Finishing CARS about 30 minutes early

[levelsands]

Hi All,

I've practicing for cars using EK101 and by doing the CARS section of some of the Kaplan MCAT 2015 full lengths. I'm consistently finishing about 20-30 minutes early (extrapolated times with EK 101 for new exam length) with ~2-3 wrong most times (13-14 old mcat scale, 130-131 on new scale I think). At this point I'm not sure if I should try actively slowing down and pacing myself in order to try and get the last two or three questions right, or just keep going at my current speed. Would slowing down, using the time to double check my answers, or taking the extra time to rest and be fresh for the next section be most beneficial? I'm not sure if slowing down would actually help me answer the few questions I stumble on, and I'm not sure if double checking will actually be beneficial (I tend to stick with my first choice/ worried I might end up incorrectly changing my answer). At the same time it feels wrong to just 'waste' 20-30 minutes of test time. Would really appreciate some advice.

Edit: Also, seeing as the difference between a 130, a 131, and 132 is the matter of a single question or two, is it even possible to consistently improve your CARS score with more practice, or is it kind of a crapshoot at that point?

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[TheAnonymous]

Considering that schools are going to look at the percentiles, I'm pretty sure that a 130 would be fine

Have you taken the AAMC full length? If you get 2-3 wrong on Kaplan, you might be able to ace the AAMC ones, but definitely take it and see.

 

[El-Rami]

If you consistently make 130+ on CARS, don't worry about trying to improve. You won't be able to anyway, but maybe you can still practice CARS to stay sharp.

 

[nomdeplume1234]

Hi All,

I've practicing for cars using EK101 and by doing the CARS section of some of the Kaplan MCAT 2015 full lengths. I'm consistently finishing about 20-30 minutes early (extrapolated times with EK 101 for new exam length) with ~2-3 wrong most times (13-14 old mcat scale, 130-131 on new scale I think). At this point I'm not sure if I should try actively slowing down and pacing myself in order to try and get the last two or three questions right, or just keep going at my current speed. Would slowing down, using the time to double check my answers, or taking the extra time to rest and be fresh for the next section be most beneficial? I'm not sure if slowing down would actually help me answer the few questions I stumble on, and I'm not sure if double checking will actually be beneficial (I tend to stick with my first choice/ worried I might end up incorrectly changing my answer). At the same time it feels wrong to just 'waste' 20-30 minutes of test time. Would really appreciate some advice.

Edit: Also, seeing as the difference between a 130, a 131, and 132 is the matter of a single question or two, is it even possible to consistently improve your CARS score with more practice, or is it kind of a crapshoot at that point?

well why don't you try and find out?

 

[Dr. Trenb]

30 minutes early? who are you, Shakespeare?! lol wish I finished 3 minutes early. Instead of slowing down, try finishing all passages then go backward and check slowly.