How to Determine Important Topics in TBR

[altitude]

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In some prep books, like EK, it's explicitly revealed which topics discussed in the content review are essential to know for the MCAT (those in bold and brown type). Likewise, EK emphasizes topics that are not essential (i.e. background information or topics which will be adequately described in the passage) by italic type.

Obviously, it's more important to memorize/spend more time on those essential topics.

In TBR, however, the contrast between essential and non-essential topics is less evident. So what is the best way to assure that you're not wasting time memorizing processes and names that are non-essential/background information and not wasting time trying to perfectly understand things that won't be tested directly on the MCAT?

I am not trying to find a shortcut through TBR and plan on going through the entire review, but would rather spend time memorizing/focusing on things that the will be tested directly?

 

[Belle Melodie]

sorry whats TBR?

 

[altitude]

sorry whats TBR?

😱

The Berkeley Review

 

[sbuxaddict]

sorry whats TBR?

I can't tell if you're joking or not...

 

[jHustle]

I think TBR has a ridiculous way of letting you know what is and isn't on the MCAT. Quite a few times I have read maybe 3 or 4 pages of dense, boring (what looked to be irrelevant) material, only to find out at the end of it, TBR states "This probably won't be tested directly on the MCAT and if you do see it, it will probably be explained in the passage).

I mean, why wait after an entire topic to let the reader know that the extremely confusing pages they just read (and spent a while trying to comprehend) were pretty much worthless.

The best bet is to just go through TBR, if something is extremely dull or seem entirely irrelevant (it probably is) skip it. Then go through EK to get the specific topics needed.

 

[Bubbletrousers]

Hey Altitude, I'm experiencing the same challenge. TBR is dense stuff but well worth it -

What I have been doing thus far is kind-of cross referencing TBR with TPR to fine tune my focus. While not all of the chapters mesh, the important content from TPR Hyperlearning is expounded upon by the guys from Berk.

have you done many passages yet?

It seems that while there is a bunch of material in the chapter itself, the passages select the pertinent material. Further, the answer section highlights this material with targeted reviews.

 

[JJwins]

😱

The Berkeley Review

I had no idea what the TBR is... I read that term in many posts but just didn't know.. Well I know now.. I am only using EK and AAMC book to prepare for my MCAT which is this.. FRIDAY! YIKES!!

 

[Nandrolone]

everything on TBR is fair game...except for TBR Bio which is just too much and unnecessary, and perhaps TBR Orgo (which is fantastic if u have a weak orgo foundation)

 

[argama]

Good Example is the Nitrogenous Compounds Chapter.

I only found like the last part of it relevant....The first part of the chapter was a lot of stuff which I would find hard to believe that the MCAT requires extensive knowledge of. I mean it goes into good detail about reactions + mechanisms of like Beckman's Rearrangement, Curtis Something Rxn, Gabriel Synthesis (actually this one could be a possible passage for making primary amines), and others....which I think is overkill.

Another Example I found overkill was the Chymotrypsin Mech (I don't even know why I took the time to read it)

I mean I dunno if the MCAT is going to go into extensive detail about it or require it, but after looking at it for like 45 mins, all I got was like.....Histadine is somewhere in that mech. And stuff gets chopped off and leaves. And Aspartic Acid (I think?) was somewhere in there too. I'm pretty sure all we should know is that it cleaves C-side of Aromatic Amino Acids (Tyr/Phe/Trp)