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The Best MCAT Study Books for Biology
We've all heard, of course, that some books will do you more harm then good.
It comes as no surprise then that people struggle to pick the MCAT study books which will prepare them well for the material that is actually on the MCAT.
Unfortunately, there are many books out there that stress memorization of several million facts. BEWARE of these books because the MCAT is not about this at all!
The MCAT is geared to have you use FUNDAMENTAL science knowledge coupled with your brilliant critical thinking skills.
One of the best ways to get ready for this type of thinking is to practice it!
It is also incredibly helpful to break up your studying into the sections that will appear on the MCAT: biology, chemistry, and physics.
Here I have compiled what I think are the best MCAT Study Books for Biology. Check out my other lenses about How to Study for and best study books for Chemistry and Physics.
An Equation to Remember
Preparation + Organization + Starting to Study Early = Good MCAT Score
Your New Favorite 5 Books
Examkrackers MCAT Complete Study Guide
This is a 5 volume set of the ExamKrackers MCAT Manuals. These books come with a full length practice MCAT test. It is of utmost importance to realize that taking practice tests is KEY to doing well on the MCAT. The fact that you get a chance to practice the exact style of test you will be taking is a huge advantage.
In addition to the full length test, there are 31 thirty minute topical exams. These small exams are also written in the same style that as the real MCAT.
Best Comprehensive Review
This is my personal favorite because they utilize a lot of pictures, graphs, and illustrations to explain concepts. Another great things about this book are the type of questions at the end of each chapter.
This book strives to make their practice questions as close to the MCAT style as possible. This means that you will get a good grasp on how to interpret graphs and short passages that introduce new material.
This book is not incredibly long, especially compared to other comprehensive MCAT study books for biology. This is important because you do not want to waste time learning material you will never have to know!
The MCAT Biology Book (with Verbal Reasoning)
Amazon Price: (as of 12/23/2009) 
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Get the details
It's important to get varying points of view about the MCATs.
What worked for one person, may not work for you so it's up to you to find out what works for some people and try it out!
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Best Focused Review
The reason this book is great is because you will not end up wasting your time learning facts that you will never use on the MCAT.
Many people feel as though the explanations in this book about large concepts are good enough to "teach" your the material without having to supplement the book with a text book or another more detailed MCAT review book.
However, if it's been several years since you've taken a biology course, this book will be a great tool for you to use because you will get a good idea of what you need to go back and refresh on.
The writing in the book is very straight forward. There are also MCAT style questions after each chapter. The questions vary in difficulty so they will give you a good idea of what to expect on the MCAT.
Examkrackers MCAT Biology
Amazon Price: $30.35 (as of 12/23/2009)
Best Practice Book
Again, practicing the type of questions that will be on the MCAT will be much more helpful than just memorizing a bunch of facts from your undergraduate classes.
This book is great because it gives you a variety of questions so that you know where exactly your base knowledge of biology is lacking. Once you realize that there is something you need to brush up on, use one of your other books to review that material.
Don't try to memorize all of the facts in the passages. Most of it is written specifically so that people DON'T know the material. This is their way of testing your analytical thinking skills so don't waste your time learning that material.
Examkrackers 1001 McAt Biology Questions
Amazon Price: $26.37 (as of 12/23/2009)
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More MCAT Resources
Be wary of other flashcard resources and things like that and make sure you read the reviews (!!!) since many of them are not good.
Examkrackers MCAT Audio Osmosis with Jordan and Jon
Amazon Price: $125.97 (as of 12/23/2009)
MCAT Biological Sciences Flashcards (Flip-O-Matic)
Amazon Price: (as of 12/23/2009)
Pre-Med Flashcards MCAT Review Program - Study All The MCAT Content with Over 1900 Flashcards
Amazon Price: (as of 12/23/2009)
Get Yourself Organized
You need to attack studying for the MCAT very methodically and thoroughly.
Organization will help keep you on track with your studying.
It will also help you organize the material in your mind. Since there is so much information, keeping all of your study resources straight will help you get a clear understanding of what you are learning.
The more you can organize your real stuff, the more organized the information will be in your head. This will make it more easily accessible to you when it really comes to the test.
Rubbermaid 12906 Smart sorter system, 13w x 10d x 12-1/4h, black
Amazon Price: $35.49 (as of 12/23/2009)
Rubbermaid 16173 Combination set desktop sorter/trays, smoke, 19-1/2w x 9d x 7h
Amazon Price: $13.18 (as of 12/23/2009)
Rubbermaid Regeneration Plastic Letter Tray 6 Pack (86028)
Amazon Price: $15.87 (as of 12/23/2009)
3 Tier Desk Tray, Steel Mesh, 10 3/4"x14 1/4"x11", BK (SPR90206)
Amazon Price: $8.69 (as of 12/23/2009)
Black Double Letter Tray With Sorter, 13 7/8"w x 10 1/8"d x 12 1/2"h (ROL27047) Category: Cubicle Panels and Partitions
Amazon Price: $16.29 (as of 12/23/2009)
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by Alex_D
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