Which 2015 MCAT book set is better for learning from scratch? Kaplan or TPR..

[futureMD4294]

I have access to the Kaplan in person course that comes with all the resources, but I was wondering whether I should read TPR books instead of the ones given with my course. I will also be finishing off with EK books before taking full length AAMC practice tests.

Any help would be great

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[Atom612]

What do you mean learning from scratch? As in, you've never taken any of the courses before and want to learn on your own? None of the MCAT prep books are designed for that, they're meant for a review of what you've already learned during undergrad with emphasis on high-yield areas and test taking strategies.

 

[coffeeandcodeine]

IMO, TPR is great for learning 'from scratch,' just because the coverage of the material is so in-depth. I hadn't taken courses on a few of the important subjects for the MCAT (biochem, psych/soc, etc) and TPR prepared me very well. However, Kaplan is also a great resource, just slightly less detailed. You could achieve a great score with either set, providing you have good study habits, but if you prefer to feel extremely knowledgable about the minutiae of the material, I would go with TPR. For reference, I scored >95th percentile in every section using TPR.

 

[futureMD4294]

What do you mean learning from scratch? As in, you've never taken any of the courses before and want to learn on your own? None of the MCAT prep books are designed for that, they're meant for a review of what you've already learned during undergrad with emphasis on high-yield areas and test taking strategies.

NO, i have took them all, including Cell Bio and Genetics, but I do not remember enough of each course. I wanted to obtain the most amount of detail the first time I go over content. Cant seem to make up my mind between TPR and Kaplan

 

[mock94]

NO, i have took them all, including Cell Bio and Genetics, but I do not remember enough of each course. I wanted to obtain the most amount of detail the first time I go over content. Cant seem to make up my mind between TPR and Kaplan

Kaplan+Khan academy videos for things you're especially shaky on would help. For the record, I did not take the MCAT yet but am currently studying for it. This is the advice I was given by others and I'm in a similar situation as you.

 

[psu228]

I prefer TPR for a couple reasons. IMO, Kaplan sometimes includes superfluous info in their study guides. I also have read and personally found the Kaplan practice exams to be very different from the AAMC practice exams, which are reportedly the closest to the real thing.

TPRs practice exams were much more similar to AAMCs so I think you get better exposure that way. Additionally, TPR just gives you what you NEED to know. The Kaplan books read like a book, similar in a lot of ways to textbooks you probably had for these classes. TPR is just a nots and bolts breakdown of the importance stuff.

 

[Atom612]

NO, i have took them all, including Cell Bio and Genetics, but I do not remember enough of each course. I wanted to obtain the most amount of detail the first time I go over content. Cant seem to make up my mind between TPR and Kaplan

Haven't had experience with Kaplan for the new MCAT, only TPR, and I found it quite thorough and helpful.

 

[kabdollakyzy]

I have access to the Kaplan in person course that comes with all the resources, but I was wondering whether I should read TPR books instead of the ones given with my course. I will also be finishing off with EK books before taking full length AAMC practice tests.

Any help would be great

I recommend the Kaplan books for MCAT2015. The detail of material was great in that I never had taken psych or sociology or biochemistry to genetics etc etc and the books helped me get up to speed on the material for those topics and (almost) ace those sections! So yes drop the $150 or so for that book set and get to reading!

 

[cranialLOOP]

TPR and TBR are unquestionably the most exhaustive resources!

However, I really do think this will be a waste of your time. Content Review does not seem to be the most important key to success here.

There are only so many questions that they can ask you about the same material and experimental methods. Unfortunately, there are infinite graphs, results, and humanities passages that they can throw at you so tactics and critical analysis skills really come in handy after solid practice!

except for the psych section. Hit that bad boy with some TPR...