Best Materials: TRP, Kaplan, EK?

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Drakensoul

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Well, I'm about a year off from taking the MCAT, and I'm starting to look into what materials to use for studying purposes.

The majority of the posts I've read on here are people who've used Kaplan (especially in the thread for people who scored 30+), but I've heard ExamKrackers is much better.

Haven't heard much, either way, about TRP.

Thoughts, ideas, experiences?

Thank you.

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For the general chemistry, I would suggest using a textbook because many of the review books I have seen are incomplete.

For physics, the Princeton Review's Physical Sciences Review is very good. Has shortcuts for questions and explains everything very well. Other textbooks are calculus intensive and spend a lot of time proving theories and equations, which is actually useless for the mcat.

For biology, use textbooks. Again, many review books out there are incomplete. For example, some of the books dont discuss molecular bio and biochem in depth. And last year, they had questions on retrotransposons and background familiarity could have helped.
For Genetics: usually the review books are complete
For physiology: Vander's Physiology 9th Edition
For Molecular Bio and Biochem: Garrett and Grishams
For Cell bio: usually the review books are complete

For the Organic Chemistry, many people suggest using Kaplan's materials on it. I think Kaplan has good passages and questions for the organic. However, you will be expected to be familiar with every reaction in the course, so I suggest using an organic textbook.

For the verbal: Everyone says Examkrackers is the best...I might have to agree with that.

If you are done with everything, you can try out MCAT 45...its not really a workbook, but an advanced strategy book. Its for people who have really practiced a lot of MCAT. It does have very few passages...but they are geared towards strategy and the passages are ridculiously hard!!!

it also has some of those verbal "killer" passages if want to try.

Then do the practice tests...all the AAMC ones, try to get ur hands on the TPR and Kaplan tests too.
 
I used Barron's, Kaplan, and Arco to study with.

Barron's was crap.

Kaplan had the best review, really good.

Arco had a book of nothing but tests that I felt were the closest to the difficulty of the real MCAT, plus it had explanations for the answers. Kaplan's tests just didn't seem as hard.
 
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Wow, I never use my textbooks! Way too much info in there! I've been using Princeton Review materials I got from a friend. Crossing my fingers. :(
 
hey Jules

you dont have to use the books...besides you dont have time...so stick with your review books...that shud be fine.

I made that list for folks who wanted start months early
 
no you wont!!!


the list i made was helpful for me...i know a lot of people who took EK and did very good
 
thekegalman

I doubt you have seen BR books, you seem to value thoroughness most and I don't think you can get more thorough than that.

your recommending textbooks for everything, and the mcat 45 for strategy... where do the passages/practice come in? In this sense BR is the best, complete review, a lot of hard/focused passages...

however I'm using EK because I don't have all the time and you should start early with BR cause if you want all the background material you've got to spend more time.
 
i have never seen the berkley review books...they could be good.

But what works me for will not always work for everybody
 
I would high recommend Berkeley Review over others and I have EK, Kaplan and Barron books. If you got time, I would read Kaplan book (elementary school) first, then EK (middle school) then Berkeley Review (high school). Otherwise, you would get frustated with Berkeley Review material. Their materials tend to have a lot of advanced physic, advance inorganic chemistry and biochemistry material.
 
:( Change that to high school, bachelors, ph.d. or else you're making me feel like i'm in middle school (all puns intended) j/k

but, your analogy is very effective though and it deserves a bump


bump, bump, bump look back dummy that wasn't no hump
 
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