Feeling confused on how I should approach studying

[Zlatan]

I'm planning to take the MCAT sometime around April or May 2017.

I have the TPR 2015 book set. I haven't take GChem/Ochem in quite sometime, so I am very rusty (assume zero knowledge). I've been going through the General Chemistry book and I find that it doesn't have enough detail for a beginner, rather more of a basic review.

Am I overestimating how much I need to learn, or should I work through my university's chemistry textbook?

Anyone have experience with the TPR 2015 book set? Maybe someone can recommend me a more thorough book set?

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

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[theonlytycrane]

Have you been out of school for awhile? Check out Khan Academy videos for guided review on a particular subject.

 

[NextStepTutor_3]

I usually don't recommend working through college textbooks, regardless of your level of knowledge. Of course, some textbooks are better than others, but most gen chem ones are more math-focused than the MCAT requires (for example, many of the stoichiometry questions might require a calculator). There's no sense doing practice that isn't MCAT-like, even to get the basics down. Also, college textbooks are going to have a different focus from an MCAT prep book - going into excessive detail in some areas and wasting your time.

I agree with @theonlytycrane about using Khan Academy videos. As someone whose content may be pretty rusty, you're the perfect candidate for them. They move slowly and are very thorough (if I remember correctly, they have over 20 videos for acid-base chem alone).

Also, have you taken a diagnostic exam / have you been doing practice questions? You raised a good point when you asked whether you're overestimating what you actually need to know. It's easy to start prepping for the MCAT and get intimidated when you see a ton of detail you aren't sure about, but it's important to be realistic and actually know where you're at. I've seen a ton of students who thought they were solid on content not fully understand basic concepts like stoichiometry and translational motion, and I've seen students who thought they were terrible at content actually be right around average or better. It's difficult to know without doing a diag or working through some practice.

Good luck