TPR too complicated?

[someone9820]

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Does anyone else feel like the TPR set is sorta overly wordy? To me it feels like so much of what they're trying to say could be achieved through simpler and easier to understand language. Does anyone have suggestions for books that have better explanations of concepts? I am particularly referring to TPR Physics as well as Organic chemistry. I think P/S is awesome, I just don't think some of their other books suit me as well.

 

[LonelyBoi]

I found the Kaplan set to be much more concise

 

[Zenabi90]

Kaplan/EK would be the next step if you want more concise than TPR.

 

[PapaGuava]

I thought the Physics for Kaplan went a little too far, but if you have access to one of the resources you could give it a shot.

 

[Zenabi90]

An alternate way of thinking:

I want to make sure you're looking for something more concise, and not just looking for a better explanation.

Personally, I "test-drove" EK, Kaplan, TPR, and TBR before settling on TBR. Yes they are thick, yes they are wordy, but I was able to understand concepts very well with only one pass, whereas in some of the other review books, I found myself wanting more examples or alternate explanations. TBR just worked best for me. And if I already knew the concept, I just skipped most of the explanations and went straight to practice Qs.

If you know someone with the TBR books, try asking if you can take a peak at specific concepts to see if it vibes with you better. In my case, it was better to do it thoroughly once than less thorough multiple times.

 

[PlsLetMeIn21]

I second the TBR suggestion for physics and organic. I found it helpful to learn by doing rather than trying to memorize facts in my head. Their examples resonated with me and I enjoyed their shortcuts. I also test drove the exact same materials above and chose the one (TBR) that suited me best. Your mileage may vary.

Zanabi90's comment about doing it once thoroughly is exactly what I needed. TBR books are lengthy, but not wordy. Most of the words are questions and answer explanations.

I want to thank you Zenabi90, because you more than anyone else at Reddit or SDN inspired me and gave me the best advice. Your suggestions helped me get a 132, 132, and 130 on the non-CARS sections. I'm praying my lousy CARS gets overlooked or forgiven by at least one school.

 

[someone9820]

I've been doing some research and everyone on here says that TBR is the way to go if you want to get a 520+. Are there any cons to TBR? I'm looking for a book that explains concisely and well (not too overcomplicated, just lays out everything I need to know. I'd rather have someone tell me that 5+5=10 instead of 5 plus 8 minus 9 plus 6 is 10) . I also want something that will cover everything that the MCAT will test me on. I guess that fits TBR's description (unless someone wants to correct me lol). I did some test driving with Kaplan, I did like their explanations but TBR just seems to have such stellar reviews so I feel like I'm being a slacker by not buying them almost :') I am a poor college student so I am unable to buy books from multiple companies but I threw up an ad on here asking if anyone has used TBR books to sell.

 

[Future_Bone_Docta]

Does anyone else feel like the TPR set is sorta overly wordy? To me it feels like so much of what they're trying to say could be achieved through simpler and easier to understand language. Does anyone have suggestions for books that have better explanations of concepts? I am particularly referring to TPR Physics as well as Organic chemistry. I think P/S is awesome, I just don't think some of their other books suit me as well.

I have both sets of books, the Kaplan and the TPR. I actually preferred TPR over Kaplan for a couple reasons. Kaplan was definitley easier to read, and was less intimidating at first look(TPR is single spaces, wordy at times). However I felt like kaplan had "holes" in the information that would leave me dumbfounded at times. However I suppose this could be due to my lack of a biochemistry background, and them expecting you just just know certain concepts prior to reading the book. All in all though I thought TPR did a much better job at explaining concepts thoroughly, and including every little detail needed to understand the concepts.

I cannot specifically refer to the C/P sections you are asking about yet though, I'll have to get back to you!

 

[Zenabi90]

I want to thank you Zenabi90, because you more than anyone else at Reddit or SDN inspired me and gave me the best advice. Your suggestions helped me get a 132, 132, and 130 on the non-CARS sections. I'm praying my lousy CARS gets overlooked or forgiven by at least one school.

I am grateful that I was able to have a positive impact. This forum was so helpful to me, and I am happy I was able to give back.

 

[Zenabi90]

I've been doing some research and everyone on here says that TBR is the way to go if you want to get a 520+. Are there any cons to TBR?

1. Please consider why you are aiming for a 520+. The road to 520+ is much harder than the road to 515+, so make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. Generally, GPA+MCAT get your foot in the door but won't get you that coveted II or the acceptance.

2. There are plenty of people who get a 520+ without using TBR. However, these are also the people who know themselves very well and know the material very well going into review, and also test very well. TBR is probably the most comprehensive resource out there short of actual textbooks, but because of that it's heavy, thick, and expensive. If you have the time and stamina to get through it all, then you'll have built yourself a very solid foundation for a 520+, but a resource I would like to bring up that doesn't get much mention is Khan Academy. The videos are pretty good, it seems fairly comprehensive, targets a different learning style (video vs book), and is free?

Caveat: I personally have never used Khan Academy because I read and understand faster than using videos (most of the time), but I have seen posts of people going solely with Khan Academy, QBanks, and FLs and scoring very high. I only bring it up because Khan Academy doesn't get much mention around here.