Hello any SDN peeps wondering what books to use,
In a previous post answering somebody's question on what review material to use, I talked about how I used Kaplan and EK to study for the MCAT. I have taken AAMC Practice MCATs 3R, 4R, 5R, and 6R, and have gotten between 36-38, so I was pretty content with my preparation.
Recently however some members have pointed out to me that Kaplan is (apparently universally) despised for their review content, and while EK is good, it is extremely dense and covers only basics (that is, EK assumes that you are somewhat familiar with all the topics so only briefly delves into them before moving on). I went to UC Berkeley and I know the store where The Berkeley Review prints their books (it's a small printing shop on University Ave. that I used to go to when I needed to make copies), so I was a little skeptical that some random test prep company startup could be better than the "big names" like Kaplan or TPR.
I. Was. Wrong.
Their stuff rocks! I'm amazed at the detailed pictures and diagrams (even in B&W they're better than Kaplan's) and the clarity of their explanations. Their review is succinct, to the point, and skips any nonsense analogies that Kaplan is so fond of using.
Anyways, I really wanted to post something like this to say "I wish I had discovered SDN sooner so I didn't waste time and money buying Kaplan."
Case in point: If you're wondering what you should use for **science** content review, buy The Berkeley Review! They're a bit pricey but they're definitely worth it.
As for Verbal Reasoning, EK 101 passages and the general EK strategy seems to be the undisputed champion 'round these parts.
Edit: 3/4/2013- I had no idea this would spark some crazy debate about what's the best materials to use, I simply wanted to put up a post commemorating the day where I discovered content review that's sooo much better than Kaplan's. EK isn't half bad either, btw, and I would suggest getting them anyways since they're actually pretty decent.
In a previous post answering somebody's question on what review material to use, I talked about how I used Kaplan and EK to study for the MCAT. I have taken AAMC Practice MCATs 3R, 4R, 5R, and 6R, and have gotten between 36-38, so I was pretty content with my preparation.
Recently however some members have pointed out to me that Kaplan is (apparently universally) despised for their review content, and while EK is good, it is extremely dense and covers only basics (that is, EK assumes that you are somewhat familiar with all the topics so only briefly delves into them before moving on). I went to UC Berkeley and I know the store where The Berkeley Review prints their books (it's a small printing shop on University Ave. that I used to go to when I needed to make copies), so I was a little skeptical that some random test prep company startup could be better than the "big names" like Kaplan or TPR.
I. Was. Wrong.
Their stuff rocks! I'm amazed at the detailed pictures and diagrams (even in B&W they're better than Kaplan's) and the clarity of their explanations. Their review is succinct, to the point, and skips any nonsense analogies that Kaplan is so fond of using.
Anyways, I really wanted to post something like this to say "I wish I had discovered SDN sooner so I didn't waste time and money buying Kaplan."
Case in point: If you're wondering what you should use for **science** content review, buy The Berkeley Review! They're a bit pricey but they're definitely worth it.
As for Verbal Reasoning, EK 101 passages and the general EK strategy seems to be the undisputed champion 'round these parts.
Edit: 3/4/2013- I had no idea this would spark some crazy debate about what's the best materials to use, I simply wanted to put up a post commemorating the day where I discovered content review that's sooo much better than Kaplan's. EK isn't half bad either, btw, and I would suggest getting them anyways since they're actually pretty decent.
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