For anyone who like myself may need some brushing-up on the basic sciences I wanted to list some great resources which I have found helpful and think you may too! Here they are:
academicearth.com
thinkwell.com
wikipremed.com
Hi,
I have been studying on my own since the end of May, when classes ended. I’m using a bunch of different things: videos, audio, multiple review materials. It’s been valuable to have different review books to read through and different practice problems & passages.
Video has been very helpful for concepts that I didn’t learn or hadn’t learned well during class.
I listen to audio whenever I am not reading or watching video. I mean, always. Except in the shower.
=Video=
khanacademy.org: good for background, not enough problem-solving except in some specific areas in Physics and Gen Chem.
coursesaver.com: the premium mcat pkg is $40/month and is SO WORTH IT. no bio, but gen chem, orgo, and physics, and completely tailored for DAT and MCAT. online practice problems (not a lot but helpful) and notes sheets.
freelance-teacher.com: good for physics and orgo (have not watched gen chem). aimed more at students taking classes than test-takers, so good for foundational study.
=Audio=
ThinkMCAT audio: This is great. I really, really recommend this if you want to use audio. I’m not a total fan of the way the tutor expresses himself but he covers so much stuff. You really need to take notes with this. He has many tips and helpful ways of thinking about information and also relates much of the information to diseases/other topics. Cautionary note that the evolution/behavioral chapter is not as good as the others. Also note that you will want to check all the files when you get them because some of them are misnumbered/misfiled (e.g. some of the orgo was placed into the chem folder, I think).
ExamKrackers Audio Osmosis: I despise this audio. Yes, it’s all about the MCAT, and it does cover a lot, but it’s filled with ridiculous, juvenile “jokes” and sound effects that take up way too much time. These are not things that are meant to help you remember facts, they are just…crappy. The speakers read much too fast for me and nothing really sinks in. Except for that bit about bond energy.
Audiolearn: This is OK. I find this good to listen to when I cannot take notes, e.g. when I am driving or walking, because there isn’t much in the way of insights. It is more like someone reading an expanded topic list for the MCAT. I also think it is a little outdated–e.g. it discusses benzene but I think AAMC stopped using alkene & benzene chemistry on the MCAT.
Good luck everyone!!
mesclun
Thank you for this information.
- mesclun Said:
=Audio=
ThinkMCAT audio: This is great. I really, really recommend this if you want to use audio. I'm not a total fan of the way the tutor expresses himself but he covers so much stuff. You really need to take notes with this. He has many tips and helpful ways of thinking about information and also relates much of the information to diseases/other topics. Cautionary note that the evolution/behavioral chapter is not as good as the others. Also note that you will want to check all the files when you get them because some of them are misnumbered/misfiled (e.g. some of the orgo was placed into the chem folder, I think).
ThinkMCAT audio: This is great. I really, really recommend this if you want to use audio. I'm not a total fan of the way the tutor expresses himself but he covers so much stuff. You really need to take notes with this. He has many tips and helpful ways of thinking about information and also relates much of the information to diseases/other topics. Cautionary note that the evolution/behavioral chapter is not as good as the others. Also note that you will want to check all the files when you get them because some of them are misnumbered/misfiled (e.g. some of the orgo was placed into the chem folder, I think).
Where did find ThinkMCAT? I did some searching, but didn't come up with much. Found one site, but it looked suspicious.
Thanks for any info!
Hi,
ThinkMCAT is at www.thinkmcat.com. This is a guy who holds drop-in MCAT classes in NYC. I haven’t been to any of his classes but he’s pretty popular here.
I have been listening to his audio more and I want to add some other caveats.
- I think his Bio lectures (barring evolution/psych) are great.
- He has made a couple of errors so far during the organic stuff that makes me a little uncomfortable recommending him without a caveat. For example, he incorrectly states the atoms in the electronegative mnemonic.
This is one of those “needless to say” things, but–needless to say, do not rely on any one single source for studying.
Another thing–I have now watched dozens of hours of Chad’s videos on Gen Chem and Orgo on coursesaver.com and they are really, really amazing. He’s awesome. I think he’s good in Physics too but have not watched as many.
Good luck!
m
Thanks!
I agree. Audio Osmosis CD by Examkrackers was too distracting. I prefer studying there books without using the CD. Plus I’m a visual learner, just listening isn’t enough for me. I have also used freelance teach and found it helpful when taking my Organic Chem II. With his explanations of difficult concepts, I was able to pass the class. But, like you said, it’s geared for students taking the actual course, not studying for MCAT. Since I’ve been studying the Gen Chem portion of the MCAT, I found on YouTube Coachseigel. He’s excellent in explaining gen chem. He seems to follow along with my EK gen chem book. Although he no focusing on MCAT per se, but he makes the concepts very clear.