Why you must get berkeley review biology

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Transformers

Transformers

Full Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2007
Messages
723
Reaction score
22
Guys, after taking the mcat yesterday and encountering difficult passages on molecular biology, I would not have been able to handle them if i didnt do Berkeley Review biology....look its pretty in depth in details...but AT THE VERY LEAST, I would advise you to purchase the FIRST Bio book that covers METABOLIC Pathways, Genetics, Gene Expression. These chapters were SO PRICELESS that they ingrained hardcore genetics topics and i was ready for the exam...for the remaining areas such as physio, princeton review and EK will cover...



BUT FOR MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, GENETICS, CELL BIO, NO OTHER BOOK AND I SWEAR BY IT, WILL PREPARE YOU BETTER THAN BERKELEY REVIEW BIOLOGY...

MY MAIN POINT: BERKELEY REVIEW IS THE BEST MCAT TEST COMPANY EVER MADE. FOR ALL THOSE WHO RAVE ABOUT THEIR ORGO, PHYSICS, AND GEN CHEM, BR BIOLOGY IS DEFINITELY ON THAT LEVEL AS WELL.

ONLY CAUTION ABOUT BR BIO: their CONTENT REVIEW is nothing to be praiseworthy, but BOY their PASSAGES for BIOLOGY are GENIUS is all that I have to say...that is you cant really transition form BR Bio content review into passages like you could with the other BR subject books BUT if you have a LOT of extensive knowledge in bio and REALLY want to test it out after doing EK BIO and PR BIO, by all means BR BIO IS THAT LAST STRIDE in BIO you should make...
Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
Sort by date Sort by votes
Thank you for showering praises on The Berkeley Review. As much as I admire all the high scorers in the "30+" thread who have heavily relied on EK, I still have not heard from enough SDNers who understand the value and worth of TBR.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Wow, looks like TBR is going for a full sweep of the forums in terms of support for their books! First PS, then OChem... now Bio too!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Members don't see this ad :)
seriously.. i really want to figure out for myself.. and 200 dollars later and a money order which i'm super lazy to go get i will.

why are these books so complicated to acquire! and i really hope they are what people are making them out to be.. because outside of this forum ppl have not heard of this company.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
It took a LOT of convincing for me to finally suck it up and order their PS books and I completely love them and woud not use any other book if given the choice. The AAMC PS section honestly is a piece of cake compared to TBR's PS section. Not that I'm getting 15s or anything, but I'm doing a lot better than I would have had I not used TBR.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
capn jazz said:
Wow, looks like TBR is going for a full sweep of the forums in terms of support for their books! First PS, then OChem... now Bio too!
Click to expand...

I know... right


Thanks Transformers... I totally agree that Berkeley Review Bio books are great... Just the fact that BR BIO book 1 (which talks about physiology) is soo much shorter than their Book 2 (which is Biochem, Genetics, and molecular Biology) shows that these guys know how the MCAT is evolving into a biochem/genetics/mol.bio heavy exam
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
If someone is selling please do let me know 🙂
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Are the TBR Bio passages really covering stuff that EK Bio and Ek 1001 Bio aren't covering? Or is it just that more practice materials for you to get familiar with?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Well, I don't like to take risks. I plan on punching this MCAT right in the brown eye so I sent in another check to TBR. Thanks for the info, Transformers. If I get a 15 on the bio, then drinks are on me.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
dragon529 said:
Are the TBR Bio passages really covering stuff that EK Bio and Ek 1001 Bio aren't covering? Or is it just that more practice materials for you to get familiar with?
Click to expand...

For me I'd say it's more about the review than the practice. The books do a really good job of synthesizing physio, biochem and mo bio. At times it gets extremely detailed (the krebs and glycolysis stuff was actually more detailed than my b-chem class)...but it is a review book and can be done with patience and enough time. I also kept feeling like if I had had those books during some of my classes, it would have helped a lot.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Agree completely. MCAT Biology has become a genetics-heavy section... EK and the others are good for physiology and basic biology, but if you aren't proficient with genetics and have the extra time on your hands, you'll really want to read through TBR's offering.

By the way, as mentioned above, some of the stuff in TBR Biology IS way too detailed... it's pretty easy to use your discretion and realize what isn't important. I think the two genetics chapters are more important to look at than anything else.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
monomania said:
Agree completely. MCAT Biology has become a genetics-heavy section... EK and the others are good for physiology and basic biology, but if you aren't proficient with genetics and have the extra time on your hands, you'll really want to read through TBR's offering.

By the way, as mentioned above, some of the stuff in TBR Biology IS way too detailed... it's pretty easy to use your discretion and realize what isn't important. I think the two genetics chapters are more important to look at than anything else.
Click to expand...

Another gamer. I've been saying this since February. TBR bio passages are excellent. Don't read the Bio books except if you're weak. I didn't even read the Genetics and moly bio stuff. I just did passages. People, do passages and go over what you got wrong and you'll kill this test. Only read what you need. I finished EK bio 101 and it is excellent. They have some good genetics passages. However, they're not like TBR. TBR bio passages are built like scientific articles which is what you'll see on test day. EK bio is more for building knowledge base and TBR bio passages are for practicing applying that knowledge. Good luck all. I will begin hardcore prep and will limit my posting.

To those struggling, I see why people hate TBR. It is a lot of info. However, you reap what you sow. I sucked at O-chem, got Bs. I took one week, 70 hours later and I'm a master. I understand all the stereochemistry, anomers, meso, diasteriosomers, enatiomers, and all that good stuff. The O-chem has returned so don't ignore it. Knowing O-chem cold can take an 11 scorer to 13. Finally, don't compare yourself to others. I did well on the SAT and ACT. My buddy who I outscored on both tests got a 39 and barely studied. Why? He busted his but off in undergrad while I was lazy. He didn't have review too much. He took AAMCs and reviewed what he missed. At the end of the day you determine your score. Hopefully we'll end up with similar scores but I will have worked harder. However, who cares? The end is all that matters. Just buckle down and study and limit SDN time which is why I'm leaving. However, for those of you who never understood some concepts well, TBR is for you. I will no longer laud their products. They speak for themselves and if someone thinks we're full of it, It's their loss.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I just hate having to pay for shipping. I bought the TBR chem/physics thinking those were the most important ones to have, then I realized I need the organic book and got that, and now I want to also get the bio book. That's like $45 just in shipping. Lame, but I may have to result to just sending another money order. Can't find anything on eBay nor is anyone selling just TBR bio
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
phEight said:
I just hate having to pay for shipping. I bought the TBR chem/physics thinking those were the most important ones to have, then I realized I need the organic book and got that, and now I want to also get the bio book. That's like $45 just in shipping. Lame, but I may have to result to just sending another money order. Can't find anything on eBay nor is anyone selling just TBR bio
Click to expand...

how quick do they send it out?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
It really depends - if you use a money order it's supposed to be sent that day or the next, which happened in my case, but I've heard of up to a week passing before shipping.

Checks require 10 days to clear so that will seriously delay your order.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
element0 said:
how quick do they send it out?
Click to expand...
My experience on both of my previous orders has been pretty damn quick. I've bought books from amazon/half.com and sometimes these books take forever to come in. It takes about 1-2 days for them to receive the money order, and usually they send the books out the same day or the next day. In reality it's like an extra day or two compared to how long it would take if you were to buy something from any website. Usually the same because most of the time when you buy from websites they don't ship for a couple days. I bought an EK book from amazon.com and it literally took 7-8 days just to ship. Ridiculous. In the end it's really not THAT bad getting books from TBR.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Just double checking but the passages from these topics are what everyone is talking about from TBR biology correct?

VI: Structure and Function in Cells and Viruses
VII: Metabolic components
VIII: Metabolic pathways
IX: Genetic Information
X: Expression of Genes
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
studywithfury said:
Just double checking but the passages from these topics are what everyone is talking about from TBR biology correct?

VI: Structure and Function in Cells and Viruses
VII: Metabolic components
VIII: Metabolic pathways
IX: Genetic Information
X: Expression of Genes
Click to expand...

Yep. Too bad they make you buy both books... I guess TBR will have a lot of Bio orders over this July 4th weekend... good thing for them to celebrate? :laugh:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
To get the books:

1. Google "rare books" and search the stores/dealer sites that come up. A few suggestions: I got tbr physics for $10 on abebooks.com; tbr chem for $20 on alibris.com. One thing about those sites: sometimes, they list the author as berkeley review, so it might not be in the title. Try searching that way, and be creative, bc ppl list the books in weird ways.
2.If you're gonna have any luck w/ amazon, ebay, or craigslist, look right after test date. Tons become available after ppl are done-or, also, after they get their scores and decide not to re-take.

3. Google "berkeley review mcat" and then a bunch of retail related words like cost, for sale, $ symbols, etc.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Berkley Review MCAT
Replies
0
Views
809
chubjectsubject
C
A
Thoughts on Princeton Review?
Replies
2
Views
1K
aj1340
A
M
Berkeley review vs Kaplan for nontrad
Replies
5
Views
6K
unusualonion
U
andii
MCAT Practice material while doing kaplan review
Replies
0
Views
985
andii
andii
I
Retaking MCAT, need advice for content review
Replies
4
Views
2K
rcsurgeon
R
Top