Best Prep Books for the PS section?

[jdla]

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What are the best prep books for this section?

I heard Nova and BR.

Then which one is better and tell me the difference.

 

[TheBoondocks]

What are the best prep books for this section?

I heard Nova and BR.

Then which one is better and tell me the difference.

BR by far has the best chemistry. Nova is good for people with a weak background, but their passages are too easy. People use nova to LEARN concepts. BR passages actually TEST YOU in the way the mcat will. BR physics and chem can't be beaten when one considers TEXT AND PASSAGES. Finally, even those who like Nova never advocate using it alone.

 

[jdla]

Can I purchase just these two books?

When I took a look at the BR website, you had to buy the complete review set. I think except for the Chemistry.

 

[TheBoondocks]

Can I purchase just these two books?

When I took a look at the BR website, you had to buy the complete review set. I think except for the Chemistry.

Yes, you can just purchase the chemistry and physics books http://www.berkeleyreview.com/ However, when is your test? BR will be updating their physics books, so if you can wait until the middle of October I would suggest waiting. If not, the current books are still good.

 

[OptionMD]

I used BR, Nova, and Examkracker. To learn the concept, I used Examkracker. For some practice problems I did Examkracker 1001 chemistry and physics and Nova Physics. I didn't like how the Nova Chemistry book was formatted so I didn't use it. Then I used BR for their passages which I think are awesome. There are so much passages for each sections. However, what I don't like the BR passages is that the first several passages of each section are generally very easy which are annoying because you will never find those on the real exam. The best ones are those found near the end of each sections where they give you some weird passage. I didn't read the BR either primarily because like TPR they just have too much stuff that you don't need to know. Personally I think that all the concept you need to know is in EK. From there be able to learn to use those passage on weird question.

I actually had a group of friends where we split up the total price for these books. But if you are short on money, I would then just go for BR because even though EK is good it doesn't have enough passages to practice.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Then I used BR for their passages which I think are awesome. There are so much passages for each sections. However, what I don't like the BR passages is that the first several passages of each section are generally very easy which are annoying because you will never find those on the real exam. The best ones are those found near the end of each sections where they give you some weird passages.

Thanks for your kind words and assessment. There are some easy passages aimed at reviewing the material and some bizzare passages aimed at preparing students for those few wtf passages each MCAT seems to have. Both are critical, but for some students who have a really strong grasp on the material, they find the review passages mundane.

I didn't read the BR either primarily because like TPR they just have too much stuff that you don't need to know.

I don't mean to sound like a smart ***** here (as that's not at all my inention), but how do you know it is too much stuff if you didn't read it? The text has several free standing questions and long explanations of how to answer them quickly and accurately. That's the strength of our chemistry and physics books. If you remove all of the questions and explanations, did you know that our physics and general chemistry text are actually a few pages shorter than EK's books?

The reason I would strongly suggest you go back and read through those books (particularly the acid-base chapter, titration chapter, electrochemistry chapter, and thermodynamics chapter in general chemistry and the electrostatics and electromagnetism chapter, the circuits chapter, and fluids-and-solids chapter in physics) is because there are some great short cuts and strategies, although you come across most of them in the passages and answer explanations.

 

[Bamish]

Oops.

 

[lowercase md]

Yup, I'm a fan of the BR books for PS, since I just finished their course this summer. Nova Physics is great if you're completely lost since they have nice big text and not-so-scary-looking examples. Nova chemistry isn't as great IMO but they do combine G Chem and O Chem. Learning the Nova books with content review got me to the 9-10 level last time around, but working some solid passages makes a difference (kind of minimal in the Nova books).

When I first opened the BR textbook, I thought to myself "wow, that's a lot of words!" But I realized you don't have to read every single word -- just focus on concepts related to example questions you miss and stuff you are weak on! I got used to the "lots of words" format fairly quickly and it wasn't a problem. Ordering them could take some time, so i'd look for alternatives in the bookstore or see how soon you can get them.