Physics Prep

I have found two great books that will sharpen your physics skills for mcat prep. I would also highly suggest those planning on taking physics soon or if you took it a looong time ago to check these out. My professor is letting me borrow a book called “Conceptual Physical Science” it has not only physics, but chemistry, and geology. It is awesome for understanding some basic physics concepts that often times eludes us when we are plugging and chugging in the trig based physics. Because the mcat is highly conceptual I figured that reading this book would help, and it is. It is very easy to read and it is a taught in a class designed for future elementary teachers at my school (so they can then go out and explain physics in lay terms). It is the 2nd edition and the authors are Hewitt, Suchocki, and Hewitt.
ISBN 0-321-00191-5
The other book is strictly for MCAt prep, it is the Nova MCAT physics book and it was about $30.00 at Amazon. It covers in detail (but not too much) all the physics for the MCAT and has practice problems after each chapter (16 total not mcat type). If you use this book and then possibly EK formulas and shortcuts you will be on your way to physics mcat zen! I really like EK but I know that I needed some more beefing up and this Nova book is doing it for me. Just thought that I would share biggrin.gif

Efex 101-
Thanks for the tip regarding Physics on the MCAT. This is my weakest area so I am looking forward to an extra edge besides EK. Do you know or know of anyone that only followed EK approach for the MCAT and did really well? I am working through their books but it does not seem possible that this is all there is to it? Am I missing something? <!–emo&<_dry.gif

I know that in hindsight - soon after the MCAT - I thought about the areas where I knew that I guessed or did poorly - and could almost always find the exact page in EK where it was covered.

MamaK if you are doing well with the questions that are presented in the different lecture sections and the end of lecture exams at the end of the book, then you are doing good! I would of course take a practice AAMC (IV-VI) and see how you do on those. The physics on the MCAT is not calculation heavy but you do have to know how to manipulate equations and find out what in the heck is the passage about to answer some of the questions. I tell you the NOVA book is awesome to cement concepts in your neurons, but then you also have to take the real deal to see where you stand. I do not know of anyone except LisaS that just prepped with EK and AAMC and that is all they needed and did well. Maybe someone else that took the MCAT can comment. I am using EK, NOVA, TPR and AAMC, yeah I am crazy. My goal is to take 20 full length exams before MCAT day, I have already taken one (TPR diag, do not know scores yet) and will take my second one this Thursday (Saturdays are out for me, I teach aerobics…) anyways, I really feel that the more you take the better you start feeling about the exams (I mean, it does suck but you become more relaxed about it). I am also using EK 101 passages in verbal reasoning. I just bought it and did my first full length verbal from that book this morning and did not do too bad (8).