ExamKrackers...really?

hokiemon said:

I heard many people who took EK or used EK material to study say that "EK only covered the stuff that will be tested and nothing extra". How did you know? Were you studying EK material knowing that Kaplan/PR taught more material but were confident that what you were studying was enough? No doubts that the stuff you weren't covering that you may have with Kaplan/PR will be on the exam. I guess that's pretty bold to assume that EK knows exactly what will be on the test ..

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I'll bite. On the August MCAT (as well as a few AAMC practice MCATs) there were a few discrete questions on topics Examkrackers did not cover (did not stop me from scoring well though). On the other hand, the Kaplan MCATs had PLENTY of questions Examkrackers didn't cover and that I hadn't seen on AAMC practices either, questions like "what is hygroscopic" - wtf?!?.

Look, if you're worried about covering every single little detail that may be on the exam, buy a good textbook for each subject (biology, organic chemistry, chemistry, physics). Some people (e.g. nontrads) do that, but you probably won't because you simply don't have the time to study every topic in detail.

That's the same with TPR or Kaplan, they have a lot of details, many of which are definitely NOT testable. And if you're like most people, the more you have to learn, the less you learn about each.

Kaplan/TPR: Cover 100% of the AAMC topics with 80% familiarity = 1 x 0.8 = 0.8
Examkrackers: Cover 95% of the AAMC topics with 95% familiarity = 0.95 x 0.95 = 0.9023

Prep companies say what they have to say to earn money. People who self-study (i.e. with EK) have to justify not taking a prep course. People who take a prep course have to justify $1500. Take what everyone says with a grain of salt, but frankly, those are the only opinions you'll ever get on the matter - if you don't feel comfortable with EK, then take a prep course, simple as that.

hokiemon said:

I heard many people who took EK or used EK material to study say that "EK only covered the stuff that will be tested and nothing extra". How did you know? Were you studying EK material knowing that Kaplan/PR taught more material but were confident that what you were studying was enough? No doubts that the stuff you weren't covering that you may have with Kaplan/PR will be on the exam. I guess that's pretty bold to assume that EK knows exactly what will be on the test ..

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I can remember one discrete that I was just thinking, "WTF does THAT mean?!?!" But on the whole, just to echo what's already been said, if you do use examkrackers I think the point is to know all that stuff (which is all high yield) cold. Know it backwards and forwards. Sure it's not going to cover some minute little detail that will be tested but I don't think covering all those details that could possibly be covered is an efficient use of your time. Use your time to really really own the material that is tested frequently (ie the Examkracker stuff). Remember: a large portion of the MCAT is learning to apply concepts anyway, not just regurgitate memorized facts.

Thanks for your replies. I think I am leaning towards Kaplan. I think it's awesome you guys scored well with EK but the fact is, it would be stressful to go in to a test knowing there's some probability a passage may come up that EK didn't teach me anything about. Just the downward spiral that could trigger on that exam is something I don't want to touch. It's a shame because I really wanted to try EK since I heard good things, but I've also heard from you guys and others that they don't cover as much as TPR/Kaplan so why risk it and be that unlucky tester who happens to take the test on a date that had the most topics that weren't covered by EK. Thanks again

hokiemon said:

Thanks for your replies. I think I am leaning towards Kaplan. I think it's awesome you guys scored well with EK but the fact is, it would be stressful to go in to a test knowing there's some probability a passage may come up that EK didn't teach me anything about. Just the downward spiral that could trigger on that exam is something I don't want to touch. It's a shame because I really wanted to try EK since I heard good things, but I've also heard from you guys and others that they don't cover as much as TPR/Kaplan so why risk it and be that unlucky tester who happens to take the test on a date that had the most topics that weren't covered by EK. Thanks again

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Good luck with Kaplan and killing that beast in general, but I just wanted to add one thing.

You're going to see lots of passages that are involving topics which may seem at first to go over topics you've never covered before. But the truth is, and Kaplan will tell you this as well, that only BASIC science is tested on the MCAT. Try to remember that when you test and maybe it will make you less nervous. 🙂

again!

Thanks again. Is there anyway I could integrate both kaplan and EK in my prep?
Perhaps taking an EK class and purchasing the Kaplan book to at least have somewhat of an understanding of some the topics not mentioned by EK? I don't know how possible/productive that sounds but I was thinking that may allow me to gain the benefit of an EK course while still covering more info.

Anastasis said:

Good luck with Kaplan and killing that beast in general, but I just wanted to add one thing.

You're going to see lots of passages that are involving topics which may seem at first to go over topics you've never covered before. But the truth is, and Kaplan will tell you this as well, that only BASIC science is tested on the MCAT. Try to remember that when you test and maybe it will make you less nervous. 🙂

again!

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Yes - the best way to integrate EK into your prep - IF you have the time, is to go through your Kaplan materials first, and once you've got the material down semi-cold - cold, use EK to review the HIGH YIELD material (which is everything that EK covers, so the entire book) in a more relaxed manner than you did when going over the material for the first time.

But honestly, looking back - you don't NEED more than one prep company because the MCAT is so relative, that being able to answer that single left-field question will likely not help you go from a 12 to a 13. And the chances of getting a left-field question is small at that. Trust me, it won't make a difference if you study EXTRA material - however, I completely understand where you're coming from - it's a psychological thing, you just won't feel truly prepared knowing that you skipped the extra stuff.

I must say however, that a lot of people exaggerate the "extra stuff" on the non-EK companies. I used TPR and their materials were VERY condensed when compared to a textbook and they also skipped a lot of stuff, and their extra information is there to for the people who are learning for the first time and need the extra info in order to grasp the concept. TPR however, does a great job at making sure you know the "high yield" material as yell, since they always point it out in their text...such as "know this, this will definitely be on the MCAT".

To conclude, I only used EK Biology because TPR biology was A LOT of information, but the Bio section tends to be a lot of info. TPR's handling of Gen Chem, Physics, and Orgo was IMO on the mark.

i agree with xylem29. do the prep course reviews first to get a solid review down. then, study EK's details independently from the prep course. you might retain more that way.

however, i felt that TPR could have done a better job with gen chem & physics and that EK was excellent. i also thought TPR had a great bio review. i didn't use the EK bio review, though.

good luck!