Best MCAT resources?

[MedMich]

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For someone taking the MCAT in spring of 2020, I will be studying over the course of the coming fall and winter since I am spending the summer working and saving money, as well as volunteering. I heard the Berkeley review is good, but it looks really old, and I don't know if thats the best resource. I don't want anything too expensive, and I also know that practice exams are one of the greatest resources. Also for someone taking the MCAT next year, are older books not going to work? Please let me know what the best resources are. Thanks in advance!

 

[Lifeblood_20]

The official MCAT bundle (question pack, full lengths) from AAMC for ~$230 would be the priority if you are on a budget (you can also buy stuff individually if can’t afford all). If you have money to spare after the AAMC stuff, Exam Krackers is very good for all content review. Then, depending on what your weaknesses are: Berkeley Review is the best for Chemisty and Physics, Kaplan is the best for Biochem/Biology, Princeton Review Handbook is good for CARS, as the 101 CARS Passage book. Khan Academy is a great resource for Psych especially with an unbeatable price of $0. Edit: for Psych there is also a 300 page document on r/MCAT

Yes, old editions of books generally still work well, and a good way to save money.

 

[Cheeezcake]

agreed^

Chem/Phys = berkeley
bio/biochem = kaplan
Psych/social = KA and the 300/100 page doc

 

[deleted668917]

Physics = nova physics

 

[vrazzles]

ExamKrackers together with Princeton Review got me a 100th percentile score on the MCAT. IME, EK has the highest-yield information that will be enough for 98% of questions and supplementing with other resources will help to get that extra bump. YMMV obviously.

 

[beattheprocess]

ExamKrackers together with Princeton Review got me a 100th percentile score on the MCAT. IME, EK has the highest-yield information that will be enough for 98% of questions and supplementing with other resources will help to get that extra bump. YMMV obviously.

Which edition?

 

[Gilakend]

I liked EK books. I would advise finding a see of books you like and sticking to them. Going through different books can be a time sink as there is so much redundancy. If there’s a topic you’re struggling with i would just YouTube/Khan it.
AAMC material is a must, the tests and the SB are necessary.
For PS I used the 87 page reddit khan doc and Anki and got 131 in PS, I thought the 300 page one was taking me too long to sludge through.
For bio/biochem I absolutely loved AK lectures. He definitely does into more detail on some things than you need, but the in-depth information and his beatitude explanations are what finally made it stick for me. I would watch the same “quick” video 5x and still not understand, I would watch his videos once, and I had it down solid. Definitely an upfront time investment for some topics, but it paid off for me in the end.
For physics I memorized formula and units. Units are under utilized in my opinion. Many questions I could answer just because I knew the units.
Also make sure you have great test strategy and process of elimination, both are necessary for high scores ime. I liked NS practice tests.

 

[vrazzles]

Which edition?

I believe I had 9th edition.

I also want to add: it makes little sense to take an official AAMC practice exam before you even start studying. I see people do this and I don't get it. Those are the most accurate prediction of your test day performance. Don't use them before you have even started studying. IMO, those should be the last 3 practice tests you take before the the actual thing to get the best idea about how you'll do on the real thing.

 

[Philly21]

Hey all! So quick question, I really want to take an MCAT prep course but all of the in person classes are kinda far from me and I do not have access to a car, should I just take a live online class or should I really only stick to in person classes? Any and all advice is appreciated!!

 

[starlover44]

Hey all! So quick question, I really want to take an MCAT prep course but all of the in person classes are kinda far from me and I do not have access to a car, should I just take a live online class or should I really only stick to in person classes? Any and all advice is appreciated!!

I took an in-person class, and one of the first things they tell you is that 90% of the studying needed for MCAT is on your own time; the other 10% occurs in class. That being said, I don't think in-person vs live online really matters. My friend who took a live-online class said the instructors were always available to answer questions outside of class, and her experienced seemed very similar to mine. My in-person class was super convenient for me because it was on campus, but if that wasn't the case I would have done the live online! Also, live online may be cheaper (I think it was when I took a prep course). Hope that helps!

 

[Philly21]

I took an in-person class, and one of the first things they tell you is that 90% of the studying needed for MCAT is on your own time; the other 10% occurs in class. That being said, I don't think in-person vs live online really matters. My friend who took a live-online class said the instructors were always available to answer questions outside of class, and her experienced seemed very similar to mine. My in-person class was super convenient for me because it was on campus, but if that wasn't the case I would have done the live online! Also, live online may be cheaper (I think it was when I took a prep course). Hope that helps!

Thank You so much! It really does!!!!