Customer Reviews:
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 Good review book January 7, 2009
Kaplan produce good review books, and this product is no exception. Throughout college, each science course does not cover everything you need to know about the subject, and this book will not make you an expert of a particular subject, but it does give you a broad overview of everything you should know before taking MCAT examination. I liked the fact this book inform you about each section of MCAT examination process and tells you what you need to do to prepare. I would recommend this book to everyone that wants to go to medical school, unless you are a genius or good test taker. I would check out other MCAT review book as well, because this is the only book I picked up.
 Why would anyone go it alone? December 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Okay... So you are going to take the MCAT. Like many of you, I have researched MCAT strategies ad nauseum and one universal theme underlies every piece of advice in magazines, websites, books... DON'T TAKE THIS EXAM COLD!
And why would you? Sure, there are those out there with an over abundance of confidence and book smarts who could probably take the exam without studying. Some of them may even do well. Then, there are the vast majority of us who take it seriously (especially those of us who are giving up on a career to go to medical school and want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to get it right) who search for the right preparation strategy.
So, where do you start? Kaplan, Examcrackers, others? All of them? Well, I read all the reviews of Examcrackers and they seem a little too phony (read them on Amazon), and Kaplan has a great reputation, so I picked this book. Sure, it's a little pricey, but this is your FUTURE you're dealing with.
Initial Impressions:
- Great book. Its strength lies not necessarily in its comprehensive review (indeed, some information and examples contain errors), though the review is nice to have, especially for non pre-med folks or people who are taking pre-med as a POSTBAC. No, its strength lies in its test taking strategies.
- The CD-Companion is a little disappointing, not well organized. It would be better if you could have access to all the information and organize it in a way that works for you, rather than relying on the way it is force-fed to the user (example, the "flashcards" are not user friendly and it seems that you have to have the CD-ROM in to use the website companion... silly if they give you a MICROSOFT STYLE individual serial number that can only be used by one person).
- The book has held up well to abuse. I am using onboard a Navy ship and it has fallen, been bent over backwards, crammed into small locker spaces, etc. and the spine has held up remarkably well for a paper back. This may not seem like much, but with as many times as you are opening and closing this book, trust me... you don't want pages falling out from wear.
- Not enough practice tests... but that's okay. AAMC website is referenced and their tests are the real deal (at $35 a pop... but again, it's your FUTURE).
- WHY NOT 5 STARS? With as many people editing this book, you would hope that all the information is correct, especially the example problems. Trust me, I am not one of those people who say "my answer MUST be right; the book HAS to be messed up." On the contrary, I have answered many questions wrong, but when it's a physics question that you can back-solve with the answer the book gives you and it's still wrong it makes me wonder...
***** - Verbal Reasoning/Essay... so often overlooked. I am a liberal arts major, so I can appreciate the methodology used to teach this portion of the exam. Moreover, the essay advice is solid, especially given the time pressures you will face on the exam. Most people feel that they will be fine without focusing on this section. Do yourself a favor and humble yourself. Chances are your writing style is NOT what they are looking for on the exam. There is a wealth of information here.
Again, while I was a POLI SCI major, I was also a Navy Scholarship student forced to take Calculus Based Physics, Chemistry, and Bio. I am missing Orgo, but am learning that on my own time (have to take the class, obviously). I can't vouch for the orgo section yet, but what I have seen seems to make sense.
BOTTOM LINE - If you have to start somewhere, Kaplan seems to be the reputable way to go. Examcrakcers seems too shady. Oh, and having been a teacher before... skip the flashcards in a box that Kaplan sells. I saw one review stating that it saved someone a heap of time because they didn't have to make the flashcards themselves... all of the time spent making flashcards is time spent ACTIVELY STUDYING!!! Why would you want to sell yourself short?
Buy this book, don't buy this book... it's obviously up to you, but it did help this POLI SCI major cut a 32 (without taking orgo, ever) on the first practice exam.
Very good preparation aid October 26, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I bought this book and studied it over the summer before taking my exam. The books is nicely laid out, with a section each on Verbal Reasoning, Writing, Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physics. There is a practice test (about 35 questions or so) at the end of each section, as well as a full length paper test. Online and on the CD offer additional practice sets and I believe another full-length test.
The good stuff:
-Good inside strategies and information about the test
-Offers multiple strategies for remembering information, including side notes linking the concept to another concept in another section.
-Concise, but thorough review
-Good explanation of every question
The bad stuff:
-More errors than would be acceptable for a textbook. There are even a few errors when it comes to the concepts, which can prove very difficult if you're not already comfortable with the concept.
-Units not carried through on calculations. Often times paying attention to the units can be a huge key as far as picking which equation to use and understanding the product (and its units). Ignoring the units, as they consistently do, fails to reinforce the concept. If I didn't use units on my college tests, I'd certainly get points off.
-Not quite enough practice tests. If they added an additional practice set to each section, it would be much better.
-CD and online material not quite as helpful as I had hoped.
-Many of the advertised features, such as the correlation to medicine, only make rare appearances. It feels like they just added them in so they could use them for advertisement.
These complaints are all relatively minor and subjective.
Overall it didn't drastically improve my score, but I believe it did help me reach close to my full potential. In other words, a given person will score in a certain range as determined by his/her education, test-taking abilities, intellect, logic, and discipline. But this book probably won't push you over that range, but it will help you score in the higher end of that range.
This book works best when supplemented with notes/textbooks from your college courses. Overall, I would strongly recommend this product.
Great review book! August 14, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
The book is very helpful at explaining broad concepts in a few short words and is extremely useful for cummulative review. Although I haven't read through the entire book yet, I would recommend it to any other students studying for the MCAT.
amazing July 30, 2008
1 out of 11 found this review helpful
Havent had a lot of time to review the book but what i have seems like a great addition to MCAT studying.
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