mcat 2015

[Ryomagoku]

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so it looks like Kaplan books are literally the same books except two new books according to people who bought this book already.

Is that true?

Also, how is Barron's MCAT and Sterling test prep?

I decided to not take Jan 10th MCAT because I couldn't study for the mcat as much as I wanted to.

I guess I can technically use my Berkeley review books for physics, gen chem, ochem, and bio?? and buy psych and socio book from TPR or Kaplan?

I would like to hear some opinions!

Thank you!

Happy Holiday!

 

[Levrone]

so it looks like Kaplan books are literally the same books except two new books according to people who bought this book already.

Is that true?

Also, how is Barron's MCAT and Sterling test prep?

I decided to not take Jan 10th MCAT because I couldn't study for the mcat as much as I wanted to.

I guess I can technically use my Berkeley review books for physics, gen chem, ochem, and bio?? and buy psych and socio book from TPR or Kaplan?

I would like to hear some opinions!

Thank you!

Happy Holiday!

I think you're confusing them with the princeton review books. I don't have the old kaplan books, but I think the new kaplan's were reformatted.
Does Barron and Sterling have 2015 prep? Is sterling GS? Honestly I wouldn't trust them.

Since Orgo is only 5% of the new mcat, and physics is 6% of the new mcat, I feel using 4 books to study them is just way too much (berkeley review). Although their passages will probably still be good review

I'm gonna be studying with examkrackers, and supplementing that with TPRH workbooks/exams from all companies, and TPR /kaplan online hw + chads vids

 

[Ryomagoku]

I think you're confusing them with the princeton review books. I don't have the old kaplan books, but I think the new kaplan's were reformatted.
Does Barron and Sterling have 2015 prep? Is sterling GS? Honestly I wouldn't trust them.

Since Orgo is only 5% of the new mcat, and physics is 6% of the new mcat, I feel using 4 books to study them is just way too much (berkeley review). Although their passages will probably still be good review

I'm gonna be studying with examkrackers, and supplementing that with TPRH workbooks/exams from all companies, and TPR /kaplan online hw + chads vids

what would you say the best one to get for new mcat then? I was planning on getting a set anyways. And yeah Barron's has its 2015 mcat book out. I heard some mixed reviews of Barron's MCAT. I am a fan of Barron's book because of AP classes and SAT. But MCAT is a different story.

I noticed you have all the books. I would love to hear from you.

Thank you!

 

[Levrone]

what would you say the best one to get for new mcat then? I was planning on getting a set anyways. And yeah Barron's has its 2015 mcat book out. I heard some mixed reviews of Barron's MCAT. I am a fan of Barron's book because of AP classes and SAT. But MCAT is a different story.

I noticed you have all the books. I would love to hear from you.

Thank you!

Hey. I wrote a mini review in the other thread :

Here's a little review. I still need to finish a chapter before bed.

I never used EK before. I started my MCAT prep with the 2013 TPR books as you can see in the pic I posted above. TPR is good imo, especially for the old MCAT. However, like it's been said before, their 2015 MCAT stuff is nearly identical to their 2013 books, which is bad. They include topics that were taken out for MCAT 2015 like momentum and fungi for example.

I also had kaplan 2015 books, and was originally gonna prep with those, but was dissuaded not to. They supposedly did change their material and it's pretty good. But no passages in book and online material only has like 15 passages total out of the 50+ chapters that they have.... I have tried reading them before and they do seem good. And they do seem to have taken out topics that were removed, which is good. Their physics book is 400+ pages though! With physics only being 6% of the exam, I don't see why they'd do that. (examkrackers 9th edition physics book is ~150 pages).

(btw the only reason some EK books look as thick as kaplan books is b/c they use very thick hard paper, compared to kaplan's toilet paper like/thin paper quality.

What I really like about EK is they definitely reformatted their books.. The amazon review on them is spot on. Also, very colorful pictures, much much better than TPR's bland illustrations. I for one appreciate the color/Salty the cracker doing his thing/keeping it real. I have EK old editions, and even when I found parts with the same picture, a lot of the content was very different. So they seemed to have really changed everything around. Plus they listened to the outline from AAMC and got rid of untested content which is great. They are pretty concise which I like. Maybe too concise though 😳... I won't know till the exam.

So yeah, they really condensed stuff for the new mcat, and combined many chapters together. Physics only has 5 chapters. I really like that they have 3 passages per chapter, and ~20 FSQ per chapter.
there are some typos in their books but I guess that's to be expected since they reformatted it all.

I'll be using EK 9th edition as my main source of reading material. Then I'll glance at TPR/kaplan corresponding chapters for further understanding/tips/etc... I'll also be using chad's videos, and TPR's online homework as well as TPRH workbooks and TBR passages.. well just look at the pic I posted.. I'll be using it all lol. plus eventually like 10 2015 FL's

In sum, EK 9th edition is the hero we deserve, and the one we need right now.

 

[Ryomagoku]

Hey. I wrote a mini review in the other thread :

Nice! I should order examkrackers as soon as I can!

Is TPRH 2015 one out? or are you going to use the old ones? I assume I can ask the same for the TBR

how about the verbal section?

I saw the Nextstep tutors are posting about how good their books are. I searched some amazon comments and those comments seem to be coordinated by their company, or was their first time commenting on it.

and where did you get the 2015 FLs???

 

[Levrone]

Nice! I should order examkrackers as soon as I can!

Is TPRH 2015 one out? or are you going to use the old ones? I assume I can ask the same for the TBR

how about the verbal section?

I saw the Nextstep tutors are posting about how good their books are. I searched some amazon comments and those comments seem to be coordinated by their company, or was their first time commenting on it.

and where did you get the 2015 FLs???

It's no longer called hyperlearning, just TPR 2015 Science workbook.

I do have the 2008 TPRH science workbook, and the 2015 science workbook. I will be using them both.. that's when I'll see how many passages they copy/pasted. Science workbook does have psychology passages in it now which is good. I also have the 2015 in class compendium which should be good. I don't have the 2015 CARS workbook yet but when I get it I'll let you know if it's all copy pasted passages from previous editions. It probably is.

TBR has not updated their books and won't for probably another year I think. But I'll still use some of their passages for relevant 2015 mcat topics.

For verbal, I doubt any company has done much to their verbal sections, so the best practice is 2015 AAMC materials.. next is probably TPR 2015 workbooks, next is Kaplan 2015 CARS.. EK has no 2015 CARS passages. But of course EK101 is still going to help a lot, as well as TPRH verbal workbooks. I also have TPR online verbal passages and TBR verbal



If you get any 1 TPR 2015 book, you just need the ISBN and register it and you'll get 3 2015 FL's. And I think if you know a specific word to prove you got the 2015 Kaplan set, you get 3 more 2015 FL's from Kaplan. TBR will be releasing (3 or 4 i think) 2015 FL's in a couple of months. AAMC has 1 official sample test. And Next Step (i think) is coming out with some FL's in a month or 2

 

[Alma1989]

It's no longer called hyperlearning, just TPR 2015 Science workbook.

I do have the 2008 TPRH science workbook, and the 2015 science workbook. I will be using them both.. that's when I'll see how many passages they copy/pasted. Science workbook does have psychology passages in it now which is good. I also have the 2015 in class compendium which should be good. I don't have the 2015 CARS workbook yet but when I get it I'll let you know if it's all copy pasted passages from previous editions. It probably is.

TBR has not updated their books and won't for probably another year I think. But I'll still use some of their passages for relevant 2015 mcat topics.

For verbal, I doubt any company has done much to their verbal sections, so the best practice is 2015 AAMC materials.. next is probably TPR 2015 workbooks, next is Kaplan 2015 CARS.. EK has no 2015 CARS passages. But of course EK101 is still going to help a lot, as well as TPRH verbal workbooks. I also have TPR online verbal passages and TBR verbal



If you get any 1 TPR 2015 book, you just need the ISBN and register it and you'll get 3 2015 FL's. And I think if you know a specific word to prove you got the 2015 Kaplan set, you get 3 more 2015 FL's from Kaplan. TBR will be releasing (3 or 4 i think) 2015 FL's in a couple of months. AAMC has 1 official sample test. And Next Step (i think) is coming out with some FL's in a month or 2

How did you happen to get the 2015 Workbook?

 

[Henry101]

I do have the 2008 TPRH science workbook, and the 2015 science workbook. I will be using them both.. that's when I'll see how many passages they copy/pasted. Science workbook does have psychology passages in it now which is good. I also have the 2015 in class compendium which should be good. I don't have the 2015 CARS workbook yet but when I get it I'll let you know if it's all copy pasted passages from previous editions. It probably is.

Hey.
How did you get access to the online stuff for Princeton Review? Which program did you purchase and is it worth it? Is NextStep the only company that is really releasing good and new practice passages?
I'm very tempted to but the MCAT 2015 Self-Paced program by Princeton Review just to get access to their online Student Center to get practice questions.
I do think the new EK books have sufficient and comprehensive content but I don't know where to go to get practice material.
Thanks again.

 

[QuentinT88]

I think you're confusing them with the princeton review books. I don't have the old kaplan books, but I think the new kaplan's were reformatted.
Does Barron and Sterling have 2015 prep? Is sterling GS? Honestly I wouldn't trust them.

Since Orgo is only 5% of the new mcat, and physics is 6% of the new mcat, I feel using 4 books to study them is just way too much (berkeley review). Although their passages will probably still be good review

I'm gonna be studying with examkrackers, and supplementing that with TPRH workbooks/exams from all companies, and TPR /kaplan online hw + chads vids

@Levrone can you provide further information on this? Does AMCAS specify what % each subject will cover, in regards to BioChem, Physics, Bio, Chem, Orgo?

Can you provide a link for this information for the 2015 MCAT? Thanks!

 

[Levrone]

How did you happen to get the 2015 Workbook?

A couple were on eBay at one point.

I have multiple copies so I may sell one.

@Levrone can you provide further information on this? Does AMCAS specify what % each subject will cover, in regards to BioChem, Physics, Bio, Chem, Orgo?

Can you provide a link for this information for the 2015 MCAT? Thanks!

yes.

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/377882/data/mcat2015-content.pdf

Each of the 4 sections tells you how much of each subject you'll see in each section. So with some math you can see overall on the test the percentages.. If I did my math correctly, it's roughly:

25% CARS
17.5% Biology
16.5% Psychology
12.5% Biochem
9% Chemistry
7.5% Sociology
6% Physics
5% Organic Chemistry


that adds up to 99% so idk what I missed

 

[Levrone]

Hey.
How did you get access to the online stuff for Princeton Review? Which program did you purchase and is it worth it? Is NextStep the only company that is really releasing good and new practice passages?
I'm very tempted to but the MCAT 2015 Self-Paced program by Princeton Review just to get access to their online Student Center to get practice questions.
I do think the new EK books have sufficient and comprehensive content but I don't know where to go to get practice material.
Thanks again.

For TPR, I used their old books ISBN numbers (2013 books) to get access to more passages for each chapter in each book. So it's just a matter of getting used TPR books. I THINK they can be reused (the book's ISBN can be registered by multiple people).
I haven't tried using the ISBN for the new books, I'm expecting you'd get the same result. I have no next step books so I'm not sure about them. I don't think you need TPR student center. First I think TPR did the worst job updating their books and material, so some of their passages will cover info you don't need to know. Plus I THINK that registering for their self paced program will give you the same thing as using their ISBN's for all their books plus the cracking book, plus access to the AAMC exams/self assessments (but these are disappearing in under a month so idk what TPR is gonna do). Plus you'd get their books and i guess their science/verbal workbooks? I'm not sure. How much is it? I think TPR used to be very good but for MCAT 2015 there are better alternatives.



also I really hope TPR online practice material is more difficult than AAMC, cause I have yet to get a 100% on a passage, and am averaging closer to like 60% 🙁

also I'm reading EK 9th edition and then taking the corresponding TPR online passages, and there's sometimes extra stuff in those passages where I'm just like, 'wth am I reading'
so I hope that's a case of TPR using old MCAT materials that's no longer tested, and not a case of EK not being specific enough, although they did a really good job of following the 2015 mcat outline

 

[Alma1989]

A couple were on eBay at one point.

I have multiple copies so I may sell one.

Dear god, please PM me if you do.

Why would somebody have sold them given how new and hard to find they are?

 

[mysturi0us]

Does anyone know where I can find the list of topics for each subject that's on the MCAT 2015? I know there's a list in the AAMC Official Guide but I won't be able to physically get it for at least another 2 weeks. I'm trying to make a schedule right now. So if anyone know a website that shows all the topics that would be great!

 

[Levrone]

Dear god, please PM me if you do.


Why would somebody have sold them given how new and hard to find they are?

Ok. I'm not selling yet though.

Does anyone know where I can find the list of topics for each subject that's on the MCAT 2015? I know there's a list in the AAMC Official Guide but I won't be able to physically get it for at least another 2 weeks. I'm trying to make a schedule right now. So if anyone know a website that shows all the topics that would be great!

this? https://www.aamc.org/students/download/377882/data/mcat2015-content.pdf

 

[mysturi0us]

yea lol I actually found it a little after I posted. thanks tho!

 

[Henry101]

What link did ya'll use to but the EK new content books? I can't find them on amazon? haha

 

[QuentinT88]

Thanks!

 

[FutureDr.A]

It's no longer called hyperlearning, just TPR 2015 Science workbook.

I do have the 2008 TPRH science workbook, and the 2015 science workbook. I will be using them both.. that's when I'll see how many passages they copy/pasted. Science workbook does have psychology passages in it now which is good. I also have the 2015 in class compendium which should be good. I don't have the 2015 CARS workbook yet but when I get it I'll let you know if it's all copy pasted passages from previous editions. It probably is.

TBR has not updated their books and won't for probably another year I think. But I'll still use some of their passages for relevant 2015 mcat topics.

For verbal, I doubt any company has done much to their verbal sections, so the best practice is 2015 AAMC materials.. next is probably TPR 2015 workbooks, next is Kaplan 2015 CARS.. EK has no 2015 CARS passages. But of course EK101 is still going to help a lot, as well as TPRH verbal workbooks. I also have TPR online verbal passages and TBR verbal



If you get any 1 TPR 2015 book, you just need the ISBN and register it and you'll get 3 2015 FL's. And I think if you know a specific word to prove you got the 2015 Kaplan set, you get 3 more 2015 FL's from Kaplan. TBR will be releasing (3 or 4 i think) 2015 FL's in a couple of months. AAMC has 1 official sample test. And Next Step (i think) is coming out with some FL's in a month or 2

Hello! I am on the same situation. I have all TPR materials from 2013 because I was supposed to take the test last year, but that never happened. So, now, I need to study for the 2015 MCAT. I know TPR's content review books are very similiar to the old materials, but I was wondering if their 2015 Science workbook and their 2015 CARS workbooks have changed. I am deciding if I should go ahead and purchase these materials or not. Thank you for your time.

 

[Sarahka74]

It's no longer called hyperlearning, just TPR 2015 Science workbook.

I do have the 2008 TPRH science workbook, and the 2015 science workbook. I will be using them both.. that's when I'll see how many passages they copy/pasted. Science workbook does have psychology passages in it now which is good. I also have the 2015 in class compendium which should be good. I don't have the 2015 CARS workbook yet but when I get it I'll let you know if it's all copy pasted passages from previous editions. It probably is.

TBR has not updated their books and won't for probably another year I think. But I'll still use some of their passages for relevant 2015 mcat topics.

For verbal, I doubt any company has done much to their verbal sections, so the best practice is 2015 AAMC materials.. next is probably TPR 2015 workbooks, next is Kaplan 2015 CARS.. EK has no 2015 CARS passages. But of course EK101 is still going to help a lot, as well as TPRH verbal workbooks. I also have TPR online verbal passages and TBR verbal



If you get any 1 TPR 2015 book, you just need the ISBN and register it and you'll get 3 2015 FL's. And I think if you know a specific word to prove you got the 2015 Kaplan set, you get 3 more 2015 FL's from Kaplan. TBR will be releasing (3 or 4 i think) 2015 FL's in a couple of months. AAMC has 1 official sample test. And Next Step (i think) is coming out with some FL's in a month or 2

Do you know if they've copied and pasted it from old editions? Or is it worth to buy the new 2015 science workbook? I have the 2013 edition so I was just wondering if I need to purchase the 2015 one as well.