TBR - necessary to do well?

[FutureSurgical]

Is TBR really needed, seeing as how it's old test material? Everyone says its great for studying but since this new MCAT has been crammed with biochemistry, it seems obsolete to me. Also, because CARS seems inherently easier than the old Verbal (because it only contains Psych/Socio rather than random sciences), can I skip buying the verbal book?

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[ElectricNoogie]

I would not subscribe to the view that CARS is easier with the loss of the Nat Science. VR passages were NEVER about understanding the science in the passages, but rather about understanding the goals and ideas of the passage. In fact, outside knowledge was often an easy way to pick a wrong answer and all of this is still true about CARS. You do, however, have about 1 more minute per passage (10 min/passage) in the new CARS section.
If you can get more CARS practice, go for it, but don't bother with the Nat Sci passages.

Good luck!

 

[carpediem22]

Short answer, no. Disclaimer: I haven't taken the MCAT yet, my exam is next week. But I have most of TBR books as well as the EK full set and TPR psych/soc. TBR is good for content review, but in my opinion since the old material is not geared towards the new test (e.g. applying physics/chem concepts to medical and biological contexts) it's not going to be enough on its own. Very good if you don't understand basic concepts, but I've learned just as much from googling concepts that I don't understand and reading information online -- and that method is free!

I don't have TBR biochem so can't comment on that, though I will say that EK barely covers any biochem. However for me what has been most useful is going over the lecture slides from my college biochemistry course. Probably more information than I need, but I feel like I'm in a good place thanks to that course (which, incidentally, required me to memorize both the amino acids and glycolysis).

 

[xerxesc]

Is TBR really needed, seeing as how it's old test material? Everyone says its great for studying but since this new MCAT has been crammed with biochemistry, it seems obsolete to me. Also, because CARS seems inherently easier than the old Verbal (because it only contains Psych/Socio rather than random sciences), can I skip buying the verbal book?

TBR is fantastic: The only one I don't review is Physics, I use NOVA MCAT for that. I read the Organic Chemistry loosely and concentrated heavily on General Chemistry and both Biology books - of the Biology Books I really gave a lot of attention to the Molecular Biology book (Book II) which is basically a thorough review of Biochemistry and Genetics with fantastic MCAT level passages. (the passages are a bit harder than the real thing). If you feel you are weak on Biochem and/or Gen Chemistry - work these books, it will help immensely.

EK I always find lacking, I do like their three exams though. They are very good, and felt like the real thing. I also like M Prep's question bank.

 

[FutureSurgical]

TBR is fantastic: The only one I don't review is Physics, I use NOVA MCAT for that. I read the Organic Chemistry loosely and concentrated heavily on General Chemistry and both Biology books - of the Biology Books I really gave a lot of attention to the Molecular Biology book (Book II) which is basically a thorough review of Biochemistry and Genetics with fantastic MCAT level passages. (the passages are a bit harder than the real thing). If you feel you are weak on Biochem and/or Gen Chemistry - work these books, it will help immensely.

EK I always find lacking, I do like their three exams though. They are very good, and felt like the real thing. I also like M Prep's question bank.

From what I've read, the Physical Sciences section got cut down immensely. gearing more towards biochemical kinetics and more gen chem.

 

[Abraxas305]

Is TBR really needed, seeing as how it's old test material? Everyone says its great for studying but since this new MCAT has been crammed with biochemistry, it seems obsolete to me. Also, because CARS seems inherently easier than the old Verbal (because it only contains Psych/Socio rather than random sciences), can I skip buying the verbal book?

Old test material? Obsolete? Look through the outline. Around ~80-85% of topics that were in the old test are still in the new test. Now it's a matter of how you want to allocate your time to whatever is a "high-yield" topic. The way the material is presented is what seems to be different.

Second bold: You are wrong. CARS took out Natural Sciences. The other types of passages still remain. Yeah, go ahead and skip getting a verbal book. Just know that a good majority of people who do well in CARS/VR did a good amount of passage practice under strictly timed conditions.

 

[justadream]

If you are aiming to score high (like 97+ percentile), TBR is what you want.

It's hard. It's demoralizing. It's infuriating. It made me want to quit everyday. But getting through it and then literally breezing through AAMC FL science sections was an amazing feeling.*

*It's kinda like training at high altitude and then coming back to sea level.

 

[Abraxas305]

lol oh god don't even get me started with the metabolic chapters in TBR. I finished those a week ago and they were killer! Was averaging ~75-80% on them BUT I was taking like 2-3 minutes of extra time per passage because some of the passages and questions were pretty long and confusing.

 

[nomdeplume1234]

Well today is the day they start their class. So should hear about their updated books soon.

 

[FutureSurgical]

Would you guys recommend getting the ENTIRE package? Every book + all 7 CBTs? Need to know ASAP

 

[mcatjelly]

The CBTs are for the old exam, so no need to get those. I recommend the Bio section above all others; you don't need to know the Orgo to the extent TBR covers it. Physics and Gen Chem is up to you, and I would recommend Gen Chem over their Physics book if you're tight on cash.

Also, if you can, buy them second-hand! You'll save a ton of money by doing so. I bought my 9 book set on ebay for ~$250. Like new condition.

 

[xerxesc]

Get the TBR Bio books and Gen Chem books; for Physics Nova; for org chem TBR although that is a lot of work for the little OCHEM there's going to be on the test, maybe EK 7th edition for OCHEM, or just 1001 questions is good practice for that. Buy both AAMC tests and EK tests and that should be more than enough practice, maybe M Prep Question bank (their passages are pretty good).

 

[yestomeds]

Old test material? Obsolete? Look through the outline. Around ~80-85% of topics that were in the old test are still in the new test. Now it's a matter of how you want to allocate your time to whatever is a "high-yield" topic. The way the material is presented is what seems to be different.

@Abraxas305 Would you recommend or be using TBR for the passages then? OR do you recommend them for the content review?
I think you mentioned in a later post that the [passages] are killer - so I am assuming that A) you have taken all these things in school before (you have the prereqs) and B) you went through the contents (read all the TBR content stuff) too? Thank you

It's hard. It's demoralizing. It's infuriating. It made me want to quit everyday. But getting through it and then literally breezing through AAMC FL science sections was an amazing feeling.*

Haha @justadream, what was demoralizing, the content review/what TBR teaches, or the passages after each content section/chapter?

 

[justadream]

@Abraxas305 Would you recommend or be using TBR for the passages then? OR do you recommend them for the content review?
I think you mentioned in a later post that the [passages] are killer - so I am assuming that A) you have taken all these things in school before (you have the prereqs) and B) you went through the contents (read all the TBR content stuff) too? Thank you



Haha @justadream, what was demoralizing, the content review/what TBR teaches, or the passages after each content section/chapter?

The content is definitely taught at a higher level. I thought I already "knew" most of the material pretty well (I could score ~10/15 on the science sections before I started studying and had gotten decent grades in prereqs) but TBR made me feel like I definitely did not.

The passages are the most demoralizing though. I always thought I understood the content from TBR fairly well (after carefully reading each chapter 2x) but the passages would continually humble me. When I was doing the final 1/3 of TBR passages (this is at the very end of the SN2ed schedule after I had studied for several hundred hours) I still was at 70-80% level ability in TBR. As a point of comparison, my TPRSW scores were around 95% and my AAMC FL science scores were around 14.

 

[FutureSurgical]

The content is definitely taught at a higher level. I thought I already "knew" most of the material pretty well (I could score ~10/15 on the science sections before I started studying and had gotten decent grades in prereqs) but TBR made me feel like I definitely did not.

The passages are the most demoralizing though. I always thought I understood the content from TBR fairly well (after carefully reading each chapter 2x) but the passages would continually humble me. When I was doing the final 1/3 of TBR passages (this is at the very end of the SN2ed schedule after I had studied for several hundred hours) I still was at 70-80% level ability in TBR. As a point of comparison, my TPRSW scores were around 95% and my AAMC FL science scores were around 14.

I like that approach in the long run. I mean overkill on the subject may be too overwhelming for some, but for people like me, I love the challenge to be the best I can be. If TPR could make you score 14 in the subsections on the old test, then I'm excited for what I'm getting into (knock on wood, careful for what I wish for, etc.)

 

[justadream]

I like that approach in the long run. I mean overkill on the subject may be too overwhelming for some, but for people like me, I love the challenge to be the best I can be. If TPR could make you score 14 in the subsections on the old test, then I'm excited for what I'm getting into (knock on wood, careful for what I wish for, etc.)

I attribute those 14's mainly to TBR although I cannot say for certain (since I went through both semi-simultaneously).

TBR also increased my speed. While I struggled mightily to finish TBR sections on time, I had like 15-20+ minutes left on every AAMC FL if I was being deliberate (and could have had 25-30 mins extra if I pushed it). Verbal section was a different story (lucky to have 1 minute left).

 

[DetectiveRose]

Are the old editions similar to the new ones aka should I buy an old used edition to save some money or buy the new ones?

 

[drechie]

Are the old editions similar to the new ones aka should I buy an old used edition to save some money or buy the new ones?

I want to know this as well. Particularly, is the 2011 version Bio II book any different than the most up to date version 2013?

 

[mcatjelly]

Are the old editions similar to the new ones aka should I buy an old used edition to save some money or buy the new ones?

I want to know this as well. Particularly, is the 2011 version Bio II book any different than the most up to date version 2013?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/used-br-books-price-suggestions.988455/