MCAT Book Recommendations (2012 TBR?)

[swim97]

Hello,

Can any of you guys recommend an MCAT book ? There's just so many options out there.
I'm primarily a visual learner, and don't do well with walls of text so color, pics, and diagrams aid tremendously. I also benefit greatly from understanding each concept on a fundamental level, as well as getting to do as many practice problems I can. Recommendations would be GREATLY appreciated.

I liked Exam Krackers but it wasn't as deep as I'd like it to be.

I currently own the 2013 TBR. Is the 2013 TBR comprehensive in current MCAT content (for MCAT in 2020)?

Thanks.

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[JoaoMoutinho]

You'll probably get better answers to this on the MCAT subforum, but I will recommend that you get a newer resource as the MCAT was overhauled significantly in 2015. A new section was added, the scoring system was changed, and several subjects that were not previously covered are now part of the test. I did well with a Kaplan online class– I liked the books and the online practice tests and videos. That was not an easy option on my wallet, however.

 

[PapaGuava]

Thread moved to the MCAT forum.

 

[PlsLetMeIn21]

I used the 2018 TBR (science only, I used TPR and EK for P/S and CARS) and it was incredible. I credit my score being well above my wildest dream because of their books. I don't know much about the 2013 version, but I personally wouldn't risk missing out on updates and more importantly studying material no longer tested. I'm sure you could cross reference the current MCAT topic list, but why waste that time. I agree with the poster above that you should buy the new books for 2020.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

You absolutely should get a book post-2015. I think people generally like TBR the most if they are weaker in their sciences, but if you feel strongly in your sciences, Examkrackers and Kaplan are pretty good for a general review.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[Lawpy]

I currently own the 2013 TBR. Is the 2013 TBR comprehensive in current MCAT content (for MCAT in 2020)?

No, because those books are outdated. You should use the new TBR books for the MCAT.

 

[swim97]

@Lawper @MedSchoolTutors @PlsLetMeIn21 I read through some of the Organic Chemistry TBR and found the practice questions to be fantastic, but the content review to be very convoluted. It brings up material that hasn't been covered yet far too often and trips me up. I mainly crammed my prerequisites, (ex: I forgot what acids/bases do) and will be teaching myself Physics.

Is doing content review on EK, or TPR or Kaplan first and then all the practice problems in TBR a good strategy? I want to get through content review ASAP, and EK seems like a good idea for that, but I am worried about it not being detailed enough to teach yourself. Which of these three books would you recommend? My roommate owns the Kaplan set which is a plus (save some $$$).

 

[PlsLetMeIn21]

That's a good plan. I think EK review is better than TPR and Kaplan. You can get almost everything from the TBR passages and especially their answer explanations. There are some tricks in the reading that are super helpful, so I would suggest you go back and read the text when you encounter a trick in their explanations.

And I agree that the questions are fantastic. You will learn more from them than everything else combined.

 

[Lawpy]

@Lawper @MedSchoolTutors @PlsLetMeIn21 I read through some of the Organic Chemistry TBR and found the practice questions to be fantastic, but the content review to be very convoluted. It brings up material that hasn't been covered yet far too often and trips me up. I mainly crammed my prerequisites, (ex: I forgot what acids/bases do) and will be teaching myself Physics.

Is doing content review on EK, or TPR or Kaplan first and then all the practice problems in TBR a good strategy? I want to get through content review ASAP, and EK seems like a good idea for that, but I am worried about it not being detailed enough to teach yourself. Which of these three books would you recommend? My roommate owns the Kaplan set which is a plus (save some $$$).

That's a good plan. I think EK review is better than TPR and Kaplan. You can get almost everything from the TBR passages and especially their answer explanations. There are some tricks in the reading that are super helpful, so I would suggest you go back and read the text when you encounter a trick in their explanations.

And I agree that the questions are fantastic. You will learn more from them than everything else combined.

I agree it's a good plan and I also agree that EK is great. EK teaches you very useful test taking strategies on top of providing concise overview of the high yield material that you need to know.

I think Khan Academy videos can be used to fill any content gaps.