Help: TBR, TPR, Kaplan, or EK

[To be MD]

Hello friends,

I am going to self study for the MCAT. I have read almost every single review, schedule, and tip... and I feel fully confident that I can prepare myself within the next 4 months for the exam.

I need help. I graduated 2 years ago, and, while I did just finish a Biochem course, I do not remember much of OChem, Physics, and Biology.

Could someone give it to me straight: what is the best set of books for scientific content review? There seems to be a general consensus that TBR is the best for hardcore review and EK is best for a broad overview, but I'm not sure what that even means. Which one is going to get me the better score when I study it religiously? Keep in mind, TPH doubters, that they release a new set of books in Jan., so maybe they're going to be solid now too?

Please help & thanks for your time.

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[To be MD]

Well, I ordered TBR today. God bless SDN. Merry Christmas, everyone.

 

[doctor.octopus]

I know people don't like Kaplan, and I know you've read it all, but here's my take -- at the end of a pretty fruitful prep:

I've found the Kaplan books to be really useful and well-organized, and while their practice questions are not at all like the exam, they're great to test your content review. I feel like they'd be good if you need to go through material that's 2 years old for you; concepts are really accessible and clear. They're best if you're supplementing your content review, though. For example, they might mention a topic in brief -- so you know it's a topic you need to understand -- but you might need to go elsewhere for a deeper explanation if it's one of your weak areas.

Personally, I like that, because it keeps content organized and chewable! Less depth is worth having readable materials that don't feel like cramming a dictionary down your throat. And when I say less depth, I don't mean they're leaving things out (that I've noticed); just that they're succinct. For me, it helped keep me organized and motivated, and using multiple materials was great. When I needed more depth, I went to Khan Academy. (And the consensus seems to be that Kaplan does get their content right, maybe with the exception of P/S, for which Khan has multiple passages and is awesome and free.)

In general, I think that sticking solely to any one review source is a mistake.

Just don't get the Kaplan practice tests; theirs blow. Altius rocks my world for full-lengths.

 

[supremus]

Chem, OChem and Physics : TBR
Biology : EK + TBR passages
Biochemistry : Kaplan is solid
132 in P/S? : TPR + Khan