TBR Physics: Drowning in Formulas Galore, Halp

[HaverfordSquirrel]

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Hello SDN users!

I'm attempting to learn MCAT Physics on my own with a year of high school physics under my belt (eh, not much---I know). I purchased TBR and TPR, but I have yet to crack open TPR because I'm so OVERWHELMED by all the formulas in the TBR chapters.
The book is literally like, "Since A goes to B, then A is C (see equation 1). You can then derive B by combining A and C (see equation 2). But then think about D; with D in mind, C can be derived by E, too (see equation 3)" in every. Single. Page.

1) I need help sorting out the MUST-KNOW formulas for the MCAT. For example, I'm at a point when I'm wondering whether I need to memorize 2 equations if one derives from another.
2) Is it worth going through the long Khan Academy videos if I'm learning MCAT physics on my own? If not, what would you recommend as MUST-TRY study resources?

Thanks.

 

[kamakazi5]

I like using Khan Academy because actually having someone work out the problems start to finish is much easier for me to understand. I have always had trouble with math in general. For whatever reason the moment I start seeing equations and deriving answers from using multiple equations, my mind seems to lock up and I get extremely frustrated.

You are right about the books because I use Examkrackers and it is the exact same thing. The moment they start adding in their, "but don't forget about..." and it's something apparently very simple that makes no sense regardless of how many times I read it, I just want to chunk my book. Khan Academy does this occasionally but not nearly as often since they are actively working out most everything from start to finish.

 

[osckey]

Wrote a big helpful post, read your post, then deleted my reply. High school physics?

You won't understand what's going on unless you take your college prereqs. Relax. It seems like you're studying wwwwwwaaaaaayyyyyy in advance for the MCAT. Best study you can do at the moment is learn as much as you can in your prereqs.

 

[HaverfordSquirrel]

Wrote a big helpful post, read your post, then deleted my reply. High school physics?

You won't understand what's going on unless you take your college prereqs. Relax. It seems like you're studying wwwwwwaaaaaayyyyyy in advance for the MCAT. Best study you can do at the moment is learn as much as you can in your prereqs.

@osckey

Hey hey hey, I am taking physics this fall, but I've read that people learn mcat physics on their own in order to take the MCAT on time for the next app cycle. Lots of people, including me, focused on taking bio, chem, calc, psych etc and left the physics the last prereq to complete. It would be too late to wait after I complete a year of physics.

 

[wuhsabee]

@osckey

Hey hey hey, I am taking physics this fall, but I've read that people learn mcat physics on their own in order to take the MCAT on time for the next app cycle. Lots of people, including me, focused on taking bio, chem, calc, psych etc and left the physics the last prereq to complete. It would be too late to wait after I complete a year of physics.

I think he thinks you're still in high school.

 

[osckey]

I think he thinks you're still in high school.

I thought OP was a concerned freshman.

 

[Avicenna]

MCAT PS was a joke, dont even look at TBR bc its pointless and scares you. AAMC waters down the physics so much you prob wont need a formula for any of the questions. I thought it would be my worst section bc i didnt memorize any formulas and ended up with 130. I felt overwhelmed studying for PS though lol so much wierd **** like fluids, waves, motion etc I dont even remember bahaha

Edit: bio and psych are the real deal though dont skimp on those two

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Wrote a big helpful post, read your post, then deleted my reply. High school physics?

You won't understand what's going on unless you take your college prereqs. Relax. It seems like you're studying wwwwwwaaaaaayyyyyy in advance for the MCAT. Best study you can do at the moment is learn as much as you can in your prereqs.

Have to disagree with this. My physics series was so useless, I pretty much taught myself physics using the TPR physics review text. I wish I had used it during my actual physics classes actually.

 

[Dr. Jan Itor]

Are you using the old TBR for physics? If so, stop because a lot of content is no longer needed. The 2015 tests physics in relation to biological systems, so you're probably not going to have the "if you throw a ball into the air..." or "calculate the impulse of..."

There are very few equations that you actually need: Bernoulli's, mirror length, doppler effect, and such. If you can quickly derive an equation, you don't have to memorize it.

Of course, you probably want to wait until you actually have physics to start studying for the MCAT.

 

[777958]

I went through all the chapters in the TBR physics and I felt like the shortcut tips, especially for calculation were really helpful in learning to do problems in physics quickly. You don't have to memorize all the formulas, but you might want to be familiar with the concepts. For example: Ohm's law is pretty important to know. For ohm's law, V=IR. Rather than memorizing this, it will be more helpful for you to know that as voltage increases, current increases provided resistance is the unchanged. Also, as resistance is increased, current decreases, provided voltage remains the same.

 

[MaxPlancker]

MCAT PS was a joke, dont even look at TBR bc its pointless and scares you. AAMC waters down the physics so much you prob wont need a formula for any of the questions. I thought it would be my worst section bc i didnt memorize any formulas and ended up with 130. I felt overwhelmed studying for PS though lol so much wierd **** like fluids, waves, motion etc I dont even remember bahaha

Edit: bio and psych are the real deal though dont skimp on those two

The content on each exam date and within each date can vary. Just because yours was easy for whatever reason, whether it was hitting the content you knew or you're a genius, does not mean it is an easy section.

OP, it is indeed very beneficial, if not necessary, to know most of the formulas if you're shooting for consistent high scores. While it may not seem necessary from one exam to the next, you cannot predict what will be on your actual exam. To give you an idea of how much the section can vary, my exam had a passage regarding fluids and waves and without knowing the formulas, you'd lose quite a few "easy" questions. The physics questions are very manageable if you know all the formulas and how to apply them.

That being said, go through TPR first. The TBR series go in more depth and have harder questions than any other book series. TBR is the last resource you should go through unless you have a very solid understanding of the subject. Personally, TBR was a good fit for me because I was really, really good with physics coming out of high school but I still found certain questions and answers very picky and uncharacteristic of the real exam. Really, to determine whether TBR is a good fit, just see if you can get through a chapter at a good pace; if you get overwhelmed or scared, your grasp of the content is likely not at the level you deem it to be or the level required before hitting TBR efficiently. I would recommend TPR first based on your experience.

Lastly, while some of the old physics concepts have been "retired", the number of concepts that have been taken out is not as much as you may imagine from what people tell you.

 

[neekzg]

The content on each exam date and within each date can vary. Just because yours was easy for whatever reason, whether it was hitting the content you knew or you're a genius, does not mean it is an easy section.

OP, it is indeed very beneficial, if not necessary, to know most of the formulas if you're shooting for consistent high scores. While it may not seem necessary from one exam to the next, you cannot predict what will be on your actual exam. To give you an idea of how much the section can vary, my exam had a passage regarding fluids and waves and without knowing the formulas, you'd lose quite a few "easy" questions. The physics questions are very manageable if you know all the formulas and how to apply them.

That being said, go through TPR first. The TBR series go in more depth and have harder questions than any other book series. TBR is the last resource you should go through unless you have a very solid understanding of the subject. Personally, TBR was a good fit for me because I was really, really good with physics coming out of high school but I still found certain questions and answers very picky and uncharacteristic of the real exam. Really, to determine whether TBR is a good fit, just see if you can get through a chapter at a good pace; if you get overwhelmed or scared, your grasp of the content is likely not at the level you deem it to be or the level required before hitting TBR efficiently. I would recommend TPR first based on your experience.

Lastly, while some of the old physics concepts have been "retired", the number of concepts that have been taken out is not as much as you may imagine from what people tell you.

agreed on all points. you should expect that anything can show up on your test, and while studying seek to make sure you don't have any weaknesses going into test day.

I would also recommend TPR first for someone who needs a refresher or doesn't have a strong physics background. In general, TBR is super comprehensive and in-depth (for some sections likely overkill) so I would say it's a poor starting material if you're learning physics on your own.

 

[Avicenna]

or you're a genius

Probably this one. I am in fact a genius