Kaplan MCAT Comprehensive Review 2000 with CD-ROM (Mcat (Kaplan)(Book & CD-Rom)) [Paperback]

Kaplan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mcat (Kaplan)(Book & CD-Rom) | Publication Date: November 1, 1999

Getting into medical school involves beating some steep odds. For the entering class of 1998, there were close to three times as many applicants as there were spots in medical schools. In this highly competitive field, medical school applicants look to Kaplan -- the trusted leader in MCAT preparation -- for a complete review guide. According the recent research, Kaplan is the trusted name among most applicants: Three out of four med school students who took a commercial prep course chose Kaplan.

MCAT Comprehensive Review 2000 with CD-ROM covers all the relevant areas -- science content, verbal reasoning, the writing sample, and endurance training -- and includes a full-length sample MCAT with explanations. The CD-ROM provides more practice test questions generating a detailed scoring analysis and other customized feedback. This extensive review resource will prove to be an indispensable tool for medical school applicants everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you're up to medical school, you will already have surmounted substantial scholastic challenges and accomplished considerable scholastic success; you're no stranger to concepts such as hard work, study, and competition. It's not a matter of whether to review for the MCATs, but rather how to study and with which materials.

Kaplan has created the top MCAT course. They know which material needs to be reviewed, and they know the strategies that help you take the Medical College Admission Test most effectively. The MCAT requires that you be well versed in biology and basic chemistry, and, toward that end, Kaplan's review includes refresher chapters in embryology, homeostasis, and molecular genetics, as well as thermochemistry, atomic structure, and the gas phase. The organic chemistry chapter goes over everything from nomenclature to spectroscopy, while the chapter on physics covers magnetism, Newtonian mechanics, and nuclear phenomena.

The MCAT tests more, however, than your knowledge base. Medical schools can look at your transcripts if they want to know how you did in organic chemistry. The schools want to know how well you have integrated what you learned, and how well you can apply that knowledge. The MCAT tests cognitive skills such as reading comprehension, data analysis, critical reasoning, and writing ability, so Kaplan's chapters on verbal reasoning and essay writing are every bit as important as your comprehension of the endocrine system.

With answers and explanations in each science review chapter, a full-length practice MCAT with answers and explanations, and a CD-ROM that provides a timed practice test, detailed scoring analysis, and a personalized performance prep, Kaplan's MCAT review text will help you perform well, demonstrate what you've learned effectively, and continue on toward your goal. --Stephanie Gold

Product Details

• Paperback: 1088 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan; Bk&CD Rom edition (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068486746X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684867465
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,348,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars For a higher score, look elsewhere, August 23, 2000

By 

Cari (PR, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kaplan MCAT Comprehensive Review 2000 with CD-ROM (Mcat (Kaplan)(Book & CD-Rom)) (Paperback)

This book includes most of the study material you get when you take Kaplan's review course: Organic Chemistry, Biology, General Chemistry, Physics and Verbal Reasoning. I compared the 1998 Kaplan course materials with this book, and they were exactly tha same, word for word. The only difference is that if you pay the $1000 or so for the course, Kaplan tacks on some review questions at the end of the chapter. Save yourself the extra $960 and just use the book.

But if you really want to improve your knowledge of MCAT topics, you're going to have to look a lot further. I used this book to review, and took the MCAT in August. The practice questions and exam are at a level far below the real thing. The depth with which the material is covered is insufficient. The Bio section was particularly weak, in my opinion. Most of the questions I saw on the exam were on genetics, microbio (viruses and bacteria only) cell bio and molecular. The only thing I liked about it was that because it's superficial, I easily understood the areas in which I was weakest.

Fortunately, I realized a few months back that this book wasn't going to help much, so I bought other materials to supplement my study. Of those, I highly recommend the Flowers and Silver book, and your college notes and textbooks. The topics covered in the MCAT are the same classes required for medical school admission, so that ought to help. AAMC's practice problems and exams are quite good, but only the ones that give you a full solution. Knowing the right answer is useless if you don't understand *why* it's the right answer.

If you're preparing for the 2001 MCAT, my advice is this: START YOUR REVIEW AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. Use this book only as a starting point. Give yourself plenty of time to cover it, because you'll need more time to go deeper into each subject. Take as many practice exams as you can get your hands on. *Don't* guess on practice exams. Guessing will help you get a higher score on the test, but if you guess a question right on a practice test, you won't know to go back and review the topic it covers. Take a review course if you can - preferably Princeton Review, or one taught at your university if that is available. I don't think the content of review courses is all that helpful, but their structure helps you get organized and you meet lots of like-minded people with whom you can study.

One more thing -- the "higher score guaranteed or your money back" claim is misleading. Kaplan will refund your money within 30 days or so, but anyone who is serious about doing well on the exam will start much earlier.

Good luck!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Explanations of Material, April 29, 2000

By 

Andrew Bishop (Redmond, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kaplan MCAT Comprehensive Review 2000 with CD-ROM (Mcat (Kaplan)(Book & CD-Rom)) (Paperback)

If you have to take the MCAT, then this book will help prepare you. It skimps on the Molecular Biology aspects, which was on the MCAT I took this spring. It covers Physics from Newton to Electricity and Magnetism. While taking Physics 2, I would turn to this book for explanations that were more helpful then my text book (especially on Optics!). It also has a lot of information on Physiology and tells you how to read Pedigree charts (not on my test, but others had them). The General Chemistry section was decent, but nothing to write home about. In my opinion, the Organic Chemistry section was weak. Since that was my weakest subject area, I wish it had a better explanation.

Also, more practice exams would have been helpful. THere weren't too many in this book. That is the best way to improve performance on the MCAT, practice tests, practice tests, and more practice tests.

If you are taking the MCAT, this is the best book to help you prepare.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb, thorough, and well written all over MCAT prep text, February 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Kaplan MCAT Comprehensive Review 2000 with CD-ROM (Mcat (Kaplan)(Book & CD-Rom)) (Paperback)

I purchased this book about a month ago and am delighted with it. I have several other MCAT prep texts, and this one surpasses them all in terms of accuracy of material, clarity of presentation, and thoroughness of content review. The software that comes with it is also well written, and includes a set of computer based flash cards that are a very nice bonus. I did have a little bit of difficulty with the software based exam the first time I used it, but that was just a matter of familiarizing myself with its features--unfortunately you can't pause the timer while you acquaint yourself with its features. I ended up scratching my scores for the first quarter section and then restarting the timed exam.

If I could change anything about the book itself, it would be to include several full length practice MCATs, and not just one. Otherwise, I highly recommend this as a solid base for MCAT preparation.