Hello!
Is there any word yet on when TBR will be releasing the 2015 MCAT books?
Thanks!
Is there any word yet on when TBR will be releasing the 2015 MCAT books?
Thanks!
TBR 2015 Question
- Thread starter KyleJames
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I emailed them a couple of weeks ago and this is what I was told in a nutshell:
1. PS and VR (CARS) are essentially the same, so they're not planning to update these books yet. The existing editions should be just fine
2. The Biology book was due to update, which is now available.
3. They are working on a new Psychology\Sociology book that they hoped to be ready in July.
4. Their CBT tests are revised to accommodate and represent the recent changes in MCAT.
1. PS and VR (CARS) are essentially the same, so they're not planning to update these books yet. The existing editions should be just fine
2. The Biology book was due to update, which is now available.
3. They are working on a new Psychology\Sociology book that they hoped to be ready in July.
4. Their CBT tests are revised to accommodate and represent the recent changes in MCAT.
I have another question, if you don't mind answering. I know the types of questions on the new mcat are different than the old questions. That being said, will using the old books' questions be okay, even with the changes in question type?
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I think a good portion of the current MCAT is basically some reshuffling of the previous MCAT. For subjects like Physics and G Chem, it's essentially the same.
Since it is the first year of the new MCAT, it's hard to say which set of books is a better representative of the real test. Even then, one set could be better at one topic and weaker at another (as it used to be the case for r the previous MCAT).
I'm currently studying from EK (2015), Kaplan (2015), TBR (2013), and some of NextStep books. I don't feel TBR books are outdated, they are somehow different than any other set and they've always been. TBR (and NextStep) books are more oriented towards testing techniques and learning by practice. Maybe that's why I think they're still well suited for the current MCAT.
Since it is the first year of the new MCAT, it's hard to say which set of books is a better representative of the real test. Even then, one set could be better at one topic and weaker at another (as it used to be the case for r the previous MCAT).
I'm currently studying from EK (2015), Kaplan (2015), TBR (2013), and some of NextStep books. I don't feel TBR books are outdated, they are somehow different than any other set and they've always been. TBR (and NextStep) books are more oriented towards testing techniques and learning by practice. Maybe that's why I think they're still well suited for the current MCAT.
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The changes are going to come out over the next few months. The text will be modified to match the AAMC list with a few extra "just in case" pages. For instance, pendulums are not listed as a topic and only spring energy is listed (under work and energy). But there still can be passages on these topics focusing on forces and energy. In organic chemistry, the sections are being re-sequenced so that book I will be pure organic chemistry (nearly pure) and book II will be biology-related organic chemistry. The physics and general chemistry books will have some sequence changes as well, but the text is so well written already that it won't change much. There will be some additions and subtractions, some editing, some incorporation of biology, but a good deal of that has been part of an ongoing project. Some of the content changes for 2015 have already been done.
Where the differences will be most notable is that several passages are being tossed out and replaced by ones with specific purposes. Sometimes that purpose is to incorporate more biochemistry or biology and other times it's to emphasize a new strategy. Every existing passage has been reviewed multiple times and questions have been removed, changed, edited, or substituted. The explanations will change a little, but overall we are very, very happy with those as they currently exist.
The new books will only be new for a while, as they will also get a facelift next year and the year after as well. The reality is that the MCAT is a moving target for at least three years, so the books will adapt accordingly.
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I have a regarding how to actually "study" from your biology books. Although I think all of your books are great, your bio books have a lot of details. Do you recommend that students look to actually memorize every single detail (i.e. all enzymes in glycolysis that are written in the book), or are these bits of info only present to support the understanding of the "main idea" of the associated topic?