Pre-review for MCAT (non-trad). AP Books?

[MBHockey]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I am switching career paths from mechanical engineering to medicine. I am going to take my remaining pre-reqs next academic year and also prepare for the MCAT which I plan to take in April or May of 2009. I'd like to start reviewing material now, since I've got some time.

Are AP review books (and even some of the textbooks we used) for Chemistry (inorganic), Physics, and Bio good resources of consolidated information?

I took those classes in high school (i'm only one year out of college) and I still have these books. I guess it can't hurt, but is the MCAT material much harder than what is presented in these books (generally speaking)?

And also -- is the physics section on the MCAT calc based?

Thanks

 

[SN2ed]

Personally, I would stick with getting the best MCAT prep books. I don't really see a point in also getting AP books. Just get the MCAT specific books and read up. MCAT specific books should be more representative of the material you're likely to face. However, I'd save the problems in the MCAT books until you're closer to the test. If you already have the AP books, I guess it won't hurt to look through them.

No, the physics section is not calculus based.

 

[MBHockey]

Personally, I would stick with getting the best MCAT prep books. I don't really see a point in also getting AP books. Just get the MCAT specific books and read up. MCAT specific books should be more representative of the material you're likely to face. However, I'd save the problems in the MCAT books until you're closer to the test. If you already have the AP books, I guess it won't hurt to look through them.

No, the physics section is not calculus based.

Yeah that's the thing -- I don't want to go through the questions beforehand on the MCAT books because I don't want to be familiar with them when I actually study for the exam. Are there some MCAT books that are better suited for a general review of the material, and then others that are better for getting prepped to take the exam? If so, i'll go out and get the former.

thanks

 

[seraph524]

In my opinion, the MCAT is little more than a consolidated exam covering AP physics B, chemistry, biology, and college organic chemistry. Throw in godawful verbal from the SATs and you have the MCAT.

I personally used my old AP books to study for the MCAT.

As a side note, anybody realize that Kaplan and Princeton review's MCAT study guides are simply their AP books published as a single book? Way to rip students off.

 

[paranoid_eyes]

you COULD use the AP books for content review (although AP is probably more than you need to know) but definitely get a MCAT prep book for practice passages and tests

 

[MBHockey]

you COULD use the AP books for content review (although AP is probably more than you need to know) but definitely get a MCAT prep book for practice passages and tests

Yeah I definitely will when i get closer to the test. The reason I'm asking is I'm going to be in California for three weeks in July and wanted to bring some books to get re-familiarized with the actual content covered on the exam. I'll be studying the MCAT specific stuff closer to January.