New to SND - First time MCATer taking in Jan

[automan]

Hi!

I am sorry if this is against policy, but I just wanted to say hello.

PS: Is examkrackers as good as they say? I like the color, but I live in a small town and I haven't heard of them before today.

Thanks and good luck to everyone!

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[olemissbabydoc]

Welcome to SDN! And Goodluck ahead of time.

As for EK (ExamKrackers), it seems to be all it's cracked up to be.. i'm testing in April but have been using the 1001's series and Audio Osmosis to help prepare... kinda the same story, I hadn't heard of it until SDN.

Again, welcome, and jump right in!

 

[Anastasis]

Hi!

I am sorry if this is against policy, but I just wanted to say hello.

PS: Is examkrackers as good as they say? I like the color, but I live in a small town and I haven't heard of them before today.

Thanks and good luck to everyone!

Hiya and welcome to SDN

EK rocks! It's the only thing I used to study for the MCAT. I can speak to the classroom course but the prep books, 1001 series and Audio Osmosis are all great. AO is really helpful if you have a long commute or work/volunteering where you can listen to your MP3 player. Makes time which would otherwise be a waste (at least mentally) into productive study time.

Good luck!

 

[UMP]

yeah, EK all the way. I didn't hear about it until I came here either, and I live in arguably the biggest town for pre-meds... it's a hidden gem, but be thankful you found it

I'd say the lesson pack and 101 Verbal Passages are essential... everything else you buy as you see the need

 

[IckeyShuffle]

yeah, EK all the way. I didn't hear about it until I came here either, and I live in arguably the biggest town for pre-meds... it's a hidden gem, but be thankful you found it

I'd say the lesson pack and 101 Verbal Passages are essential... everything else you buy as you see the need

I used kaplan for the sciences and ek for the verbal. verbal turned out to be my worst section. I probably just should have stuck with the kaplan method.

 

[DiverDoc]

I am currently studying in my off time for the April MCAT. I have both kaplan and EK books. I like reading the EK and the pictures are colored ect. BUT I get distracted more it seems reading EK. I can focus on the dull Kaplan books better. Weird I know. I do recommend the 1001 series and VR 101. like the above poster said

 

[smuwillobrien]

I live in a "big" city (for Canada at least), and almost no one I know that took the MCAT had heard of EK. I guess I'm the only lucky one who did. =]

 

[smuwillobrien]

I am currently studying in my off time for the April MCAT. I have both kaplan and EK books. I like reading the EK and the pictures are colored ect. BUT I get distracted more it seems reading EK. I can focus on the dull Kaplan books better. Weird I know. I do recommend the 1001 series and VR 101. like the above poster said

EK:
Kaplan:

 

[Caboose]

Hey, good luck - it's a rollercoaster. It has all the emotions; they should put a bunch of premeds in a house and start a reality TV show. I bet a lot less people would say, "I wanna be a doctor when I grow up" ...Then again, if the world was as dramatic as those shows all the time, I'd crawl under the bed with my computer with a large stockpile of dehydrated food and a bedpan.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that you can click on my link at the bottom and get some info that I found helpful. Along with all the other shtuff there's a schedule for EK if you don't already have it. I think structure is key.

Caboose.

 

[automan]

Thanks for the advice. It looks like EK is for me!

 

[automan]

Thanks to everyone who responded. Looks like I will be checking out EK!

For some reason the phrase "Welcome to the Suck" is playing in my head as I think about the next few months.......

 

[xylem29]

Thanks for the advice. It looks like EK is for me!

Hold on a minute - EK is not all that it's cracked up to be.

I suggest before you purchase the entire set - you take a look at one at the bookstore and see if the condensed information suits your style.

I've said it many times before - it really depends on what works best for you. Point to consider is:

Are you already an A/80+/3.30+ student who did well in all your prereqs and feel confident that all you need is REVIEW? --> EK does not hold your hand and guide you through concepts, i.e. important points are made - but if you need an explanation, they don't have them. It is very condensed and if you've never taken the courses before, you may get confused.

There is a great post by huntergatherer about the different books - EK Bio and Orgo were the only two that were really good. Just remember, I personally feel that EK is no good for those who are learning it for the first time. If you are re-learning, EK is good but it would be wise to have something else to supplement.

 

[olemissbabydoc]

I referenced back to textbooks for the concepts that really threw me off. But overall, EK is definitely a help!

 

[UMP]

Hold on a minute - EK is not all that it's cracked up to be.

I suggest before you purchase the entire set - you take a look at one at the bookstore and see if the condensed information suits your style.

I've said it many times before - it really depends on what works best for you. Point to consider is:

Are you already an A/80+/3.30+ student who did well in all your prereqs and feel confident that all you need is REVIEW? --> EK does not hold your hand and guide you through concepts, i.e. important points are made - but if you need an explanation, they don't have them. It is very condensed and if you've never taken the courses before, you may get confused.

There is a great post by huntergatherer about the different books - EK Bio and Orgo were the only two that were really good. Just remember, I personally feel that EK is no good for those who are learning it for the first time. If you are re-learning, EK is good but it would be wise to have something else to supplement.

true... you generally find the people that do best with EK are the ones that score in the mid to high 20s or even 30s in the beginning and want to get boosted in to the mid to high 30s and above... If Kaplan or Princeton offers one of those practice MCATs free to students around where you live I'd take it and see where you are.

Verbal you will need time to develop your own method and just get confident with the questions and format and what to expect.

Verbal will frustrate the living hell out of you, but with refining your own technique and practicing an 8-9 should be possible for most, which is the floating cutoff for most med schools

 

[Jasmine26]

Hi, I study from ExamKrackers, and as an engineering student, I find the biology material very hard to understand from the first time, and spend a lot of time reviewing it. I tried checking for the 1001 question for biology book on amazon and couldnt find it. Do you know if there is one for biology??? I have pruchased the physics, chem and organic chem but couldnt find the bio one anywhere.