Berkeley books - for non-science students?

[yestomeds]

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Just wondering, coming as a student who took the pre reqs many many years ago (i.e. retained nothing), for which subjects, if any, would the Berkeley system be good for?

I've heard some good things about the Berkeley system but I'm not sure for which subjects and for what type of a student (i.e. I'm not in 1st/2nd year and I don't have an in-depth (or current) knowledge of the basic sciences).

Also, if it helps you answer the question, I'll be in the Princeton Review course for the duration too. But it's an online course, so not sure if they'll actually give me the Princeton Review books/materials though.

Thank you so much in advance for your help 🙂.

 

[clairephillips]

Yestomeds, I'm in exactly the same boat. I LOVE TPR, and was very overwhelmed with TBR. If they don't give you a TPRH Science and verbal workbook, get your hands on an old one. I hear great things about their videos too. N=1 though, so hopefully you'll get some other answers.

 

[Mrs.Buckeye1992]

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[Mrs.Buckeye1992]

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[Gauss44]

Just wondering, coming as a student who took the pre reqs many many years ago (i.e. retained nothing), for which subjects, if any, would the Berkeley system be good for?

I've heard some good things about the Berkeley system but I'm not sure for which subjects and for what type of a student (i.e. I'm not in 1st/2nd year and I don't have an in-depth (or current) knowledge of the basic sciences).

Also, if it helps you answer the question, I'll be in the Princeton Review course for the duration too. But it's an online course, so not sure if they'll actually give me the Princeton Review books/materials though.

Thank you so much in advance for your help 🙂.

Berkeley Review (TBR) is for PREMEDS! ...of all types, except those aiming for <33ish. TBR is advanced. I recommend doing Examkrackers (EK) first. Examkrackers has the least you need to know. TBR has pretty much the most you'll need to know.

That being said, I was out of school for over 5 years, majored in Journalism and Music, and spent time as a paralegal prior to using EK then TBR, and scored above the 95th percentile on both science sections.

Good luck!

 

[yestomeds]

Berkeley Review (TBR) is for PREMEDS! ...of all types, except those aiming for <33ish. TBR is advanced. I recommend doing Examkrackers (EK) first. Examkrackers has the least you need to know. TBR has pretty much the most you'll need to know.

That being said, I was out of school for over 5 years, majored in Journalism and Music, and spent time as a paralegal prior to using EK then TBR, and scored above the 95th percentile on both science sections.

Good luck!

Thank you for replying! I heard that EK was over simplified (and BAD for non-science students, because it assumes you KNOW most of the stuff though?). And I heard that TBR was so advanced that you might waste time on it?

That's insane! So you scored high on the science subjects despite having been out of school AND majored in non-science degrees or subjects. So… did you start with EK… and supplement with TBR for each section? Or did you do them concurrently, or?

Also, you did this without a course, I assume?

I'm in much the same boat as you [were], so I'm really looking for some help in the sciences - both in terms of knowing the material as well as (and only then) the mastery of how to answer questions to do with said material.

 

[yestomeds]

I am in the same position as I haven't taken my pre-reqs yet and I'm working through TBR bio right now. VERY detailed and seems to give a lot of extra info. I've heard that it's really only worth the time to go through the TBR books if you have more than 4 months until your test.
Also I've heard tht TBR passages are more convoluted and detailed than say EK or TPR. It makes for good practice, though.

Hi! Yea, I heard something like that fork the Berkeley review too. Sadly, I have way less than 4 months so would you recommend not following the Berkeley series? If so, then which series might be better? (I guess it really isn't a good position to be in, if you're not currently knowledgeable in the MCAT science subjects, and yet don't have the 4 or so months to tackle it all).

 

[yestomeds]

Yestomeds, I'm in exactly the same boat. I LOVE TPR, and was very overwhelmed with TBR. If they don't give you a TPRH Science and verbal workbook, get your hands on an old one. I hear great things about their videos too. N=1 though, so hopefully you'll get some other answers.

Hello! OK, so you like the Princeton Review quite a bit? Do you refer to TBR from time to time, use it as supplementary resource, or not at all?

 

[clairephillips]

I occasionally look at something in TBR, but that's just because I have it. I'm sure I could find answers to the questions I use TBR for somewhere else. It does help to have both, if you can afford it. I also plan to use them as a supplemental source of practice questions later on. I just feel like, as a non-trad, TPR holds your hand a little more and isn't as overwhelming. I also supplement quite a bit more with Chad's videos, but since you have TPR videos, I don't think you'll need those.

 

[Mrs.Buckeye1992]

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[yestomeds]

I occasionally look at something in TBR, but that's just because I have it. I'm sure I could find answers to the questions I use TBR for somewhere else. It does help to have both, if you can afford it. I also plan to use them as a supplemental source of practice questions later on. I just feel like, as a non-trad, TPR holds your hand a little more and isn't as overwhelming. I also supplement quite a bit more with Chad's videos, but since you have TPR videos, I don't think you'll need those.

Thanks. I feel like your answers are holding my hand actually 😛. I will also reply to a previous post you made, which was very helpful. 🙂

 

[yestomeds]

If you think you need or want all the details to help you understand the concepts better, then go for TBR. If you already understand the mechanics and need to review content at the level of not needing extra explanations, stick with EK or maybe TPR (I don't have these yet, so I can't fully tell you if they give you all you need to know). It wouldn't hurt to only use TBR to look up and study sections you feel you don't understand as well and only use it supplementarily.

Makes sense. I may need to refer to TBR then for the extra info. Thanks a ton and hope studying is going OK. 🙂

 

[Mrs.Buckeye1992]

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[yestomeds]

Yestomeds, I'm in exactly the same boat. I LOVE TPR, and was very overwhelmed with TBR. If they don't give you a TPRH Science and verbal workbook, get your hands on an old one. I hear great things about their videos too. N=1 though, so hopefully you'll get some other answers.

Sorry for bringing back such an old thread! @clairephillips just read over your reply again. What did you mean by "their videos?" - the Princeton Review videos? Please explain! 🙂

 

[clairephillips]

Sorry for bringing back such an old thread! @clairephillips just read over your reply again. What did you mean by "their videos?" - the Princeton Review videos? Please explain! 🙂

No problem! I was talking about TPR videos. People say really good things about them. If you don't have access, though, take a look at Chad's videos... They are wonderful and follow TPR pretty closely.