Which content review book for Bio?

[luckywong]

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I am follower of Sn2ed schedule. I have TPR, TBR, EK and Kaplan Bio books. I'm currently using EK bio books. But I feel like it is very concise for me. And i don't understand some of the stuffs as I don't recall most of the content from my college classes. I also read a few chapters from TBR book. I enjoy reading them and it gives me a solid understanding. But as everybody said, it contains a lot more detail than EK, I rarely remember everything from TBR and don't know which stuffs to memorize.

For Kaplan, I also like reading it. It's more simple writing than EK (in my opinion). I don't have any problems with understanding while I'm reading kaplan bio. But i'm worried that kaplan might lack what is important for mcat as it's too "simple" for me. Does anybody have any experience with using Kaplan Bio? is it enough if i use that one book only? Also i have TPR bio. A lot of people says TPR is in the middle between EK and TBR. I never read TPR bio before. As I've been wasted a lot of time trying out different books and having trouble choosing book, i'm very hesitate to touch a new book right this moment. Can someone please suggest me which books I should use??

 

[brood910]

EK is better than TPR imo. TPR has too much info.
However, it lacks some information necessary for you to understand the concepts.
Ex: how blood gets oxygenated/deoxygenated
If you have other books, then you can just use them as supplements for EK when you are uncertain about something.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

For Kaplan, I also like reading it. It's more simple writing than EK (in my opinion). I don't have any problems with understanding while I'm reading kaplan bio. But i'm worried that kaplan might lack what is important for mcat as it's too "simple" for me. Does anybody have any experience with using Kaplan Bio? is it enough if i use that one book only? Also i have TPR bio. A lot of people says TPR is in the middle between EK and TBR. I never read TPR bio before. As I've been wasted a lot of time trying out different books and having trouble choosing book, i'm very hesitate to touch a new book right this moment. Can someone please suggest me which books I should use??

No. Kaplan's books are their weakpoint and one of the reasons why they suffer so much disdain and animosity on SDN. TPR's bio book is very good.

Everyone likes TBR and TPR here so use them. I would only go with Kaplan if you have an account with them (ie. class access) so that you can use their online access.

EK bio is ideal if you are a bio major.

 

[jeghaber]

No. Kaplan's books are their weakpoint and one of the reasons why they suffer so much disdain and animosity on SDN. TPR's bio book is very good.

Everyone likes TBR and TPR here so use them. I would only go with Kaplan if you have an account with them (ie. class access) so that you can use their online access.

EK bio is ideal if you are a bio major.

I second the TPR biology book for content. I used TBR as a supplement for areas in which I felt I needed additional review (i.e. didn't cover it in my physiology course or something like that).

 

[luckywong]

EK is better than TPR imo. TPR has too much info.
However, it lacks some information necessary for you to understand the concepts.
Ex: how blood gets oxygenated/deoxygenated
If you have other books, then you can just use them as supplements for EK when you are uncertain about something.

First of all, thank you for your reply /advice. Do you mean TBR instead of TPR which has too much info and lack some info necessary?

 

[luckywong]

No. Kaplan's books are their weakpoint and one of the reasons why they suffer so much disdain and animosity on SDN. TPR's bio book is very good.

Everyone likes TBR and TPR here so use them. I would only go with Kaplan if you have an account with them (ie. class access) so that you can use their online access.

EK bio is ideal if you are a bio major.

I was a bio major but I forgot most of the stuffs. What are the weak points of TBR bio other than containing too much detail? I'm sorry for my confusion b/c I'm willing to change from EK to TBR. I feel like I don't "like" EK somehow, and the book left me "confused" after reading it. I do have access to kaplan online resources. Thanks for your advice. According to what you said, I eliminate Kalplan bio from my choices. But I'm still stressed out with choosing between TBR, TPR and EK. 🙁

 

[osprey099]

First of all, thank you for your reply /advice. Do you mean TBR instead of TPR which has too much info and lack some info necessary?

Use TPR bio if your goal is a 13 in BS. Use TBR Bio if your goal is 14 or 15.

 

[marcdagr8]

I used EK and googled anything that I wanted more background on. I specifically remember looking up mitosis/meiosis and cellular division.

 

[luckywong]

I used EK and googled anything that I wanted more background on. I specifically remember looking up mitosis/meiosis and cellular division.

I really appreciate for sharing your method!

 

[brood910]

First of all, thank you for your reply /advice. Do you mean TBR instead of TPR which has too much info and lack some info necessary?

No. TPR has a lot of information as well.
EK is very concise and straight to the point. But like I said, if you are not a bio major, you can use other books as supplements for EK.

 

[brood910]

Use TPR bio if your goal is a 13 in BS. Use TBR Bio if your goal is 14 or 15.

lol. That's not true at all.

 

[ucsdhopeful]

Skim TPR, than make it concise with EK. If you don't have a strong grasp on bio, EK is way too concise.

Youtube/google animations for any subject you feel iffy about. It helps a lot.

 

[Mehd School]

Any one of the four resources can net you a good score. Use the one you like best. Or, mix them.

I'm using Kaplan for content, tbr for passages and deep detail (when/if necessary) and EK for concise review to hammer it home.

 

[luckywong]

Skim TPR, than make it concise with EK. If you don't have a strong grasp on bio, EK is way too concise.

Youtube/google animations for any subject you feel iffy about. It helps a lot.

Thank you. 🙂 Yes, I guess I don't have a st. grasp on bio. That's why I feel EK is way too concise for me.

 

[luckywong]

Any one of the four resources can net you a good score. Use the one you like best. Or, mix them.

I'm using Kaplan for content, tbr for passages and deep detail (when/if necessary) and EK for concise review to hammer it home.

Anyone who use/used TBR bio without any other book like EK? b/c I feel like I've been taking a lot of time for bio by reading two books for each chapter. 🙁

 

[Mehd School]

Anyone who use/used TBR bio without any other book like EK? b/c I feel like I've been taking a lot of time for bio by reading two books for each chapter. 🙁

Listen.

There's no right answer for this. It all comes down to that you have to do what it takes to understand the material well enough that it translates into correct answers on test material. If that means going back to a text book or using only TBR, so be it. Don't lose sight of the big picture.

Experiment. Test yourself. Do whatever it takes to make sure you're "getting it". A perfect MCAT bio book doesn't exist, so you have to find the perfect mcat bio book for you.

Good luck man. 👍

 

[luckywong]

Listen.

There's no right answer for this. It all comes down to that you have to do what it takes to understand the material well enough that it translates into correct answers on test material. If that means going back to a text book or using only TBR, so be it. Don't lose sight of the big picture.

Experiment. Test yourself. Do whatever it takes to make sure you're "getting it". A perfect MCAT bio book doesn't exist, so you have to find the perfect mcat bio book for you.

I like what you said " there is no perfect mcat bio book". 🙂 Thanks a lot!!

 

[circulus vitios]

I've used TPR. I'm a non-bio major but TPR does a pretty good job at explaining things. There are only a few sections that suck: genetics (too sparse), biochemistry and cellular respiration (good but too detailed), and the menstruation cycle (confusing and poorly written.)

 

[Docility]

I've also had a pretty good experience with TPR Biology so far. 👍 However, it's been a while since I took introductory biology, so I supplement my content review with relevant videos online (i.e. Chad's videos, Courseera, etc.).

 

[luckywong]

I've also had a pretty good experience with TPR Biology so far. 👍 However, it's been a while since I took introductory biology, so I supplement my content review with relevant videos online (i.e. Chad's videos, Courseera, etc.).

Thank you. Seems like more people're using TPR. Me too. It's been a while since I took biology classes. Reviewing Bio takes me longer than other subjects. 🙁

 

[luckywong]

I've used TPR. I'm a non-bio major but TPR does a pretty good job at explaining things. There are only a few sections that suck: genetics (too sparse), biochemistry and cellular respiration (good but too detailed), and the menstruation cycle (confusing and poorly written.)

Appreciate for sharing your experience with TPR. Did you take a real test already?

 

[dudewheresmymd]

I've found that a mixture of EK/TBR works best. Use EK for those topics which you already know well and don't need very much review. Use TBR for those topics which you a) never took a class on and b) really would like to spend half the day-a full day getting to know 🙂 TBR is very dense and probably exhibits diminishing marginal returns...if you are close to your test date use EK to make sure you have the basics down then supplement with TBR as needed. Good luck.

Also, don't believe a particular company will guarantee a particular score I have friends who used EK and got a 14-15 on bio and I also have friends who used TBR and got 10-12 on bio. Milage WILL vary. So use whichever books will complement your starting foundation the best.

 

[faith hopelove]

I started off with the EK but I did not like their book so I moved on to TBR. TBR has wayyyyy tooo much information and it takes too much time to read through it. I am now using TPR and it's the best book in my opinion. Not too much info and not too little...as goldilocks would say, "It was justt rightt!"
But I agree with the other person who said that if you need more information to supplement with TBR but I use youtube videos to help me really understand the bio material and it's doing me great justice! Just go for which ever works best of you...Good Luck.