So I decided to take the plunge and sign up for the MCAT. Does anyone have good recommendations for practice test books or other prep tools? I still have all of my old text books to review the material I haven’t studied in 10 years. Are the subject review books helpful at all?
Hey there,
My main practice materials were ExamKrackers, textbooks, and AAMC practices. That said, I thought you and others might find helpful my collection of free (non-copyrighted) practice stuff. Some/most of it is obvious, but you never know who may not have seen it…
AAMC Practice Test 3
AAMC content outlines
Berkeley Review content outline (click through)
MCAT-review.org
WikiPremed
ExamKrackers’ Daily Quiz
EK video review of tests 5R, 6R
Kaplan free practice test
Princeton Review free practice test (and diagnostics)
PR tips & strategies podcast (disclaimer: haven’t watched)
Gold Standard free practice test
I took the Kaplan class and found the subject review books to be pretty good. It gives a good overview of all the topics. I wouldn’t recommend your textbook except when you’re looking to dive into the details for a particular topic.
ExamKrackers for verbal. Do everything they say to do no matter how weird it feels.
http://www.amazon.com/Verbal-Reasoning-Math ematica…
http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-Passages -MCAT-V…
I just read your other thread (http://www.oldpremeds.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/45452/). I think I can relay some anecdotal advice that might help since you have a phd and a science background:
ExamKrackers’ book set is relatively minimalistic. They tell you only what you absolutely need to know about the sciences, teach you how to do MCAT math in your head, teach you some test taking tricks, and then assume you can get the rest from the passages. I am somewhat strong in the premed sciences and only had 6-weeks to study so this was the route I took. A good amount of the bio passages are on lab techniques or experiments/experimental procedure so that should help you.
Kaplan goes more in depth. They will derive equations. They will teach about lab techniques and upper division stuff that isn’t on the AAMC study list but will help you for the test. A friend of mine who kind of slacked off during undergrad used Kaplan because he needed more than just the basics and ended up with a 32.
Both give you the “all in one place” factor and you can get study schedules online for both. The first reply had a lot of free sources that could help a ton if you dont want to buy a book set.
As for in-person courses, I can’t really speak to that. I maintain that either way you use the EK Verbal stuff and start that the earliest.