workbook or 1001 PLEASE offer any opinion

[mishjtnyu]

Hi everyone,

So i am basically having lots of troubles with physics...struggling in the class and now trudging through studying for that section.

My question is...which do you think is better to start with the TPR science workbook or the EK 1001? I was leaning towards the TPR workbook b/c the answers in the back of EK are SO short that they haven't been too helpful?

ANY thoughts?

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[DrBuro]

The two books offer two different types of questions. 1001 are questions to hone your physics skills, but are not passage-based, while TPR are more similar to the MCAT format. My suggestion would be to first learn the 1001 questions inside and out and then move on to TPR, where you can improve with MCAT-type questions.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

good advice as usual drburo. TPR will "teach" you what you need to know, i.e. appropriate methods, and EK will be like a barrage of questions that deal with standard types of problems, coming from various different angles... full solutions are also provided. you say you're weak in physics, you should really assess exactly which topics / types of problems you're weak in, write them out, and make a plan to learn that material.

 

[mishjtnyu]

Thanks for the advice. I am basically weak on all of physics (haha not even kidding)

good advice as usual drburo. TPR will "teach" you what you need to know, i.e. appropriate methods, and EK will be like a barrage of questions that deal with standard types of problems, coming from various different angles... full solutions are also provided. you say you're weak in physics, you should really assess exactly which topics / types of problems you're weak in, write them out, and make a plan to learn that material.

 

[HunterGatherer]

Be sure that you time yourself when using EK 1001 and TPR. I used both but only worked on subjects I was weak in during the last 6 weeks of study. For EK do every 3rd problem since usually 2-3 problems right next to each other are usually the same question with different numbers. Go back and do every third again on topics you still don't feel comfortable. A third pass is possible after that.

 

[N1DERL&]

Hi,

This is the book I used to study physics with and it really helped me a lot. The solutions are long enough to explain what's going on. It also gave me great practice in understanding the concepts.

Physics by Gary Biehle

But if you are limited to TPR and 1001, I would probably do 1001 first. G'luck!! Physics is horrible!

 

[mishjtnyu]

haha...yes I agree physics is just awful!!! i am glad there is a 1001 and then tpr agreement so now i at least have a plan

thanks for the advice!

 

[jtorres]

good study tool, problem is that some questions are extemely difficult. you spend a good 10-15 min trying to figure the solution to no avail. then when you look in the back of book for answer and you're like WTF? only to be be informed that you probably won't see a problem of this sort on the MCAT.

i do recommend that you go through all 1001 questions. although it is time consuming in the end you will have a good understanding of all the physics topics. in addition you will also learn how to apply diffrent formulas to problems. for example kaplan's comprehensive review never mentions x=1/2at^2, v=sqrt2gh, v/c=change in wavelength/initial wavelength, etc.

it would be nice to be able to know all 1001 questions inside and out but remember that your are trying kick but on the MCAT and not trying get a PhD in physics. good luck.

 

[Cooolguy]

i bought the book some tings are good in it some arent. way too difficult

 

[princessd3]

Hi everyone,

So i am basically having lots of troubles with physics...struggling in the class and now trudging through studying for that section.

My question is...which do you think is better to start with the TPR science workbook or the EK 1001? I was leaning towards the TPR workbook b/c the answers in the back of EK are SO short that they haven't been too helpful?

ANY thoughts?

I never used the 1001 books but the TPR Science Workbook is awesome for preparation.

 

[HunterGatherer]

mitysu,

I was spending too much time completing problem sets in EK 1001. So I finally started timing myself. Usually the 10-15 problems are problems you never seen before and are figureing out how to attack it. EK 1001 is good for exposing you to many different setups for problems.

Do every third problem. So spend no longer than 1 minute on a problem then look at the answers after completing your problem set. Understand how to attack the problem. You can go back and do every third problem again since usually there are about 2-3 very similar questions in a row.

good study tool, problem is that some questions are extemely difficult. you spend a good 10-15 min trying to figure the solution to no avail.

 

[PRamos]

Hi everyone,
...b/c the answers in the back of EK are SO short that they haven't been too helpful.

ANY thoughts?

That is so true. I found the 1001 questions to be pretty useless in terms of preparing for the MCAT, because the explanations didn't help and they would often direct me to look elsewhere in their books. The questions are not realistic (as a few people have pointed out in this thread) and the answer explanations don't help much.

I think you have answered your own question.

Do the PR book and get a second source of questions from somewhere else. Kaplan, BR, and Nova are all possibilities. I personally liked BR the best, but that's because I like thorough explanations. I'm sure that they will all help to some extent.

 

[Mr. Tee]

I liked the TPR science problems workbook (the one you get in the class) as well; their questions help get you in the right mindset for actual test-taking.

 

[nightowl]

I second doing every 3rd problem in 1001. I would say the first thing you need to do is make a list of all the formulas you're going to need and then memorize them. This is probably the most important thing you can do. EK 1001 and TPR will help you manipulate them to get the correct answer, but KNOWING the formulas and understanding them is the biggest step for physics. I can say I used EK 1001 and it helped me out, for gen chem and physics

 

[mishjtnyu]

Thanks so much for all the advice...I am so glad someone agrees that 1001 physics answers are too short (I was afraid it was just my own problem with physics )

I think I will start with the TPR workbook and hopefully not need any other supplement ...i like how long their answer explanations are and considering I literally get almost every physics questionswrong I need all the help i can get

take care

 

[SensesFail]

This past summer I bought EK 1001 Orgo, Gen Chem, and Physics.

The only one I found useful was the 1001 Organic Chem. I finished the book in about 3-4 days and a lot of concepts were pounded in my head. Before that, I wasn't too confident when encoutering an Orgo passage in Biological sciences and I'd usually skip it and save all the Orgo for last. After going through the EK1001 Orgo, I gained confidence and I think it helped me a lot.

As for the EK1001 Physics and Gen. Chem, to be honest, I didn't find them helpful at all. Some questions too easy, some way too hard, and short answer explanations.