Getting destroyed by BR bio passages

[daymann]

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I'm getting 7-8 in the first two chapters of BR bio. I haven't taken classes on the topics before (nerve & muscle, heart & lungs). Should I just keep grinding through the book or should I get a physiology textbook and get a deeper grasp of the topics? I'm not innately bad at science or anything as I'm getting 12-13's in all the other sciences but physiology is just giving me a hard time. Thanks in advance for suggestions.

(I also have EK and TPRH sets if switching to those would be better.)

 

[MT Headed]

The first paragraph of page 40 does warn you that if you lack physiology you will be destroyed by the BR passages. Of course, physiology is required knowledge for the MCAT and TBR is a review product, so outside physiology knowledge is fair game.

EK is even more of a review product (i.e. assumes prior physiology knowledge) than TBR, so that won't help. Physiology basically covers EK Bio chapters 4.5 through the end of 8.

At our school we have had good luck sending students to Interactive Physiology, it is a series of shockwave movies aimed at those who haven't studied physiology before. They are a little childish, but the get the point across. Khan Academy has some very good lectures too, though they are less interactive than I.P.

I'm not gonna lie, physiology is a huge subject, and it takes a while no matter how you go about learning it. If you haven't covered it in a bio class yet, and you plan on taking the MCAT soon, you have a lot of difficult work ahead of you.

I just fear that by lacking physiology background knowledge, you will miss a lot of the cleverness of the TBR questions and how they integrate various biology concepts. That is a lot of what the MCAT is all about. Whereas one student will read a TBR answer and say AHA, you will read the same answer and say WTF. I fear you won't be getting your money's worth out of TBReview.

 

[inquiry101]

BR bio is a good resource. most questions require multiple concepts in order to answer which makes the practice passages a good test of your knowledge. Try to focus on molecular bio and orgo more than physio because that seems to be the current trend. On my past test there was only a handful of physiology questions, a couple of molc bio passages, and 3 organic chem passages

 

[Donald Juan]

I'm wondering why you haven't had classes over this subject, was basic physiology not covered in your general bio class? And if you haven't taken that class then, why are you studying for the mcat right now?

Basically, to answer your question: yes you should have some background experience in general physiology before using TBR bio. It assumes a lot of prior knowledge. I love TBR stuff because it is very in depth, but it is also extremely concise. They spend about 15 pages going over what was 3 25 page chapters in my intro bio book, and they really don't cut out that much stuff.

 

[MT Headed]

I'm wondering why you haven't had classes over this subject, was basic physiology not covered in your general bio class?

At about half the schools in my state, general bio is a 2 semester sequence that goes "molecule to cell" and "cell to organism". The second semester is essentially the physiology portion. This kind of curriculum is where we get the conventional wisdom that taking A&P is not necessary for the MCAT. Besides, it's a waste of time, you'll get a much better A&P in medical school, right?

At the other half of the schools in my state, including mine, general bio is a one semester class only covering "molecule to cell". We can fulfill the second semester of bio prereqs by taking genetics or cellbio or molecbio or whatever. Physiology at these universities is stuffed into a two semester A&P class, more or less alternating a week of anatomy with a week of physiology all year long. Students at these types of universities who follow the SDN conventional wisdom of skipping A&P are in for a world of hurt.

I suspect the OP goes to a school like mine, and hasn't had A&P yet.

 

[daymann]

The first paragraph of page 40 does warn you that if you lack physiology you will be destroyed by the BR passages. Of course, physiology is required knowledge for the MCAT and TBR is a review product, so outside physiology knowledge is fair game.

EK is even more of a review product (i.e. assumes prior physiology knowledge) than TBR, so that won't help. Physiology basically covers EK Bio chapters 4.5 through the end of 8.

At our school we have had good luck sending students to Interactive Physiology, it is a series of shockwave movies aimed at those who haven't studied physiology before. They are a little childish, but the get the point across. Khan Academy has some very good lectures too, though they are less interactive than I.P.

I'm not gonna lie, physiology is a huge subject, and it takes a while no matter how you go about learning it. If you haven't covered it in a bio class yet, and you plan on taking the MCAT soon, you have a lot of difficult work ahead of you.

I just fear that by lacking physiology background knowledge, you will miss a lot of the cleverness of the TBR questions and how they integrate various biology concepts. That is a lot of what the MCAT is all about. Whereas one student will read a TBR answer and say AHA, you will read the same answer and say WTF. I fear you won't be getting your money's worth out of TBReview.

Your last paragraph is spot on about my confusion and I can tell TBR is clever in asking versatile questions from the other science passages. I'm checking out Interactive Physiology right now and might look through "Anatomy & Physiology" by Martini & Nath. Thanks!

And yes, my school's intro bio is a year of molecular & cell bio. Physiology is offered but I haven't taken it yet.