Is using Kaplan + EK sufficient for a bio major like me?

[brood910]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi.
I have about 6 months to prepare for the test, and I have kaplan + EK books, and I am planning to use these books only for content review.

Also, I have all the Kaplan practice tests, FLs, TPRH books, and even EK 1001 series.
I also have BR electric copies, but I am planning to use only the passages from them.

Im a bio major and I got

A's in gen chem 1 + 2
A's in gen physics 1 + 2
B+ in gen bio 1 and A in gen bio 2
B+'s in orgo 1 + 2

Do you guys think this is sufficient?
I am planning to use kaplan + ek books first to review and then do lots of practice after that.

By the way, I am preparing ahead as I am a full-time student at college..
I am even volunteering in a hospital + doing a research.

 

[Barley426]

Your major and your scores in the classes aren't always indicators that you'll ace those sections, especially if it's been a while since you took the classes.

That being said you're on the right track by preparing for it early.

EK for content review is good, especially if you already understand most of it. Kaplan was too far in detail for me, I felt they also didn't do a good job emphasizing what was likely not on the exam, they acted like every detail would be tested. Also, don't forget about VR, I'd recommend EK101 passages. They're hard as hell but better than any of the other practice passages I thought.

Ditch any FL's that arent e-mcat.com, unless you want to take non aamc tests beforehand as a diagnostic. I would recommend doing a full length practice test every week leading up to the exam, get into a routine and try to make your practice test conditions as much like the real thing as possible. Also listen to EK audio osmosis whenever you're driving or waiting in line or something, it works.

FYI I didn't get an A in all the prereqs but I got a 37Q (12P,12V,13B) almost 6 years after taking those courses. I also was a full time grad student while studying.

 

[brood910]

Thank you so much for your response.

I keep getting 8-9 on EK 101. Do you think I will score higher on the actual one?

 

[Barley426]

I started out getting 8-9 on EK 101,but after a while I moved to 9-10 then 10-11, finally getting a 12 on the real deal.

You might get a point higher than EK 101, but its about accurate. The actual reading and questions are harder, but the scoring is about right. Once you have done 3 or 4 aamc practices, you should know whether or not you need to focus more on it. The AAMC's is the most like the real thing as far as length as well as reading and question difficulty, but EK101 (to me) is the best for isolated vr focusing.

Kaplan was too easy, both questions and reading difficulty; I only used kaplans when I wanted to practice answering questions blind, or partially blind.

For clarification I practiced answering the questions "blind" to increase my ability to answer questions should I encounter a shortage of time. I used 3 different tiers of "holy crap time is running out" rush practice (kind of like practicing the no huddle offense/two minute warning offense if you're familiar with american football).

1) answering questions after only reading the first and last paragraphs
2) answering questions with no passage reading
3) answering the question without reading the passage or the question.

1) practices quickly acquiring the main point/ stance of the author
2) practices extrapolating info from the question and answers
3) practices identifying right and wrong sounding answers