Help! Slow learner need advice on studying for January MCAT...Please?

[hmcalley]

I need some advice...Please? I really need all the help I can. (I really, really wish the best of luck for those studying for the August MCAT!)

I have the following material but don't know how to proceed for the January MCAT (may be the April MCAT... hopefully not though). Generous, very generous and supportive friends gave me the following: Princeton Review Science Workbook, its Physical Sicences and Biological Sicences Review Books, its In-class Compendium; ExamKrackers 5th edition, all the 1001 books, EK Verbal 101; Nova’s Physics; all the Kaplan review books, topicals, and subject tests, and its lesson book; AAMC 5, 6, 7.

After browsing this forum for a long time, I came up with a bit of a studying plan. Please comment. (My background: I am a rather slow learner; I tend to forget material very quickly. I have not touched the sciences for a long time. I took a Kaplan Full Length 1 (PS 5; V 7; B 9) recently. I think I just got lucky on the Biology section. Physics and Chemistry sections look like they are foreign languages.)

Plan:
1.Content Review 2. Practice

Content Review (Taking 2 days per science chapter w/ practice problems):
Physics: Nova (I heard that this book is good for people who don’t remember much physics?). Do the accompanying problems.
Chemistry: Princeton Review. Practice with PR Workbook.
Verbal: A verbal test every week using EK 101 Verbal? Review using the strategies given in EK verbal text?
Biology: Don’t know what to use! Perhaps EK Biology with EK Biology 101? Or is PR with PR workbook better? Or EK Biology with PR workbook?...
Organic Chemistry: Don’t know what to use either!!

Should I try incorporating the EK 1001 books during the content review??

Practice:
After content review, practice with Kaplan subject tests and then topicals. Then do the Kaplan and AAMC Full lengths.

Sorry about the long post. I have so much material but am really lost on how to go about studying. For those who have taken the MCAT or are taking the MCAT, please help!!!

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[quarterhorsecol]

I'd say start with EK books and 1001's if you are a slow learner. I've used nothing but EK, 1001's, and Nova's physics and i'm feeling pretty good about things right now considering I didn't really know my ass from a hole in the ground 3 months ago when it came to physicial sciences. I'm sort of a slow learner too but once you get through all those books you should have it down once and for all, then you will have plenty of time to really master the topics with your extra stuff. Thats my 2 cents. good luck.

 

[xylem29]

I need some advice...Please? I really need all the help I can. (I really, really wish the best of luck for those studying for the August MCAT!)

I have the following material but don't know how to proceed for the January MCAT (may be the April MCAT... hopefully not though). Generous, very generous and supportive friends gave me the following: Princeton Review Science Workbook, its Physical Sicences and Biological Sicences Review Books, its In-class Compendium; ExamKrackers 5th edition, all the 1001 books, EK Verbal 101; Nova’s Physics; all the Kaplan review books, topicals, and subject tests, and its lesson book; AAMC 5, 6, 7.

After browsing this forum for a long time, I came up with a bit of a studying plan. Please comment. (My background: I am a rather slow learner; I tend to forget material very quickly. I have not touched the sciences for a long time. I took a Kaplan Full Length 1 (PS 5; V 7; B 9) recently. I think I just got lucky on the Biology section. Physics and Chemistry sections look like they are foreign languages.)

Plan:
1.Content Review 2. Practice

Content Review (Taking 2 days per science chapter w/ practice problems):
Physics: Nova (I heard that this book is good for people who don’t remember much physics?). Do the accompanying problems.
Chemistry: Princeton Review. Practice with PR Workbook.
Verbal: A verbal test every week using EK 101 Verbal? Review using the strategies given in EK verbal text?
Biology: Don’t know what to use! Perhaps EK Biology with EK Biology 101? Or is PR with PR workbook better? Or EK Biology with PR workbook?...
Organic Chemistry: Don’t know what to use either!!

Should I try incorporating the EK 1001 books during the content review??

Practice:
After content review, practice with Kaplan subject tests and then topicals. Then do the Kaplan and AAMC Full lengths.

Sorry about the long post. I have so much material but am really lost on how to go about studying. For those who have taken the MCAT or are taking the MCAT, please help!!!

If you've got a lot of time you should try to go through the PR PS review book, it's not as comprehensive (i mean, it is but it's not overwhelmingly so) as you might think, it's very to the point as well and well done and easy to follow. I basically had to relearn it all myself and it worked. I liked it better than NOVA. The workbook is great as well since it has passage based questions that essentiallly mirror MCAT style, but as you work thru them, the equations and concepts get drilled into you pretty nicely. I have to say, that I'm quite pleased with PR PS and their workbook. The BS review book is great too, their orgo section is amazing, very succinct and good explanations of mechanisms instead of plain memorization. Their biology review I felt was just too much. But yea, anyway, if you have the time, go over the PR PS book and then go over the workbook questions. Of course, remember, if you've never taken a pre-req course, going with EK will not be a good idea - you can't teach yourself the material, it's meant as a to the point review.

 

[hmcalley]

First, thank you both for your input.

Xylem29, why do you recommend the PR over Nova? I left you a PM too.. since this is getting buried.

Quarterhorsecol, I did try the EK physics but then no matter how much times I read the chapter, I feel as if the questions, especially the 30 min. exams, were not really covered. I did try the 1001 physics and chemistry, but I just keep having to look at the explanations because I didn't know how to do them. by the way, what do you like about Nova?

EK biology was pretty good, I thought... since I do get many of the bio questions correct.

From what Xylem29 said, it seems that PR Biology is way too much. Does that mean it is too in depth? May be I should read the EK biology and do the PR workbook biology portion? Do the same for organic chemsitry?

 

[estairella]

1) Apparently Kaplan topicals are killer; don't do them unless you plan study with the Kaplan review

2) I don't think mix-and-match is a very good idea among the sciences because you might have overlap, or worse, get gaps! (For example: if TPR teaches enzyme inhibition under biological sciences, and EK teaches it under physical sciences... you may never get to learn it).

3) Do not go with EK as your main review, because it really requires you to know the foundations. I would suggest first review to be: TPR or Kaplan (with EK verbal) and second review to be: EK (because it really focuses on points you need to know for MCAT). Doing two reviews is worth it if you have the time.

4) The way I made my schedule (I have EK 5th, Kaplan practice/FLs, AAMC FLs and TPR comprehensive) was to figure out how much I was gonna study, and divide the material accordingly. If you don't have enough time, cut out what you think will be least useful.