MCAT Prep Books

[Bernoulli]

Wasn't sure whether or not to post this in MCAT or Pre-Allo. Feel free to move it if you think it should be elsewhere.

To keep things short, I don't have a whole lot of money to spend on prep books. I've saved $500 over the past year to buy them. Since money is an issue, I want to focus on getting the best books first in case I cannot buy more. Which ones would you all consider essential?

I understand that some books may or may not be preferred by everyone, but anything is better than what I currently have.

Thanks!

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[ZZtop]

The Exam Krackers set is what I used and they were awesome. I actually wish I would have studied those books as I went through all of my pre reqs in undergrad since they really only tell you what you need to know and break topics down nicely. I bought them off Amazon for $100 I think.

 

[jsak]

Should be moved to the MCAT forum.


I prefer princeton review (TPR). Exam Krackers is good if you have a very solid foundation of the material, because it is more of a review.

But if you are only semi solid on material...or a non science major, then TPR is going to be better. I wasn't too solid on general chemistry, so I tried the exam krackers but the explanations were not good enough to get a full understanding. Using TPR books, I definitely got the information down more. I was good at physics and biology and the TPR continued to reinforce my understanding.


So IMO if you are looking for books to just review, then exam krackers is good. if you are looking for books to help you get a solid understanding and maybe learn some new things, then TPR is the way to go. But the whole set costs around $300.

 

[1stmeds]

Get the books listed here. Its also an excellent study plan.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=623898

 

[kmp0410]

Yea check that MCAT study guide, its got a great breakdown of the materials you should get. Works out to about 500 bucks.

 

[amad01]

Wasn't sure whether or not to post this in MCAT or Pre-Allo. Feel free to move it if you think it should be elsewhere.

To keep things short, I don't have a whole lot of money to spend on prep books. I've saved $500 over the past year to buy them. Since money is an issue, I want to focus on getting the best books first in case I cannot buy more. Which ones would you all consider essential?

I understand that some books may or may not be preferred by everyone, but anything is better than what I currently have.

Thanks!

find yeselfs a good pirate aye

 

[Narmerguy]

Moving to MCAT discussions.

 

[FlaminHotER]

Jsak,

I have TBR bio and thinking about switching to TPR bio


How did u like TPR bio?

 

[drdoom12]

I don't take the MCAT for another year and haven't had physics or orgo yet, but I have been thinking about picking up some review books to study prior to "really" studying for the MCAT. Is this advisable? I mainly wanted to pick up some for gen chem and bio, as I have already had those/am in the process of taking them. Would it be a bad idea to go ahead and get a head-start on physics and organic, as well?

 

[Bernoulli]

I found a TPR Bio on ebay for $15. They are $45 retail, so I figured it was a good deal. I bought an ExamKrackers set yesterday (Used) for $125. One of my friends is going to let me use her Kaplan Review Notes books since she's a year ahead of me. So as of right now I have $360 left to spend. Do you think I should opt for more TPR, ExamKrackers 1001, or TBR? Which one would you recommend for Chem? I really need to work on it.

 

[Captain Sisko]

I found a TPR Bio on ebay for $15. They are $45 retail, so I figured it was a good deal. I bought an ExamKrackers set yesterday (Used) for $125. One of my friends is going to let me use her Kaplan Review Notes books since she's a year ahead of me. So as of right now I have $360 left to spend. Do you think I should opt for more TPR, ExamKrackers 1001, or TBR? Which one would you recommend for Chem? I really need to work on it.

if you have a set budget for mcat prep make sure you save money for practice exams. they're $35/each so plan ahead on buying at least tests 10 and 11, though more is better.

 

[NickNaylor]

You should be able to pick up the complete EK set along with all of the AAMC practice exams for less than $500. IMO that's all you need if you did well in your pre-reqs and haven't completely forgotten the material.