Let's Break It Down

[almo88]

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What prep material would you use for each section?

BS:
PS:
VR:

I've heard EK for VR, but I'm not sure about the others.

 

[Phoenix.]

VR: EK's VR book and 101 VR Passages - indispensable. I found the 101 Passages to be much more reliable for practice and scoring than Kaplan's passages (on Qbank)

BS: Definitely EK's Biology & EK's 1001 Bio passages (excellent). Concise, in color, and excellent practice (1001). Also, Ek's orgo book (has flashcard synthesis reactions in it), but only if you've had Orgo already. It's just an overview. Perhaps get some other source if you haven't had orgo yet.

PS: I thought EK's Chem book was good, but I needed to supplement EK's Physics book with Nova Physics for some step-by-step solutions & help for the earlier chapters. I also liked Kaplan's discretes, subject tests and topicals for chem practice. I wasn't able to buckle down and use them much for physics, but I probably should have.

 

[roycer]

VR: EK VR manual, EK 101 VR book, Kaplan practice items

PS: Kaplan's 2007-2008 Premier book, EK 1001 question books, EK books just to supplement

BS: Kaplan's 2007-2008 Premier book, EK 1001 question books, EK books just to supplement

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I think's it pretty obvious where I vote, but it's not as biased as you'd imagine. At different points in life, I have written materials that are used by two major companies. The most important aspect of materials, which many people underestimate, is the answer explanations. This is where you really learn things.

PS: Beyond any shadow of a doubt, BR physics and BR general chemistry. They come with thorough text, great test-taking tips, and about 250 passages with full explanations.

BS: BR Organic chemistry and BR biology. They have substantial detail for those who need it, and chapter summaries for those who just want to gloss it over. Again, they come with about 300 passages with full explanations.

VR: You need to get multiple sources, because it's all about exposure to many different styles of writing. BR has 105 passages with startegies and explanations. Several techniques are presented and there are plenty of passages on which to experiment.

There mnust be a reason why the ten or fifteen of our students who frequent SDN all say we are the best. We don't advertise at every possible corner and chase every last dollar like the corporate courses, so we are relatively unknown. But those who know who we are do great.

 

[vicinihil]

From what I've heard, Berk Review is superb is PS but has been found wanting in BS and VR and I've gathered this from multiple sources. I have a BR verbal book and the passages are definitely easier than EK.

However, that aside, I think BR's success also rests on its students. Having students from great schools would certainly boost a company's reputation. Also, because BR is a relatively small company, I don't know if you have CBT (do you?) practices. But all 😍 for BR.

HOWEVER! FROM MY STUDY EXPERIENCE (and still studying because I'm retaking them)

PS: Nova Physics EK Physics 1001 series (I teach G-chem for TPR so obviously....TPR) haha

VR: EK 101, TPR Verbal stuff (quite challenging), and like the BR dude above me, anything you can get your hands but start with TPR and EK.

BS: EK Bio and 1001. For orgo, I mean, I think Kaplan flashcards or EK flashcards are good. For practices, I would go with EK 1001 or Kaplan topical or subject. Anything really but I TA'ed for orgo so its a "strong" point.

Other than that, TPR Science Workbook is good practice and so are the 16 mini MCATs. Yes they are a little harder (because they are pretty subject specific) but I think they make a good point.

 

[Nikki2002]

the Princeton Review puts out this big book called "cracking the mcat." I thought it had an amazing physics and gen chem review if you really need good explanations and not just quick review. it's pretty much crap for everything else so i wouldn't purchase it--just try to get it from the library.


BS: mainly used Kaplan comprehensive review book....but I had so much genetics on my last mcat and all the books I've looked at are severely lacking in this area. I think you need to review genetics and pedigrees from a genetics textbook.

verbal: didn't study

PS: mainly used Kaplan comprehensive review book and also the Princeton review book I talked about above.

I also have the whole examkrackers set--they are good for quick review....I really hate their physics book though...explanations not sufficient

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

From what I've heard, Berk Review is superb is PS but has been found wanting in BS and VR and I've gathered this from multiple sources. I have a BR verbal book and the passages are definitely easier than EK.

How does someone in Virginia hear about a small company in California? I doubt it was by first hand contact, so it would have to be through the internet. On this site, I have read through the comments and I've only read great things about our biology professor and the passages in the orgo and bio books. So it couldn't be that you heard that here.

If you haven't taken our class, taught for us, or worked with our materials, I think the polite thing to do would be to refrain from commenting on our materials. I taught for, developed materials for, and designed the original structure for the course you teach (back when Hyperlearning was a private company). Despite this, I would not comment on your course, because it is unprofessional.

However, that aside, I think BR's success also rests on its students. Having students from great schools would certainly boost a company's reputation. Also, because BR is a relatively small company, I don't know if you have CBT (do you?) practices.

• 
  Having students get great scores boosts a company's reputation.
  Having a premed counselor at a small school where students average about 25 to 26 analize the statistics and find that your students average over 30 boosts a company's reputation.
  Having great teachers who are invited by many universities to speak because the people who see the statistics and know exactly how well their students do boosts a company's reputation.

The bottom line is that our strong reputation is because of great results. And the great results are not because of the schools, but because we chose to remain small and not over expand locations or products. We focus on one thing and do it really well. A personal course with great teachers and tons of hours where students can ask questions about their passages gets great results.

That said, our students do great because they work very hard, they laugh as they learn, they have materials with great answer explanations (this is really where one learns), they get a perfect mix of review and strategies, they come to office hours on a regular basis to clear things up, and our teachers are excellent. Part of the reason we have chosen to stay small is because TEACHING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF ANY COURSE, and it's really hard to find great teachers. There are several people qualified to do a good job, but great ones are rare finds.

How could you not have heard if we have CBTs if you have heard things from multiple sources?

All we do is MCAT, so of course we have CBTs. We have been developing them over three years. We don't have LSAT or SAT to worry about, so we put 100% of our efforts into developing the very best simulated CBTs.

And just for the record, we do get great students. They are great people with amazing life stories. They care about one another as they share their journey through the anxieties and excitement of reviewing for this exam. But, they have the same GPAs and same college courses as the people taking any of the review classes at the same locations.

 

[vicinihil]

How does someone in Virginia hear about a small company in California? I doubt it was by first hand contact, so it would have to be through the internet. On this site, I have read through the comments and I've only read great things about our biology professor and the passages in the orgo and bio books. So it couldn't be that you heard that here.

If you haven't taken our class, taught for us, or worked with our materials, I think the polite thing to do would be to refrain from commenting on our materials. I taught for, developed materials for, and designed the original structure for the course you teach (back when Hyperlearning was a private company). Despite this, I would not comment on your course, because it is unprofessional.

• 
  Having students get great scores boosts a company's reputation.
  Having a premed counselor at a small school where students average about 25 to 26 analize the statistics and find that your students average over 30 boosts a company's reputation.
  Having great teachers who are invited by many universities to speak because the people who see the statistics and know exactly how well their students do boosts a company's reputation.

The bottom line is that our strong reputation is because of great results. And the great results are not because of the schools, but because we chose to remain small and not over expand locations or products. We focus on one thing and do it really well. A personal course with great teachers and tons of hours where students can ask questions about their passages gets great results.

That said, our students do great because they work very hard, they laugh as they learn, they have materials with great answer explanations (this is really where one learns), they get a perfect mix of review and strategies, they come to office hours on a regular basis to clear things up, and our teachers are excellent. Part of the reason we have chosen to stay small is because TEACHING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF ANY COURSE, and it's really hard to find great teachers. There are several people qualified to do a good job, but great ones are rare finds.

How could you not have heard if we have CBTs if you have heard things from multiple sources?

All we do is MCAT, so of course we have CBTs. We have been developing them over three years. We don't have LSAT or SAT to worry about, so we put 100% of our efforts into developing the very best simulated CBTs.

And just for the record, we do get great students. They are great people with amazing life stories. They care about one another as they share their journey through the anxieties and excitement of reviewing for this exam. But, they have the same GPAs and same college courses as the people taking any of the review classes at the same locations.

I spent a semester at Berkeley where most my friends there did take Berkeley Review. I needed serious VR help so I inquired about BR material and whether or not its good and the general response is no. I understand you are trying to protect your company and seriously advertise, but at the same time, you need to be realistic. I can come around and say Kaplan FL are representative of the MCATs but why lie?

If you did a google search on the SDN forum for reviews on BR, you'd find that the general consensus is that its strong suit is PS. Verbal, I know, BR is not that good. I have the workbook and the writing sample booklet. I also have 2 of your old FL's.

I know your company has its strengths but this forum is to let everyone get a taste of both. I can say TPR is not very organized and the online portion sucks because of computer glitches. I can also attest that not all of their material is fantastic.

Also, your company is in several locations throughout the California area. So there is absolutely no way you can say that all your teachers are as good as you make them sound. Granted every company has its strengths and weaknesses, but to purport the idea that BR is the "bomb dizzle" of all MCAT companies is a matter of personal opinion and one that everyone should take with a grain of salt because of your affiliation alone.

We're here to be realistic, not advertise.

 

[CoolRunnings]

We're here to be realistic, not advertise.

Agreed. We're here to learn objectively about the best studying techniques. Alot of the MCAT company representatives can and do provide extremeley valuable information, but often cross the line. Can we keep the spam to a minimum? Alot of forums have rules against this sort of thing...

Here's my opinion, although I'm far from taking the MCAT:

VR: EK book, EK 101 passages
PS: TBR, TPR science workbook
BS: EK, TPR science workbook, EK 1001

Writing: TBR

 

[killinsound]

VR: EK
PS: TPR and Nova (from what I hear)
BS: EK

This is just for getting the concepts down!

i LOVE LOVE LOVE kaplan for both PS and BS tests, but still ek 101 for VR and ek 1001 for BS.

i think EK really drops the ball in the magnetism/electrostatic chapters which is why i can't recommend them.

 

[vicinihil]

VR: EK
PS: TPR and Nova (from what I hear)
BS: EK

This is just for getting the concepts down!

i LOVE LOVE LOVE kaplan for both PS and BS tests, but still ek 101 for VR and ek 1001 for BS.

i think EK really drops the ball in the magnetism/electrostatic chapters which is why i can't recommend them.

Which ones? The section or topical or subject tests?

 

[WanderLustMD]

PS: TPR and Nova (from what I hear)

Totally agree with that.

PS: TPR
all the way... I hadn't taken GenChem and Physics in over 4 years and looked at all the other stuff but TPR was the most comprehensive and helped me get an 11 which I was ecstatic about (math is my weakspot)...

 

[killinsound]

Which ones? The section or topical or subject tests?

the section tests.

 

[FlowLimited]

This is sort of off-topic, but I just think it's hilarious how BR has that clickable map on their website where you can "choose" where you'd like to prepare for the MCAT even though unless you click California it says something like "you lose, try again."

...that was a really long sentence.

 

[J ROD]

This is sort of off-topic, but I just think it's hilarious how BR has that clickable map on their website where you can "choose" where you'd like to prepare for the MCAT even though unless you click California it says something like "you lose, try again."

...that was a really long sentence.

Yeah, I thought that was funny too.

 

[Manyac86]

I cannot speak for the quality of others but I thought the Princeton Review science books were very well written. Chapters were easy to read (for a super condensed book). I thought that the Bio Book contained all the crap I needed to know to get a 15 and the Physical was well written and helped me understand the concepts to improve by 6 pts to a 13. The verbal book seemed like a lot of bull but I think that's true of all verbal books (I decided to look at Examkrackers for verbal too. I reserve my judgement). However I thought that the verbal in TPR and examkrackers were both helpful for studying, they certainly helped me improve by a few points.

 

[almo88]

Wow! Thank you so much everyone! Now, where would I be able to get a few EK books? I have a lot of Kaplan's material, and I have already had a bad experience with TPR, so that's out for me. Do I need to look online? Remember, college student = poooooor. Thanks a lot!

 

[Booter008]

Wow! Thank you so much everyone! Now, where would I be able to get a few EK books? I have a lot of Kaplan's material, and I have already had a bad experience with TPR, so that's out for me. Do I need to look online? Remember, college student = poooooor. Thanks a lot!

I got all my EK books off of Amazon and Half.com. Those two sites were the cheapest that I've seen; but if all you want is used, try SDN or craiglist.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I spent a semester at Berkeley where most my friends there did take Berkeley Review. I needed serious VR help so I inquired about BR material and whether or not its good and the general response is no. I understand you are trying to protect your company and seriously advertise, but at the same time, you need to be realistic.

In a thread asking for suggestions about materials, you were the first to post a slam of another program. A program you didn't take. No where at that point was the thread aiming for a slam of anything. The problem I have is that you felt compelled to attack a program you never enrolled in, and comment on the quality of teachers you have never seen. It's just something I don't believe is right. I'm not going to comment on other programs, even the one I wrote materials for. It's just not porfessional. I'm simply asking the same of you.

You spent one semester at Berkeley, which does not make you an expert on our demographics, our course, and our materials. You didn't take our program, so your comments are hearsay. If I were to list the feedback numbers we get on our materials, teaching, and program, that would be hearsay. The only number that isn't hearsay is the average scores our students get. I invite you to do a score analysis based on the people here who have taken our course and you will find it to be high.

So why did you decide to attack our program? You had no reason at all to mention what you mentioned other than to attack the company I openly represent. It just doesn't seem right to me to comment on programs you have not taken.

If you did a google search on the SDN forum for reviews on BR, you'd find that the general consensus is that its strong suit is PS. Verbal, I know, BR is not that good. I have the workbook and the writing sample booklet. I also have 2 of your old FL's.

I did that search. And no where did I read a slam on the BS materials. I read a great deal of praise about the books and teachers. My opinion on verbal reasoning is based on the statistics I see from those who have no financial interest. Sadly, very few people can improve their verbal score in a short time (a few months). For most people, it takes a wholesale change in their approach. We suggest experiment with techniques until you find the one that works for you. We don't claim to have an end all-be all method, because there isn't one. If that fact is what bothers you about our materials, I am sorry.

I know your company has its strengths but this forum is to let everyone get a taste of both. I can say TPR is not very organized and the online portion sucks because of computer glitches. I can also attest that not all of their material is fantastic.

Also, your company is in several locations throughout the California area. So there is absolutely no way you can say that all your teachers are as good as you make them sound.

We have three centers in California, that's it. I teach at all three centers. So do two other teachers. Over half of our lectures at all centers are taught by the same three teachers. So, while it's not the exact same staff at each center, it's pretty consistent. Thus, by commenting on the feedback and qualifications of those three, I can describe the bulk of our teachers at each of our centers. And the other teachers that teach at only two centers include a professor and a lecturer at nearby colleges. Do we have a poor to average teacher from time to time? Unfortunately, yes. They don't last long and usually are repositioned to a non-teaching job. We don't believe in firing anyone after they have planned on that income.

I don't want to get into this pissing contest, because it's just bad for everyone. I am simply asking you to not comment on our company if you don't know what we do.

Granted every company has its strengths and weaknesses, but to purport the idea that BR is the "bomb dizzle" of all MCAT companies is a matter of personal opinion and one that everyone should take with a grain of salt because of your affiliation alone.

Every program does have its strengths and weaknesses, that is true. But great scores are great scores, and one must have the best. You try to brush that off as our students coming from great schools. In your last sentence shown above, you are saying I have no credibility because I work for BR. Well, I must agree that everyone should regard the source of the comment and factor that in. But it runs two ways. I am honest enough to have my affiliation right in my moniker. I'm not trying to sneak by pretending to be neutral and them slam a company. If I really wanted to advertise here, wouldn't it be better to troll and subtly slam other companies while looking like I was being sincere?

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

This is sort of off-topic, but I just think it's hilarious how BR has that clickable map on their website where you can "choose" where you'd like to prepare for the MCAT even though unless you click California it says something like "you lose, try again."

...that was a really long sentence.

It's pretty pathetic, I have to admit. It's a point of comedy to all of us except the webmaster. You should be glad we didn't post the globe he originally proposed. 😀

 

[vicinihil]

VR: EK
PS: TPR and Nova (from what I hear)
BS: EK

This is just for getting the concepts down!

i LOVE LOVE LOVE kaplan for both PS and BS tests, but still ek 101 for VR and ek 1001 for BS.

i think EK really drops the ball in the magnetism/electrostatic chapters which is why i can't recommend them.

no slamming intended....

I just voice what I hear and read from these forums in case others haven't had the chance to research or haven't come across the same things I did.

Also many people aren't in contact with those who have taken TBR and I'm just saying what I hear from credible sources. If you search carefully, you'll find that PS are your strong suits.

But either way, us arguing over trivial topics won't advance this forum or anyone's life for that matter.

But I do have your VR and I can comment on saying that putting math questions in a verbal passage is interesting....(look at passage regarding looking at the eclipse)

 

[FlowLimited]

It's pretty pathetic, I have to admit. It's a point of comedy to all of us except the webmaster. You should be glad we didn't post the globe he originally proposed. 😀

Oh man, a globe would have been sweet! 😀