Admissions Books

I was disappointed in the lack of details in the book, esp. through the Biology and Chemistry areas as well as the over commercialization by the Authors. Cannot recommend this book.

I read it, and I feel like a fool buying this almost worthless work. Main objective seems just to make money for the publisher and author, best to try books that are not so commerically motivated by these authors.

This book was the biggest waste of money in the world, don't buy it unless you want to get a 16 overall. (I got a 39 with another book)

The book offers a good outline of very relevant topics for the mcat. All in all, the resembled my own study notes, carefully compiled from many sources over months. I was impressed with some of the physiology review (P04-2, CA+2 regulation). Overall, reading this book is a great way to polish off some rusty concepts. Use in conjuction with other more detailed texts.

Agree with the previous reviews. I guess my wife bought this book without reading the reviews. Could add more examples in simple math errors or not well thought of. Don't seem to be typos. McGraw-Hill's should have been more careful with this type of educational materials. Funny thing is Lawrenseville's Dean wrote a forward, apparently not knowing what he's written about or for.

This book has grotesque errors throughout, including in the practice tests. On practice test 1, section 4, problem #8, the numbers are vastly different from test to answer key. On the same practice test, same section, the answer to problem #14 is also incorrect (3 3/4 equals 15/4, not 13/4).

On page 105 in the section entitled "The Arithmetic You Need to Know" Mr. Falletta explains what least common multiple is, then gives problems to complete "on your own - least common multiple", but the answers given are factors, not multiples.

We didn't even do anything other than math. After finding the errors in practice test 1, I put the book away. It wouldn't even be fair to re-sell it. It's worthless if one can't trust the content to be accurate.

It is inexcusable to have such gross errors in a book like this. It was clearly not well edited and perhaps hastily written. A huge disappointment.

Really, it is 2.5 stars. I purchased this book for my 12 year old daughter so that I coud help her perform well on the SSAT. We found the content book organized, but there are multiple errors. Most of them are in calculation and some are in spelling. We found that there were not enough practice questions in the math section for the student (most often there are only 3-4 practice questions in the tougher sections). Also, they do not refer you to a page for answers, you have to flip pages and read the bold print. This just makes the answers harder to find. There were also not enough essay topics to chose from so that she could practice writing and there is only one sample essay included.

I bought this book to give my daughter an idea of what to expect in an upcoming middle school entrance exam. The book has a number of errors and poor explanations that don't make sense. For example, a vocabulary question asks for a synonym for "deftly," and gives four options including "quickly" and "skillfully." The answer key says that option D (skillfully) is correct because "to do something deftly is to do it quickly and skillfully" (p. 365). Based on that explanation, it makes no sense to say that "quickly" is wrong and "skillfully" is right. Also, in explaining how to find the median of a set of numbers, it says that when there are an odd number of numbers, the median is simply the one in the middle. It then gives an example set of 14, 19, 75, 102, 456, 999, and concludes, "The middle number is 75, so that is the median" (p. 125). This is obvously wrong since there is an even number of numbers in the set. (The following section goes on to explain how to find the median when there are an even number of numbers.) In addition, the vocabulary in the lower-level practice test seems excessively difficult for fourth- and fifth-grade students, even though the test is for entrance to fifth and sixth grade. (How many nine-year olds know the definitions of "aplomb," "respite," "abscond," and "visage"?) Overall, I think this book was completely unhelpful.

Although this book boasts 4 full length exams and step-by-step coaching, it appears to be hastily put together and poorly edited. Some of the questions in the exams are woefully filled with errors, and the coaching section isn't that much better. I purchased this book along with several others to prepare for the LSAT and I must say that I'm pleased that this isn't the sole study aid I'm relying on. I'd suggest looking elsewhere for study aids, there are better ones out there.

I have studied almost all of the LSAT study guides published and this is the worst. It is loaded with typos, omitted words, and various other errors. Given that verbal precision is the absolute key to the LSAT, this shortcoming is analogous to a math textbook with numerical errors. Beyond the accuracy issue, I found the practice tests to be, on the whole, a bit easier than the real LSAT. This may give you a false sense of security when you go in to take the real deal. Finally, the explanations for the "game" section tend to be largley unintelligable. The ONLY positive thing I can say about this book is that it is one of the only ones that includes an "experimental section," which means that you get more material for your money -- even if it is patently flawed material

While getting strategies and tips for the LSAT is nice, what I really want out of an LSAT book is lots of practice tests. This book has four full-length tests: a diagnostic test that comes before the "strategy" sections, and three additional practice tests at the end of the book. Also, after each chapter, there are exercises that let you practice a particular section of the LSAT. Unfortunately, I did the exercises before I took the practice tests, and I found that some of the questions are exactly the same. Since I had already seen some of the questions, my scores on the practice tests were probably higher than they would have been otherwise. I recommend that if you intend to take the practice tests to estimate your score, avoid the exercises or save them until you have taken all of the practice tests. Furthermore, there are errors throughout the practice tests. In the reading comprehension sections, the line numbers in questions such as "In line 29, word X is intended to mean..." are often simply wrong. On a timed practice test, it is very annoying to have to waste valuable seconds figuring out what the test's author meant to ask.

The rest of the book isn't as bad. It offers two different "courses" for people without much time to prepare: the "Accelerated Course" for people who have about thirty days before they have to take the LSAT, and the "Supercram" course for people who have two weeks or less. The main difference is that there are shorter "exercises" for the Supercram course, and fewer sections to study. I didn't follow either of these courses, but they might be useful for people who need help budgeting time.

This book starts with about 3-4 mistakes/typos per page and then keeps a
steady pace of 1-2 every page or two, at least for about 50 pages that I have had any patience to read. Not only is the language full
of stylistic problems, omissions etc, but also the key concepts that
are introduced are often mixed up. It looks like this book did not have a careful editor and it definitely was not reviewed by an expert in chemistry or in the English language. The illustrations are so poor that
even if you have managed to decipher the text you are in danger of getting confused again by looking at them.

One example from the beginning of the book is a comparison of interactions between atomic orbitals with productive interference. First of all, is the reader of an introductory chemistry book supposed to know what productive interference is? The bigger problem yet is that there is hardly anything in common between the two concepts, at least the way they are normally defined.

In short, look for a different book. Do not get fooled by the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" label. They promise to give you your money back if you do not like the book. Imagine that this has already happened and you will not go wrong.

**Updated, July 2007**

Having completed Organic Chemistry I with an A, in a class of 600, with a class average of 58/100, and no curve...

I support my original review of this book. It is a poorly written book, with a format used in the 60's. The question-answer format of this book does little to set up and support chemical ideas.

I actually think this book is more harmful to the student than helpful.

Many know that Organic chemistry is a difficult course. Hard work, a daily commitment, and study aides are indeed helpful.... On that note, keep this book out of your study aide library :)

**********************************************************************
Summary: I originally got this text because it had a good review here on Amazon. Unfortunately, it's not what the review led me to believe.

Cons: The first 10 chapters are the review and basics, the next 10 are just problems, with short undetailed explanations and sometimes no explanations.

This text is poorly written, and often assumes you know more than you do. The explanations are sometimes incomplete and inadequate. Its not a complicated read in its academic content, but it is in it literary content. Organic Chemistry ideas are not hard, they become hard whey they are poorly explained and written.

Very, very, very poorly written. Its frustrating to mull over many of the sentences that literally just don't make any sense(I even had an English instructor look at it and he was amazed that it got published)... and not because its complicated, poor grammar and poor sentence structure make this an unnecessarily difficult read. Its almost embarrassing to have a PhD write so poorly. Kaplan seriously should've had this edited before publishing. Not to my surprise, this book has no editor listed.

The frequent 'conversations' between a teacher and a student seem to be abrupt and forced, and I believe they are intended to pad the book. Though some may find it helpful, these too are poorly written, and you may find yourself rereading it several times just to make sense of it all!

I'm maintaining an A in Orgo I now and I've found the Organic Chemistry for Dummies book to be very helpfull as well as the Standard Deviants Deep Fried World of Organic Chemistry 3VHS set. The text Organic Chemistry by Francis Carey is also a good text or adjunct to this course... very well written for a chemistry text.

I wouldn't recommend this text to next semester's Orgo I class... even as an adjunct, its that bad.

This orgo book includes discussion of the major subtopics that are most likely covered in your Organic Chemistry I course. It has a section on common introductory organic chemistry laboratory techniques, discussion of the major types of reactions that are commonly encountered, functional group discussion, and covers many of the organic aspects of biochem. I think all around, it is better than average for this type of a text. I think it is intended to compliment a formal class, and this is does acceptably. It does have a fairly strange format, which consists of a question being posed to an imaginary class. This is followed by some of the expected student responses to the question, and then the teacher's discussion. The student answers were not what I would have said in the same circumstance, but the format is often used effectively, though not always.

This book is a garbage. The answers are totally wrong!

This book is a garbage. The answers are totally wrong!

This book is a good rendition on SSAT test preparation. Sample
diagnostic tests and exams are provided to assist candidates in
simulating live exam scenarios. The questions are topical and
current.

The candidate's strategy is as important as knowledge acquisition
of synonyms and analogies. For instance, all candidates will be
provided with paragraphs to read followed by interpretive questions. The proper test strategy is to read the questions first, review the paragraphs and attempt to answer the questions.
This form of reinforced learning will help to ensure the maximum score possible on paragraph reading/interpretation. Candidate schools will read the essay answers provided. Therefore; you should be prepared to provide a scholarly writing sample in response to standard essays on the exam.

A sample essay would be as follows:
- Write multiple paragraphs on " A Stitch in Time "
" Be Safe Rather Than Sorry "
"Trust but Verify "

Some uncomplementary reviews were written several years ago.
The 2005 version of the text differs substantially from previous
versions . My review of the 2005 version reflects important
changes in the thrust of the questions formulated for candidates
in the current examination cycle.

Most of the math portion of this book is helpful, and filled out my understanding of GMAT math. However, at present, this product is seriously flawed for several reasons:

1) CD-ROM software crashes in the middle of practice exams

2) Verbal practice exam questions do not accurately reflect actual GMAT CAT question types. For example, there are no "I II III" questions in GMAT verbal.

3) Many verbal questions contain mistakes.

If you are looking for educational material, this book can supplement other manuals which are more concise (ie, Kaplan). However, for practice exam questions, you would be better off using the GMAT book published by ETS.

I purchased the latest GMAT CAT books and CD Roms from Arco and Kaplan. Skip Arco altogether and go straight to Kaplan. Arco's interface is inferior and the complexity of questions misjudge those of the actual test. Be sure to get a CD Rom based program whichever you buy, however. The effectiveness of test simulation is invaluable.

Material in book is outdated. The ARRT has a registery for cardiac and one for vascular. This book contains both resulting in not many questions for the cardiac registery (or the vascular registery either).

This book was useful for practice exam testing, but is not good for studying. The sample tests were good and provided plenty of questions divided into each are of CIT; hovever, there are no explanations along with the answers. Without any previous knowledge of CIT this book would be difficult to use as is. It would be a good supplimental book, strictly for testing purposes, if you have other reference material to study from. The information in the questions is still very useful and tests your knowledge completely, but without any back up information for incorrect answers, you would still need another book for reference and studying. I would still highly recomend this book just because it has such a large amount of sample questions in all ares of CIT. Because there are so many possibilities for for potential questions on the CIT exam, this book will definitely cover a large portion of those questions and a least provide question written in similar format as on the ARRT exam.

I opened this book right to the practice tests, and immediately ran into multiple errors; really basic ones that would have been caught and corrected if even rudimentary effort had been put into proofreading and editing. 3,048cm in a foot. 88x7.08x0.05=862.5. 55% of 76 is 44.

I couldn't be bothered to explore much beyond that first practice test. If they've bodged up 6th grade math this badly, it certainly can't get any better with further examination.

This study guide wasn't that bad, as the last review said. I took the hesi about 2 weeks after studying from this booklet and with old math notes from college level 1 algebra. I recieved an 85, which is good but i could have done better in the Anatomy and Phys. section- The study book does NOT go into great detail on the anatomy and phys section, i suggest reading up on that section in your local library or from a friend's notes.
Good luck!

I was very disappointed with the format of study for this book. It doesnt give clear, definitions of the meaning of words in the biology section and when you go to take the test at the end and then go back to try and review items missed it doesnt give clear meaning of correct answer from the chapter. Math Section doesnt give enough information on how to convert different problems if your not familar with conversion of the metrics. Only gives answers to problems on the test but doesnt explain how they got the answer. I also didnt like the way they have Chemistry, Biology, and A&P all together when taking the test at the end. It's very confusing and at my college our HESI exam will only be on Chemistry and Biology. So to combine all that information together was confusing and not helpful to me because it's very little of what I needed to know on exam.

I disagree with the other reviewer. I own the book, used its advice, and was admitted to more schools than I expected. It's true that it's a bit outdated and leaves some questions unanswered, but I still found it to be a decent general guide to getting into graduate school. Those who need extensive advice on interviewing or essay writing or who are specializing in an obscure field may need a book more specific to their needs. Because the book is so general, I would recommend buying it used for a lower price or ordering it through your local library, but it is certainly worth your time and a few dollars.

Anyone who needs to read this book shouldn't even consider going to graduate school. I have never seen so much obvious advice collected in such a short book. Were you hoping for advice on how to approach people you were interested in studying with? How to behave at an interview? What a good GRE score would be? What criteria the admissions comittee is using (other than, you know, "good grades")? Well don't look here. This book taught me literally nothing. In addition, it is completely out of date, with numerous references to our current "boom" economy.

I am studying using this book, to practice for my GRE general exam, and at the beginning, I though the book is good because it has 501 questions in a quantitative Comparison style, but when I started to solve the problems and practice using a paper and pencil, I found an error, which is not a printing error,it's a mathematics error, so I stopped practicing with that book because one error mathmetically is enough for me.

The error is on page 27, question 127:


a is a positive integer

1/ (a)^7 1/ (a)^10

According to the book, the answer is ( A ), and that's because the fraction in column A is larger than the fraction in column B.

The problem is, if we considered the value ( 0 ), zero, for (a), we will have equal values both in column A and Column B, so that means the answer will be ( C ).

And since we have different answers, one is ( A ), as the book has mentioned, and the other is ( C ), then the correct answer must be ( D ).


I don't recommend to spend your money on a book that contains errors.

Best regards.