which organic chemistry book?

[echoyjeff222]

I was planning on using TBR for organic chemistry, but I've been seeing comments that it's too detailed. I literally just finished a whole year of organic chemistry just a week ago and I feel pretty confident with all the material (and i'm starting to study for the MCAT now). Should I use TBR or should I try to get something else for my situation? Thanks!

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[Alucard6]

I was planning on using TBR for organic chemistry, but I've been seeing comments that it's too detailed. I literally just finished a whole year of organic chemistry just a week ago and I feel pretty confident with all the material (and i'm starting to study for the MCAT now). Should I use TBR or should I try to get something else for my situation? Thanks!.

If you like videos, Chad's videos do a great job with Organic Chemistry as well as Gen. Chem. I have not really found a book that covers the material well, and personally I think videos are best for Orgo because you have to visually see how things are drawn and how they interact to get the true picture.

 

[echoyjeff222]

Yeah, I was actually considering Chad's, but I don't know if pure videos is also good, either. Is there a "lighter" book that I can use for orgo, haha? Not something super dense, but one that still gets the point across? I heard TPRH might be good?

 

[Alucard6]

Yeah, I was actually considering Chad's, but I don't know if pure videos is also good, either. Is there a "lighter" book that I can use for orgo, haha? Not something super dense, but one that still gets the point across? I heard TPRH might be good?

Sorry I am not too certain on that, I wish I could help. But I am sure somebody else will see this and help out!

 

[jebelali]

Maybe Examkrackers?

 

[clairephillips]

It's been 13years since I took O Chem. I highly recommend TPRH and Organic Chemistry as a Second Language coupled with Chad's videos. I truly feel like I understand with this combination. OCSL might be overkill for you with your strong background though, but TPRH and Chad's together is awesome.

 

[JazD]

For Content Chads videos are great. I think ExamKrackers are good if you've already seen the stuff before..but BR is the Holy Grail for passages.. So I would still recommend getting the BR books anyway. It was a bit too in depth for me and it was overwhelming for content review but the passage tests are golden and I doubt if you would find that kind of practice elsewhere other than your aamc's.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I was planning on using TBR for organic chemistry, but I've been seeing comments that it's too detailed. I literally just finished a whole year of organic chemistry just a week ago and I feel pretty confident with all the material (and i'm starting to study for the MCAT now). Should I use TBR or should I try to get something else for my situation? Thanks!.

The mood at this site ebbs and flows and right now it seems like the mood is to cover as little as possible and take the MCAT. In time the mentality will move to a do everything you can to get ready one, like it was about a year and a half ago. The best way to prepare, as I've seen over many years of doing this, is to review enough to have good recall and learn some strategies, but then to attack passages and questions and thoroughly analyze your answers when reviewing the solutions. I read some of the comments you mentioned about "detailed material" and notice these posts are often from people who gave up after chapter 1 and have yet to take the MCAT. I get that it can feel overwhelming, but the truth is that if you removed all of the passages and questions from the BR text and compared it to other materials, you'd find it's about 10% longer... that's it. If the tone and style doesn't match, then I get moving on. But if the first taste of feeling overwhelmed pushes you towards a more skeletal approach, I thinks it can be a big mistake.

There is a good deal of biology mixed into the organic chemistry, so you get far more than just orgo when you work through it. The choice is ultimately yours in terms of how to spend your time, but there are several great tricks in the books and the carbonyl chapter, stereochemistry chapter, and especially the lab techniques chapter are ones you really should do. I know O chem isn't heavily covered, but some of what you'll learn in those sections carries over to the entire exam.

...but BR is the Holy Grail for passages.. So I would still recommend getting the BR books anyway. It was a bit too in depth for me and it was overwhelming for content review but the passage tests are golden and I doubt if you would find that kind of practice elsewhere other than your aamc's.

Thank you for posting this. I think far too many people preparing for this exam forget that passages and answer explanations are the most important part of their study plan. Reviewing material, most of which people already know, can be wasteful and time inefficient. It's about practicing and getting faster and more insightful as a result of that practice. Learning test tricks can be great, but there's nothing like applying them.