changes in berkeley review books as of 2011

[Cells4life]

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hey everybody,

I just had a quick question i tried searching threads but didn't get much info...i just wanted to know if there have been significant changes content and practice wise in the 2011 BK books...i have all the BR books in biology, ochem, gchem, and physics from 2009( side question are the 2010 books different from the 2009 books?) ..in addition, i plan on taking the sept 8 mcat giving it hopefully my only shot... should i invest in another set of 2011 books or should i select specific ones and which subjects should i select? thank you!

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

hey everybody,

I just had a quick question i tried searching threads but didn't get much info...i just wanted to know if there have been significant changes content and practice wise in the 2011 BK books...i have all the BR books in biology, ochem, gchem, and physics from 2009( side question are the 2010 books different from the 2009 books?) ..in addition, i plan on taking the sept 8 mcat giving it hopefully my only shot... should i invest in another set of 2011 books or should i select specific ones and which subjects should i select? thank you!

It depends on which 2009 version you have. Depending on when you got them, some may need to be replaced. That was a transition year for some of the books (you might notice that some had temporary covers) and there was a misprint of some books. The misprinted books were given away for free (rather than thrown away because they still had utility), but unfortunately they are now showing up on places like ebay for sale as used books.

Which of your books have the real covers and which ones have the temporary covers? You should definitely update your physics books for sure, but the other books will depend on the color of your temporary covers. You may not need to upgrade.

 

[Cells4life]

Hi there,

First of all thank you for answering my questions, I would have never known that there were some misprints. I have the 2009 versions of physics and biology that are both blue and red, respectively with a black tape/band at the side of the book. The rest of the books in general/organic chemistry and verbal reasoning do not contain the black tape, they are regular soft covers that are tan colored. I am definitely thinking of upgrading the books in physics, but are the others necessary as well. Thanks again.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Hi there,

First of all thank you for answering my questions, I would have never known that there were some misprints. I have the 2009 versions of physics and biology that are both blue and red, respectively with a black tape/band at the side of the book. The rest of the books in general/organic chemistry and verbal reasoning do not contain the black tape, they are regular soft covers that are tan colored. I am definitely thinking of upgrading the books in physics, but are the others necessary as well. Thanks again.

You are fine with the regular printed books and it would be a waste to upgrade. General chemistry and organic chemistry have had minor changes (two more pages in electrochemistry and some minor typos have been fixed) and verbal is essentially the same. The biology book should be fine. The latest version has additional summary exams at the end which are pretty good, but probably not worth the $60 to upgrade. The physics should definitly be upgraded. They have more passages and questions, explanations to the B-questions, tricks and strategies given in lecture, and improved E&M and Fluids sections. Hang on to the old ones too, because there were some passages removed that didn't make the new books, so between both sets you'll have more passages.

 

[Cells4life]

Just one more question...I'm still a little bit confused...when you refer to the "regular" books do you mean the books with the black band or the tan colored books? thank you

 

[MedChallenge]

You are fine with the regular printed books and it would be a waste to upgrade. General chemistry and organic chemistry have had minor changes (two more pages in electrochemistry and some minor typos have been fixed) and verbal is essentially the same. The biology book should be fine. The latest version has additional summary exams at the end which are pretty good, but probably not worth the $60 to upgrade. The physics should definitly be upgraded. They have more passages and questions, explanations to the B-questions, tricks and strategies given in lecture, and improved E&M and Fluids sections. Hang on to the old ones too, because there were some passages removed that didn't make the new books, so between both sets you'll have more passages.

Hi BerkeleyReviewTeach or anyone else that knows about TBR books. I've attached some screenshots. Would you be able to tell me if these are the updated editions of the physics and chem books?

 

[harryking]

It depends on which 2009 version you have. Depending on when you got them, some may need to be replaced. That was a transition year for some of the books (you might notice that some had temporary covers) and there was a misprint of some books. The misprinted books were given away for free (rather than thrown away because they still had utility), but unfortunately they are now showing up on places like ebay for sale as used books.

Which of your books have the real covers and which ones have the temporary covers? You should definitely update your physics books for sure, but the other books will depend on the color of your temporary covers. You may not need to upgrade.

I have the same question. I bought the books last year and my physics books have blue covers and biology books have red covers. Is it okay for me to stick with these? I really don't have time to wait for new books to ship as my exam date is July 16th.
I'd really appreciate it if someone could let me know!

Thanks!

 

[iceman132]

Bump. Is there any major differences between the 2010 and 2011 TBR book editions?

 

[SN2ed]

Bump. Is there any major differences between the 2010 and 2011 TBR book editions?

There were big changes for the physics books which are mentioned briefly above. If you search through BerkReviewTeach's past posts, he recently made a more in-depth response about all of the changes in the physics book.

 

[iceman132]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=852061

An invaluable post. Thanks for the info SN2ed

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Hi BerkeleyReviewTeach or anyone else that knows about TBR books. I've attached some screenshots. Would you be able to tell me if these are the updated editions of the physics and chem books?

Those are outdated. The passages are broken down into a review exam and a practice exam. No longer is it ten passages of 7 questions each. There are free-standing questions and passages in a 15% to 85% ratio.

BTW, that looks like an illegal pdf version of the book in Adobe. What the #*@#! Why so blatantly show that you have an illegal copy?

 

[Amba]

Those are outdated. The passages are broken down into a review exam and a practice exam. No longer is it ten passages of 7 questions each. There are free-standing questions and passages in a 15% to 85% ratio.

BTW, that looks like an illegal pdf version of the book in Adobe. What the #*@#! Why so blatantly show that you have an illegal copy?

 

[iceman132]

The person I am purchasing from says galvanizing is on page 280..... Is this the wrong one?....

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

The person I am purchasing from says galvanizing is on page 280..... Is this the wrong one?....

You posted this same question twice.

At some point you just need to chill and get the books from wherever. If you're worried you're not getting the latest version, then buy new ones. If getting older ones is fine and you want to save $10 or so, then great; do it. But it's not worth the stress you're creating or energy you're spending. The books you're looking at are not the current ones, but you'll be okay if you choose to go that way. Save some of that energy for doing passages.

 

[iceman132]

You posted this same question twice.

At some point you just need to chill and get the books from wherever. If you're worried you're not getting the latest version, then buy new ones. If getting older ones is fine and you want to save $10 or so, then great; do it. But it's not worth the stress you're creating or energy you're spending. The books you're looking at are not the current ones, but you'll be okay if you choose to go that way. Save some of that energy for doing passages.

Admittedly, I double posted or made a post and a thread. Not cool on my part and I apologize.

However, if I'm going to be spending 200-300 dollars I want to know what I'm buying. For resell value, because you said 2004-2007 had shorter explanations and because I'm far from rich. I completely disagree that I shouldn't stress too much about the price of the book/quality of the book. This is a large purchase and I want the most information before spending this type of money. People who don't do research end up in debt/ end up wishing they had done more research. I learned quite a lot about TBR in one week of research. It's not simply "10 dollars" either you have to consider shipping cost.


The seller said it was a blue cover but galvanizing was on page 280.

I'm guessing this would be the 2004-2007 version. Thank you for the info BerkReviewTech. You have helped me a lot with this process and I I've made my decisions. One week of stress was worth it for the information I got out of it 🙂.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

My point being, do your research and due diligence, but don't sweat it so much. Know what you want and get it. But relax and realize that if you're buying them used then it will take some time to find someone who is selling current books in good shape (no writing on the passages) at a reasonable price. I made the thread I made because I get PMs about used books all the time. It's ludicrous what people are selling used books for. The 2009 and earlier books were $50 a pair and $245 for a set (brand new). There are threads in the classifieds forum selling that same (and now outdated) set three years later for over $250. The thread was to let buyers know to look for current books if they are priced as high as they are.

BTW, your $200-$300 investment is one you can recoup most of. Consider the two scenarios.

Scenario 1:
You hunt for a couple weeks and find used bio, physics, gen chem, and organic books for $200 plus $15 for shipping. You use them and resell them six months from now for $160 plus $15 for shipping. Net cost $40.

Scenario 2:
You buy the bio, physics, gen chem, and organic books books new for $240 plus $30 for shipping. You use them, keep them pristine and sell them in six months for $200 plus $15 for shipping. Net cost $55

Both of these are reasonable scenarios that happen time and again at SDN. The difference is $15 ("about $10") and less stress about what you're getting. A net investment of $40 to $55 for MCAT materials is not a large investment at all compared to the $100K to $250K medical school is going to cost. It's a small dent compared to the cost of applying.

Believe me, I understand being on a budget. Food has been a luxury item some months. But this is not a big of a decision nor that big of an investment in the big picture. Getting the books a couple weeks sooner and using that time to prepare is the big picture. People who choose to get used books so they get them a week or so sooner are making a wise choice. Doing it to save what amounts to $10 to $20 net seems like wasted time to me. JMO.

Good luck in your shopping. Something good will come in time.

 

[vin5cent0]

My point being, do your research and due diligence, but don't sweat it so much. Know what you want and get it. But relax and realize that if you're buying them used then it will take some time to find someone who is selling current books in good shape (no writing on the passages) at a reasonable price. I made the thread I made because I get PMs about used books all the time. It's ludicrous what people are selling used books for. The 2009 and earlier books were $50 a pair and $245 for a set (brand new). There are threads in the classifieds forum selling that same (and now outdated) set three years later for over $250. The thread was to let buyers know to look for current books if they are priced as high as they are.

BTW, your $200-$300 investment is one you can recoup most of. Consider the two scenarios.

Scenario 1:
You hunt for a couple weeks and find used bio, physics, gen chem, and organic books for $200 plus $15 for shipping. You use them and resell them six months from now for $160 plus $15 for shipping. Net cost $40.

Scenario 2:
You buy the bio, physics, gen chem, and organic books books new for $240 plus $30 for shipping. You use them, keep them pristine and sell them in six months for $200 plus $15 for shipping. Net cost $55

Both of these are reasonable scenarios that happen time and again at SDN. The difference is $15 ("about $10") and less stress about what you're getting. A net investment of $40 to $55 for MCAT materials is not a large investment at all compared to the $100K to $250K medical school is going to cost. It's a small dent compared to the cost of applying.

Believe me, I understand being on a budget. Food has been a luxury item some months. But this is not a big of a decision nor that big of an investment in the big picture. Getting the books a couple weeks sooner and using that time to prepare is the big picture. People who choose to get used books so they get them a week or so sooner are making a wise choice. Doing it to save what amounts to $10 to $20 net seems like wasted time to me. JMO.

Good luck in your shopping. Something good will come in time.

I feel like you're really skewing data to promote book sales. Can you please explain to me why you would buy the older versions used for $200 and then resell them for $160? I guess I missed the part where the books lost $40 in value going from used to slightly more used..? The average person will probably keep the books for ~3 months. In those 3 months, books that are already a few years old aren't going to depreciate in value much if at all.

Not to mention, you're really glossing over the true PITA it is to order from you guys. Seriously, I was all set to order the books new last night until I found out that I'd have to go out and buy stamps/envelopes just to mail you guys an order form. 99.99% chance that whoever you buy it used from will be in this century technology-wise and it'll take 30 seconds to send payment.

And before you ask, YES, I am that lazy.

 

[iceman132]

How long did it take for most people to get the CBTs from TBR? Let's say I order Monday. (Using credit card)