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Examkrackers Complete McAt Study Package
Osote Publishing Product Details - Ratings and reviews for examkrackers complete mcat study package. |
Product Description
This boxed set includes all five Examkrackers course manuals, one for each MCAT topic (biology, physics, chemistry, organic chemistry, and verbal). It contains 1,088 pages, thirty-one 30-minute MCAT practice exams with answers and explanataions, and more than 1,600 MCAT questions.
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Examkrackers Complete McAt Study Package
- Paperback: 1160 pages
- Publisher: Osote Publishing; 2003-01
- Label: Osote Publishing
- Studio: Osote Publishing
- ISBN: 1893858308
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 94 reviews
- Sales Rank in Books: #1189311
Avg. Customer Review:
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Best MCAT materials! I went from a 28Q to a 37T! 2008-10-31
Comment: I regularly purchase books from Amazon.com, but this is my first review. I have decided to write about this study package because of the incredible experience I had using it.
I first took the MCAT in August 2006 and scored a 28Q. I had used Kaplan books to study for the test without taking the expensive Kaplan class. I believed that I could do well enough on my own to justify saving the money on one of those classes. After applying to medical schools last year, making it on to two alternate lists, and ultimately not receiving acceptance, I was forced to decide if I should retake the MCAT since it was the weakest part of my application.
Ultimately, I decided to retake the Exam still without signing up for an expensive prep class. Based on reading high user reviews, I purchased the Examkrackers MCAT Complete Study Package and devoted about 2.5 months to studying full-time for the MCAT on my own. I would go to a coffee shop or local library to study for nearly 6-8 hours each of 4-5 days per week for about 2.5 months. I used only Examkrackers as my study materials for all sections of the MCAT. I completely read through the study package two times, utilized all practice questions given in the study package, and went back to difficult areas to focus on in the week prior to the exam.
I took the MCAT for the second time in August 2008. The exam was on a Friday, and I took two official full-length practice exams (from the AMCAS website) on Monday and Wednesday before the exam. The week earlier I had scored a 26 on the Examkrackers practice exam, but on the official AMCAS practice exams I scored a 37 and a 38! On the actual MCAT exam I scored a 37T!!! I went from 65th percentile in 2006 to 98th percentile in 2008. I was shocked with my improvement in the score.
Examkrackers had prepared me exceedingly well for the MCAT and did not give any extraneous information. The goofy cracker character "Salty" was stupid and silly but made the information light and fun. The practice questions and practice exam provided by Examkrackers were much harder than the actual MCAT and overprepared me. The way certain subjects, especially organic chemistry, were taught was much better than I had been taught previously (even in college). The approach to organic chemistry in Examkrackers was to have more of an understanding about the theory and reasons behind reactions than to just strictly memorize so much that your head spins.
I highly recommend this package as your dedicated MCAT study materials. Although I did not practice writing very many essays, my score still went from a Q to a T. I attribute some of this to the no-nonsense opinions and strategy given by Examkrackers. However I directly attribute my increase from a 28 to a 37 to studying full-time with the excellent materials in the Examkrackers MCAT Complete Study Package.
Good luck, and enjoy!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good but not entirely 2008-10-29
Comment: The first time I took the MCAT I got a low score, so one of my friends said that examkrackers were really good books. I found all of these good reviews here, and I got really excited because I thought the books were really going to help me.
The physics book is not effective at all; it practically skims over the concepts, and I had a hard time understanding some of them.
the verbal book is useless when it comes to strategies and practice. My score did not improve at all.
The biology book, however, is amazing. covers a lot of information but it gets the job done, same for the organic chem and gen chem books.
I memorized the equations, I took the practice tests, i read, took notes, studied all day for ten weeks, and my score only improved by 3 points, which means I have to take the MCAT yet again.
Due to my desperation, I decided to take a princeton review class (even though I did everything I could to avoid spending all that money) but so far I have been pleasantly surprised. The books are GREAT even though they are like 700 pages each; each concept is explained throughly and easily, there are lots of examples (which are missing in the examkrackers' physics and chemistry books). There is a science workbook that has like 1000 pages full of passages and free standing questions, there are two verbal books, and they give you access to Princeton review and AAMC practice tests for free. The people teaching are experts on their respective subjects (two of them scored really high on the MCAT and got accepted to every school they applied to). I am not advertising prep classes for princeton or kaplan, but it is always nice to have someone to answer your questions and explain things.
If you are like me, someone who likes to be taught, that learns more in a "classroom" atmosphere, that takes a little longer to understand or master concepts, and is not great at physics, then you should look for something else because the examkrackers physics book will not help you.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Mostly Solid Review Package 2008-09-16
Comment: My score: 34M
BS: EXCELLENT review for science majors (non-science majors may need more background knowledge). The book is very clear on what should and should not be studied. My practice scores jumped from 10-13/14 after studying this material. Unfortunately, I choked in this section slightly on the real MCATs and that kept me from a score of 36 or 37.
VR: Decent strategies that made sense and worked for me. On average the practice and the tips upped me from 10 to 11 in this section.
PS: GOOD review for physical sciences. The equations they suggest you know are right on point. After working through this review section and memorizing the recommended equations, my score improved from 10 to 12.
Writing: This was not covered extensively and it need not be. My score is rather low, but as long as it's not J or K (two lowest), you should be fine. I scored rather low here more because I took the section lightly than because of the prep materials.
Overall... a solid review package at a reasonable price for science majors. More help with understanding may be necessary for people who have not taken college Physics, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, etc.
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My recipe for the MCATs: Examkrackers Comprehensive study package, electronic flash cards (that I purchased), ALL the practice AAMC exams available, a few other simulated exams from other test prep companies (hand-me-down books), and STUDY, PRACTICE, and PERSISTENCE.
P.S. I was a bit worried about Examkrackers posting their own reviews of their product (since they have SO many more reviews than other test-prep books), but I assure you I am a real pre-med. Just check my profile to see my other purchases!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent 2008-09-11
Comment: The first time I took the MCAT I took a Princeton Review class. It really was great, I got a mountain of books and practice questions and I scored well on the test, however, it was incredibly expensive. I decided to take a break form school so I held off on applying to medical school. When I decided it was time to apply I had to take the MCAT again. I decided to buy Examkrackers and study myself. The content of these books was so much better then the class I had taken. Everything is clear and concise which makes learning the huge amount material you need to cover very easy. My only gripe would be that there aren't nearly enough practice questions. (Of course you can always spend more money and buy the books that have more practice problems.)
If you have the discipline to study this by yourself I would definitely suggest getting this study pack. If you need a little extra nudging then I would go for a review class that is structured, if you are lucky you can take one of Examkrackers' classes.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Totally misleading 2008-08-28
Comment: The author said that read each lecture 3 times. That was totaly misleading and a waste of time for me. I was hoping after reading their lectures to be ready for the MCAT. That was just a day dream. Their lectures are confuising, and poorly worded. I think there are other premeds falling into this trap but they are too afraid, lazy, or don't care to put their comment here. Now let me tell you why some of those positive reviews are dangerous and misleading and how I fell inot this trap. They claim these books are what put them into med school. Total BS. It took me the hard way to finally understand that no matter how complete a book is, MCAT is mostly about critical reasoning and reading comprehension. That's my opinion.
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Examkrackers Complete McAt Study Package
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