Help Help Getting Past a VR of 7 with 1 month to Go

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thomasfx10

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Hey everyone, I seemed to be averaging about 7, my highest was a 10 but I only did that once. The planets must have been inline or something

I just took AAMC 4 and got a 6 (52%) correct.

I tried almost all the strategies from EK's 101 to Kaplan's ... It appears that Kaplan's helps me the most with passage mapping since my biggest problem is remembering what I read.

However, it does have its downside being my timing. I keep running out of time on the last two passages, which I have to rush through ... which kills my score ...

My main problem appears to be missing things in the passage.

So with less than a month to go any advice to bring it up to at least a 9 ...

Thanks!

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biggest prob with me also, I need to up it...
got 7 last year.. hoping for 10+ in 6/16 administration TT
 
I am taking mine as well on 6/16. What have you done differently? What have your practice scores been?
 
Hey everyone, I seemed to be averaging about 7, my highest was a 10 but I only did that once. The planets must have been inline or something

I just took AAMC 4 and got a 6 (52%) correct.

I tried almost all the strategies from EK's 101 to Kaplan's ... It appears that Kaplan's helps me the most with passage mapping since my biggest problem is remembering what I read.

However, it does have its downside being my timing. I keep running out of time on the last two passages, which I have to rush through ... which kills my score ...

My main problem appears to be missing things in the passage.

So with less than a month to go any advice to bring it up to at least a 9 ...

Thanks!

I'm kind of doing Kaplan's mapping method but focusing on why a paragraph is there/what can I find in it rather than what is actually in it (the details).

As far as timing, I had similar issues but now I go through the 5-question passages first then I go through the 6 and 7 question ones; this has helped with my timing issues and I've seen a good increase in VR scores.

By the way Kaplan's passages seem to be a little tougher/different than EK 101 and TPR hyperlearning verb. So don't get frustrated with Kaplan's.
 
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I just started re-studying,, currently focusing on sciences
I'm just doing 4-5 verbal passages daily for now, I hope that helps T.T
 
As far as timing, I had similar issues but now I go through the 5-question passages first then I go through the 6 and 7 question ones.

That is interesting. I triage by passage type but not by question count. I will give that a try.
 
Judging from today's MCATers, tougher = better. Overall opinion is that the VR passages are long and getting progressively difficult with each administration.

I was a Kaplan-er, and I agree - those alongside EK (which I think is good for strategy) are some good passages. I'm using TPRH right now, and that helps me practice for lengthy and difficult passages since I no longer have Kaplan access. EK passages seemed too easy (not the questions, just the passages).
 
On average, i keep missing 3 to 4 questions in every EK 101 passage. Any advice would be appreciated. How much time should be allowed per passage?
 
On average, i keep missing 3 to 4 questions in every EK 101 passage. Any advice would be appreciated. How much time should be allowed per passage?

I was advised 14 minutes for every two passages. I try to shave my time and make it 12 minutes per passage. (On the real thing, as the recent MCATers are telling us, it appears the passages are longer, so you might want to try the 12-minute strategy).

Why are you missing those 3-4? Is it because you are missing the author's intent? Pretend that the writer is your friend, and they are either lecturing or venting about something. Then figure out WHY they are telling you about this (other than the fact that you are a *great* listener). The "why" will help you determine what "insert word here" means and figuring out what theses would contradict his point.
 
The trend right now on the MCAT is that the passages are longer than the AAMC practice tests for sure. :( The best thing to do is cut down the time when you practice verbal. If you're taking a typical verbal section test, use 50 minutes to complete it rather than the usual 60. If you're working on 3 passages at a time, instead of using 24 minutes (app. 8 min per passage) drop that to 19.5 minutes. :eek: Your score may drop initially but eventually you'll get used to these harsh conditions so that when test day arrives, you won't panic when you see long passages & you will finish in time. :) Also, sometimes in verbal the right answer doesn't immediately jump out to you. This is where the author's tone & main idea comes in. Let's say you're stuck, ask yourself, would the author agree with this choice based on what was presented? If ANYTHING doesn't sound in line with what the author discussed, eliminate it at once, no questions asked. Remember, there's no prior prep for verbal so everything you need is right there in front of you...I guess that's why med schools make a big deal out of it cause technically it's supposed to level out the playing field :wtf: I beg to differ but that's how they look at it so we just have to suck it up & do it :rolleyes:
 
Well, if the passages are longer, how about the questions? I mean to maitain a similar difficulty level, the questions are suppose to be easier? Or it is just getting harder?
 
Well, if the passages are longer, how about the questions? I mean to maitain a similar difficulty level, the questions are suppose to be easier? Or it is just getting harder?

The questions are similar in difficulty, but with the passages being SO long, it's easy for people like me to forget what I read in the first paragraph. With just a few paragraphs, I'm okay, but I feel like the real thing was FOREVER long. There's always the tricky 2 that make you want to stick with the passage longer than you should...just gotta give them your best educated guess and move on.
 
Well, if the passages are longer, how about the questions? I mean to maitain a similar difficulty level, the questions are suppose to be easier? Or it is just getting harder?

I'll say the questions are a mix - there are some you can answer if you have a good grasp of the main idea & author's tone. I did notice in my test that most of the questions kept on referring back to the passage (what did the author mean in paragraph type stuff). These have the potential to kill your timing since it may require you to go back to the passages (unless you're confident enough to answer relying on the main idea)...hope that helps!
 
THX~ May I also ask when the question talks about a specific word or case in the passage, does it tell you where to find it?
 
i also registered for june 16 and I'm really worried about the verbal..

I have taken EK 101 tests 1,2,4,5 and scored 9,10,10,10

on TPR FL's my VR scores fluctuate a lot

TPR # PS BS VR
1 ----- 12 12 7
2 ----- 12 13 10
3 ----- 12 10 10
4 ----- 12 13 7
5 ----- 13 13 10
6 ----- 12 11 8
7 ----- 12 15 5
8 ----- 10 11 5
9 ----- 10 12 8

i'm soo frustrated... :( ..
i already took mcat once, almost 2 yrs ago.. so this is my re-take

my prev score was 9PS 9VR 11BS
should i retake/postpone to july16/no take at all? is it possible to improve in 3 wks?
:(
 
i also registered for june 16 and I'm really worried about the verbal..

I have taken EK 101 tests 1,2,4,5 and scored 9,10,10,10

on TPR FL's my VR scores fluctuate a lot

TPR # PS BS VR
1 ----- 12 12 7
2 ----- 12 13 10
3 ----- 12 10 10
4 ----- 12 13 7
5 ----- 13 13 10
6 ----- 12 11 8
7 ----- 12 15 5
8 ----- 10 11 5
9 ----- 10 12 8

i'm soo frustrated... :( ..
i already took mcat once, almost 2 yrs ago.. so this is my re-take

my prev score was 9PS 9VR 11BS
should i retake/postpone to july16/no take at all? is it possible to improve in 3 wks?
:(

Make sure you score higher ... Your BS and PS look good ... Your VR is everywhere for TPR... What does your AAMC look like? Did you burn those already for your last test?
 
Make sure you score higher ... Your BS and PS look good ... Your VR is everywhere for TPR... What does your AAMC look like? Did you burn those already for your last test?

i did them last time but i forgot all of it in these 2years

I'm going to take my first aamc this week

if i end up getting 10 on aamc in VR should i attempt a retake?

and in general what minimum score would you want to get on aamc's to retake the 9 9 11 that i have?

thank you
 
I was in the same boat as you were. Now my testdate is 2 days away and I believe my scores are finally stable at 10 from the last 3 AAMCs that I have taken.

A month ago, I literally gave up on verbal and purely focused on the sciences. After every AAMC that I took, I pretty much analyzed the verbal sections question for question, trying to get a feel for the answers. Instead of doing something from other prep companies, I felt that my best shot was to get into the minds of the test takers. I honestly wish I had done this before rather than burning through all the EK101s and TPR hyperlearning verbal workbook passages (verbal was a mere 7 at that point).

When I take these sections, I follow some basic rules:

1) Always POE, no matter how straightforward the question. POE is your best tool!
2) When you're down to two answer choices, DUKE it out. Which answer choice makes the most sense and why?
3) If you select an answer but you think its another, do not change it unless you can JUSTIFY your decision to switch. Your chances are greater with your original guess, and mine generally turn out to be right.
4) Do not get frustrated when taking the verbal section. Don't panic, be calm and composed. Whatever happens will happen. Try to make the most of the situation.
5) Focus on every single word. If you can't figure out the passage, analyze the question stems. They have so many clues!
 
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