Audio Osmosis (AO) Self-Study MCAT Prep Ratings and Opinions

1) When did you use the AO MCAT prep course? How long did it take you to complete the AO program?

I used it beginning the fall before the April MCAT. I listened to it on my car radio during my commutes and ripped it to my MP3 player for workouts. It doesn't take that long to listen through it once. I think it's more about repetition.

2) What would you say were the strengths of the AO course?

Strengths: It is really nice to be able to study while commuting or working out. That's the main strength of the audio tapes.

3) What were the weaknesses?

This is not a complete review. Great for hitting the high points but do NOT, I repeat, do NOT make this your only resource. Great in connection with the EK books.

4) Do you feel that AO prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

See earlier answer.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students prepare using AO?
Yes, especially if you have long stretches of time where you could listening to an audio tape but not study a book.

1) When did you use the AO MCAT prep course? How long did it take you to complete the AO program?

From about February to April for the April MCAT. I didn't listen to it in order - I listened by what I needed to learn the most.

2) What would you say were the strengths of the AO course?

It's great for time that I couldn't use to do flashcards - ie walking to class, doing stuff in the lab, etc.

3) What were the weaknesses?

There are a TON of mistakes in it. It's really only good as a review/refresher/confidence builder when you know the material well enough to catch the mistakes.

4) Do you feel that AO prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

I would not recommend using it as the only resource. Use it as a supplement, if at all. My Kaplan course was far more useful.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students prepare using AO?

Only if they're looking for a way to study while at the gym, walking to class, etc. I would definitely recommend getting it on Ebay or something, and not paying the retail price.

1) When did you use the AO MCAT prep course? How long did it take you to complete the AO program?
I started listening to the tapes in my car only back in August. I kept listening to it up until the MCAT.


2) What would you say were the strengths of the AO course?
Very good review. Gives you everything you need to know, and nothing more. AND they have a great way to explain everything. Yes, their humor stinks (except for shooting the dog after the "not like a dog bark" comment ), but it helpes you remember stuff. The greatest thing they have done to me is to improve my BS score. I got good grades in college Biology, but I never really studied in depth, so after getting another 8 in the practice test, I just sat the whole week taking notes on almost every word in the Bio audio osmosis. Next test I jumped to 12 (And then the next one I dropped to 10, but that's a different story).


3) What were the weaknesses?

Bad humor. Besides that, as Anastasis has said, making it your only resource is a bad idea.
4) Do you feel that AO prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

Yes. Especially the short Verbal part (about 14 tracks). Just listening to it once was worth more than 4 months of TPR Verbal

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students prepare using AO?
Definitely!!!

QofQuimica said:

This is a thread for people who have self-studied with the Audio Osmosis (AO) MCAT prep course to rate the course on a scale from 1-10 (with ten being the best) and to post their thoughts and comments about the course. Please do NOT vote if you have not already used the AO self-prep course, but anyone can feel free to post questions for previous course enrollees. Posters, you might want to comment on some of the following questions, but feel free to disregard some of these and/or add others of your own:

1) When did you use the AO MCAT prep course? How long did it take you to complete the AO program?

2) What would you say were the strengths of the AO course?

3) What were the weaknesses?

4) Do you feel that AO prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students prepare using AO?

Click to expand...

1) I used AO throughout my 3 month studying period. I listened to it in the car. It took me almost 3 months to finish it but as i said, i was just listening in the car.

2) The AO compliments the EK books. It explains things further and gives you othet info not in the book. I found it most useful for the bio stuff since bio is a more verbal subject than the physical sciences.

3) Weakness? Uh,...none.

4) Along with EK, I felt very well prepared. They work well together.

5) I recommend it highly, 5 stars, etc. I like the dumb jokes and felt they helped me remember material.

6) For all the moms out there: these CDs are great because you cans tudy while driving the kids around. Both mine (6 mo, and 2 yo) fell asleep instantly every time it came on.

1) When did you use the AO MCAT prep course? How long did it take you to complete the AO program? Jan-April for the April MCAT

2) What would you say were the strengths of the AO course?
Being able to listen to them in the car! I had an hour commute each way to my princeton review class, so it was very helpful to actually use that time productively.

3) What were the weaknesses?
Def not thorough enough on some topics (especially physics and verabl!) Also, there are some mistakes in it that haven't been fixed. Some of the jokes were HORRIBLE and too long and the sound effects sometimes gave me a headache.

4) Do you feel that AO prepared you adequately for the MCAT?
I felt it was a good supplemental to the Princeton Review course and good for me since I had to do so much driving.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students prepare using AO?
Use it if you have large chunks of time were you would not be able to study any other way (driving, working out, cleaning, ect.) I reiterate what other people have said, do NOT use it as your only form of prep! Oh, and buy it off e-bay or have friends burn you a copy rather than paying the full 200 bucks.

QofQuimica said:

This is a thread for people who have self-studied with the Audio Osmosis (AO) MCAT prep course to rate the course on a scale from 1-10 (with ten being the best) and to post their thoughts and comments about the course. Please do NOT vote if you have not already used the AO self-prep course, but anyone can feel free to post questions for previous course enrollees. Posters, you might want to comment on some of the following questions, but feel free to disregard some of these and/or add others of your own:

1) When did you use the AO MCAT prep course? How long did it take you to complete the AO program?

2) What would you say were the strengths of the AO course?

3) What were the weaknesses?

4) Do you feel that AO prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students prepare using AO?

Click to expand...

1)I used audioosmosis throughout my MCAT studying. Typically, I would use it to reinforce topics after studying them in my review books (I used examkrackers).

2) For me, the strength of the audioosmosis course was that it prevented me from procrastinating (when I studied the books, after a while I would start to get bored and mess around. However, when listening to the CDs I couldn't take little breaks because the CDs would keep playing and I would miss something. Obviously, this doesn't really make sense since I could have just paused the CDs, but this is the mental trick that worked for me).

3) Well, one thing that everyone should understand is that the audioosmosis CDs are made by examkrackers. As a result, much of the info on the CDs is the same as the examkrackers review books. In fact, for a lot of stretches on the CD it sounds like the narrators are just reading straight out of an examkracker book (the lectures are even worded exactly the same). The other major weakness is that there are many mistakes in the CDs. However, you can get a comprehensive list of the errors off the discussion board on the examkrackers website.

4-5) Like everyone else is saying, audioosmosis CDs really shouldn't be used as a standalone MCAT prep. The CDs are best used to reinforce concepts after studying them in review books. I feel that using them in this capacity helped me for the MCAT.

1) When did you use the AO MCAT prep course? How long did it take you to complete the AO program?

I used it in the summer of 2004. I studied from June-August except for
a few weeks I took off to get a tonsillectomy.

2) What would you say were the strengths of the AO course?

It is a very funny series. You remember stuff based on some of their
weird humor.

3) What were the weaknesses?
It cannot be used standalone.

4) Do you feel that AO prepared you adequately for the MCAT?
It cannot be used standalone.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students prepare using AO?
Absolutely. It is a great supplement to some other primary study
method.

1) When - Summer of 2005 just before the August 2005 MCAT. I roughly followed the 10 week study schedule.

2) Strengths - It was (surprisingly) not that boring. It had some funny things, but they could also be silly and annoying depending on my mood. The verbal section rocked! There was one section on the verbal where they told this stupid story about fish breeding. It made me change the way I studied for verbal and increased my VR score by 5 points.

3) Weaknesses - It can get silly and annoying. I thought I would be able to listen to it in the car and retain some of it, but I was not able to. You must really focus while listening, or you get lost. I need visual info.

4) Adequate preperation - No. You must supplement it with books/tests. You can't use it alone.

5) Recommended - No. I don't feel like it helped me that much. I did not listen to the whole series. It was nice to have, but you can adequately prepare without listening to AO.

1) When did you use the AO MCAT prep course? How long did it take you to complete the AO program?I began using it the minute I realized I needed to take the August MCAT. I had taken Kaplan for the April test and it wasn't good for me. So I decided to study completely differently for the August test. I was listening to the AO program on the morning of the test, so I guess I never stopped using it.

2) What would you say were the strengths of the AO course? The way to think intuitively about questions on the MCAT. I found I didn't have to memorize as much stuff since I could quickly think it through. i also found their approach to VR incredibly good.

3) What were the weaknesses? Well, it's really good for auditory learners but I realized I also needed EK 1001 Physics/Orgo/etc questions to supplement and reinforce what I learned in AO.

4) Do you feel that AO prepared you adequately for the MCAT?YES! I scored 4 points higher on my second attempt after using the AO. I was calm throughout the test and left the test feeling confident that I did better at this attempt.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students prepare using AO?Yes. If you are an auditory learner and can give up listening to music for a few months and listen to the J's on your MP3. But get their question books as well.

1) When did you use the AO MCAT prep course? How long did it take you to complete the AO program?
In 2005. I commute about 3+ hours daily on the train and workout so AO during those times with no set schedule


2) What would you say were the strengths of the AO course?
1.Once concepts are learned it makes for great review.
2.approaches some concepts differently than in the book. This does not happen often.
3.when you get sick of reading the complete package over and over it is nice to listen to the CD as you look at pictures/graphs in the corresponding chapters to make for an easier "read".


3) What were the weaknesses?
I realized that I was not very good at learning from listening to lectures as I purchased these. The same went for the CDs. They are great and I got a lot out of them but I also had the complete package that contains the books. Without the books these would have ben worthless as I used the books to learn and AO for light review.


4) Do you feel that AO prepared you adequately for the MCAT? with the complete EK book package, yes. As a stand-alone it would not have worked for me.


5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students prepare using AO?Yes: If you do well by listening to lectures or want a way to reinforce what you learned then these are great. Also they have a high resale value on ebay.

Comments:
I rated these a 7. I think they worked well as a complement to other material. I do not feel that I would have done as well as I did on the MCAT if this was the core of my MCAT prep material. At some point in my MCAT studies I stopped listening to AO and decided to just carry 1-2 books from the complete package to study from. My mind wandered too much 5 minutes into listening to AO sometimes.

note:I just read the other comments above and I'm surprised to see a lot of people agreeing this should not be your only (or Main) study source for the MCAT.

1) When did you use the AO MCAT prep course? How long did it take you to complete the AO program?
I listened to a friends copy of the Bio, Physics and Orgo lectures throughout the summer of '05 before taking the august exam. I didn't listen to any Chem lectures. I don't even know if they have Chem lectures.


2) What would you say were the strengths of the AO course?


Good, easy to listen to Bio review. Good mnemonics. Good way to turn material you know well into material that is automatic (a key step to doing well on the MCAT imho).


3) What were the weaknesses?

Not enough depth, several inaccuracies. I felt the Orgo and Physics lectures were a waste of time.


4) Do you feel that AO prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

AO did what I wanted it to do for me, and did that well, but I REALLY wouldn't recommend making this a primary resource.


5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students prepare using AO?

Bio lectures, yes. Others, no. Use the bio lectures to supplement your studying AFTER you've reviewed the material the first time round using your principle study method.

1) When did you use the AO MCAT prep course? How long did it take you to complete the AO program?

I used it last summer before the August 2005 MCAT. I think it took about four or five weeks from start to finish, but I listened to it about three or four times all the way through.

2) What would you say were the strengths of the AO course?
There were some very good test-taking strategies, and it was a good supplement to the EK books, which I also had. The jokes got really annoying, but they did have some good advice. The physical science section was especially helpful for me because I've always felt that I didn't know where to start and it helped me focus on the high points.

3) What were the weaknesses?
You can't use it alone. But it's great to play while you look over the EK review books because you can see the formulas and other things that are relevant. I had a hard time absorbing anything if I was just listening to it by itself, because my mind would wander.

4) Do you feel that AO prepared you adequately for the MCAT?
It was a good starting point. I listened to it the first time around and it helped me realize what areas I needed to work on because they'd be talking about something and I'd have no idea how to solve the problem. So I could then take more time to study my weak points.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students prepare using AO?
It's a great supplemental study program, but kind of expensive. I'd recommend it in addition to the EK review and 1001 questions books.

bump

Bump...are the mistakes dangerous enough to make AO not worth getting?

1) When did you use the AO MCAT prep course? How long did it take you to complete the AO program?

I started using AO for the entire Physiology section b/c I had never taken a physio course - so while I was reviewing Orgo - I would study physiology using ONLY AO and I found this to be helpful. I took me about 3 weeks to go thru the physio section - listening only on the bus, during walks, and while in bed falling asleep. I did not listen to the entire AO set b/c I found that Orgo, Physio, Molecular Bio, Microbio, were the strong points - Physics and Gen Chem had a lot of formulas etc that requires books. However, given that you have already studied Physics and Gen Chem, going over AO serves has a good review and reinforcement of concepts - somtimes, even concepts you hadn't thought about through your books.

2) What would you say were the strengths of the AO course?

The major strength of AO is definitely that it is an alternative to reading the review books - when you get tired or burned out with reading - you can just go for a walk and listen to AO, I found listening to AO was a more relaxing way of learning. Next, AO is high-yield, meaning only the most important/necessary info is taught. Another strength is that while review books focus on concepts and extra stuff that may cloud the concepts - AO helps you understand concepts very well.

3) What were the weaknesses?

Just that physics and gen chem are difficult to teach without concrete examples - using AO alone is certainly NOT sufficient for the MCAT. The errata was another weakness, but clarifications can be found on their website. Errata in AO is not to the point where it is a liability - it's not that bad, and if you are using it to review stuff from books, you'll be able to recognize the mistakes - which are not a lot.

4) Do you feel that AO prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

I felt that AO was an excellent supplement to my books - it made studying a lot easier and for subjects like Physiology - after using AO first, when I finally went to the books, it was a mere review.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students prepare using AO?

I reccommend that it be a part of their review - NOT their only source.

AO is really good for listening to a day or three after studying the same section out of the EK book.

It would be good for listening to a day or three after studying the same material out of a text book or different review.

Cuz when you hear them bring up the subject you start thinking about it and visualizing it which is fine since youre driving and not 'trying to study.' This is why you also dont usually hear the mistakes - cuz youre visualizing the real formula as soon as you hear them bring up the subject.

They really ought to make a new one tho. Maybe their producer moved back to Denmark.

That said, i would not use AO as a primary source for anything. If you havent seen the material before, I think AO would just be confusing and frustrating.

Rafa said:

Bump...are the mistakes dangerous enough to make AO not worth getting?

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naw... if you bookmark the page where the errors are listed and know which section they're on before you listen you can fill in the blanks. There aren't that many for the size of the material on the discs.

tch001 said:

Oh, and buy it off e-bay or have friends burn you a copy rather than paying the full 200 bucks.

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Is anyone selling their AO? I would like to buy a used one.

Fay said:

Is anyone selling their AO? I would like to buy a used one.

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Yes - try half.com:
http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQprZ1949250QQcpidZ1076460391

bumping for some more recent opinions.