Order of best prep books based off past threads

[SnYpaJY]

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Okay, based off my research on this forum, I have come to conclude the following. (Many thanks to SN2ed's amazing posts)

The following are the prep books that I am buying in order of best to good for each topic.

If time and money were not factors, would you buy all of these books?

I am confused with one thing, what is "1001" for EK? Is that just a bulk package of everything? Also, what is Hyper Learning for Princeton Review?

Verbal
EK Verbal 101
EK Verbal
Princeton Review (PR)
Berkeley Review (BR)

Biology
EK 101 Bio Passages
EK Bio
BR Bio
PR Bio

Physics
BR
NOVA
PR

Gen Chem
BR
PR
EK

O Chem
BR
EK
PR


What would you guys change in your opinion? (Yes, I am against Kaplan)

 

[Isoprop]

For the sciences, EK has two sets of books. One is just a review book with a few practice questions. The other is a workbook of 1001 questions. Chem, physics, and O-Chem has only stand-alone questions. Bio 1001 is the only one with passages.

Hyperlearning is a set of books offered by the classroom course by the princeton review. These books are generally not for sale, and you must technically be enrolled in a course to get these books. People buy them second-hand from previous students of the course though.

Also, I would not buy all the books. Stick to one primary book to study/read. Use others as reference if needed.

For OChem, stay the hell away from EK. The 1001 EK is fine for the practice, but I find the explanations and mechanisms weird in EK.

 

[TurkSurg]

Good enough

Okay, based off my research on this forum, I have come to conclude the following. (Many thanks to SN2ed's amazing posts)

The following are the prep books that I am buying in order of best to good for each topic.

If time and money were not factors, would you buy all of these books?

I am confused with one thing, what is "1001" for EK? Is that just a bulk package of everything? Also, what is Hyper Learning for Princeton Review?

Verbal
EK Verbal 101
EK Verbal
Princeton Review (PR)
Berkeley Review (BR)

Biology
EK 101 Bio Passages
EK Bio
BR Bio
PR Bio

Physics
BR
NOVA
PR

Gen Chem
BR
PR
EK

O Chem
BR
EK
PR


What would you guys change in your opinion? (Yes, I am against Kaplan)

 

[rama kandra]

What do you find wrong with EK Orgo? Its a really succinct 4 chapter book with the essentials boiled down. I think it is aimed toward science types though, since it assumes you have done this stuff recently.

But what is strange about the mechanisms and such? I find EK better than Hyperlearning to be honest, in nearly every respect. They really give you what you need instead of the detail, which is what I am after.

 

[Isoprop]

What do you find wrong with EK Orgo? Its a really succinct 4 chapter book with the essentials boiled down. I think it is aimed toward science types though, since it assumes you have done this stuff recently.

But what is strange about the mechanisms and such? I find EK better than Hyperlearning to be honest, in nearly every respect. They really give you what you need instead of the detail, which is what I am after.

It's been a while since I looked at the book, but I remember the mechanisms using curved arrows to show where hydrogens moved instead of how electrons moved. I'm not sure, I just remember them being hard to follow. It never highlighted trends between mechanisms and under-emphasized similarities among different reactions. It was more about memorizing than understanding. It gets the job done if you are willing to devote a lot of energy into rote memorization.

 

[SnYpaJY]

Okay so is this list besides the EK Orgo places as second good?


I'm still confused with the EK 1001 series...

So 1001 are passages for the Sciences, while the regular EK books are just reviews and some questions. However, for verbal, they have 101 instead of 1001, right?

Is there such thing as EK Bio 101? Or EK Verbal 1001?

Where can I buy the BR books?

Is the Nova physics part of BR or is that a totally different company?

Thanks for the help, as I am completely confused at this point. There are so many different books, and I don't even know which ones are the best for each section. And if I do know which ones are the best, I don't even know where to find them! Hilarious.

 

[Sjs1234]

Okay so is this list besides the EK Orgo places as second good?


I'm still confused with the EK 1001 series...

So 1001 are passages for the Sciences, while the regular EK books are just reviews and some questions. However, for verbal, they have 101 instead of 1001, right?

Is there such thing as EK Bio 101? Or EK Verbal 1001?

Where can I buy the BR books?

Is the Nova physics part of BR or is that a totally different company?

Thanks for the help, as I am completely confused at this point. There are so many different books, and I don't even know which ones are the best for each section. And if I do know which ones are the best, I don't even know where to find them! Hilarious.

Yeah its a bit confusing, the 1001 is for Bio and its just practice questions/passages. While the EK Bio is mostly content with some questions in it also, but its to strengthen knowledge of Bio.

No such thing has Bio 101 that i know, just EK Bio and EK Bio 1001. For Verbal, its EK Verbal (verbal concepts and strategies) and EK Verbal 101 (there's no 1001, but the 101 is just practice like the Bio 1001).

You can buy BR books from here:

http://www.berkeley-review.com/TBR/home-study.html

You must print out an order form, fill it out, and mail it to them to buy the books. There is no online ordering for them.

Nova is a different company, not related to BR.

hope that helps

 

[SnYpaJY]

Sjs1234, thank you SOOOOO much.

Have you seen the EK Verbal/ Math book? I saw it at Borders but is that the same as the EK Verbal that everyone is talking about?

Do you know where the EK books are individually and as a package sold?

What does CBT stand for?

Are the Full Length CBT that Berkeley Review sells on that website recommended to buy? Are they online tests or paper tests?

I know the best Full Length tests are AAMC tests 3-10 that they sell online, but are all of them computerized tests? (AAMC Test 3 is free and that one is computerized, so I guess the rest are the same format)

Are there any other Full Length or practice questions that the AAMC sell?

What are the best Full Length practice tests that you guys recommend or know of? (I prefer computer based because the real MCAT is, but if you could tell me the name and what type (computerized or paper) of any that you know, I would really appreciate it.


You guys are amazing, I don't know what I would do without this resource.

 

[Isoprop]

Except for bio, none of the 1001 series have passages in them. Only questions.

EK Biology - text with a few practice passages/questions
EK 1001 Biology - purely passages/questions

EK Chem - text with a few passages/questions
EK 1001 Chem - purely practice questions, no passages

EK Physics - text with a few passages/questions
EK 1001 Physics - purely practice questions, no passages

EK OChem - text with a few passages/questions
EK 1001 OChem - purely practice questions, no passages

EK 101 Verbal - bunch of verbal passages

EK Verbal/Math - small book with verbal and math strategies/hints with not practice

 

[Isoprop]

Have you seen the EK Verbal/ Math book? I saw it at Borders but is that the same as the EK Verbal that everyone is talking about?

No. People are usually talking about the 101 book.

Do you know where the EK books are individually and as a package sold?

Amazon or your local bookstore.

What does CBT stand for?

Computer based test - it means the test is on the computer and not on paper.

Are the Full Length CBT that Berkeley Review sells on that website recommended to buy? Are they online tests or paper tests?

Don't know, someone else can answer this.

I know the best Full Length tests are AAMC tests 3-10 that they sell online, but are all of them computerized tests? (AAMC Test 3 is free and that one is computerized, so I guess the rest are the same format)

Yes, they are all "computerized"

Are there any other Full Length or practice questions that the AAMC sell?

There is an official guide that AAMC sells. It has practice passages and questions as well as other information. I'm not sure if it's worth it or not.

What are the best Full Length practice tests that you guys recommend or know of? (I prefer computer based because the real MCAT is, but if you could tell me the name and what type (computerized or paper) of any that you know, I would really appreciate it.

I think people will say either TBR or Gold Standard (from a poll). Personally, I liked TPR and Kaplan. I didn't like GS. I never used TBR. Opinions vary.

 

[SnYpaJY]

Iso, those are the only EK books available?


I just realized CBT stands for Comuter Based Test LOL

Do you guys recommend this: Cracking the MCAT CBT, 2nd Edition http://www.randomhouse.com/princetonreview/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375765971

I'm guessing theres more princeton books, but this is the only one I found that contains everything.

What is this? :MCAT Workout, http://www.randomhouse.com/princetonreview/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375766312

What do you and others think about that book?

 

[Isoprop]

Those books are not as good as TPR's Hyperlearning books. They're not as comprehensive, and the practice is not as good. I would only use them if you exhausted other sources.

The same goes for Kaplan's "shelf" books (the ones you find at the bookstore).

 

[SnYpaJY]

Is this the one and only NOVA book that everyone talks about for Physics?
http://www.amazon.com/MCAT-Physics-Book-Garrett-Biehle/dp/1889057339

Are there other Nova books for other sections of the MCAT?

Okay so stay away from Princeton Review and Kaplan unless it's PR hyperlearning. THANKS!

 

[Isoprop]

Is this the one and only NOVA book that everyone talks about for Physics?
http://www.amazon.com/MCAT-Physics-Book-Garrett-Biehle/dp/1889057339

Yes.

Are there other Nova books for other sections of the MCAT?

Yes but I have no experience with them. I believe others recommend against them.

Okay so stay away from Princeton Review and Kaplan unless it's PR hyperlearning. THANKS!

Yes, that's my opinion. I don't think others will disagree. (Then again, I tend to disagree with some of the popular study methods and resources on this board.)

I suggest you wait a while for others to chime in before making purchases so you get a better idea of what the consensus is (or do a search).

 

[SnYpaJY]

Okay, just to make I sure I know what I want, I have put down a list of the books in order their poll ranking.

Verbal
EK Verbal 101- http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261778604&sr=1-2
EK Verbal- Could not find link, can someone please help me (Based off of Iso this book does not exist, right?)
BR Verbal- http://www.berkeley-review.com/TBR/home-study.html
PR Verbal- Can someone help me with this

Bio
EK Bio- http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-...f=sr_1_1ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261778724&sr=1-1
EK Bio 1001 Passages- http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261778724&sr=1-2
BR Bio- http://www.berkeley-review.com/TBR/home-study.html
PR Bio- Can someone help me with this



Physics
BR Physics- http://www.berkeley-review.com/TBR/home-study.html
Nova -http://www.amazon.com/MCAT-Physics-Book-Garrett-Biehle/dp/1889057339
PR Physics- Can someone help me with this
EK Physics- http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-...=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261779504&sr=1-6
EK Physics 1001- http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-...=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261779504&sr=1-9

Gen Chem
BR Gen Chem- http://www.berkeley-review.com/TBR/home-study.html
PR Gen Chem- Can someone help me with this
EK GChem- http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261779348&sr=1-3
EK GChem 1001- http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-...=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261779348&sr=1-7


OChem
BR Ochem- http://www.berkeley-review.com/TBR/home-study.html
PR- Can someone help me with this
EK Ochem- http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261778724&sr=1-3
EK OChem 1001- http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-...=sr_1_4 ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261779240&sr=1-4



Okay so for the PR's, I'm guessing I 'll have to find the hyperlearning ones. But to make this list complete, can I just put the Princeton Review, Cracking the MCAT CBT, 2nd Edition http://www.randomhouse.com/princeton...=9780375765971 for each PR?

Please let me know if any of the links are wrong for the respective book

Again, thanks a lot for all the help Iso and Sjs

 

[SnYpaJY]

Yes, that's my opinion. I don't think others will disagree. (Then again, I tend to disagree with some of the popular study methods and resources on this board.)

I suggest you wait a while for others to chime in before making purchases so you get a better idea of what the consensus is (or do a search).

I'm gonna wait for SN2ed to come back, it's Christmas, so I guess a lot of people aren't on the forums.

BUT I'm glad I got a lot of my questions answered today. I can always change the list order, but I needed to know where and how to buy the books first!