Examkrackers MCAT Biology

The Biological Sciences segment of the MCAT contains the material that is least likely to have been comprehensively covered by the coursework of a typical undergraduate. While the chemistry and physics (and organic chemistry) elements of the test are all fairly similar to university syllabi, the broad sweep of MCAT's biology topics (biochemistry to anatomy, and selections from everything in between) makes it unlikely that any one or two courses could cover them all. Enter Examkrackers. At precisely the correct level of detail, Orsay takes the reader through each part of the MCAT Biology curriculum, emphasizing the important elements, breezing through the minutiae, organizing everything so that it is easy to process and remember. I used virtually nothing apart from this book to study for MCAT's biology sections, and can say that never on the exam did I feel unprepared for a question, which, given the test, is all you can ask. The book might be less than ideal for someone wishing to learn these topics from scratch, but for a concise, helpful review, there is nowhere better to turn.

I really am grateful to EK for their books. I took PR and found that their materials gave me a great foundation (since I'd been out of school for 7 years...) But EK really helped me FOCUS on the things I needed to know. The Bio (as well as Physics, Chem, and Orgo) book is esp well written and you'll find that the writer's language reinforces the style of the exams. The color diagrams and directness of the presentation are fantastic time savers. Don't think it's "oversimplified" either. (I found that to be true w/ another review company who's materials were poorly written.) EK is no-nonsense with the info you NEED to know for the MCAT, and the mnemonics are great.

The Examkrackers' MCAT review subjects are absolutely fabulous!! In comparing the Kaplen review with the Examkracker review, subject by subject, I'd give Examkrackers an A+ and Kaplen a B-. I can't stress Examkrackers superiority enough! Extremely thorough! In addition, font and color variations in the Examkrackers books are used to emphasize the most important material. It also helps to break up the monotonous task of reviewing... My only complaint is with the "1001 questions..." volumes. While EK's pick the toughest stand-alone questions, there are no passage-based questions in the "1001 questions..." series. However, EK's naturally includes passage-based questions in the subject review volumes... I have both the Biology and Organic Chemistry volumes (along with the 1001 questions for each), and both far exceed Kaplen!

I have examined several (Kaplan, Wiley, Princeton Review) MCAT prep materials and have found Jon Orsay's MCAT books the best out there..what I needed were books that weren't repeating the textbook's explanations, but were actually providing and clear,accurate simplification of the concepts needed to improve on the MCAT and at the same time giving time saving pointers on what is really important for the test, and what is not. After reading Jon's prep materials and working the problems, I can say unambivalently that these materials are super!

I would like to take this opportunity and recommend the MCAT series from Jonathan Orsay to everybody. There are many MCAT preparation books on the bookshelves today and I know how hard it is to choose the best one. I looked at many preparation books before deciding. After very careful review I bought the Examkrackers series. I have been studying from these books for two months now and I must say that they are incredible. They simply cover everything one needs to know for MCAT in interesting and simple way. They emphasize the deep understanding of concepts which help me to remember all the rules, processes and formulas much better. I do not have to go back to my textbooks or notes at all; instead I can concentrate on and learn material that will be tested on MCAT. Question passages after each topic pinpoint many tricky questions used on MCAT and Explanation passages make the answers very clear and understandable. The books are also full of great diagrams and helpful mnemonic tricks to help to remember things. As an example I can use mnemonic trick from Lecture 2 (Genes) that helped me to memorize the direction of replication of DNA forever: " DNA is complicated to understand, so reading it is like paddling upstream, from 3' to 5'. However, once it is read, synthesizing DNA is downstream, from 5' to 3'" I believe that you will find these books as helpful as I did.