Is it worth it to invest in BR if I already have EK?

[dreamer67]

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I have all the EK books, would it be worth it to invest in the BR books for org. chem, physics, and gen. chem? I've never seen the BR books and they have a no refund policy, so I am a little weary of buying books I've never seen, but everyone here seems to think highly of them

 

[ridethecliche]

Depends.

 

[MDminded]

I have all the EK books, would it be worth it to invest in the BR books for org. chem, physics, and gen. chem? I've never seen the BR books and they have a no refund policy, so I am a little weary of buying books I've never seen, but everyone here seems to think highly of them

When is your exam? The BR books are definitely worth it (in my opinion).

 

[sc4s2cg]

BR = very detailed.
EK = brief and concise.

Use BR if you need more detail.

 

[SeminoleVesicle]

BR = very detailed.
EK = brief and concise.

Use BR if you need more detail.

+1

I bought the BR books after taking my first MCAT, in which I mainly used EK materials for review. Honestly, if you find yourself struggling with several topics, get the BR books and use them. If you think you only have a couple topics that you're struggling with, you're better of looking it up online.

 

[monkeyMD]

I think the material in EK is enough to do well on the exam. However, the exam is more about practicing and practicing some more. Therefore, you should get the BR books so that you can use the passages.

 

[apumic]

YES.

EK lacks the depth and practice you need to score well.

 

[feipar]

actually, it is definitely a worthy investment.

while all of the above is true, TBR is better material, period, even if you don't use it very much, realize that prices are actually higher on the secondary market...I'm pretty sure they don't allow more than one set of books to be purchased by the same person so as to prevent arbitrage.

 

[apumic]

actually, it is definitely a worthy investment.

while all of the above is true, TBR is better material, period, even if you don't use it very much, realize that prices are actually higher on the secondary market...I'm pretty sure they don't allow more than one set of books to be purchased by the same person so as to prevent arbitrage.

They probably require special deals at that point, but they DO allow organizations to buy multiple sets, which means someone is buying many sets. Some university bookstores actually sell TBR books, although I'm pretty sure they're probably limited in their ability to mark up prices.

 

[dreamer67]

Ok, sounds good. I was taking the exam June 16th, but I think I am going to hold off on applying til next year and push my exam date back to September. I already read through the Kaplan books once, and I am working on the EK books now, but I think I am going to buy the BR books for physics, orgo, and gen. chm. I guess I would say I am the weakest in bio since I took that as AP credit as a junior in HS (3 years ago, I just finished up my sophomore year). Would you guys recommend the BR books for bio as well, or should Kaplan and EK be sufficient?

 

[music2doc]

Ok, sounds good. I was taking the exam June 16th, but I think I am going to hold off on applying til next year and push my exam date back to September. I already read through the Kaplan books once, and I am working on the EK books now, but I think I am going to buy the BR books for physics, orgo, and gen. chm. I guess I would say I am the weakest in bio since I took that as AP credit as a junior in HS (3 years ago, I just finished up my sophomore year). Would you guys recommend the BR books for bio as well, or should Kaplan and EK be sufficient?

I would. I really thought BR Bio was better than Kaplan or EK. (I have both.) It's passages are also amazing.

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

my recipe: Use the BR Books and follow the AMCAS tested topics that are listed, use mcat-review.org to cement key concepts while studying.

 

[nolookpass]

Wait I'm confused now. Which one is better to use to prepare for the MCAT, always heard great things about EK. I want to do some review this summer on Bio, Verbal, Chem, etc what books should I pick up. I know there are 100s of threads on this, but it's all over the place, I'm so lost haha.

 

[sc4s2cg]

^It depends on how you study. If you like detailed, indepth information then get BR. If you like quick, to the point information (and are pretty well-versed in the material) then get EK.

I got both BR and EK. I use BR during my daily reviews, and EK for knowing what to study. EK tells you what equations, etc. are usually on the MCAT. BR Just lays everything out there.

 

[Swagster]

I agree with pretty much everything in this thread. I personally prefer BR because they teach you how to think about the material and have much better questions and explanations. But EK is good for a cursory view if you know something well. I like EK for biology review, but recommend you get BR for the other science topics. As everyone has pointed out, you should get BR for their passages.

The only disagreement I have with this thread is sc4s2cg's comment that EK tells you what equations, etc. are usually on the MCAT. I don't trust EK's list at all because they haven't updated their physics book in 8 years. Maybe some of their statements were true back then, but I've read too many posts on this forum about people wishing they'd known some obscure formula. I tend to trust BR when it comes to what to know. I love the cover page summaries in their physics books and wish they'd do that for all of their books.

 

[FuturePharm21]

thanks for the great suggestions, youneverknow22.

 

[FuturePharm21]

I'm in the exact same position except my test is scheduled for later in the summer, best of luck and I pray I start improving soon.

 

[Maxine450]

I would take the course if you can. I'm in it now and its pretty good, only the teachers aren't emailing me back...So much for help outside class.

 

[Sitagliptin]

I have all the EK books, would it be worth it to invest in the BR books for org. chem, physics, and gen. chem? I've never seen the BR books and they have a no refund policy, so I am a little weary of buying books I've never seen, but everyone here seems to think highly of them

This is my opinion only, so take it for what it is...

...but I would get BR. The beauty of BR is that the bulk of the questions they give are passages (which is going to be 75% of the questions on PS and BS). This contrasts with EK, which has a lot of discretes throughout the book and then the 30 minute exams.

Also, in my opinion, BR's questions were closest to a real MCAT, if not slightly harder. It may be expensive, but it's your future.

 

[emtdan]

I just graduated so just finished all the classes. I already have EK - so I really only need a small review. Is it still worth it to get BR? Or should I just be completing my Princeton Review Science workbook?

 

[EricMont]

BR passages are spot on for the real deal. EK passages (physics and chemistry) are way too complex compared to the real deal in my opinion.

 

[MDminded]

General consensus = Go with TBR.

 

[BME11]

yes i had EK at first and was very disappoint on the details that they were lacking and I miss a few question due to that so I got BR and it's the best investment you can make to prepare for the MCAT