This may be due to me having an older version ( I got mine a few years ago, and it's a blue book held together by a black bind), but this chapter has been kicking my ass. I've also noticed that a lot of the passage questions deal with things that have not been introduced (and won't be until the next chapter, which is really sloppy by TBR). It's not even one of those "you can still eliminate" type things, as these questions require knowledge that hasn't been introduced yet, but nevertheless, does anyone have any advice/videos/ etc. that they can provide for this section?
Chapter 8 was considered to be the weak link in the older book (the version you are using). I'll mention what the changes are in the newer book and that perhaps will help you to know what extras to fill in. Like the older book you're using, the first half of the current chapter deals with electrostatics and electric fields. It's sequenced better now and focuses on the basics and the rules. The answer explanations are much more conceptual and come back to following basic conventions. It just easier to read. I think you should be fine if you make a summary of the field line rules and Coulomb's law applications.
The really big change is in the second half of the chapter, and that involves electromagnetism. It's now ten pages instead of just 2.5 (like your older book has). That is the area where you need to supplement. It has a page of definitions and a simplistic perspective on what causes magnetism. It has three pages on the right hand rules and different applications (situations). That says a great deal in terms of what the most important concept of the chapter is. It now includes what I have found to be the most useful (instantly applicable) explanations of Lenz's law and Faraday's law I have ever read. The last three pages of the chapter deal with devices such as the solenoid, electric motor, velocity selector (glorified cathode ray tube), and the mass spectrometer. If you can borrow someone's updated book, that would help. If not, Wikipedia for those devices is a good start.
As far as passages in that chapter go, let me tell you what has changed so you can disregard certain things (if that helps).
Passage 1 - retained with improved explanations (simplified perspective)
Passage 2 - retained with new questions (three old ones remain)
Passage 3 - retained with some revised questions
Passage 4 - retained with omission of two questions
Passage 5 - retained with improved answer explanations
Passage 6 - retained with new questions (four old ones remain)
Passage 7 - omitted (replaced by an updated passage)
Passage 8 - omitted (replaced by an updated passage)
Passage 9 - omitted (replaced by an updated passage)
Passage 10 - retained
The new passages are on a Faraday's Law lab experiment, a Lenz's law lab experiment, and mass spectrometer-particle deflector. There are now 15 free-standing questions that cover the span of topics from the chapter. Hopefully the changes tell you what you don't need to worry as much about. I know the first passage causes people some stress, but it's really useful for mastering the right hand rule.
The only thing I want to disagree with is what you call
sloppy. Part of your MCAT experience is going to be dealing with a passage (or two or three) on things you haven't seen before. But they'll be based on fundamental concepts you've learned. Learning to think your way through passages like those is critical to your growth. Every chapter in the BR science books intentionally include at least one passage based on things not mentioned in the chapter. Although these may undermine your confidence because they aren't generating the score you want, they are invaluable learning tools because when you read through the explanations you're getting a better understanding than you would have gotten by passively reading the chapter. You just have to let go of the idea that the passages are there as a way of testing you and realize that their true purpose is to review material and teach you how to think through questions. Once you look at BR passages this way, it will help your psyche and your preparation immensely.
I too think TBR skimped the content on that chapter as well as on Electric circuit chapter quite a bit.
I haven't done all the passages on that chapter so I can't say for sure, but if it feels like the question was way out of line, I would just do what I can and refresh my memory by looking at textbooks, then give it another try. TBR passages tend to have problems that need a lot more memorization like equations than AAMC FLs, so if you see questions like that don't get too frustrated. Also doing EK1001 will help quite a bit.
I agree that the older book you are using skimped on electromagnetism (second half of chapter 8), but the circuits chapter (chapter 9) is pretty thorough. What else do you think it should have included? Admittedly, chapter 9 in the new book is 28 pages and only 24 pages in the older version you're using, but much of that increase is the addition of explanations to the B-questions and some short cuts and tricks for getting through complicated circuits quicker. They did change sequence somewhat, and it reads better now, but the content is not that much different.
It's a chapter where you can get by on four equations (V = IR, P = IV, R
series = R
1 + R
2 etc... with 1/R
parallel = 1/R
1 + 1/R
2 etc..., and Q = CV) and three basic rules. Every question is answered using these. I'm curious what question(s) you think was out of line. Maybe it was one that was omitted and you are right. But my gut feeling is that the questions that bother you can be made very simple by seeing one small key.
A good example is question 20 of test 1 in the new book (same as question 12 in your older book). That question typically bothers students, but it stresses a simple rule: Kirchhoff's Loop rule (page 188). As current goes around the loop, each series circuit element takes some of the voltage until it reaches the anode where the voltage has dropped to 0V. In this question, you have a resistor (Resistor 3) and filled capacitor (C) in parallel with one another, both in series with a second resistor (Resistor 1). Resistor 3 and the capacitor have the same voltage drop (as they are in parallel) and Resistor 1 has the remaining voltage drop of the total circuit voltage. The charge on the capacitor is found using Q = CV. It has stored charge, so choice A can't be true. It doesn't get all of the voltage of the battery (Resistor 1 takes a cut), so B can't be true. The switch connecting Resistor 2 is open, so it is not involved in the circuit, so choice C can't be right. Only one choice remains, so there is no need to do any math. This question is actually really easy in a multiple-choice framing because of POE.
There are many question like this where they look complicated at first glance. Students typically do what they've always done in physics and that is to write an equation and start to solve. If you do BR questions that way, then you are bound to get frustrated. What the explanations in the book are trying to teach you is that you can solve these from a POE perspective much easier than the methods school taught you if you keep it simple. Maybe it is not as much POE with the older book (I seem recall a lot, but I haven't been through that book in a while), but the new book does a great job with this.
Keep plugging away and keep in mind that the entire purpose to practice passages and questions is to learn how to solve the question in a way that will make future questions easier.
