NOVA physics vs TBR

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bluishgreen

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I am very weak in physics background, took last it with a professor who didn't really use trig in it at all, and let the students use a notecard for equations, etc. Got a B in physics1, and A in physics2.

I am having a very difficult time learning physics from TBR. It takes me about 5-6 hours to read a chapter and understand it, because most of this stuff is completely new to me. I hear that NOVA is better for content compared to TBR. Has anyone tried to use NOVA with TBR passages? Will that combination work? or should I just stick with TBR? My MCAT is on August 23 and Im trying to follow SN2ed's schedule.

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Nova has a ton of passages as well.

The only thing I didn't like about them is that their E&M chapter could have been a little better as in more in depth.
 
I may just use BR for that chapter since I already have the whole BR set. But do the books really make the physics simple for someone who doesnt have a good background in physics or trig?
 
I may just use BR for that chapter since I already have the whole BR set. But do the books really make the physics simple for someone who doesnt have a good background in physics or trig?

I would say that every mcat book needs you to have a background in the subject.

You should have seen the material before.

That said, I spent about 2 days straight with the nova book and went through all of it and thought I had a pretty good understanding of most of the physics that were going on. I kept brushing up on stuff as I went along.

It was a good resource for me. I preferred it to the EK and Kaplan physics books.
 
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I'm really weak in physics too. I started out using TPRH physics, but it wasn't working well so I switched to Nova. I would recommend it, it really dumbs everything down, while princeton review kind of assumed you knew a lot. Plus Nova has a ton of problems in each chapter to reinforce the concepts.
 
I just got nova book today and in terms of simplifying the material, it completely owns tbr. When I opened my br physics book, I was completely mind fked after reading the first chapter, it was nothing at all like the physics class I took. Tbr is way more trig based. Nova is much better at explaining the material. Much much better
 
It's good to know I'm not the only one. I swear to god, it was as though i was reading Chinese when I read the first chapter of TBR.
 
Bluishgreen,

I hope my upcoming message comes across the right way, because it's meant with respect. I've seen your posts pop up a few different times and the negativity might be undermining your efforts. There is no easy way to get a great score and there is no magic bullet. Repeated changing your study regiment is unlikely to meet with success, because changing things around you rather than changing your approach to preparing doesn't work. The best athlete isn't necessarily the one with the best equipment; it's the one who trains best with the equipment they have. Success starts from within!

Here are a few of the posts I'm talking about.

7 PS
3 VR
4 BS

Total is 14. That is really bad

first time on the kaplan mcat. is there anyway I can get it up to a 35? my mcat is on august 23rd.

Today was the second day of the Kaplan MCAT course. First day was just a overview of what the MCAT is.
Today he actually started reviewing the material. The pace of the course is ridiculous. 3 chapters in a single day? It takes atleast 1 complete day for me to understand a whole chapter thoroughly.

How many hours a day do you put in to SN2ed's study guide? It seems though as if the chapters are really long and time consuming.

Memorizing over 100 equations is virtually impossible for a test like the MCAT.

At some point you need to put your head down and barrel through it, whatever the "it" is that you choose to use. You want to go from a 14 to a 35 in about three months. That is going to take a ton of work, the development of test taking skills, and a positive attitude. A 21-point climb will have more to do with you than the materials you choose.

Get your materials set and then just do them. Nothing is going to be perfect, but that is actually part of the preparation process. The MCAT itself will have imperfections (weird wording, unfamiliar material, and so on), so you have to learn to cope with that.

It sounds like you are using the old version of the BR physics books (the page number and equation number you quoted in another thread are from the outdated version of the book). Admittedly, they were written for someone who starts around a 24 or so and wants to grow into a 30+. If you're not in the 21 or higher range to start, I can see how it would be frustrating. The new book has many more test tricks and is designed to walk you through fast ways to find solutions to any type of question, but that might not be the approach that fits you either.

I highly recommend that you use the BR passages when you're ready, once you've reviewed what you need to review in Nova and worked your way through their questions. Those will make you look at concepts from a slightly different perspective and expose you to some test tricks, which will be imperative as you get closer to your test date.

Good luck with your studies. You no doubt have the ability to do quite well.
 
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That's exactly my problem. When I open the book, it doesn't make any sense to me. In class I just took notes and studied the notes. Never read any textbook before except for bio. I don't know how I got A's and B's and why I cannot learn out of a darn book.
 
It sounds like you are using the old version of the BR physics books (the page number and equation number you quoted in another thread are from the outdated version of the book). Admittedly, they were written for someone who starts around a 24 or so and wants to grow into a 30+. If you're not in the 21 or higher range to start, I can see how it would be frustrating. The new book has many more test tricks and is designed to walk you through fast ways to find solutions to any type of question, but that might not be the approach that fits you either.

What year/edition is the new physics book? I have the 2009.
 
That's exactly my problem. When I open the book, it doesn't make any sense to me. In class I just took notes and studied the notes. Never read any textbook before except for bio. I don't know how I got A's and B's and why I cannot learn out of a darn book.

You're going to have a helluva time in med school.
 
ok let's not be discouraging; I know many people that started in their teens and got above a 30 on the MCAT... Here are my tips for your success:

1. Stay positive and change your attitude; only optimism and a goal-oriented approach will work.

2. Even if your struggling in a topic or don't know what's going on; seek out help and don't give up. You can ask your teacher, tutor, or find the book that explains the material best to you.

3. Stay organized meaning develop a study plan and stick to it meaning I will read these chapters today and then I will finish these questions and passages.

Summary: Anyone can do well on the MCAT IF THEY STAY POSITIVE, determined to succeed and put in the hours of reading and practice.

Good luck.
 
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Bluishgreen,

I hope my upcoming message comes across the right way, because it's meant with respect. I've seen your posts pop up a few different times and the negativity might be undermining your efforts. There is no easy way to get a great score and there is no magic bullet. Repeated changing your study regiment is unlikely to meet with success, because changing things around you rather than changing your approach to preparing doesn't work. The best athlete isn't necessarily the one with the best equipment; it's the one who trains best with the equipment they have. Success starts from within!

Here are a few of the posts I'm talking about.









At some point you need to put your head down and barrel through it, whatever the "it" is that you choose to use. You want to go from a 14 to a 35 in about three months. That is going to take a ton of work, the development of test taking skills, and a positive attitude. A 21-point climb will have more to do with you than the materials you choose.

Get your materials set and then just do them. Nothing is going to be perfect, but that is actually part of the preparation process. The MCAT itself will have imperfections (weird wording, unfamiliar material, and so on), so you have to learn to cope with that.

It sounds like you are using the old version of the BR physics books (the page number and equation number you quoted in another thread are from the outdated version of the book). Admittedly, they were written for someone who starts around a 24 or so and wants to grow into a 30+. If you're not in the 21 or higher range to start, I can see how it would be frustrating. The new book has many more test tricks and is designed to walk you through fast ways to find solutions to any type of question, but that might not be the approach that fits you either.

I highly recommend that you use the BR passages when you're ready, once you've reviewed what you need to review in Nova and worked your way through their questions. Those will make you look at concepts from a slightly different perspective and expose you to some test tricks, which will be imperative as you get closer to your test date.

Good luck with your studies. You no doubt have the ability to do quite well.


I love you and your company
 
I also struggled/am currently struggling with TBR physics. However, I recently bought NOVA and firmly believe that using it for content while supplementing with TBR (I'm like 5-6 chapters behind on NOVA because I'm a month into SN2's schedule already) would be more beneficial to me. I think that TBR content is solid but you really need to understand the concepts and think the correct way on the passages/review questions. This is where NOVA does a great job.

I dunno if I'm allowed to post a link to Amazon, so just go there and search "NOVA Physics". It's the one with the red cover for $32(worth your money).
 
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That's exactly my problem. When I open the book, it doesn't make any sense to me. In class I just took notes and studied the notes. Never read any textbook before except for bio. I don't know how I got A's and B's and why I cannot learn out of a darn book.


With the scores you've been getting, I think you might want to go with the EK 1001 series and beef up your content by doing every last problem. Really get to know the basics. Take a good couple of months and just develop your basics. Once that's complete, then start content review. You're starting from what appears to be a much rougher point than most of us did. You need to bring yourself up to a level where TBR makes sense. Sure, their material's tough, but the readings are pretty easy. Please don't take offense to this, but if the section readings are challenging for you to understand, I'd guess you either lack the basic science knowledge to keep up or you could have an LD or something holding you back. We all have weaknesses, but starting at a 14 means you are, on average, getting most questions wrong (about as many as would be gotten wrong by random guessing). That's a tough place to start and may require more than a book alone. You might need one of those private tutoring services to help you identify your weaknesses and really target them.
 
ok let's not be discouraging; I know many people that started in their teens and got above a 30 on the MCAT... Here are my tips for your success:

1. Stay positive and change your attitude; only optimism and a goal-oriented approach will work.

2. Even if your struggling in a topic or don't know what's going on; seek out help and don't give up. You can ask your teacher, tutor, or find the book that explains the material best to you.

3. Stay organized meaning develop a study plan and stick to it meaning I will read these chapters today and then I will finish these questions and passages.

Summary: Anyone can do well on the MCAT IF THEY STAY POSITIVE, determined to succeed and put in the hours of reading and practice.

Good luck.

Where are you in the preparation process?

Having taken it, I'm going to have to call BS on that statement.

You couldn't have "prepared" for what we took because literally half (3 entire passages) of the material on our PS section was outside the general scope of what the AAMC says to know for PS. Was it impossible to do well or figure things out then? No, but it does mean you couldn't "prepare." You had to be able to think on your feet. You needed to be able to look at a novel (sometimes nonexistent) material, element, subatomic particle, etc.and intuitively identify which physical laws would apply or not apply. All the content review in the world would have been insufficient. Honestly, having access to Google during the exam would have only helped nominally. I really don't see how "anyone" could prepare for that. I don't say this to scare anyone, but at the same time, I think it's easy to get complacent early on. The fact is this test takes practice.

I would say Berk's analogy of an athlete is perfect! I will take it a step further:

Preparing for the MCAT is like preparing for the Olympics. Early on, you need to be sure you know the rules of your event, since breaking one means you get DQ'd automatically -- no matter how well you may have done otherwise. You must know strategy for team sports. You must know your terrain for things like skiing. You have to study and prepare mentally.

That said, it's less than half the battle. Knowing a lot about your sport would make you a great commentator. Likewise, knowing a lot about the MCAT would make you a great MCAT Instructor (if you could somehow get hired w/o a score). Unfortunately, knowing everything without practicing, won't even get you to the qualifying rounds for the Olympics. Likewise, hilarity will ensue on your real MCAT if you walk in a living, breathing encyclopedia of Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physics (along with English Lit, Philosophy, etc.).

The fact is, PRACTICE is absolutely necessary. You must be able to apply your knowledge across subject domains. You must be able to think on your feet. You must be able to remain calm, cool, and positive despite all challenges or hints you are doing poorly. The MCAT is a beast. It desires to devour you along with your dreams. Preparing for it requires practicing to duel and overcome it on test day. Your future depends upon it.
 
This thread is kind of old now. it's just the first couple of chapters of BR Physics I had trouble with. I used NOVA's readings with BR passages. Probably just my level of math is not that great as they expect in BR Physics. Also, I have the 2009 ed.

Everything else BR is good for. Just physics is not explained well for the Algebra level imho.
 
I find the Berkley Review physics too confusing to be of use for reviewing. I got Nova and it's much, much better at teaching. I like the style of only teaching one subject, then following it up with practice problems to reenforce the concepts. I'm about halfway through the book right now, and I really like it. However, there were a couple chapters that I was iffy on. The chapter on Fluids had questions that were confusingly worded and poorly explained. It was really a jolt, as if one good auther had written the other chapters, but slacked off for fluids. I looked at some old threads and Fluids came up as one of the chapters in Nova that wasn't as good. Torque was another mentioned chapter, and I have agree it wasn't as good as the others, but it still wasn't as bad as the downright frustrating chapter on fluids. Hopefully I won't run into any more bad chapters.

Even though Nova has its issues, I find it a superior book to Berkley review, which was confusing to the point of uselessness. Berkley has you memorize tons and tons of obscure equations and shortcuts, and then gives you passages that emphasize those shortcuts to a degree I haven't found on the AAMC practice MCATs. Maybe Berkley works for some people, but not for me.
 
I suppose I'll toss my advice in here as well.

I've been using a combination of TBR and EK for all of my subject review. The EK review books would probably not be of a lot of use for you, since they really assume a lot of familiarity with the subject, particularly in physics and chemistry. Some of the explanations are more than a little unwieldy and can be very confusing, even to someone that has a background in the field.

I've been relatively pleased with the BR physics review, particularly the passages and the explanations that are given. My advice would be to pick a particular source, such as BR, stick with it, and supplement as needed with things like YouTube or MIT OCW.

If you haven't taken the courses or didn't learn much the first time around, it's going to be a lot of work and will really stretch you. If your practice scores aren't where you want them to be when you're ready to sit for the real thing, consider postponing and maybe auditing the courses or teach the material to yourself.
 
The athlete analogy is accurate because no matter how much you practice, not everyone will make it to the olympics. It comes down to training right, eating right, and picking the right parents.

To pass, some have to fail.
Some will fail no matter how hard they try.

I'm not trying to dissuade people from trying, but as awesome as this forum is for good advice, it's also a haven for false hope.
 
I'm early in the Nova Physics (older edition) and so far I'm pleased with it. I like that the chapters are short at this point and they break up the concepts into small chunks with examples along the way. At the end of the chapter they have a lot of practice questions plus passages. My material is a little scattered among publishers. I have some EK, Nova (Physics only) and the complete TPRH set. I'm trying to pick the best (for me at least) material out of what I have on hand and go from there. I figure EK may be better for Bio while Nova for Physics and so on. If there's a topic that one of these books doesn't cover well, I'll consult my college textbook or look online for further explanation.
 
Hi, just wondering if someone could list the order of chapter in the Nova physics book. I can't find a table of contents anywhere on the web and I want to see if it matches up with my TPR books before purchasing. Thanks!
 
Hi, just wondering if someone could list the order of chapter in the Nova physics book. I can't find a table of contents anywhere on the web and I want to see if it matches up with my TPR books before purchasing. Thanks!

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: The Language of Motion

Chapter 3: Laws of Motion

Chapter 4: Gravitation

Chapter 5: Planes and Circles

Chapter 6: Friction and Air Resistance

Chapter 7: Torques and Properties of Solids

Chapter 8: Momentum

Chapter 9: Energy

Interlude: Solving Problems

Chapter 10: Fluids

Chapter 11: Periodic Motion and Waves

Chapter 12: Sound

Chapter 13: Light

Chapter 14: Electrodynamics

Chapter 15: Electric Ciruits

Chapter 16: Atomic and Nuclear Physics

I hope that helps. :)
 
How long does it take you on average to get through a chapter? I'm almost finished with the TBR set, considering picking up NOVA to read through for a refresher of everything if it won't take too long.
 
Thanks!!

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: The Language of Motion

Chapter 3: Laws of Motion

Chapter 4: Gravitation

Chapter 5: Planes and Circles

Chapter 6: Friction and Air Resistance

Chapter 7: Torques and Properties of Solids

Chapter 8: Momentum

Chapter 9: Energy

Interlude: Solving Problems

Chapter 10: Fluids

Chapter 11: Periodic Motion and Waves

Chapter 12: Sound

Chapter 13: Light

Chapter 14: Electrodynamics

Chapter 15: Electric Ciruits

Chapter 16: Atomic and Nuclear Physics

I hope that helps. :)
 
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