The MCAT Physics Book Illustrated Edition

I bought this book because physics was my weakest section of the MCAT and I although I took Kaplan and had all their books, I wanted another "perspective." I got through about half the book (the first half was where my weakness was) and it was awesome. The chapters aren't too long and there are thorough examples throughout the text to demonstrate the difficult concepts. I also love how it reminds you to think about the answers yourself before you look at their explanations. I hired a tutor for2 hours to get through the Torque chapter, because despite how great this book was- I still just didn't get it.It started getting dense at the fluids chapter (no pun intended :)) and I realized I was spending too much time with this book and neglecting some of my other areas for MCAT prep so I switched back to my Kaplan book for the final chapters (circuits, optics, etc) but use it to supplement my study with Kaplan and find that I'm often going back to this book for quick reference. Kaplan is prettier- it's in color, and it often really simplifies things. But I don't think there are enough complex examples throughout the chapters in their physics book. I think Kaplan might do a really good job of pointing out the "what you need to know for the MCAT" and this book does a really good job of teaching you "what you need to know to really understand physics," which was what I was hoping for.If you are really struggling with physics like I was, plan to spend a solid 2-3 months with this book- it's 16 chapters, and ordered only slightly different than Kaplan. It might give you more information than you need- but it's worth it. I really get things now that I wasn't before using it- and for some quantitative proof- I just took an AAMC practice test and got a 12 on my physical sciences section- and only 1 physics question wrong (compared that to when I took the MCAT two years ago and got a 9 without this book, and was thrilled to get a 10 on my practice exams)! Maybe it's a fluke, but I'll take it. Looks like it's time to get back to studying bio/orgo.

My background: I am a biomedical science major, and I have -never- done any physics throughout my academic career, save for 2 years of general middle/junior high school science. My bank of physics knowledge can be most aptly described as NIL.I bought this book in February and only started using it in March when I came to the awful realisation that my acquisition of physics was not going anywhere (MCAT in April) and all Kaplan was doing was to instil the fear that I wasn't going to make it. I'd say that ExamKrackers physics (1001 questions and guidebook) pushed my score from a 2 to a 6, and the MCAT physics book pushed it from a 6 to a 10. This book is certainly more helpful in explaining concepts and the practice questions aplenty provide very useful practice.The book is very simply printed: black and white. It doesn't come with all the bells and whistles of the Kaplan and ExamKrackers series (Coloured printing! Glossy paper! Pretty fonts!) and it doesn't cover as many equations and concepts either, but nobody can accuse it of not covering the ESSENTIALS. The MCAT gives passages that can be on anything under the sun, and you will survive best if you can identify the concepts behind the complicated-looking science AND have the concepts down pat. (As an example, nothing in the MCAT biological sciences passages was new material to me, so I suppose I can assume the same for the physical sciences passages IF I actually had some formal training in it - as it was, I was only learning some things for the first time when reading the passages on test day, but it didn't quite stop me from identifying the concepts and answering the questions.)Of course, I recognise that few other people will actually be facing the MCAT with the same extreme dearth of physics knowledge as I did. And I don't know if this book will be helpful to anyone who already has a decent physical science score. But if you are struggling with the concepts, then this book is most certainly helpful - coupled with the willingness to think and the propensity for hard work.

If you have absolutely no idea about anything in Physics, buy this book! If you feel confident about the concepts and just need practice for MCAT buy the Examkrackers 1001 questions in Physics book. If you're like me, I bought both and scored a 12 on my PS section on the real MCAT. Before starting this book, I had no idea about any of the concepts in Physics because my school did not offer a very well taught Physics course. After about six weeks of intense studying and completing the Examkrackers book, I felt pretty confident in Physics.There are few chapters that were a lot harder to understand and I had to consult online sources for it. Torques and Work chapters were the least accessible and not quite as well written. Overall, I think I found only one mistake in the book which was that one of the m.c. questions had two answers that were exactly the same. A minor mistake. Overall, I loved this book! I am glad I listened to other reviewers and went with this book. What this book is not is a magic device that will make you learn Physics in a short time. I suggest that if you were to tackle this book, give yourself at least a month's time. I spent about 6-7 hours everyday (including weekends) to finally master Physics but it was an accomplishment I am very proud of! Once you get done with the book, I think you will feel a lot more confident and relieved and be quite well prepared for MCAT!One note: This book covers a lot more Physics and some is even beyond the scope of MCAT. But, they do tell you what is important and what is not. My point is that if you get stuck on something minor (such as stress/strain or viscosity of fluids) and can't figure it out even after using online resources, move on. More than likely it won't be on MCAT.

I really like it because it met my expectations and I still have to do the problems though to ace my next PS section on the MCAT