AP Biology CliffsNotes vs. Schaum's Outline

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sailinx

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Hi all,

I just wanted to know if someone has compared CliffNotes for AP Biology and Schaum's Outline Series (Biology) for DAT preperation. I want to know if CliffNotes are enough for preparing the Bio. section of DAT.

Also, Is one better than the other ? Ofcourse, Schaums has more material but does it matter for DAT ?

I appreciate your input.

Thanks,

Sailinx
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I have Schaums Biology outline for DAT. It has 32 chapters. It was more detailed when compared to KAPLAN's book. I like it alot, it gives you a good understanding of all the organ systems, plants, and evolution/phylogeny. Have never seen Cliff's so I can't compare.
 
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I have Cliffs and i like it alot. It doesnt have tooo much excessive information. It explains the material very well and is usually pretty concise and well presented.
 
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klutzy1987 said:
I have Cliffs and i like it alot. It doesnt have tooo much excessive information. It explains the material very well and is usually pretty concise and well presented.
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Cliffs lacks the info on human system. That't the only reason why I prefer Schaums
 
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klutzy1987 said:
Which part of the human system is cliffs lacking in???
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Well I am not saying Cliffs is completely missing human systems. It just doesn't have as much information as Schaums. Like for exampl...there is only a page and half about digestive system in cliffs, whereas a whole chapter is devoted to digestive system in Schaums. Cliffs talks about liver in 4 sentences, whereas schaums explains how liver works under which hormones. Yea may be its not necessary to know so much detail, so I do avoid some of the things from schaums which I think is unnecessary to know. But I think its very important to understand how liver contributes to the digestive system. Just my thought.
 
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I prefer Cliff's 10,000x more than Schaum's. Reading Schaums used to put me to sleep.
 
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I am using both schaums and cliffs and campbell...I don't think it is necessary, but I just don't want to miss out on any details I could have learned before the test.
Okay...to the point...I think they both have their strengths and weaknesses. I do agree that Cliff does not go into as much details on human system as schaums does (which helps me atleast). Sometimes, schaums talks about things too much in detail. Rest of the stuff is pretty comparative.
Considering that people have done good with both the books, I'd say just go to the nearby bookstore like barnes and nobles and just open up both the books and read a chapter in each. See which one you find easier to follow. I would, however, advise you to supplement it with Campbell, even if it just means for you to look at the pictures in there. Rest is upto you. Good luck!
 
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Campbell is the author of a Biology textbook. I used it during my Gen Bio I and II classes. It is a really good text but way too much info when preparing for the DAT. I mainly use it to understand concepts better and check out the diagrams, but it would be impossible to read the entire text and retain what you read. I just looked it up on amazon and it is only $20 used so I guess it can't hurt to buy, but I think any Biology textbook would be sufficient to understanding the material. The ISBN is 080537146X.
 
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TheWiredNerv said:
I prefer Cliff's 10,000x more than Schaum's. Reading Schaums used to put me to sleep.
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I agree here 100% about the slow reading in Schaums.. Although I really like the book and have been using it for Biology review, some of the chapters on evolution/ecology/classification are hella long and drawn out.....makes it hard to read sometimes. But the chapters on photosynthesis, respiration, immunology.......all the good human stuff........chapters are fun to read.
 
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I like Cliffs AP a lot. I studied Cliffs everyday and I took notes and I reviewed my notes at night before going to bed. Make sure you go over bio materials everyday. It helps you not to forget them and to get ready for the test.
 
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I have never used cliff AP, I have schaum's. Schaum's good but it is way too crazy. I also have princeton review MCAT bio section. That is really good other than not covering ecology.
 
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MAK1186 said:
Campbell is the author of a Biology textbook. I used it during my Gen Bio I and II classes. It is a really good text but way too much info when preparing for the DAT. I mainly use it to understand concepts better and check out the diagrams, but it would be impossible to read the entire text and retain what you read. I just looked it up on amazon and it is only $20 used so I guess it can't hurt to buy, but I think any Biology textbook would be sufficient to understanding the material. The ISBN is 080537146X.
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I think the good idea to go with is use cliffs for review, and if you feel like there aren't enough info on the cliffs, look it up on campbell. yea? no?
 
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haha I think the OP is in dental school by now but this is a really good question, thanks for bringing back life to this instead of just creating a new thread!
 
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Schaums is like counting sheep. Use cliffs and kaplan bb. Brush up with destroyer and you'll be good to go. Good luck.
 
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