Reddit reviews The Princeton Review Complete MCAT: New for MCAT 2015 (Graduate School Test Preparation)

Yes sorry I meant EK 101 passages! And here's the TPR complete MCAT link: https://www.amazon.com/Princeton-Review-Complete-MCAT-Preparation/dp/0804125082. I'd buy the used versions because they're like $20-ish. Optional, but really useful imo for the reasons I mentioned before. I also meant the AAMC CARS Q-packs!

CARS is different from other verbal sections you've seen before (SAT, LSAT, and GRE are all very different from this). The reason is because 90% of your questions concern the main idea. Crafting a main idea from a passage is more difficult than you think, you cannot skim any portion of the passage and you really have to digest every word the author is saying. The passages are convoluted, have random twist and turns in arguments, so you have to really assess the function of every sentence. And you need to do so in under 5 minutes in order to get time to answer questions. It's hard to understand unless you do a CARS passage, and hey you might be really good at it! But for most people, it requires a LOT of practice and correction.

As for O-chem, you won't be asked on an MCAT to recall a super specific mechanism. Common things that I saw were decarboxylation reactions, your basic SN1/SN2, nucleophilic addition and substitution, stuff like that. You will never be asked to thoroughly remember something like hydroboration of alkenes or even the specific names of mechanisms. EK chem will definitely be sufficient for you, in my opinion.

https://www.amazon.com/Kaplan-MCAT-528-Advanced-Students/dp/1618656317

http://offers.aamc.org/mcat-study-materials-1

https://www.amazon.com/Princeton-Review-Complete-MCAT-Preparation/dp/0804125082

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDkK5wqSuwDlJ3_nl3rgdiQ

https://nextstepmcat.com/course

You can google Anki. If you have some money it might be good to check out a program that meets in person near you. Depending on your knowledge, study habits, and natural test taking abilities. Altius is a program near me that people seem to like, it comes with personal tutors. If you were planning on a self study schedule, make sure you have time set aside for it.

I thought i would be able to devote two hours a day to studying, but with work, my school, my family responsibilities, etc. I have time for maybe an hour a day. When summer rolls around, i will be able to spend 6-8 hours until my test date. At that point, it will be a lot easier to sit down and focus.

You should also be aware of your cycles. From your other posts, it looks like you are mid-twenties, you might want to consider how old you will be when you enter school, and possibly make plans to at least take the test this summer, even if you apply next cycle.

Only you know who you are and how studying goes for you, but i would say that you should limit your studying to less than a year, probably less than 6 months, if we are being honest.

Check your reading comprehension, and make sure you are practicing CARS daily. As in, go get a CARS book tomorrow and start doing passages. It takes time to learn reading comprehension. Also, start leisure reading some adult books, even if it is just audiobooks. That helps your comprehension more than you think, and it is good for your brain too.

Good luck. I know a lot of people haven't given you straight answers as to what you need, hopefully this will help. Take charge of your destiny, the side bar is also helpful, and so is the one over at /r/Mcat

Tchau!

Also, The Princeton Review has several books available. The one i'm using is:

http://www.amazon.com/Princeton-Review-Complete-MCAT-Preparation/dp/0804125082/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1418459067&sr=8-2&keywords=princeton+mcat+2015