What is the best BIOLOGY MCAT book ??

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I know a textbook is the best but since MCAT is passage based with experiment/graph type stuff

Which book is the best ?


I heard good things about this one - http://www.amazon.com/Biology-Review-Graduate-School-Preparation/dp/0375427929

You're going to hear a lot about what book is good and the truth is they all have their strengths and weaknesses. For my learning style, I prefer everything Exam Krackers. I did horrible on my first attempt at the MCAT bio section but raised my score by 4 points in 2 weeks of half assed studying, so I really like their materials for not only Bio but everything else. I only use the other companies stuff for reference if I don't feel like I understand the EK explanations which isn't very common. Also, a course textbook is not good for MCAT prep. There is simply WAY too much info in them and you're likely to get caught up on things that aren't going to be on the MCAT by using one. Also, test prep books share insights specifically about the MCAT. The goal at this point is to score as high as possible...who really cares how thorough an understanding you have of a subject, you just need to know enough to do well on the MCAT.
 
Currently, EK is still tops for a non-detailed content review. TPRH is considered the best for a more thorough content review. For passages, TPRH and BR are the preferred options.
 
Currently, EK is still tops for a non-detailed content review. TPRH is considered the best for a more thorough content review. For passages, TPRH and BR are the preferred options.

isn't that the big white book ? yeah i purchased it, but i think it only has like 15 bio passages
 
I used EK for all my MCAT studying (probably shouldnt have). For Biology I wouldn't recommend EK. EK provides general information but does not go into quite enough detail to prepare you sufficiently for the MCAT. Use TPR of Berkley, they always seem to be popular.
 
THE PRINCETON REVIEW BIOLOGY. ITS THE BEST! trust me i have tried all out there, EK, TBR, Kaplan. but The princeton review is the best.
 
I used EK and my biology scores are probably more average because of it (~10). I am not a bio major, so I wish I could go back in time and use something more detailed.
 
I used EK for all my MCAT studying (probably shouldnt have). For Biology I wouldn't recommend EK. EK provides general information but does not go into quite enough detail to prepare you sufficiently for the MCAT. Use TPR of Berkley, they always seem to be popular.

aren't those 2 different things. is that a typo?
 
I've only used TPR but I liked it and I've heard it's the best. EK is too brief and TBR is like reading a textbook. TPR does have its flaws, though: cellular respiration section is too in depth, genetics section sucks, and the section on pregnancy hormones is confusing.
 
I read ek twice

And tpr 2 times and a few chapters of tbr

Tpr is definitely the winner

You can read ek quickly and download the ek bio notes floating around on the forum here

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Read TPR first to learn everything, then EK after to learn high yield topics.
 
Trust me on this. Read TPR.

I had both TPR and EK bio. The first time I read TPR, it made little sense to me. It seemed too convoluted so I just powered through it and put it away. I was so dismayed that I stopped studying bio for a good week. Than I tried EK Bio and it was too concise to make much sense, so I picked up TPR the second time. This time, it made so much more sense to me. I finished it again, and loved it this time. By the third time I read it, everything was cemented and now bio seemed much easier to me, which just a couple weeks ago was my weakest subject.

Don't get concerned if TPR seems too much to handle the first read-through. Keep with it and you'll enjoy it.
 
Trust me on this. Read TPR.

I had both TPR and EK bio. The first time I read TPR, it made little sense to me. It seemed too convoluted so I just powered through it and put it away. I was so dismayed that I stopped studying bio for a good week. Than I tried EK Bio and it was too concise to make much sense, so I picked up TPR the second time. This time, it made so much more sense to me. I finished it again, and loved it this time. By the third time I read it, everything was cemented and now bio seemed much easier to me, which just a couple weeks ago was my weakest subject.

Don't get concerned if TPR seems too much to handle the first read-through. Keep with it and you'll enjoy it.


Last summer i read EK and it was 👎
But this time I read TPR and i loved it. Im starting to read it the second time starting today and i enjoy every page of it 👍
 
EK is awful unless you have a very strong bio background. Even if you do, the reproductive and genetics sections are not going to prepare you if you get a tricky passage. People say TPR is a good middle ground between ek and BR, but I actually thought BR was very good for content (just don't try to memorize), and it has a ton of experimental passages.
 
EK is awful unless you have a very strong bio background. Even if you do, the reproductive and genetics sections are not going to prepare you if you get a tricky passage. People say TPR is a good middle ground between ek and BR, but I actually thought BR was very good for content (just don't try to memorize), and it has a ton of experimental passages.

EK is fine on physio. If you're counting on it for genetics/biochem/molecular bio then yeah, you're gonna have a real bad time.
 
I bought TBR and worked through the problems, but didn't find them all that helpful to be honest. Too many of the questions seemed to be a contrived difficulty, which got to be pretty maddening. I remember reading somewhere on here that EK was the go-to Bio book, and I decided to stick with that. I read it three times and felt prepared during test day. In fact, funny story -- there was an odd bit of bio trivia they threw in the EK book about three times in seemingly random sections. After reading it for about the 7th time, I remember wondering why they kept going out of their way to mention it. Naturally, that exact bit of trivia was a discrete on my MCAT. I would've been suckered into a trap answer had it not been for the EK book. YMMV, of course.

As a side note, I also felt it to be very beneficial to read through actual journal articles. The rationale being that, based upon feedback from recent test takers (as well as my own experience), the MCAT BS is trending towards more in-depth experimental passages that require comprehension of dense, unclear passages and interpretation of data. IMO, there isn't much better way to prepare for this than sifting through the dense, unclear material that comprises your typical journal article. Look up acronyms and words you've never seen before. Try to understand the author's methods, and try to interpret the results for yourself -- especially any graphs. Yeah, it's hard and time-consuming (think hours), but, for me at least, it was time well spent and paid dividends in the end.
 
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