Customer Reviews

The Gold Standard MCAT with Online Practice MCAT Tests (Prep Study Guide)

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

 

 

Here are my thoughts about this book:

Strengths:
1. Each chapter begins by listing what should be memorized/understood/forgotten
2. All topics are covered (as far as I can tell using the AAMC guidelines) + some good online videos.
3. Chapter review practice questions follow actual MCAT test patterns (not questions that just ask you to repeat what you just read)
4. There are 3 tough practice tests that you can do online with full explanations (CBTs).

Weaknesses:
1. Including material that can be "forgotten" (phenols, ethers, alkenes, etc) seems unnecessary.
2. It would be way more convenient to have the chapter review questions in the book rather than online.
3. The mix of chapter review questions is mostly independent but the real exam is 85% associated with passages.
4. If the exams are online, why also have them in the book? Those pages could have been used for the chapter review questions.

* Why is this book valuable?
There are tons of MCAT review books but this is one of about 3 companies that have done a good job.

* Why is the book not sufficient by itself?
You absolutely need official AAMC materials: The Official Guide to the MCAT Exam and all the online practice AAMC tests (currently there are 8 and they are numbered 3 to 11).

* Why 5 stars?
I don't know if any book deserves a perfect ranking especially after I have already laid out some weaknesses. But taking into account some odd low star reviews and an overall reasonable price, I hope this gives a little balance. Good luck!

It weighs about 7 lbs (a pretty healthy baby!). So it's huge like a typical undergrad textbook, hardcover. The best part is that every chapter starts by saying what you have to memorize, what you have to just understand but not memorize, and what you should not even learn! So it keeps perspective.

The illustrations and explanations are clear. The online features are pretty impressive especially the teaching videos. Thumbs up.

Length:: 5:46 Mins

Why have a physician guide your MCAT review? Because you need to learn to think like a physician while taking the test!

Dr. Dan from the Medical School Podcast explains how to use the Gold Standard MCAT book while you're taking the medical school prerequisite courses. Learn the MCAT material from the very beginning and save yourself a lot of time!

Good luck,

Doctor Dan

This book, now in its 16th edition, is a comprehensive review of the new MCAT and provides strategies, preparation ideas, and sample questions to help you study. The full-color illustrations are aesthetically pleasing and accurate. I love the book's organization, which clearly shows you just what you need to know as well as what information is optional to learn. If you only purchase one book for your MCAT study needs, this 952-page book is the one.

It's a good quick focus book on what you should learn for the MCAT. It is definitely not a detailed study guide. Overall, the material is described in a general overview format expecting you to have already learned most of it. The writing style is very awkward with some major grammar and syntax issues which can make reading and understanding a bit difficult at times. Here is just one example on syntax: "The cell cycle is a period of approximately 18-22 hours during which the cell can synthesize new DNA, partition the DNA equally, thus the cell can divide."

Graphics are quite good. Concepts however are sometimes over complicated because of the way they are phrased. I followed exam krackers books, using this as a final review. Reading it felt like most of the ideas were mimicked from exam krakers just at a lower level. I would not recommend for a main study guide.

I bought "The Gold Standard" because I heard it was a brief overview of the MCAT material, which it is. It also comes with online questions when you create a free account on their website. It has review questions, online mcat practice tests, and has a ok review of material. I would buy it again if I had choice of review materials.

The review book is quite large, and contains brief sections on all four science sections. It also contains a practice test, which is nice, however, my edition is 2011 and the practice test format is out of date for example, the physical sciences don't contain 77 questions and you don't have 100 minutes any more--the other sections of the practice test follow suit.

The book is decent for the price, however, unless you remember everything from undergrad science, you will need another book, or at the very least, some practice problems, which this book skimps on.

The practice test does go over reasoning for the answer choice, so you can utilize that.

I just started studying for the MCATs with this book and I'm actually spending way more time trying to go back to my old text book to try to understand. I think I'm regretting my purchase and wished I would have bought Kaplan or other such prep books.

It tells you what the mcat will have on it but I did go back to my old books to double check.
In the chemistry part, it didnt give much details and examples on the different subjects. So, when I wanted more practice with equations, I went to my old book to get more practice.
The book serves as a refreshment on the subjects but I would want more practice problems. Still it was helpful.

This is book is big and heavy quantity-wise and not quality or content -wise. It just gives you an outline of what something is and weather it's important for the MCAT or not. This seems to impress many of those who had left comments here. Well almost all other MCAT review books do that and in a better way. I do not want to market anyone's else's book, but if you look around and check some of the pre-med forums, you will know which book to buy.

The book advertises color diagrams, well other MCAT books have the same thing and even better than the high school figures that this book has.

In short, stay away from this book. I wasted my hard earned money on it, do not waste yours!