What would be the best for bio MCAT review in my case?

[Dayne]

Hi, I'm rewriting the MCAT this year. I just wanting to get some input into the study materials that I'll be using this summer.

Given that I've taken only first year bio (I'm an engineer) and 1 year of organic chem, which bio review book would be the best in my situation? The last time that I took the MCAT, I score a 10, 10, 10 (O) and I used only Kaplan books. This time around, I wanted to try other materials as well. But I don't know whether I should use EK, Princeton Review (Hyperlearning), etc.

For the other sections, I'm going to use the following:

physics: NOVA, Berkeley Review
chemistry: Berkeley Review
verbal: EK 101, Kaplan, Princeton

What do you guys think? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[wizenedone]

Hi, I'm rewriting the MCAT this year. I just wanting to get some input into the study materials that I'll be using this summer.

Given that I've taken only first year bio (I'm an engineer) and 1 year of organic chem, which bio review would be the best in my situation? The last time that I took the MCAT, I score a 10, 10, 10 (O) and I used only Kaplan books. This time around, I wanted to try other materials as well. But I don't know whether I should use EK, Princeton Review (Hyperlearning), etc.

For the other sections, I'm going to use the following:

physics: NOVA, Berkeley Review
chemistry: Berkeley Review
verbal: EK 101, Kaplan, Princeton

What do you guys think? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Why are you retaking a nice balanced 30? Low GPA?

 

[Dayne]

My GPA's 3.70 (3.95 BPCM). But I'm a Canadian applicant. I applied this year and ended up on a couple of waitlists at US schools. I thought the interviews went went well, but in the end, i think that my international status did me in. I think that my MCAT is good enough to get some interviews, but matriculating is at the school is a different matter.

Canadian schools won't even give me an interview mostly because my MCAT doesn't meet their strict cutoffs. At the the Canadian schools that don't weigh the MCAT that much, my GPA is considered too "low" compared to the usual mean entering class averages.

Anybody have any suggestion on which book(s) that I should use for my bio review?

 

[SN2ed]

Originally Posted by TheBoondocks
This question gets asked like every three days. In short, EK series are stripped down with the basics you need to know. Get EK bio, it is by far the best for bio, all the responses on SDN say this. Know this book cold. If you don't believe me, type in EK bio in the search function. Personally, you learn the best from passages, If you have time and the cash I highly suggest purchasing Berkeley Review Gen Chem and Ochem. There physics is good too, but with PR it may be redundant. You will thank me later. You'll probably want EK biology review and EK 101 biology passages and EK verbal 101. PR is good, however, if you want to kill the MCAT you have to be able to integrate material. That's what BR does better than anyone else. Like, be able to answer questions if you see the circulatory system wired in parallel series.

bio - 1. EK bio and 101 bio passages 2. Kaplan 3. PR/BR however, these don't suck, they're just detailed which turns off many people.

Physics 1. BR/Nova 2. PR 3. Kaplan I really think BR but they're are a lot of people who swear by Nova on this site

Verbal 1. Ek verbal and 101 passages 2. PR 3. BR 4. Kaplan (read stay from)

Gen Chem 1. BR by far 2. PR 3. Kaplan/EK

O Chem 1. BR by far 2. toss up between Kaplan/PR/Ek

That is a general list of what i have read on SDN for the past 4 years, i came here and lurked throughout highschool. Good luck and hopefully this will help. EK is for people who KNOW the material and want review. If you are weak in something BR is the best since it's the most detailed and PR is detailed too, Kaplan is in the Middle, and EK is the least detailed but that doesn't mean it's bad. Just depends on the person. If you can I would buy the BR Chemistry books and Physics book. If you complete the PR science workbook along with BR passages and EK bio, you will kill the sciences. Ek Verbal should help you out with verbal.

 

[Neurokiran]

Kaplan Review Book and Ek are the best for Biololgy Preparations.

 

[Emilysmile]

I took human Anatomy & Physiology one and two as a prereq for a paramedic course I wanted to take. I never expected that they would be helpful for the MCAT, but I found them to be EXTREMELY helpful....almost wondered why they aren't included as part of the standard "pre-med" curriculum. Oh, and I was a biology major so had a nice basis for bio anyway, but these two classes probably helped me more than any.