Customer Reviews

Kaplan MCAT 2008-2009 Premier Program (w/ CD-ROM) (Kaplan MCAT Premier Program (W/CD))

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

Book has extensive review of all the subject areas which are both concise and thorough. Easy way to separate study time and what topics you want to cover for the day (ie: chapters 5 and 6 on Monday for Biology, chapters 7 and 8 on Tuesday for Physics, etc.). CD is also very nice with its own Diagnostic test to give you an idea of what you need to cover. I would recommend getting another book with more review questions however since the practice tests that come with the program encompass the entire subjects and not just certain areas you may get to covering. Also, may be good to supplement the book with other background/informative books if you are having trouble understanding some concepts. Nonetheless, I say this bok is a great buy and highly recommended.

I havent taken the MCAT yet, so I suppose I really wont know until then just how much this book helped me. The review is pretty extensive although it is only a REVIEW. If you're looking for something that teaches you a subject -this isn't your book. This is for people who have taken the classes and just need a refresher. Also some of the strategies aren't for everyone. Adapt what they tell you to meet your own abilities. If reading comprehension isn't a problem for you, don't waste your time taking notes during the exam like they suggest.
Although I have run across a few typos, its nothing horribly distracting unless you're OCD and can't move on. No matter which MCAT book you buy, there will be errors. The book is meant to review and give you strategies. You're not supposed to internalize everything they say.

Overall I think the book is a pretty good deal considering a Kaplan class costs a few thousand dollars. The book is pretty well organized and the color pages are much better than the black and white pictures in past editions.

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.

I have bought a few versions of the different MCAT reviews, and this one is by far the easiest to understand. It is straightforward, and provides many different alternatives to understanding the concepts. There are some sections which are hard to understand if you are not familiar with the material, but this is common with any review. This book is very helful for reviewing. It does not go into too deep, which is good if you are just trying to review. If you have never learned the topics before, I suggest other readings as well. Anyway compared to Barrons and McGraw this copy is much better. I especially enjoy the pictures and the short catch-up descriptions that help to understand the harder concepts.

The book is full of all the information you'll need to prepare for the MCAT. Plenty of practice exams and tips for the test. You will definitely need to set aside a few months to thoroughly study the book though.

This is a thorough guide but I ended up taking the Kaplan classes. I think this book would have been just as good as the classes because the content was pretty much identical. That being said, it loses a star because everyone I know who used ExamKrackers in conjunction with this (or even just ExamKrackers on its own) did better than I did score-wise! If I could go back and do it again, I'd have used both. Kaplan has the details, ExamKrackers is good for cramming the most tested points (apparently).

There is no silver bullet to studying, but this book certainly is one tool that will help.

The Kaplan MCAT book is great for studying for the MCAT. I enjoy the pictures because it is alot easier to understand the material. It is also helpful that it gives information that you need to know and putting it in sections, rather than a bunch of information crammed into one chapter. It also provides test samples which are helpful to study for the actual test.

very comprehensive review, definitely as much work as taking a class to get through this book, some sections have tips that are just common sense but some tips actually help.