Which test prep company is the most realistic to the MCAT?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

ieatshrimp24

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2013
Messages
186
Reaction score
30
Hi there. I have both the TPRH science workbook and the TBR books for PS and organic chemistry. I was wondering if I had to focus more of my time on the practice passages and discretes from one test prep company, which one should I pick? I have heard mixed reviews on the difficulty of TPR but I have also heard that TBR is very difficult. Anyone know which company puts out the most realistic questions to the MCAT?

Members don't see this ad.
 
I never used TBR but I did take the princeton course and use all of their study material including the science workbook. It took me two months to do the entire science workbook but it was worth it. I would say the passages and discrete questions are not very similar to the actual test but they do help you get in the mindset of how you need to approach an actual MCAT question. As far as the difficulty goes some passages are insanely easy and some are out of this world. Nevertheless, TPR should give you a good foundation to the real test even if it isn't the most accurate content-wise.
 
I LOVE TBR. I feel that it's the most accurate in terms of passages but too much for content. For content you're better off focusing on TPR, or EK.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Best test prep: AAMC
Science Passages: TBR and TPR
Verbal: EK and TPR, TBR up to an extent. The difference I see in verbal is that EK and TBR sometimes put super hard passages and questions in one test instead of mixing them. Furthermore, TBR relies somewhat more on elimination b/c some answers are outside info relevant to passage.
 
Best practice exams: Aamc by far
Best practice passages : BR physics Gen chem and ochem as well as the TPR science workbook
Verbal: Other than Aamc, nothing really prepares you for that section imo. Found the EK passages to be too interesting compared to the MCAT.
 
Thanks for all the input. So from what I've gathered from here, both TPR and TBR are excellent sources to use. And yes, of course I'm going to use the AAMC FL's for preparation, I was just wondering between TPR and TBR which one is better.

One more question, how detailed should biology be studied? I've heard things like knowing all the hormones for the reproductive systems and how they interconnect with each other. I've also heard to memorize glycolysis stuff. My plan so far is to do most if not all of the biology discretes/passages from the TPRH science workbook.
 
Practice tests

Answer to title: AAMC practice material (non-AAMC material does NOT compare), followed by, TPR practice tests and verbal reasoning passages.

(Kaplan, Examkrackers, and Gold Standard are all sort of okay as well. I have NOT used Berkeley Review's practice tests, but their lesson book passages are designed to teach and NOT to estimate your score. They are way to difficult for that!)

Only use AAMC practice tests to estimate your score. And use them sparingly. Use TPR and the others for practice.

Study material (NON-Practice tests)

To learn, I recommend Examkrackers lecture books for the science. Examkrackers ONLY includes what you really need to know eliminating any waste of time. You can use the other books and internet as resources when and if EK doesn't go into enough detail. (EK will provide some detail on every important topic, but maybe not quite enough detail for some people.)

For VR, besides AAMC's self assessment and passages in Guide to the MCAT, use TPR mainly. Kaplan, Gold Standard, and EK are all sort of okay but all have their differences from AAMC passages and questions. (TPR isn't exactly like AAMC either, but it's less different than the other 3.)
 
I would suggest saving your time and focusing solely on the AAMC practice problems. Only use other test prep company practice problems sparingly. I scored a 522, and I went over the AAMC practice problems muiltiple times. I would suggest buying the AAMC practice package for around $200. Learn as much as you can from every problem. Find a tutor, someone who did well on the exam already, and go over the AAMC problems together. You don't have to spend thousands on a tutor. Many are available for low prices online. I am sure there are alot of other low price tutoring options out there as well. But, all in all, I found non-AAMC practice problems more distracting than anything. As far as what materials to study your content from, I would suggest using a variety. The MCAT will test you from different angles, so make sure to study content from different angles (Kaplan, Khan, Princeton, etc.). Best of luck with the MCAT!
 
Last edited:
Top