Why Don't People Use The Berkeley Review

[medstu110]

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I've noticed that most people use The Princeton Review, Kaplan, and ExamKrackers to study for the MCAT. Just out of curiousity why don't a lot of people use the Berkelely Review. Also if you did use it or know someone who used it how did they do on the actual MCAT.

 

[PRamos]

I'm using them this time.

The two people I know who used them are from where I volunteer. One guy got a 38 and the other a 31.

 

[eskramer]

I'll be using them in January for the April '05 MCAT. All I've heard are great things. They are very comprehensive. The do meet more often per week (I think 4 x week, two hours each time), which if that is too much class time then go with one of the other prep courses. I've also heard great things about their teachers, many with masters/PhD, and have the ability to actually teach a class. In the contrary, Kaplan and TPR only require their teachers to score high on the MCAT to teach for them. That doesn't actually mean they can teach it! Try to sit in on a class for the August MCAT and see if it meets your needs. I spoke with them, and for the April '05 MCAT they will be teaching both in Berkeley and down at Santa Clara University (for SJ state and Stanford people).

 

[blz]

Well, to tell you truth I've never heard of Berkeley review out of SDN. I think BR is more of a west coast thing. So given the limited population that BR is available to, that would explain how it appears not many use BR.

 

[54578]

The BR is very comprehensive; but remember, a large portion of their material is completely irrelevant to the MCAT. They overload you with too much information in their reviews, and honestly I don't think its necessary.

However, their passages are golden. They are MUCH MUCH harden than anything you'll find (havent tried EK though), but a good tool to practice with.

Unfortunantly, BR relies to extensively on OUTSIDE knowledge; remember, the MCAT is a critical thinking exam. Most formulas/info is usually given to you.


What are other peoples thoughts?

 

[Khenon]

The BR is very comprehensive; but remember, a large portion of their material is completely irrelevant to the MCAT. They overload you with too much information in their reviews, and honestly I don't think its necessary.

However, their passages are golden. They are MUCH MUCH harden than anything you'll find (havent tried EK though), but a good tool to practice with.

Unfortunantly, BR relies to extensively on OUTSIDE knowledge; remember, the MCAT is a critical thinking exam. Most formulas/info is usually given to you.


What are other peoples thoughts?

Would you recommend buying their practice exams (I live in the midwest, so attending a class is not an option)? I already have EK, but the one practice exam I have is super old and doesn't represent what I had taken in April and August. I don't even want to look at it, it's so far off. I already have all 5 of the AMCAS practice exams, and Kaplan's practice exams. I'm just wondering if the BR practice exams are worth the money ($20 each). Thanks.

 

[RAwe]

Well, to tell you truth I've never heard of Berkeley review out of SDN. I think BR is more of a west coast thing. So given the limited population that BR is available to, that would explain how it appears not many use BR.

ahh, thatl'll explain why I had a
😕 on my face when I saw the title berkeley review. In that case, is examkrackers big in the west even though they started out in the east and are expanding? It seems from these forums that people everywhere know about EK

 

[Clemson Doc]

Berkeley Review also has home study materials that can be purchased through their website. I don't have any experience with them, but I do remember seeing their website one time when looking for MCAT prep materials. I don't know much about them, other than they are supposed to be fairly rigorous. They obviously don't have courses outside of the west coast, but perhaps their study materials are solid for those individuals who don't live in California.

I personally loved my Kaplan classroom experience. Look into Kaplan before you make a decision.

 

[Cheez5000]

I've personally used The Berkeley Review and feel they did a pretty good job, I went into the test feeling fairly prepared and got a score way higher than I expected! This was my first MCAT test and my first time ever doing an MCAT prep course... and im not a smart guy at all... I took it in Irvine, CA.. I think it worked for me...

 

[MrTee]

I've used BR, EK, and Kaplan...personally I thought BR was too extensive in the coverage of material. Perhaps a good reference, but certainly too much material to be studying on a regular basis for MCAT prep. Thus, the danger in using their material exclusively is that one might not be able to cover all the necessary topics due to burnout. Kaplan is a little better in their review notes in having less stuff to go over--they cover the important topics, but not in as much depth as BR (you can always use a textbook if Kaplan's explanations are insufficient). What I did was use EK as my primary study source, and when I needed more detail, fell back on Kaplan. In the rare instance that Kaplan review notes weren't good enough, I used a textbook to fill in the gaps. BR tests are ridiculously hard too, which isn't really a good thing for confidence. Back to the OP, its all a matter of exposure--BR is a west coast thing, so only CA people really have access to the classes.

 

[54578]

Would you recommend buying their practice exams (I live in the midwest, so attending a class is not an option)? I already have EK, but the one practice exam I have is super old and doesn't represent what I had taken in April and August. I don't even want to look at it, it's so far off. I already have all 5 of the AMCAS practice exams, and Kaplan's practice exams. I'm just wondering if the BR practice exams are worth the money ($20 each). Thanks.

I totally agree with MrTee (above). The BR is extremely difficult, and, although often difficult can be better (ie when taking Organic Chemistry), for MCAT purposes I'm not sure how useful it is. It can really crush your confidence and make you stress about facts that you're not expected to know.

I actually DID go through all the BR text, and two things really bothered me:

1. Several sections they tell you you MUST memorize facts, when in fact you do not (example: they claim you MUST know the structures and polarity of EVERY amino acid; bull****)

2. They are SO many errors and typos! worse than Kaplan.



With that said, I did just order the EK books, and they seem very impressive in scope, in size (ie they are condensed), and in detail.