2016 MCAT Study Material

[TheKidColin13]

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Hey y'all,

I was wondering.. I am planning on taking the MCAT in August of 2016. Is it okay if I buy the 2015 TPR book set? It should not make a difference, right?

Many thanks!

 

[raiderette]

Normally I would say that it won't make a difference, but with the limited information that we have for the 2015 MCAT, the materials may improve once the actual test comes out. Some of the better materials (TBR and Examcrackers) don't have their material out yet, so it may not be worth it to buy the information now. I am taking the test in April, so my pickings are slim. I would wait until more material is out there. If you really want to get a start on content review, use the free Khan Academy resources. Everyone will tell you that doing content review too early is a waste of time.

 

[DrRedBug]

Everyone will tell you that doing content review too early is a waste of time.

I agree with this for the most part. But I think starting as early as possible on the verbal section ("critical analysis and reasoning skills (CARS)" now) is critical for getting a high score. I'm planning to stretch my mind out for this by doing LSAT logic puzzles, actively reading and summarizing humanities texts (philosophy, economics, psychology, sociology, political science, NO natural science now), and maybe even getting started on actual verbal reasoning passages.

I've written the MCAT twice before, the first time got a 6 on verbal, second time got an 8. Both times I spent about 3 months studying, and even though I worked actively on improving my verbal score, it was very slow progress. The CARS section isn't just rote review or problem solving - it tests your inherent reasoning skills, and the only way you can develop these is by giving your brain regular practice well in advance of the actual exam.

 

[premed240]

Hey y'all,

I was wondering.. I am planning on taking the MCAT in August of 2016. Is it okay if I buy the 2015 TPR book set? It should not make a difference, right?

Many thanks!

No, you are fine buying the 2015 set. I will tell you that it is very dense, so if you have a solid foundation in the material, maybe go with Kaplan or EK. I found EK to give helpful tricks.