I have only so much time to study each day fully.
Should I focus on using the TBR and then complementing that with the TPR content or should I work the other way around by using mainly the TPR content over the TBR content?
I just want to make sure that I'm not spending too much time reading and more time doing problems.
The general consensus is that BR is the best for physics, general chemistry, and organic chemistry. Pretty much every survey reaches this conclusion (along with the replies in this thread so far), so I feel confident saying that should be the basis of your plan. The main reason for the opinions are the passages with questions that make you think complemented by detailed answer explanations that review concepts and address test strategy. No books present test tricks quite like the
latest BR books do.
I want to add a few suggestions. You should keep a running list of terminology (as you do passages) and an error log (as you review answer explanations). The main purpose is to learn to think. You should also periodically try a couple passages from a second source. When you find that BR strategies and tricks work not only the BR materials, but also the questions from every other source, then you'll see just how useful they are.
If you decide to use something besides BR for orgo, I think you should definitely look at BR orgo chapters for Stereochemistry, for Carbonyls and for Lab Techniques. Those three sections are exceptional and they address some biochemistry and biology as well.
As for biology it comes down to style preference. If you read around SDN the last few years, you'll see that people have tried (and succeeded with) all sorts of different combinations. It generally comes down to how well you know the material going in as to which will work the best for you. There are three very solid books out there for content review, so you can feel confident that if you choose the one that matches your style, then you'll cover what you need. Some books have a few more typos than others, so it's a good idea to keep a second book around to double check something that doesn't sound quite right. In terms of passages, considering you already have two different books, why not try passages from both? As ktanner pointed out, there are some BR biology passages that are beyond the difficulty of the MCAT practice materials. Don't get discouraged by these. The author's goal is to have people stress over these and in doing so really learn a few concepts he feels are essential. This is an example where your learning style may or may not fit with the book's teaching style. Some people love learning this way and other's don't. The important thing for you is to decide if you learn well by reviewing mistakes and then pick the book that best suits you.
No matter what you choose to do, success stems from doing and reviewing passages. Try not to do too many free-standing questions, because the actual MCAT is nearly all passage-based questions (about 120/144). That's a mistake some people make in their preparation, where they know the material well, but they didn't take enough passages to be ready for the test itself (and not just the material).
Best of luck as you work your way through the review material.
