TBR Physics

[sixpence]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I have the books with the blue cover, although I don't believe the content should have changed in the newer editions. Anyhow I feel like the material in the books doesn't cover all of the equations and concepts needed to answer the questions. Does anyone else feel this way too? Even in the gen chem books it didn't mention the delta H = m*c*deltaT equation but expected me to know it when doing the problems in the back? Are these things not in the book because it isn't required on the real mcat or what? I thought these books were supposed to be very thorough.

 

[J ROD]

I have the books with the blue cover, although I don't believe the content should have changed in the newer editions. Anyhow I feel like the material in the books doesn't cover all of the equations and concepts needed to answer the questions. Does anyone else feel this way too? Even in the gen chem books it didn't mention the delta H = m*c*deltaT equation but expected me to know it when doing the problems in the back? Are these things not in the book because it isn't required on the real mcat or what? I thought these books were supposed to be very thorough.

It is all in there for the most part. Some in the content and some in the practice passages.

Since you did not know the answer! I bet you remember it!! That is their idea. Scare the hell out of you so you get to work and really think..

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I have the books with the blue cover, although I don't believe the content should have changed in the newer editions. Anyhow I feel like the material in the books doesn't cover all of the equations and concepts needed to answer the questions. Does anyone else feel this way too? Even in the gen chem books it didn't mention the delta H = m*c*deltaT equation but expected me to know it when doing the problems in the back? Are these things not in the book because it isn't required on the real mcat or what? I thought these books were supposed to be very thorough.

Technically, it was in the book, because it was in the answer expanation. That's what makes the books both really good and frustrating. Not everything is in the review text, but if you do every question and every passage, then you'll cover everything and every equation. The answer explanations are superb and do a good deal of the review and teaching of test taking skills. This is the way the books are used to compliment the class. For home study, you need to do all of the passages to completely review the section.

 

[PRamos]

I have the books with the blue cover, although I don't believe the content should have changed in the newer editions. Anyhow I feel like the material in the books doesn't cover all of the equations and concepts needed to answer the questions. Does anyone else feel this way too? Even in the gen chem books it didn't mention the delta H = m*c*deltaT equation but expected me to know it when doing the problems in the back? Are these things not in the book because it isn't required on the real mcat or what? I thought these books were supposed to be very thorough.

I loved the BR books for this reason. They give you everything eventually, but make you work for it. What I like/liked the best is the short cut they give you in the explanations or the quick way to answer the questions conceptually. It may seem weird at first, but the books teach you how to answer multiple choice questions on the material, not necessarily the material. But when you think about it, learning to answer multiple choice questions is all that should matter when preparing for the MCAT. I love the books, but get how it could be frustrating if you're used to the typical textbook style.

 

[sixpence]

yeah this is actually really irritating since i have to review in another book to even attempt to understand the passages in tbr. the second half of physics in particular leaves out a bunch of stuff in the review sections. i'm doing every third question right now so that makes it even worse. maybe i should just be doing the questions and review entirely somewhere else?

 

[Malayna]

yeah this is actually really irritating since i have to review in another book to even attempt to understand the passages in tbr. the second half of physics in particular leaves out a bunch of stuff in the review sections. i'm doing every third question right now so that makes it even worse. maybe i should just be doing the questions and review entirely somewhere else?

Just my two cents here, but I think you are missing the big picture of MCAT review. It's not about reviewing and rereading material. It's about learning to take the exam, learning to make good choices quickly, learning to interpret what the questions are asking, and learning to think conceptually. That is what BR books (and class) did for me more than anything.

In the end, everything I needed to know for my MCAT was in the BR books and I learned to extract it and apply the minimum information to get the correct answer fast. I ended up with a 15 on PS after starting with a doubtful hope that I could break double digits. Their method works really well, and you need to stop wasting time reading other materials and focus on passages and questions.

And as for the equation you couldn't find in their general chemistry book, it was in mine (it's equation 8.10 on page 148 and sample questions 8.16, 8.20, and 8.22 are based on it.) Just work through the problems and read their explanations, and that will give you everything you need.

Good luck and don't let the mid-review blah get you down.