Are the Berkeley Books worth it?

[MikeB14]

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I posted a similar question to this a few days ago but didn't get any replies. Anyway, I am taking the kaplan class so I have all of their books and online resources and I also have the EK full set. I dont really like reading the Kaplan books because I think they are long and boring. The EK books I dont mind reading at all.

In any case, I heard the Berkeley books for chem, orgo, and physics were really good because of the passage based questions throughout. Would it be worth it to buy these books and use them primarily and supplement them with EK books, or would that just be a waste?

 

[apumic]

BR is definitely "worth it" but really it's up to your tastes. BR is primarily good b/c of the passages. Do kap's passages do what you need them to do or do you need more?

 

[kk2011]

I think the Berkeley reviews are definitely worth it. i am using them with the EK 1001 books. I previously used the TPR hyperlearning and these are by far better, especially in g-chem, o-chem and physics. I am using the EK biology review book for content with the Berkeley review for the biology passages. They are expensive but worth it in my opinion.

 

[ridethecliche]

I'm curious, more than anything else, what people think of tbr physics vs NOVA physics.

 

[Notsureuser]

i have nova physics should i buy BR ? also is there anywhere to buy them besides from BR itself?

 

[ridethecliche]

I bought nova to supplement EK (because I don't think it doesn't have enough depth).

I don't think one needs TBR if you have NOVA. I was just trying to see if one was better than the other. You have everything you need with NOVA.

I'm curious more than anything else because I've read that NOVA is right up there as well.

 

[patel2]

i have nova physics should i buy BR ? also is there anywhere to buy them besides from BR itself?

I personally didn't like the nova book at all. There's tons and tons of questions, but none are representative of the passage format like the berkeley review has, and the BR explanation of the content is also better.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I posted a similar question to this a few days ago but didn't get any replies. Anyway, I am taking the kaplan class so I have all of their books and online resources and I also have the EK full set. I dont really like reading the Kaplan books because I think they are long and boring. The EK books I dont mind reading at all.

In any case, I heard the Berkeley books for chem, orgo, and physics were really good because of the passage based questions throughout. Would it be worth it to buy these books and use them primarily and supplement them with EK books, or would that just be a waste?

I think the answer to your question comes down to passages. The important part of your studying is built around taking practice passages and then reviewing them. If you have plenty of good passages, not just free-standing questions (because it's not the same), then you're fine.

The strength of the BR books is that the passages are very good (some are simple, some are thought-provoking, and some are weird) and the questions are well rounded (some math, some conceptutal, and some wt*). The answer explanations are really strong, emphasizing POE and test skills as well as concepts and equations. You grow from practice. The text is filled with sample questions that present great shortcuts and tricks.

I'm curious more than anything else because I've read that NOVA is right up there as well.

I think most of the threads that listed Nova as a close second to BR physics were comparing it to the older BR physics book. I haven't read anyone who has the new BR physics book not pick it as the best book out there by a good margin. The new book is just spot on in terms of how it presents the material, simplifies key concepts, gives great math tricks, and basically makes physics easy to grasp.

I know you are non-BR because of the bad ordering service (and as I responded to your post I fully get and respect your stance), but the physics book is one area I believe from deep in my heart you should have overcome that bias and bought it used. The general chemistry would have also been a nice boon too. Without your seeing the passages, questions, and explanations first hand, it's hard to show you exactly what I mean. But there are questions that are typically really hard, such as induced currents associated with loops moving through B fields or the specific gravity of an object floating in an oil, that are really simple after a couple BR examples.

 

[ridethecliche]

I didn't know that the nova comparison was to an earlier edition. I stand corrected. If the TBR physics book is set up anything like NOVA, and is better, then I can't see why anyone would get anything else.

I'm not anti TBR. While I do think that the ordering system is antiquated, I simply didn't know enough about TBR to have made an educated decision at the point of time when I ordered my materials. As I learn more about them, I think huh, that would have been nice. I'm just too far along in the process to start it all over again without losing a tremendous amount of time. I bought EK after getting input from friends and reading reviews. My chief complaint is that the Physics sections don't have enough examples, but the chem and bio are fine by me. NOVA will be a nice supplemental.

I told a friend to order your stuff when she starts getting ready to start studying for her exam in the winter.

Your point stands though, as I wouldn't have needed to supplement if I was using TBR. Then I'd end up like the people using TBR wondering how they're ever going to finish, like this poster. Haha.

I'm sure I'll learn from the TBR exams that I have, and I'm hoping that using those will make the difference in my prep as passages are where everything comes together right?

 

[ilovemcat]

How'd I know that was gonna be me quoted, haha. Dejavu. Anyways, when I said I felt overwhelmed, I was mainly referring to the passages in TBR. I don't think I'll have time to finish all of them, and for someone like me who has extreme OCD ... that presents a problem. On the other hand, I thought TBR did a fantastic job in explaining the content. I think you'll be very satisfied if you decided to purchase the book - however, at this point in the game, you need to make a choice: focus on their content or do their passages and because you're using EK it seems very unproductive to re-learn the content. The passages are really helpful and really help build all the contents. It just takes ages to finish lol. I think what I'll end up doing is focusing on Phase III passages instead of doing all of them.

 

[ridethecliche]

How'd I know that was gonna be me quoted, haha. Dejavu. Anyways, when I said I felt overwhelmed, I was mainly referring to the passages in TBR. I don't think I'll have time to finish all of them, and for someone like me who has extreme OCD ... that presents a problem. On the other hand, I thought TBR did a fantastic job in explaining the content. I think you'll be very satisfied if you decided to purchase the book - however, at this point in the game, you need to make a choice: focus on their content or do their passages and because you're using EK it seems very unproductive to re-learn the content. The passages are really helpful and really help build all the contents. It just takes ages to finish lol. I think what I'll end up doing is focusing on Phase III passages instead of doing all of them.

Hehe, sorry.

I know what you mean though. I have all the EK 1001 books. I have no idea how I'm going to get through all of them, but I know that it's okay if I don't.

I'm doing pretty well in chem, and physics is my weak spot. Things should come together. I'm going to stop reading and posting in threads about TBR because it really makes me feel like I'm missing something!

 

[tl0100]

I'm curious, more than anything else, what people think of tbr physics vs NOVA physics.

I have both books, and I prefer TBR.. I'm going to give nova another try though probably (I need all the physics help I can get)

 

[ridethecliche]

I have both books, and I prefer TBR.. I'm going to give nova another try though probably (I need all the physics help I can get)

What do you like more about TBR?

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I'm not anti TBR. While I do think that the ordering system is antiquated, I simply didn't know enough about TBR to have made an educated decision at the point of time when I ordered my materials. As I learn more about them, I think huh, that would have been nice. I'm just too far along in the process to start it all over again without losing a tremendous amount of time. I bought EK after getting input from friends and reading reviews. My chief complaint is that the Physics sections don't have enough examples, but the chem and bio are fine by me. NOVA will be a nice supplemental.

I apologize, because the phrase anti-BR is completely not the right term (and has a connotation I don't mean at all). I'm not sure how to phrase it, but it should have been closer to non-BR.

It really comes down to the fact that your post from TPW hit far deeper than most and was inspirational. It really made me think. I can't disagree whatsoever with what you wrote. In fact, I've reread it a few times over as it mirrored some of my frustrations over the last few years. But it also branded you in my mind as the guy who wouldn't do BR. And that's what my label was about. I sincerely hope you can forgive my use of that phrase and realize the connotation I meant.

I'd like to go back and modify that one sentence in that post, but want to do so after posting this so as to point out my error.

 

[tl0100]

What do you like more about TBR?

Well I'm terrible at physics.. I never really learned it in school, at all. TBR book breaks it down really well. Yes, it's long but for someone like me, it's necessary! Also, easy math tricks/tips for solving problems. The first 2 times I took the MCAT (yes I'm taking it for a third time 👎) I think I got caught up too much in the math. Overall, I'm glad I bought TBR books.. I didn't have them when I studied the first 2 times, but I wish I did!

 

[ridethecliche]

I apologize, because the phrase anti-BR is completely not the right term (and has a connotation I don't mean at all). I'm not sure how to phrase it, but it should have been closer to non-BR.

It really comes down to the fact that your post from TPW hit far deeper than most and was inspirational. It really made me think. I can't disagree whatsoever with what you wrote. In fact, I've reread it a few times over as it mirrored some of my frustrations over the last few years. But it also branded you in my mind as the guy who wouldn't do BR. And that's what my label was about. I sincerely hope you can forgive my use of that phrase and realize the connotation I meant.

I'd like to go back and modify that one sentence in that post, but want to do so after posting this so as to point out my error.

No worries. Lets settle on 'sans TBR', shall we? It's 2:40 AM as I'm trying to wrap up a draft of a PS before I have to get up for work soon and the french I haven't used since HS seems to be coming out!

EEK!

I don't think I can aptly respond to the bit about being 'inspirational'. The word that comes to my mind is verbose!

Well I'm terrible at physics.. I never really learned it in school, at all. TBR book breaks it down really well. Yes, it's long but for someone like me, it's necessary! Also, easy math tricks/tips for solving problems. The first 2 times I took the MCAT (yes I'm taking it for a third time 👎) I think I got caught up too much in the math. Overall, I'm glad I bought TBR books.. I didn't have them when I studied the first 2 times, but I wish I did!

Ah, that makes sense. I understood this stuff a while ago, and it's coming back. I just didn't think EK had enough examples or enough good conceptual stuff in the physics book for me. I learn by reading the conceptual stuff and seeing it in action by doing guided example problems. Looks like TBR has both.

I need that for physics right now, but not really for chemistry since my foundation in that is much stronger even though I took it even before I took physics in college.

Good luck! Make sure this time is your last! (lets hope that it's my first and last too haha)

 

[apumic]

I apologize, because the phrase anti-BR is completely not the right term (and has a connotation I don't mean at all). I'm not sure how to phrase it, but it should have been closer to non-BR.

It really comes down to the fact that your post from TPW hit far deeper than most and was inspirational. It really made me think. I can't disagree whatsoever with what you wrote. In fact, I've reread it a few times over as it mirrored some of my frustrations over the last few years. But it also branded you in my mind as the guy who wouldn't do BR. And that's what my label was about. I sincerely hope you can forgive my use of that phrase and realize the connotation I meant.

I'd like to go back and modify that one sentence in that post, but want to do so after posting this so as to point out my error.

👍

It's a real man that can be offended; apologize that his own response was, perhaps, misunderstood; and then move on. You're someone many of us could stand to learn a lot from! Keep it up, man.

 

[apumic]

No worries. Lets settle on 'sans TBR', shall we? It's 2:40 AM as I'm trying to wrap up a draft of a PS before I have to get up for work soon and the french I haven't used since HS seems to be coming out!

EEK!

That being said, obtaining some TBR materials and using them would probably be helpful. Their stuff really is awesome -- even if they don't place their focus on home study students (as offensive as I kind of think that seems being as I home studied w/ them...and course materials from TPR, Kaplan, and EK). I can say confidently that, having studied with materials from all the major companies, EK's stuff was, by far, the best. I did enjoy the others, though. Each had their strengths and weaknesses. TBR was probably the most frustrating at times, though, since their passages (esp. in bio) are killer and even though I generally scored in the 13-15 range on TBR's stuff, there were times when I honestly about lost it over problems that were almost impossible to solve w/o a calculator in the period of time you have when taking one of their passage sets (i.e., taking 7 min/passage).

 

[ilovemcat]

Hehe, sorry.

I know what you mean though. I have all the EK 1001 books. I have no idea how I'm going to get through all of them, but I know that it's okay if I don't.

I'm doing pretty well in chem, and physics is my weak spot. Things should come together. I'm going to stop reading and posting in threads about TBR because it really makes me feel like I'm missing something!

Well then hey, I'll give you some of my like for Physics and you can give me some of your like for Chemistry. That way we both can do well on the Physical Sciences.

For some reason that sounds perverted, lol. I dislike Chemistry with a passion though. Nothing will make up for the brutal experience I had in undergrad. It was horrible. Class Avg's on each exam was: ~45 and this is coming from a prestigious Private Uni.

 

[raltima07]

I like the BR books