I've read that the Berkeley review is also great for the science portions, but it didn't adapt to the change to the MCAT.
I'm writing to apologize for that reputation while proudly being able to say that by the end of this month, that won't be a valid comment anymore.
BR did not print updated MCAT books in 2013 for the new 2015 MCAT like some companies. BR did not release practice passages for the 2015 MCAT in early 2014, before AAMC had released their practice exam. BR was late to the party in that sense. But there is a method to the madness that many BR-users have seen. It was essential to get feedback on the current exam before printing the best possible books for the current exam. This was a calculated business decision. Of all the companies selling materials today, only Kaplan and Berkeley Review were around for the major change in 1991. In fact, the founders of Berkeley Review are the only people in the entire industry who have been through both major MCAT changes. BR wrote their materials for that
new 1991 MCAT in 1992, after thoroughly understanding how the changes really went into effect. The same approach was taken this time as well.
BR knew it would hurt its reputation in the short term by not releasing books in 2014 or too early in 2015 (prematurely in their opinion), but that was the price to pay in order to have the best materials available starting in 2016. Many people who used the 2013 through 2014 BR materials for their 2015 exam did excellent and swear by them. The classroom course in 2015 used a mix of new books and older books with the absolutely most current lectures anywhere to get great results (through-the-roof scores in many cases). But there is no doubt the homestudy books have needed an update. Well, the update is one step closer to complete. With 2015 coming to a close, the general chemistry books have been updated (this should show on the website any day now) and only physics remains on the list to be released (sometime in February).
Personally, I'm looking forward to things getting back to normal. It has been frustrating how slow the updates have been, but I get the perfectionistic tendencies (OCD much?)! People at SDN often ask where to get passages based on experiments. They ask where to get more biochemistry incorporated into other sciences. The ask for a definitive list of what they need know for the exam. I feel really good that the new BR science books will address those needs.
