Berkeley review- Do we study everything in it?

[wahoo321]

Hi! I just bought Berkeley review books for Gen Chem, physics, and Organic chem. So my question is, do I have to study everything in it? I am asking this so I don't waste my time going over topics that are not covered on the MCAT. I have read some of the Orgo book and so far it looks great. They explain everything succinctly. So yeah do I have to study everything?

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[daleader]

Hi! I just bought Berkeley review books for Gen Chem, physics, and Organic chem. So my question is, do I have to study everything in it? I am asking this so I don't waste my time going over topics that are not covered on the MCAT. I have read some of the Orgo book and so far it looks great. They explain everything succinctly. So yeah do I have to study everything?

From what I hear, yes. However, please do yourself a favor, get the official AAMC topic list and double check what you need to know and what you don't. You will also notice that there are some concepts Berkeley Review doesn't cover in their books..

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Any prep book+AAMC List+good understanding and application of the concepts+the right nerves on test day=good score

 

[RC4L]

You should definitely cover all topics listed by aamc but you have to be strategic about how much time you give to particular topics. For example I used EK for orgo and occasionally TPR when I needed a little more explanation for something. The EK was short and to the point which allowed me to cover all the topics without spending an outrageous amount of time on them. The Berkeley orgo text gets very detailed and realistically the amount of time spent going through that entire book will yield much less than doing the same for their PS material. Considering how little orgo there is on the mcat compared to the other subjects, you may waste time getting too in depth with orgo(inevitable result of Berkeley ochem). The most orgo I have seen on an mcat was 2 passages and a handful of discretes, all of which covered pretty basic stuff(stereochem, lab techniques, e1e2/sn1/sn2). If you have enough time to go through the whole berk ochem txt than go for it but chances are your time would be better spent covering orgo in a less detailed text so you can put more time into higher yield subjects and practicing. Berkeley borders undergrad ochem text books at times and the mcat raaarely if ever requires such an intricate knowledge of the subject. My last mcat had 1 ochem passage and it was more biochem related than organic. Very few discretes that were just spectroscopy giveaways. I could have reviewed the EK book for an hour or two before the exam and been prepared for all the ochem that day. Don't take what I'm saying as ochem is not important but rather that it is not important enough to understand it as intricately and broadly as physics/chem.

 

[wahoo321]

I found this link: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/preparing/. I think it summarizes everything! Also, thank you all for your advice. To RC4L, I bought Berkeley Review because I won't be able to take an organic chem class before my MCAT test. I posted a thread about this problem. Everyone said that the subject is very difficult and self studying requires a lot of dedication. I wanted a review book that would go in depth so my understanding of the subject becomes strong. I will be spending my winter break studying my organic chem books (I have started studying some of the material right now). I am spending late May til early August of 2014 to study the rest of the subjects. I am currently taking 1st semester of physics and chemistry, so by the time I am reviewing my MCAT material, most of the information will still be fresh in my mind. I took bio during my freshman year. Also, some premed students got like 3-4 passages of organic chemistry! For biology and verbal, I bought EK + EK 101 passages for verbal. I am also going to buy the AAMC practice tests as well.

 

[Roxas]

I found this link: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/preparing/. I think it summarizes everything! Also, thank you all for your advice. To RC4L, I bought Berkeley Review because I won't be able to take an organic chem class before my MCAT test. I posted a thread about this problem. Everyone said that the subject is very difficult and self studying requires a lot of dedication. I wanted a review book that would go in depth so my understanding of the subject becomes strong. I will be spending my winter break studying my organic chem books (I have started studying some of the material right now). I am spending late May til early August of 2014 to study the rest of the subjects. I am currently taking 1st semester of physics and chemistry, so by the time I am reviewing my MCAT material, most of the information will still be fresh in my mind. I took bio during my freshman year. Also, some premed students got like 3-4 passages of organic chemistry! For biology and verbal, I bought EK + EK 101 passages for verbal. I am also going to buy the AAMC practice tests as well.

In that case you made the right choice to go with TBR, as it is VERY thorough in terms of O-chem. It will be an incredibly tough task to teach yourself, especially when for most that effort is spent on all the other subjects and doing passages. It can be done, just know that you're already facing an uphill battle

 

[leshishipin]

agree this: . I could have reviewed the EK book for an hour or two before the exam and been prepared for all the ochem that day. Don't take what I'm saying as ochem is not important but rather that it is not important enough to understand it as intricately and broadly as physics/chem

 

[wahoo321]

In that case you made the right choice to go with TBR, as it is VERY thorough in terms of O-chem. It will be an incredibly tough task to teach yourself, especially when for most that effort is spent on all the other subjects and doing passages. It can be done, just know that you're already facing an uphill battle

agree this: . I could have reviewed the EK book for an hour or two before the exam and been prepared for all the ochem that day. Don't take what I'm saying as ochem is not important but rather that it is not important enough to understand it as intricately and broadly as physics/chem

you are right, but some students have gotten like three passages from organic chem. Do you know which specific organic chem topics I should be focusing on the most? I finished reading molecular structure, structure elucidation, and stereochemistry. The rest of the topics are: Hydrocarbon Reactions, Carbonyls and Alcohols, Carbohydrates, Nitrogen Compounds, and Organic Chemistry Laboratory Techniques.