Jack Westin thank you guys!

 

[PhiGammaDocta]

Hey guys, dumb question. But I'm assuming TBR is "The Berkley Review" where do you find those books? I looked on Amazon specifically for Physics and couldn't find anything 2015 specific? Which are the specific books good for Physics?

 

[Happy_Puppy5000]

Hey guys, dumb question. But I'm assuming TBR is "The Berkley Review" where do you find those books? I looked on Amazon specifically for Physics and couldn't find anything 2015 specific? Which are the specific books good for Physics?

Yes, TBR is in fact, the Berkeley Review

Go to

http://www.berkeley-review.com/

or check the For Sale section of this site. The price may almost be the same whether you buy directly from the above site or somewhere else. These books holds there value nicely. Funny enough I even saw someone paid $900 for a set on EBay--stupid is as stupid does.

 

[PhiGammaDocta]

Yes, TBR is in fact, the Berkeley Review

Go to

http://www.berkeley-review.com/

or check the For Sale section of this site. The price may almost be the same whether you buy directly from the above site or somewhere else. These books holds there value nicely. Funny enough I even saw someone paid $900 for a set on EBay--stupid is as stupid does.

awesome man thanks, I'll check this out!

 

[riversidestar2]

The Princeton Review Psych/Soc was pretty good for me. TBR Chem over EK Chem, And TBR OChem over EK Ochem.