1.5 Month MCAT Studying

[1337]

What set of MCAT prep books would be recommended for a short and intensive MCAT study period? I was thinking 1.5 months at most, for full BS/PS content review. I would be studying around 6-8 hours/day, so how are the respective publishers (Kaplan, TBR, TPR, ExamKrackers) in terms of drawing the reader in ... is it actually possible to be engrossed in the material for that long?

I have heard good things about The Berkeley Review textbooks, but how many pages are they exactly? They have two volumes, per subject. It seems to be quite lengthy, so should I just stick with ExamKrackers?

Thanks!

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[SN2ed]

I don't suggest a 1.5 month study schedule, but here's the book list:

Biology: 1. EK Bio + EK 1001 Bio, non-detail oriented 1. BR/TPR Hyperlearning, detail oriented 3. Kaplan

Physics: 1. BR 2. Nova 3. TPR Hyperlearning 4. Kaplan

Verbal: 1. EK Verbal + EK 101 Verbal 2. TPR Hyperlearning 3. BR 4. Kaplan (Avoid if possible)

Organic Chemistry: 1. BR, by far 2. TPR Hyperlearning 3. EK/Kaplan

General Chemistry: 1. BR, by far 2. TPR Hyperlearning 3. EK/Kaplan

Extra Practice Material: 1. TPR Hyperlearning Verbal Workbook + TPR Hyperlearing Science Workbook, good source of practice passages 2. EK 1001 series, helps nail down basics

Stick with the top books. BR's books are quite lengthy with several hundred pages. I don't suggest you simply settle for EK due to length.

 

[LostInStudy]

If you're studying 6-8 hours a day then you should be able to get through G. Chem and Physics books in 2-3 weeks total (probably closer to 2 though).

BTW, while I'm finding out that EK Bio has nice little pictures and stuff, the TPR Bio book is AMAZING. I really think the Bio book should be #1 all by itself. It is a bit longer than EK but not much considering they also have a lot of pictures, in-text questions, explanations to the questions in footnotes, and most importantly it is DOUBLE-SPACED. I think if the Bio in the TPR was converted into the same format as the EK book then it would probably be about 20-30 pages longer at most compared to the EK Bio book, no more. That's just my opinion though after reading 4 chapers in both books.

Hope this helped,

-LIS

 

[SN2ed]

If you're studying 6-8 hours a day then you should be able to get through G. Chem and Physics books in 2-3 weeks total (probably closer to 2 though).

BTW, while I'm finding out that EK Bio has nice little pictures and stuff, the TPR Bio book is AMAZING. I really think the Bio book should be #1 all by itself. It is a bit longer than EK but not much considering they also have a lot of pictures, in-text questions, explanations to the questions in footnotes, and most importantly it is DOUBLE-SPACED. I think if the Bio in the TPR was converted into the same format as the EK book then it would probably take about 20-30 longer at most compared to the TPR book, no more. That's just my opinion though after reading 4 chapers in both books.

Hope this helped,

-LIS

Yeah, I was thinking about changing it due to recent comments from numerous test takers. They also mentioned that BR's practice problems were closer to the real deal than other sources.

 

[LostInStudy]

Well, you could just hold off for a month or so until I take my test to change it. I know people who used TBR on these forums and maybe we could see how each book prepared us and let you know for people studying for the 2010 MCAT cycle. I don't know, I think to have a great Bio MCAT book you need to have an amazing book content wise where the author tries to relate and engage everything for the reader. I do think TPR does that. EK Bio is short and sweet and I don't think most students (and certainly not non-bio majors) could get as much out of it unless you JUST took physio, cell, and genetics within the past year. For me it's just as simple as, if you're willing to spend an extra day or two on Bio to read a much better book. Also, after doing the passages for the TPR science workbook I've noticed that a lot of them in the first 4 chapters (especially for molecular and micro) are experiment based (which has seemed to be a MCAT trend lately). Some of the passages are easy and some just make you scratch your head but nonetheless it's good practice. I don't know though, I guess I should wait until after I take my actual MCAT in a week to let you know how the passages worked out.

-LIS

PS: Congrats on getting your schedule on the sticky!

 

[1337]

I don't suggest a 1.5 month study schedule, but here's the book list:

Biology: 1. EK Bio + EK 1001 Bio, non-detail oriented 1. BR/TPR Hyperlearning, detail oriented 3. Kaplan

Physics: 1. BR 2. Nova 3. TPR Hyperlearning 4. Kaplan

Verbal: 1. EK Verbal + EK 101 Verbal 2. TPR Hyperlearning 3. BR 4. Kaplan (Avoid if possible)

Organic Chemistry: 1. BR, by far 2. TPR Hyperlearning 3. EK/Kaplan

General Chemistry: 1. BR, by far 2. TPR Hyperlearning 3. EK/Kaplan

Extra Practice Material: 1. TPR Hyperlearning Verbal Workbook + TPR Hyperlearing Science Workbook, good source of practice passages 2. EK 1001 series, helps nail down basics

Stick with the top books. BR's books are quite lengthy with several hundred pages. I don't suggest you simply settle for EK due to length.

Thanks for the informative reply.

I know that you have posted a 3-month MCAT study guide, but what is the least amount of time to completely study for the MCAT that you would recommend? Total content review and practice exams, etc.

I think I will take your advice and go with mostly TBR MCAT prep textbooks. The only problem is that I live in Canada and shipping prices from them are ridiculous. $100 shipping for 3 sets of textbooks worth $150...?

Are the BR textbooks concise and to the point? I find many university textbooks are superfluous with useless information.

Searched up the ExamKrackers and Nova textbooks, they were published in 2005, with no newer editions? Any idea about TBR?

Thanks!

 

[SN2ed]

Thanks for the informative reply.

I know that you have posted a 3-month MCAT study guide, but what is the least amount of time to completely study for the MCAT that you would recommend? Total content review and practice exams, etc.

I think I will take your advice and go with mostly TBR MCAT prep textbooks. The only problem is that I live in Canada and shipping prices from them are ridiculous. $100 shipping for 3 sets of textbooks worth $150...?

Are the BR textbooks concise and to the point? I find many university textbooks are superfluous with useless information.

Searched up the ExamKrackers and Nova textbooks, they were published in 2005, with no newer editions? Any idea about TBR?

Thanks!

Nova is ONLY good in physics.

BR books are not concise, however, you don't want a superfluous review. EK is fine if you have a strong grasp on all of the material which most students do not possess. I think EK covers topics too quickly.

The shortest time for the MCAT for most people is 3 months. There are some that can prepare in 2 months or less, but those people usually start with a high AAMC FL score (33+). Even if you happen to be one of those select few, the additionally study time certainly wouldn't hurt and should allow you to better tap your potential.

About the price of BR books, try to find a person selling them. They pop up in the For Sale forum on here. Though if it comes down to it, I'd bite the bullet and get them despite the shipping cost. On the bright side, that's still cheaper than a course.

Edit: I think the sweet spot for study length is 3-4 months. Any less and most won't be prepared. Any more and most will forget too much. Lastly, you don't need to study that intense. You'd probably burn out if you tried.

 

[rls303]

Well, I've come to the conclusion that I should study moderately for the September 2nd MCAT just in case.

What are the thoughts on the EK 1001 Physics and G-chem?

Per everyone's advice on this forum, EK 1001 is like a must have for Bio.

But are the 1001 for Physics and Gchem also good? I have the G-chem and Physics books for TBR, but I am worried that I might overthink the items in them and it might be too much info.

What are you're thoughts guys?

 

[SN2ed]

Thread closed. Please do not bump old threads with an unrelated topic. I suggest you post in this thread on the same subject:

Should I bother with EK 1001? http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=746459