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This post has been updated. Prices for used TBR books are lower now than when this was first posted, so older prices for used books are no longer applicable.
I want to keep a few things from the original post, but adjust the pricing based on the latest prices at various sites for used books.
First off, SDN classifieds are by far the best place to get used BR materials. You can ask questions and get tailored replies from the seller. Most of the dishonest activities (scams) and bait-n-switch listings (outdated material or counterfeits with missing pages) come from Craigslist, so you should never buy from Craigslist. Ebay has BR books, but in many cases they cost more used than you'd pay for them brand new. They also have the most number of incorrect books copyright dates of any site. Secondhand sellers rarely have any clue what they are selling. For the sake of getting current materials, you should look primarily to SDN if you opt to buy the materials used.
Here is a general pricing suggestion for the materials. For details about what makes the updated books different from older books, consult the other book thread. You should always ask about the writing in each book and version.
Used typically cost about $10-$15 for the pair, depending on the condition. To make sure you are getting the correct version, ask the seller if there is a practice exam that starts on page 339 of Book I. If it is, then you have the right book. The current books is not the best option if you are looking for the most passages.
Current Biology Books__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Used typically cosy about $10-$20 for the pair, depending on the condition. To make sure you are getting the correct version, ask if it has a buoyancy and flow trick summary sheet on page 54 of Book 2. If it is, then you have the right book. If not, pass on that one and get a newer version. The green cover was introduced by Todd Bennett starting in 2016, so look for the green cover.
Current Physics Books__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
GENERAL CHEMISTRY
(Revision 1: October 2015)
(Revision 2: October 2017)
This book has been the flagship of the company since it was founded by Todd Bennett in 1992. This book is one-hundred percent the result of Todd's work. He started writing it in 1989 and released his first edition in June, 1990. Even an outdated BR general chemistry book beats the 2015 book for the next best company. In 2015 the book went from ten chapters to 12, although no new text was created (acids and bases was separated from titrations and buffers and split into two chapters and atomic theory and period trends were split into two chapters). The text portion reads as it has since 1990, before BR even existed, because the author used it for a different MCAT course he also founded. The 2015 general chemistry book was modified to include more physics, biochemistry, physiology, and organic chemistry applications of general chemistry concepts. In 2017, the editing focused on minor typos more than anything else. If you use it right, this book will improve your score more than anything on the market.
Used typically cost about $15-$20 for the pair, depending on the condition. To make sure you are getting the correct version, ask the seller if the Book 1 has 360 pages and if Book 2 has 317 pages.
Current General Chemistry Books__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Current Organic Chemistry Books
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The suggested prices are based on sales over the past few years at SDN and FB. The list below includes a few suggestions to follow on any purchase of used books.
I want to keep a few things from the original post, but adjust the pricing based on the latest prices at various sites for used books.
First off, SDN classifieds are by far the best place to get used BR materials. You can ask questions and get tailored replies from the seller. Most of the dishonest activities (scams) and bait-n-switch listings (outdated material or counterfeits with missing pages) come from Craigslist, so you should never buy from Craigslist. Ebay has BR books, but in many cases they cost more used than you'd pay for them brand new. They also have the most number of incorrect books copyright dates of any site. Secondhand sellers rarely have any clue what they are selling. For the sake of getting current materials, you should look primarily to SDN if you opt to buy the materials used.
Here is a general pricing suggestion for the materials. For details about what makes the updated books different from older books, consult the other book thread. You should always ask about the writing in each book and version.
BIOLOGY
(Revision 1: October 2016)
(Revision 2: May 2021)
Dale Schmidt wrote the text of this book and many of the passages. He did the editing up until the most recent printing (a couple years ago). The biology books have undergone small cosmetic changes with each printing. These changes generally included updating of drawings and some questions and/or explanation got tweaked by a few words. In early 2011, a practice test was added to the back of each book, but they no longer appear in the current books. These exams are invaluable as summaries and make the used books more useful than brand new ones. There were typos fixed in revision 1, and about six new pages of text were added to book 2 in revision 2.(Revision 1: October 2016)
(Revision 2: May 2021)
Brand new from the company: $69 for the pair
USED RECOMMENDATION: from January 2011 to May 2020
Next best option:
from March 2007 to December 2010
USED RECOMMENDATION: from January 2011 to May 2020
Next best option:
from March 2007 to December 2010
Used typically cost about $10-$15 for the pair, depending on the condition. To make sure you are getting the correct version, ask the seller if there is a practice exam that starts on page 339 of Book I. If it is, then you have the right book. The current books is not the best option if you are looking for the most passages.
Current Biology Books
PHYSICS
(Revision 1: November 2015)
(Revision 2: October 2016)
In November of 2015, the Physics book for the new MCAT was released, with an emphasis on integrating biological examples (especially physiology and biochemistry lab techniques) into physics passages. There are some new questions on high-yield topics such as electrophoresis, pace makers, artificial valves, and so on added (maybe twenty total). Some questions and answers have been modified to reflect an emphasis on applications. The October 2016 revision addressed some passages and incorporated roughly fifteen more experiment-based questions. The latest changes were a few new passages with physiology and general chemistry incorporated. You shouldn't settle for anything earlier than 2016, used or new.(Revision 1: November 2015)
(Revision 2: October 2016)
Brand new from the company: $69 for the pair
USED RECOMMENDATION: from November 2015 to current
Next best option: from June 2013 to October 2015
USED RECOMMENDATION: from November 2015 to current
Next best option: from June 2013 to October 2015
Used typically cosy about $10-$20 for the pair, depending on the condition. To make sure you are getting the correct version, ask if it has a buoyancy and flow trick summary sheet on page 54 of Book 2. If it is, then you have the right book. If not, pass on that one and get a newer version. The green cover was introduced by Todd Bennett starting in 2016, so look for the green cover.
Current Physics Books
GENERAL CHEMISTRY
(Revision 1: October 2015)
(Revision 2: October 2017)
This book has been the flagship of the company since it was founded by Todd Bennett in 1992. This book is one-hundred percent the result of Todd's work. He started writing it in 1989 and released his first edition in June, 1990. Even an outdated BR general chemistry book beats the 2015 book for the next best company. In 2015 the book went from ten chapters to 12, although no new text was created (acids and bases was separated from titrations and buffers and split into two chapters and atomic theory and period trends were split into two chapters). The text portion reads as it has since 1990, before BR even existed, because the author used it for a different MCAT course he also founded. The 2015 general chemistry book was modified to include more physics, biochemistry, physiology, and organic chemistry applications of general chemistry concepts. In 2017, the editing focused on minor typos more than anything else. If you use it right, this book will improve your score more than anything on the market.
Brand new from the company: $69 for the pair
USED RECOMMENDATION: from October 2015 to current
Next best option: from January 2011 to September 2015
USED RECOMMENDATION: from October 2015 to current
Next best option: from January 2011 to September 2015
Used typically cost about $15-$20 for the pair, depending on the condition. To make sure you are getting the correct version, ask the seller if the Book 1 has 360 pages and if Book 2 has 317 pages.
Current General Chemistry Books
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(with structural biochemistry)
(Revision 1: August 2015)
(Revision 2: June 2017)
Like the general chemistry books, this book is one-hundred percent the result of Todd Bennett's work. He started writing it in 1988 and released his first edition in June, 1990 for the first MCAT company he founded, prior to his founding of Berkeley Review. In 2004 the AAMC writers removed topics such as alkene reactions and benzene chemistry, so Todd omitted these sections from his book at that time, changing the chapter sequence in a significant way. The topics were modified again in 2007, after the switch to the CBT, so more topics were removed. The next version of these books was released in June, 2012. It had reduced text and more sample questions. It was the first version to have an index at the back. As of August 2015, the organic chemistry book had several non-biological passages removed. The three chapters with a strong biology component (lipids, carbohydrates, and nitrogen compounds) that Todd put into book 2 (as opposed to being split between books 1 and 2) were modified for the major change in 2015. Todd modified the book AFTER April 2015, so it could accurately reflect the new MCAT. Part 1 is dedicated to traditional organic chemistry topics (structure, bonding, stereochemistry, reactivity, spectroscopy, and lab techniques) Part 2 is dedicated to the overlap area between biochemistry and organic chemistry (lipids, phospholipids, carbonyl structures, redox biochemistry, carbohydrates, amino acids, and nitrogen-compounds). It is the best 2015+ book on the market. The new book has a different cover than the older versions. In June 2017 an updated version was released with a couple minor changes, but it wasn't noticeably different.(with structural biochemistry)
(Revision 1: August 2015)
(Revision 2: June 2017)
Brand new from the company: $69 for the pair
USED RECOMMENDATION: from June 2017 to current
Next best option: from August 2012 to June 2017
Used typically cost about $10-$20 for the pair, depending on the condition. To check if you are getting this version of the book, ask the seller if the topic of "Edman's reagent" is on page 199 of Book II. If it is, then you have the right used book.USED RECOMMENDATION: from June 2017 to current
Next best option: from August 2012 to June 2017
Current Organic Chemistry Books
CRITICAL ANALYSIS and REASONING SKILLS
(Revision 1: November 2015)
The verbal reasoning book underwent a major change during 2009 when there was a concerted effort to include multiple ways to solve questions. In 2015, to adapt for the change in the MCAT that occurred at that time, a few of the 100 passages were edited. The absolute latest version has a few more passages than before.(Revision 1: November 2015)
Brand new from the company: $69
USED RECOMMENDATION: from January 2011 to current
Next best option: from October 2009 to December 2010
Used typically cost about free-$10, depending on the condition. Free may sound odd, but in general, this book was never well received by people in the premedical community. To make sure you are getting the correct version, ask the seller if the passages on 332 and 390 are different. If they are, then you have the right book.USED RECOMMENDATION: from January 2011 to current
Next best option: from October 2009 to December 2010
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PSYCHOLOGY
(Revision 1: June 2015)
This book was first used in our classes in April 2015, in manuscript form. It was printed in June, 2015 and released in early September. It has not been updated since that time, other than the addition of a few passages. The contents include many of the the AAMC topics in psychology. It has no sociology. It had fourteen passages originally, but now has over thirty passages. It reads very much like the BR biology books.(Revision 1: June 2015)
Brand new from the company: $49
USED RECOMMENDATION: from September 2015 to current
Next best option: there is nothing earlier
Used versions of this book typically do sell, so maybe it could go as high as $5-$10, depending on the condition. In all likelihood, someone may just toss it in for free if you are buying something else. The first version of the book was used exclusively in the classroom course and has a temporary yellow cardboard cover. The latest version is essentially the same thing, but with a better cover and a few more passages than the first release.USED RECOMMENDATION: from September 2015 to current
Next best option: there is nothing earlier
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The suggested prices are based on sales over the past few years at SDN and FB. The list below includes a few suggestions to follow on any purchase of used books.
- 1) Always ask for the edition. Older books cost less brand new than current books and should not have the inflated price some people ask for them. This isn't a significant point now, given how much prices have dropped. But there are some sellers at Amazon who are listing enormous prices, but they never seem to sell.
- 2) The passages are the most important part, and you shouldn't buy books that have writing on the questions. Even the slightest amount of writing ruins the integrity of the practice experience (and biases your thought process). Hold out for clean copies if you plan to do the passages.
- 3) For organic chemistry and physics, the newest versions (2016 or later) are best and it's worth paying a little more to get it. These books are better than anything else on the market and the scores people get support this.
- 4) Illegal PDF versions exist for all of the versions. We gave up years ago trying to fight it, because it's a lawless world on the internet, and it was driving us crazy fighting it. We count on the honor and integrity of premeds. We hope that if you really want to save money, then you shop for used books rather than succumb to the temptation to get free PDFs somewhere. There may be people giving away PDF versions they say they got from the class, and while it is true that students who took the class after COVID hit up until when we folded our class got PDFs. These PDFs did not include all of the pages from the book. These PDFs were released to enrolled students to make submitting questions on line for office hours easier to read )more legible).
- 5) If you sell your used books through SDN classifieds, you should list the version and emphasize the key pages that demonstrate that it's the latest version. You are welcome to link this post if it helps your sale.
In general, when buying any used MCAT books, all books before March 2012 are outdated, because the test changed and those books contain topics that are no longer tested. Anything between March 2012 and July 2015 may be okay (depending on the company), but still will have some outdated topics. Many companies (pretty much everyone but us) printed their 2015 books in 2014, based on one released practice exam. It is probably not worth getting those books.
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