I'd be more willing to make that change if TPR sold their workbooks separate from their class. Heck, I wouldn't have recommended the verbal workbook if there was another decent verbal source due to the difficulty in getting one. Unfortunately, there are literally only two good sources for verbal (excluding the AAMC material) with the rest being pretty bad.
The same problem exists with bio passages though. There are only a couple sources outside of AAMC with good bio passages: TPRH and Kaplan (EK might also have good passages, I don't know, I never did their 30 minute exams).
TBR's bio passages really aren't very good. They emphasis detail too much, and that problem is exacerbated by the fact that the details they emphasize are also the unnecessary facts that they cram into the chapters. This means that without reading the TBR chapters you're not going to do very well, and if you do read them then the passages are too easy because it's a matter of just remembering facts. Contrast this to the MCAT's bio passages which emphasize concepts and critical thinking far more than fact recall.
I think it's worth recommending the TPRH SW. You can often find it sold together with the VW, and when it is sold alone the price markup is nowhere near as insane as the VW's. Looking at ebay right now there are plenty for sale under $60 which is what TBR's bio books will cost you. Even if you bought one of the most expensive auctions ($150), that's still $150 for a book that has between 50-100 passages and 100-200 discretes each for physics, gen chem, orgo, and bio; put another way, you're paying between $15 to $37.50 for quality passages for each science if you use the whole workbook. Then consider that ordering off eBay is easier and faster than mail ordering TBR books, and I really can't see any reason to get TBR bio over TPRH SW.
Also, because I don't think this can be understated, TBR bio does not represent the real MCAT's bio passages very well. I think a lot of people prep with TBR bio and come away with the idea that the real MCAT also focuses on knowledge regurgitation. Then they take the real MCAT, find out (too late) that the real test is actually all about interpreting experimental data and applying concepts, and freak out because they weren't prepared for a test that is the exact opposite of what they practiced on. I've read many posts on this forum saying that one of TBR bio's main strengths is in preparing you for the really "out there" passages you run into on BS, but in reality the passages only seem "out there" because people were prepping with unrepresentative materials.
Anyway, I think I answered OP's question too although judging from his post I get the feeling that my opinion on this matter precedes me
😛 The only thing I want to add is that if you want to know exactly what you're in for, get the AAMC Official Guide. It's essentially $30 for roughly an FL's worth of passages, and the bio passages in it are exactly like the "monster" passages that people complain about on the real thing. That should give you an idea of what you should be looking for in your prep materials.
