MCAT review books for nontrad

[acethis]

I am a journalist (i know its a huge leap) preparing to take the MCAT this May.
I'm currently using the examcrackers set & finding it easy to understand. I've read on the MCAT threads that this is not the first choice for MCAT review (first choice being BR or TPR). However, I had a look at one of the BR books & was completely lost (got me scared as hell). I'm just wondering if using the examcracker set exclusively is sufficient for content review. Anyone of you used examcrackers to prepare for the MCAT & did well?

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[jschu121]

I used Examkrackers the first time around and did well. I was more 'traditional' at that point - I took the MCAT after chemistry grad school. I think EK prepared me well.

I plan to take the MCAT again in June or July and will use the same prep again. I thought about TPR and BR but thought I'd save some money using Examkrackers and supplement with AAMC tests. After reading the forums I get the impression that the AAMC tests can be more valuable than a review.

Good luck!

 

[faith2]

AAMC is a must

I used Examkrackers the first time around and did well. I was more 'traditional' at that point - I took the MCAT after chemistry grad school. I think EK prepared me well.

I plan to take the MCAT again in June or July and will use the same prep again. I thought about TPR and BR but thought I'd save some money using Examkrackers and supplement with AAMC tests. After reading the forums I get the impression that the AAMC tests can be more valuable than a review.

Good luck!

 

[canjosh]

I used EK and did a Princeton Review course. I found the course very, very beneficial.

 

[docelh]

The common wisdom is that the MCAT is part knowledge of the topics and part thinking (i.e., knowing how to take the test). EK is good content review, and one will need to know the knowledge cold. But...

The most difficult questions are the passage-based ones where you got to interpret the passages and meld it with the science knowledge you should have acquired.

Besides knowing the content material cold, the key to success seems to be aggressively dissecting the passages, know which concepts they are trying to ask about, and pick the best answer even though two may seem to be sufficiently good. Oh yeah, and do that within the alloted time.

 

[canjosh]

Yes, whatever you do...take LOTS of TIMED FULL-LENGTH practice tests.

 

[acethis]

The general consensus seems to be that EK is sufficient for content review but practice passages & tests are imperative. My first step is to master content (I haven't read anything science related in a while) & I'll definitely jump to practice after that. I'm a little concerned since I have a little less than 2 months left but I'm going to give it my best shot & see if I can get in this cycle. Thank you for all the helpful responses, really appreciate the feedback.

 

[Nasrudin]

The general consensus seems to be that EK is sufficient for content review but practice passages & tests are imperative. My first step is to master content (I haven't read anything science related in a while) & I'll definitely jump to practice after that. I'm a little concerned since I have a little less than 2 months left but I'm going to give it my best shot & see if I can get in this cycle. Thank you for all the helpful responses, really appreciate the feedback.

If you're in the 2 months range and BR scares you. You need to act as if you have a content deadline for a story every single day. You'll need full 8-10 hour days for 3-4 weeks. Then put down the content. And begin focusing on test taking skills in real time. Timed. In the same format. Taken together for endurance preparation at the exact time of your test.

So you could test. Break. And then spend a day or two going over the test and in minute detail. Studying and reviewing any helpful information that would've helped you score better and faster.

EK in this short range is fine. I used a little EK and mostly BR but I started studying in earnest about 4 months out from the test. With that timeframe the Socratic methodologies in BR made it stick better for me.

I scored really well in physical sciences not because I had a lot of things memorized but because I had an intuitive feel for chemistry and physics. This came from BR.

But you can achieve the same thing if you quicken the content review with EK and concentrate very hard on your test simulation/review/preparation.

Bueno Suerte.

 

[acethis]

If you're in the 2 months range and BR scares you. You need to act as if you have a content deadline for a story every single day. You'll need full 8-10 hour days for 3-4 weeks. Then put down the content. And begin focusing on test taking skills in real time. Timed. In the same format. Taken together for endurance preparation at the exact time of your test.

So you could test. Break. And then spend a day or two going over the test and in minute detail. Studying and reviewing any helpful information that would've helped you score better and faster.

EK in this short range is fine. I used a little EK and mostly BR but I started studying in earnest about 4 months out from the test. With that timeframe the Socratic methodologies in BR made it stick better for me.

I scored really well in physical sciences not because I had a lot of things memorized but because I had an intuitive feel for chemistry and physics. This came from BR.

But you can achieve the same thing if you quicken the content review with EK and concentrate very hard on your test simulation/review/preparation.

Bueno Suerte.

Thank you nasrudin. I'm definitely focusing on content the next 3-4 weeks. The time factor was part of the reason I chose EK (their 'short & simple' approach also makes me feel comfortable and motivated). The plan you outlined seems ideal, I just need to stick with it

 

[Nevadanteater]

I have to recommend EK's 1001 Bio Questions (or whatever it is called). You will learn TONS from it and because the questions are passage based it is an easy way to practice/learn without running through full-length exams. The other 1001 series weren't AS good, but the bio is EXCELLENT.

This is definitely one of the reasons I did well in the bio section, especially considering my bio experience is HUGELY limited (esp compared to other pre-meds).

As far as review material, I preferred Kaplan over EK (i inherited several different sets of books from my various pre-med friends), but only just a bit. Both were far better than everything else I was able to find, most usually went into WAY more detail than necessary. but I think that is because I'm used to dry dry dry chemistry books, though I did use EK as well.

 

[DrMeg]

Examkrackers!!! Only do AAMC tests...timed....go over the answers in a study group and focus on what you don't understand.

 

[smarty666]

If you go over to the MCAT board on SDN, there is a guy who did extremely well on the MCAT and he created a 3-month study schedule for studying for the MCAT and tells you what books and practice tests to take for each subject matter of the test!!

so far everyone has commented that his book recommendations and schedule is pretty spot on!!! I'd love to take a TBR or TPR classroom course by I can by no means afford the $2k they want for them; I think its better to spend the 400 or 500 bucks for the books that guy I mentioned recommend and study the schedule he came up with; I'm most likely going to stretch his schedule out and study for 5-6 months for the tests since I'm really rusty in all sections, except bio of course!