13 Days to improve CARS

[LHmakesyouovulate]

Hi everyone,

I made a SDN account solely to ask for advice on CARS. I seem to be spending 5-6 minutes reading the AAMC passages - they are so long! I try mapping the passage quickly, which helps me understand author's intent and meaning better but it does decrease my speed. I would appreciate any TIPS on how to utilize my next week to maximize my CARS score.

Thanks fellow MDs!!

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[Gurby]

 

[LHmakesyouovulate]

@Gurby I've been scoring 126 on CARS Kaplan FLs - just wondering if there was something to do to maximize my score in the remaining time

 

[Integral]

Hi everyone,

I made a SDN account solely to ask for advice on CARS. I seem to be spending 5-6 minutes reading the AAMC passages - they are so long! I try mapping the passage quickly, which helps me understand author's intent and meaning better but it does decrease my speed. I would appreciate any TIPS on how to utilize my next week to maximize my CARS score.

Thanks fellow MDs!!

Just reading the passages without doing any questions takes 5-6 minutes? If so, that may force you to rush through the questions. Shoot for 3-4 minutes if that means you're having enough time for the questions.

You should have asked for advice 3-6 months out, rather than 13 days.

 

[mbridges724]

Not that its super super helpful but you should read the Kaplan CARS book! Then spend a day or two just reading passages untimed. You should notice that in a lot of cases, theres a paragraph or two or even three that vaguely introduces an idea and the following paragraphs either discuss it, debate it, or counter it. Read to get a feel for the general lay out of the various passages. Get a feel for reading new, tough words and learning to not get hung up on not being previously exposed to them but figuring them out via context

 

[mbridges724]

Take a deep breath before starting the CARS section, a deep breath between passages. Relax and practice CARS as much as possible before your MCAT. You can conquer it. Relax, practice, and block out the negative thoughts stopping you

 

[deleted739406]

What worked for me personally was I would read the introduction and conclusion completely and then just the first and last sentences of each of the body paragraphs to get a general idea of what they were about. Then if a question referred to a certain idea I just went back to the specific paragraph and figured out the answer.

I took the real thing on April 23rd and I had plenty of time to answer the questions for each passage. Obviously you don't have much time so it may be hard to get used to but this was my strategy.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using SDN mobile

 

[salemstein]

n = 1 so take it with a grain of salt. On the old MCAT my friend panicked and did the whole EK 101 book two weeks before his test day to "get in the zone" for VR, since he was getting 7s on practice. Got a 10 on the real thing.

 

[sleepyhead22]

I use the EK method and read the entire passage like it's a novel, so kind of quickly and not for details but instead for the overall feel of the passage. I also take a 5 second break in between each passage to refocus and instill confidence in myself (inhale and exhale for 5 seconds while thinking "I can do this"). I got an 8 on V first time I took it and have been getting over 80% right on every practice test so I think this has helped a lot. Also don't fall for trick answers that use the exact wording that the passage said, those usually aren't the right answer.

 

[FauxBlue]

Bump! Would love to hear about more CARS strategies to improve. I've been struggling myself

 

[summergirl]

I think you should definitely aim to read the passage within 3-4 minutes. If you take any longer than that you will risk not being able to finish everything, which in my opinion is the worst thing that can happen to a test taker.

 

[LHmakesyouovulate]

Thank you everyone! I think I phrased it wrong - I was able to finish all my Kaplan practice CARS tests with good timing but the AAMC was exceptionally long and conplex. I ended up doing okay on the AAMC Sample Test yesterday (75%) but just going to do old AAMC exam CARS questions from now on. I appreciate any additional feedback

 

[mbridges724]

Honestly, all i know is that i improved mine simply by doing practice...aamc, kaplan, khan....id say just do lots of practice and be shre to have a clear mind and take deep breaths

 

[Jack Westin]

I agree with Gurby here, it's difficult to improve at all with less than two weeks left. But if you want to do something in that time, I would say practice doing as many CARS passages in one sitting as possible. Try 15 passages and give yourself about 135 mins. Do this about 9 days out of the 13.

 

[Aspiring-Doctor]

I was that student that never knew why I was failing the CARS section when I would always walk out of the test feeling like I aced that section. I was that student that always thought CARS is something you cannot study for. I was also that student that took the test twice and got a 123 both times. The only thing I did differently when taking the test the third time around was that I practiced with more stringent time conditions and with many passages. I also took the passages and pasted them onto a microsoft doc and zoomed out to 120% and practice with this zoomed setting so that I can stimulate the real mcat testing situation. I did it!!! I finally broke the 123 barrier and got a 127. The reason why I am saying this is I was extremely depressed that my score was 123 for the longest time and taking the test a third time was a lot of pressure, but I still managed to improve so don't lose hope! A bit about me…I took the mcat at the end of sophomore year summer after 3 months of studying and got a 26. I took the new version of the mcat having studied for an additional 3 more months and got a 502 (26 again). The third time I took the test I got a 506 (29) and now I'm getting ready to apply! So don't lose hope or get overwhelmed by the # of posts with 510+ because statistics show that there is only 33% of the population getting that score and much lower percentages for scores that are 520+. Only people who do well post so don't let that bother you. Just keep practicing! Good luck future physicians!!!

 

[Dhooy7]

What worked for me personally was I would read the introduction and conclusion completely and then just the first and last sentences of each of the body paragraphs to get a general idea of what they were about. Then if a question referred to a certain idea I just went back to the specific paragraph and figured out the answer.

I took the real thing on April 23rd and I had plenty of time to answer the questions for each passage. Obviously you don't have much time so it may be hard to get used to but this was my strategy.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using SDN mobile

How'd this technique work for you?