Best MCAT Materials (For Practicing Passages)??

[emdee3]

Hello all,

I am planning to take the MCAT some time in late August or early September. I have already devised a study plan based on reading some threads I found on here. My plan is to purchase the TBR books (Org Chem, Gen Chem, Physics, Biology) AND Kaplan review books (all except CARS) for content review. As far as practice is concerned this is where I'm a little confused. I understand that the MCAT is loaded with passage-based questions so I was wondering if TBR/Kaplan's practice questions were sufficient or if I should pair them with AAMC's Official MCAT Question Pack Bundle (~720 passage based + discrete questions)? Would that be sufficient or should I add another resource for practice? I really want to get the best score but I'm also not in the best financial situation. So if you have any advice then I would appreciate your help. Thanks!

(FWIW: I would like to keep my budget on study materials between $400-500. I've already found all Kaplan books on Amazon for $100. I know the TBR books will cost ~$300. So that leaves me with about $100 to play with)

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[5words]

NS strategy and practice book, i found those to be useful as well.

 

[emdee3]

NS strategy and practice book, i found those to be useful as well.

Thanks! That's a new one. How many questions does the NS Practice Book include? And are there a lot of passage-based questions? I've seen a few people recommending the TPR MCAT Science Workbook too but I'm not sure. There's just so many resources it's hard deciding what to choose.

 

[5words]

Thanks! That's a new one. How many questions does the NS Practice Book include? And are there a lot of passage-based questions? I've seen a few people recommending the TPR MCAT Science Workbook too but I'm not sure. There's just so many resources it's hard deciding what to choose.

they have at least 3 full-lengths per sections. So 4 full lengths in C/p, Bio and PSY and CARS has 3 full lenghts and 3 half-lenghts.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I would suggest not purchasing two forms of content review books, and spending your money on practice exams instead. Practice >>> content. Going through 2 book sets is just going to be a waste of time.

 

[lpp06]

Do not skimp on AAMC materials - at the bare minimum you should have the following from them:

* Sample Test
* Practice Test 1
* Practice Test 2
* Section Bank
* Question Packs
* Official Guide


If you'll notice, that's essentially all of the AAMC material (sans Flash Cards). When it comes to practicing, NO 3rd party will be able to exactly replicate the AAMC way of presenting ideas, asking questions and gauging your knowledge.

In order of importance:

Full Length, Section Bank, Question Packs, Official Guide

 

[lpp06]

Also agree with the above, 2 forms of content review seems to be a bit overkill - especially since TBR and Kaplan are 2 most dense review materials.

Think of your content review like a metabolic pathway - reviewing extremely dense material is energetically unfavorable, but reviewing less dense material like Exam Crackers is much more energetically favorable. If you couple the two together, the entire process will be favorable and proceed in the forward direction*.


*If it doesn't make sense now, "Don't worry, it will."**

**Picasso ftw***

***This will also make sense after you're through some practice AAMC material

 

[emdee3]

Thank you all for the help. The reason I wanted both is because from what I've read on these forums, TBR's practice questions contain the best passage-based questions of all MCAT review material. From the overall consensus, I understand that they go above and beyond with both content and practice and that generally those who practice with TBR are best prepared for AAMC's style of questions.

But at the same time I've read that a lot of TBR's content can be too much at times. That's why I wanted another review resource so I could have a basic review in areas I understand and go into detail with areas that are a bit vague. I am extremely rusty in Gen Chem, Physics and Organic Chem so the more detail the better I guess.

I know that practice is equally as important, if not more. So is this studying strategy fine or is this overkill: TBR for content review + practice, Kaplan as a backup for content review, AAMC materials for practice. Are the AAMC practice materials arranged by topic or would I, for example, have to go digging through all of the Physics practice questions to find a passage about Optics? I also know that Khan Academy provides a bunch of passage-style questions but I'm not sure if these are up to par with AAMC's standards.

I want to get in as much content review and practice in these next 4 months as I can. Thanks for the advice!

I would suggest not purchasing two forms of content review books, and spending your money on practice exams instead. Practice >>> content. Going through 2 book sets is just going to be a waste of time.

Also agree with the above, 2 forms of content review seems to be a bit overkill - especially since TBR and Kaplan are 2 most dense review materials.

Think of your content review like a metabolic pathway - reviewing extremely dense material is energetically unfavorable, but reviewing less dense material like Exam Crackers is much more energetically favorable. If you couple the two together, the entire process will be favorable and proceed in the forward direction*.


*If it doesn't make sense now, "Don't worry, it will."**

**Picasso ftw***

***This will also make sense after you're through some practice AAMC material

 

[lpp06]

Thank you all for the help. The reason I wanted both is because from what I've read on these forums, TBR's practice questions contain the best passage-based questions of all MCAT review material. From the overall consensus, I understand that they go above and beyond with both content and practice and that generally those who practice with TBR are best prepared for AAMC's style of questions.

But at the same time I've read that a lot of TBR's content can be too much at times. That's why I wanted another review resource so I could have a basic review in areas I understand and go into detail with areas that are a bit vague. I am extremely rusty in Gen Chem, Physics and Organic Chem so the more detail the better I guess.

I know that practice is equally as important, if not more. So is this studying strategy fine or is this overkill: TBR for content review + practice, Kaplan as a backup for content review, AAMC materials for practice. Are the AAMC practice materials arranged by topic or would I, for example, have to go digging through all of the Physics practice questions to find a passage about Optics? I also know that Khan Academy provides a bunch of passage-style questions but I'm not sure if these are up to par with AAMC's standards.

I want to get in as much content review and practice in these next 4 months as I can. Thanks for the advice!

IMO - The best to pair with TBR would be EK - it's the opposite and not nearly as dense. I'd imagine it be able to give you a good big picture when TBR is too specific.

AAMC materials are categorized by section and general subject, ie. "Physics", "Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems", etc. So you will have to dig.

Khan Academy is a fantastic resource for free material. Although it is not as difficult, in general, as AAMC material - it is the only 3rd party sanctioned by the AAMC. Some of the passages are pretty tricky, so you can still be challeneged.

 

[emdee3]

IMO - The best to pair with TBR would be EK - it's the opposite and not nearly as dense. I'd imagine it be able to give you a good big picture when TBR is too specific.

AAMC materials are categorized by section and general subject, ie. "Physics", "Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems", etc. So you will have to dig.

Khan Academy is a fantastic resource for free material. Although it is not as difficult, in general, as AAMC material - it is the only 3rd party sanctioned by the AAMC. Some of the passages are pretty tricky, so you can still be challeneged.

This might sound childish but does EK provide the kinds of colorful illustrations that Kaplan has in its review books? It might seem silly but I'm a visual learner and I often get lost in the text especially in books that are predominantly black and white like TBR. The fact that EK provides 30 minute quizzes after each chapter is also intriguing to me.

 

[lpp06]

This might sound childish but does EK provide the kinds of colorful illustrations that Kaplan has in its review books? It might seem silly but I'm a visual learner and I often get lost in the text especially in books that are predominantly black and white like TBR. The fact that EK provides 30 minute quizzes after each chapter is also intriguing to me.

Not only does EK have illustrations, they have a mascot who is superimposed into each illustration that helps you understand them. Salty is his name, because he is a cracker.

 

[Reefboss]

Do not skimp on AAMC materials - at the bare minimum you should have the following from them:

* Sample Test
* Practice Test 1
* Practice Test 2
* Section Bank
* Question Packs
* Official Guide


If you'll notice, that's essentially all of the AAMC material (sans Flash Cards). When it comes to practicing, NO 3rd party will be able to exactly replicate the AAMC way of presenting ideas, asking questions and gauging your knowledge.

In order of importance:

Full Length, Section Bank, Question Packs, Official Guide

could you share your thoughts on the Exam Crackers 101 books and the Princetwon review work passages as useful practice passages and questions to prepare for the exam? Have you had any experience either one, and would you recommend to purchase either one or both? I have finished the all the question packs, and just recently purchases the sections banks but would like more practice from actually useful sources before doing full lengths.

 

[emdee3]

Not only does EK have illustrations, they have a mascot who is superimposed into each illustration that helps you understand them. Salty is his name, because he is a cracker.

So you think it would be wiser to splurge the extra $70 or so on EK's complete set than buy the complete Kaplan set? I'm struggling to find major differences between the two other than Kaplan's content review being slightly more detailed. Are EK's practice questions better?

 

[emdee3]

could you share your thoughts on the Exam Crackers 101 books and the Princetwon review work passages as useful practice passages and questions to prepare for the exam? Have you had any experience either one, and would you recommend to purchase either one or both? I have finished the all the question packs, and just recently purchases the sections banks but would like more practice from actually useful sources before doing full lengths.

Are you talking about TPR's Science Workbook? I've heard some good reviews from reading a few forums on here. I'm trying to get perspective on whether I should consider that too. Mostly I want a book full of practice that contains ratios of discrete and passage-based questions similar to the structure of the MCAT.

Anyone have some input on this?

 

[aromatic substitution]

TBR is the best as far as passage based practice from a prep company that also involves content review. But examkrackers 101 passages books offer a lot of passage based practice also. Both sprinkle in a couple of discretes also.

 

[Reefboss]

TBR is the best as far as passage based practice from a prep company that also involves content review. But examkrackers 101 passages books offer a lot of passage based practice also. Both sprinkle in a couple of discretes also.

I am not so similar with the berkley series. Are there practice passages and questions in their content review books, or do they have separate book/online source for questions that can be purchased either used or second hand

 

[emdee3]

So from what I've gathered...
TBR, AAMC has the best practice for Gen Chem, Physics, Organic Chem
EK 101, AAMC has the best practice for CARS
Still unsure about Biology/Biochem and Psych/Socio though I've heard Khan Academy has the best content review and practice for Psych/Socio
Best FL's: AAMC 1 and 2, NS 1-4 and EK4. I'm thinking one FL per week for the last month and a half or so of studying is a good plan.

Am I missing something? Anyone else want to add to this???

 

[fldoctorgirl]

So from what I've gathered...
TBR, AAMC has the best practice for Gen Chem, Physics, Organic Chem
EK 101, AAMC has the best practice for CARS
Still unsure about Biology/Biochem and Psych/Socio though I've heard Khan Academy has the best content review and practice for Psych/Socio
Best FL's: AAMC 1 and 2, NS 1-4 and EK4. I'm thinking one FL per week for the last month and a half or so of studying is a good plan.

Am I missing something? Anyone else want to add to this???

For Psych/Soc, Khan Academy + TPR is the best
I used TPR for Bio/Biochem and found it pretty good, it's very detailed though

 

[emdee3]

So from what I've gathered...
TBR, AAMC has the best practice for Gen Chem, Physics, Organic Chem
EK 101, AAMC has the best practice for CARS
Still unsure about Biology/Biochem and Psych/Socio though I've heard Khan Academy has the best content review and practice for Psych/Socio
Best FL's: AAMC 1 and 2, NS 1-4 and EK4. I'm thinking one FL per week for the last month and a half or so of studying is a good plan.

Am I missing something? Anyone else want to add to this???

As far as discretes are concerned, I guess this will be settled when I decide between Kaplan and EK as my alternative content review resource. I need helpppppp. I'm such an indecisive person. I can't choose which set to buy ((((

 

[fldoctorgirl]

As far as discretes are concerned, I guess this will be settled when I decide between Kaplan and EK as my alternative content review resource. I need helpppppp. I'm such an indecisive person. I can't choose which set to buy ((((

You're overthinking this entire process. At the end of the day, the materials you buy aren't as important as what you do with them. Many people get by using just Khan Academy, which is free, because they put the effort in. You'll be fine whether you buy Kaplan or EK. Your success isn't dependent on a prep company, but on you.

 

[emdee3]

You're overthinking this entire process. At the end of the day, the materials you buy aren't as important as what you do with them. Many people get by using just Khan Academy, which is free, because they put the effort in. You'll be fine whether you buy Kaplan or EK. Your success isn't dependent on a prep company, but on you.

This is true. I think I should just go with the more affordable set (Kaplan) and anything that needs to be clarified I can do with Khan Academy and TBR.

 

[aromatic substitution]

I am not so similar with the berkley series. Are there practice passages and questions in their content review books, or do they have separate book/online source for questions that can be purchased either used or second hand

TBR has passage based practice throughout their content books. They don't have independent books, but it's not needed. They offer by far the most practice based practice of any test prep company.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Thank you all for the help. The reason I wanted both is because from what I've read on these forums, TBR's practice questions contain the best passage-based questions of all MCAT review material. From the overall consensus, I understand that they go above and beyond with both content and practice and that generally those who practice with TBR are best prepared for AAMC's style of questions.

But at the same time I've read that a lot of TBR's content can be too much at times. That's why I wanted another review resource so I could have a basic review in areas I understand and go into detail with areas that are a bit vague. I am extremely rusty in Gen Chem, Physics and Organic Chem so the more detail the better I guess.

I know that practice is equally as important, if not more. So is this studying strategy fine or is this overkill: TBR for content review + practice, Kaplan as a backup for content review, AAMC materials for practice. Are the AAMC practice materials arranged by topic or would I, for example, have to go digging through all of the Physics practice questions to find a passage about Optics? I also know that Khan Academy provides a bunch of passage-style questions but I'm not sure if these are up to par with AAMC's standards.

I want to get in as much content review and practice in these next 4 months as I can. Thanks for the advice!

Counting the practice questions embedded in the text sections, if you use the BR biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry/biochemistry, and physics books you will do nearly 6000 questions. If you go over every question (reviewing the answer explanations for the majority of them), you will be set.

As far as the text goes, it should be seen more as a reference if needed, not mandatory reading. I think we fail to communicate this well, so people end up reading everything. To prepare best using our books, you should skim about half of the text and read about of the text, while ALWAYS stopping to do the fifteen to thirty questions incorporate into the reading part of the chapter. We include any strategies, mnemonics, and tricks in the explanations to those questions.

Also, I want to give a spoiler alert about the perceived detail. Our biology books can be a little dense in some chapters, but if you read through the threads about the MCAT exams this year and consult reddit feedback, you'll find that people needed details (such as common acronyms) on the many cell biology, genetics, and molecular biology passages. As far as chemistry and physics go, the thickness of our books is deceptive. If you were to remove all of our questions and explanations, the books would be about 100 pages each (about 50 pages for part 1 and 50 pages for part 2). I think many people think the detail of biology is a theme found in other books, but they are written by different authors.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

At the end of the day, the materials you buy aren't as important as what you do with them.

This statement is both true and false. You are absolutely 100% on the mark that having the best materials does not mean a thing if you don't use them correctly. More than anything thing, you have to put the time in. But as we often say in class, it's not about how much you study as it is about how smart you study. This starts by knowing yourself, your natural test taking ability, your study approach, your strengths, and your weaknesses. With so many different majors, educational backgrounds, and age in the pool of test takers, their study needs are a range. And the reality is that the study materials are as different as the people studying for the exam. There is definitely a best prep materials cocktail out there for each person, but it is not the same for everyone. If a 20-year old biochemistry major got a 518 on the April 1 exam using our materials, it does not mean that a 27-year old post bac student who got their degree in psychology needs the same combination of materials for an August exam.

The only two universal truths when it comes to selecting the best materials are:

• 1) There must be thousands of useful and/or realistic questions that come with detailed answer explanations that emphasize both the basic content and test taking strategies. Short answer explanations that tell you to look back at the text rather that write a few sentences can actually be counterproductive. You need to learn more from the answer explanations than anywhere else in the materials.
  
  2) They must cover the material with a multiple-choice mentality, emphasizing how to apply material rather than memorize the material. Lists of facts may seem useful, but they are actually not very helpful on the MCAT. A good resource will pound those facts and concepts in by applying them to a bunch of questions with a slightly different twist each time.

The problem is that students studying for this exam are so used to memorizing material that they get a false sense of security when they read text and feel they recall all of the information. They believe they are ready for the exam because of the large amount of information they can recall, but they have failed to challenge themselves with tricky questions and weird passages. You see this time and again in SDN threads where people are shocked by their low practice exam scores on the first few FL exams they take. They have not studied correctly, and get a slap in the face when the practice exam doesn't go as well as they assumed it would based on how much they studied.

The bottom line is that prep materials are as different as cars (Fords, Hondas, Audis, Toyotas, etc... are not all the same) and that choosing the materials that match your needs and style is essential.

 

[emdee3]

Thanks for the advice. I recently received my books. My plan is to rely heavily on TBR for content review + practice in Gen Chem, O Chem and Physics. I'm particularly weak in those areas and I plan on using some of Khan Academy's videos for reinforcement in O Chem. As far as Bio is concerned, I like TPR's approach because they're a little more elaborate on Genetics but I wanted to use TBR's Bio for practice. I am taking fldoctorgirl's advice (as well others) and using TPR/KA for Psych/Socio content review and practice. I also purchased NS 108 Verbal Practice for CARS. In addition to all of that, I will buy all of the AAMC materials, EK FL #4, NS 1-4. I will basically have no social life this summer but these are the sacrifices we must take to be medical doctors and not pseudoscientific CAM "doctors". This will likely be one of my last posts in this thread so please wish me luck!

 

[delman0322]

Did you ever find books that just are strict questions and answers (with explanation) that are similar to the new MCAT? I appreciate any help

 

[delman0322]

I am not so similar with the berkley series. Are there practice passages and questions in their content review books, or do they have separate book/online source for questions that can be purchased either used or second hand

Did you ever find books that just are strict questions and answers (with explanation) that are similar to the new MCAT? I appreciate any help

 

[Swagster]

Did you ever find books that just are strict questions and answers (with explanation) that are similar to the new MCAT? I appreciate any help

TBR books are the closest you will find. Their text sections have embedded multiple-choice questions and every chapter has like twenty passages or so afterwards. It's a ****-ton of passages in their books.

 

[PWF]

Hi,

Berkley review: any chance of coming to canada anytime soon?

Also, why is the berkely review being suggested more often than aamc material?

Thanks

 

[skeptastic]

TBR books are the closest you will find. Their text sections have embedded multiple-choice questions and every chapter has like twenty passages or so afterwards. It's a ****-ton of passages in their books.

I ordered prep books early and started thumbing through physics book II. These solution explanations are outstanding! I'm trying to get through as much of this as possible before the summer term starts. Should give me a nice head start. Even considering just taking physics 2 in the fall with biochem instead of the summer, so I can go through the physics and biochem books several times over the summer and be super prepared for the fall. Only have a few days to decide, but we'll see. At any rate, I can already tell that the TBR books are gonna work for me. They really do teach you how to think about questions. Excellent strategy that makes sense.

 

[PlsLetMeIn21]

TBR is the best as far as passage based practice from a prep company that also involves content review. But examkrackers 101 passages books offer a lot of passage based practice also. Both sprinkle in a couple of discretes also.

This is so true. TBR books have like 150 passages and EK has 101, so you get a lot either way. The biggest difference I saw is that the explanations and strategies in TBR are way better than EK in the sciences at least. CARS is iffy for both.