MCAT Complete Study Package, Sixth Edition (Exam Krackers)

I had about 8 weeks to prep for the August '06 MCAT, so I bought the majority of the EK books, signed up for a prep course (which in retrospect was probably a waste of money) and studied 8 hours a day, 7 days a week until the test, and I still couldn't finish all the material. A word of advice, give yourself at least a 12 week cushion to study, so that you can cover all the material and b/c you can take a day off here and there to keep yourself from losing your sanity and not fall behind...b/c at the end of 8 very intense weeks I felt like I was losing my mind ;), I took about 7-8 practice exams, half of which were AAMC which were very helpful...in the end, it was all worth it...scored a 30 (10 VR, 10 BS, 10 PS).

After being away from college for 10 years, I have found the MCAT review very comprehensive and manageable. The subjects are divided into separate books, which makes them very portable. The diagrams are fantastic, and the authors' sidenotes clarify what you need to know outright versus what's background info. If you need further help, there are Examcrackers resources for that too, such as flashcards and extra questions for each subject, so you don't have to pay for what you don't need. It is somewhat tailored for those with strong science skills, and weak verbal--the Verbal Reasoning book really walks you through the basics. Since that is my strong suit, I don't need my hand held for that, while I do for Physics, so I guess my only complaint would be that they assume you're a science wizard and verbal dummy, so those of us with the opposite skills don't get the same benefit of that stereotype. I know, probably most medical students fit that mold, but that doesn't mean those of...Read more

There is no better set of books than these. They give you all the info you need with little jokes and pnemonics to help you remember the information. Other books give you lots of filler that just wastes your precious study time, while these books give you just whats tested on the mcat. I also recommend the audio osmosis cd's that go along with the books. They are great to have in the car or just to review the material when you get tired of reading.