Kaplan VR is killing me

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Daichi Katase

Daichi Katase

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:eek:

I am taking the VR section tests and i am only getting about 70% of the questions right :( . Is anyone else having a hard time with them?

VR 7 was great = 88% correct
VR 9 = 62% :eek:
VR 10 = 70% correct. :oops:

I want atleast an 11 on the real thing. This is scary :scared:
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It's killing me too. Do some of the AAMC-released passages to boost your confidence. The center will have them. The only drawback is that you can't mark on them.
 
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I hear you guys. It is the section that I am finding most difficult. I have been doing the section tests and can't seem to get over the 7 hump. :confused:
 
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just the number of the section tests for Kaplan. I think there are 13 total. I have 2 more to go.
 
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DetectiveChubby said:
:eek:

I am taking the VR section tests and i am only getting about 70% of the questions right :( . Is anyone else having a hard time with them?

VR 7 was great = 88% correct
VR 9 = 62% :eek:
VR 10 = 70% correct. :oops:

I want atleast an 11 on the real thing. This is scary :scared:
Click to expand...

Interesting, because I thought the Kaplan tests were not hard enough compared to the real thing. Not the scaling of the test, that was pretty accurate, but my real test blindsided me with hard to read passages and hard questions. I had done almost all the kaplan full length verbal tests getting around a 10 or so avg, and my real test almost gave me a heart attack because it threw my timing off. However, it was reflected in a very generous curve.

About getting a greater percentage of the questions right, are you reading the passages carefully enough before you hit the questions? Or are you kind of skimming and going back? I found that reading carefully and making a couple "main idea" type notes in the margins helped me to get more q's right.
 
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I got a hold of the KAPLAN 1-13 verbal exams but I don't know how to scale the exams. I did three so far, VR 13, 12 and 11 and thuis have gotten 45/60. According to EK that translates to a 9-10, btu what's the scale for KAPLAN? Any info is appreciated.
 
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Do u guys time yourself, cause i think I hav problem doing well when I time.
 
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gildas said:
Do u guys time yourself, cause i think I hav problem doing well when I time.
Click to expand...

when i don't time myself, it's when i'm reading in a loud and distracting environment. it's at this point that i'm working on my focus.

when i'm alone, i do timed passages, giving myself 9 minutes. thus far, i'm not doing very well with answering all the questions before the alarm sounds.

i know my problem is that i re-read parts of the passages over and over. does anybody have any kind of advice for this? don't say passage mapping...please!!! i've done that, and i definitely waste more time hunting for relevent text.
 
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chicagomel said:
when i don't time myself, it's when i'm reading in a loud and distracting environment. it's at this point that i'm working on my focus.

when i'm alone, i do timed passages, giving myself 9 minutes. thus far, i'm not doing very well with answering all the questions before the alarm sounds.

i know my problem is that i re-read parts of the passages over and over. does anybody have any kind of advice for this? don't say passage mapping...please!!! i've done that, and i definitely waste more time hunting for relevent text.
Click to expand...

Have you tried reading the questions first? Or at least skimming them and marking target words/lines? When you get around to reading the passage and fall across the word/line... read a little slower to digest whatever was mentioned there.
 
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verbal reasoning was very difficult for me. the science sections were very easy compared to reading those passages and answering ambiguous questions. i really wish i had more verbal reasoning skills. it can make you feel so dumb, even though you can do fine with really difficult scientific concepts!
 
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RayhanS1282 said:
I got a hold of the KAPLAN 1-13 verbal exams but I don't know how to scale the exams. I did three so far, VR 13, 12 and 11 and thuis have gotten 45/60. According to EK that translates to a 9-10, btu what's the scale for KAPLAN? Any info is appreciated.
Click to expand...

On the Kaplan scale, that would be an 8. But then again, the Kaplan scale also varies slightly from test to test.
 
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Yeah, Kaplan is killing me too. I always miss 7-10 questions. I'm really trying to get it down to no more that 5, it's hard.
 
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wow 7-10 is pretty good...sounds like my goal. i'm always missing somewhere b/t 12-15.

have any of you heard of kaplan verbal scores being lower than the actual test? their scales are definitely unforgiving.
 
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On the Kaplan FL1, I missed 9 or 10 questions (I can't remember exactly), and I got a 9. I really want at least a 12, so I've got to cut my number of missed questions in half. I have another FL next Saturday, so I'll see if I've made any progress.
 
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I'll have to remember to post my verbal score after Kaplan FL 2 this Saturday.

I'm currently working on the Verbal 3 test from the Kaplan review notes book (3 passages - timed 27 minutes), and I'm finding the passages and questions to be way easier than the subject test.

There's just no rhyme or reason to VR. I guess the benefit of doing all these passages is my stamina. After a few days of nothing but verbal, I've begun to regard it with anticipation rather than dread.
 
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i took the mcat last august and i think that the verbal section is a little easier for kaplan since it does not get updated frequently, and the real mcat gets harder every year... especially now since poetry is now on the mcat... try to take the aamc mcat 7, that is a better predictor.
 
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DetectiveChubby said:
:eek:

I am taking the VR section tests and i am only getting about 70% of the questions right :( . Is anyone else having a hard time with them?

VR 7 was great = 88% correct
VR 9 = 62% :eek:
VR 10 = 70% correct. :oops:

I want atleast an 11 on the real thing. This is scary :scared:
Click to expand...
It doesn't really matter how many you get correct. It matters how many you get correct as compared to other people. I was doing about the same as you, and I got a 10 on the real thing. Don't worry about it so much. It seems hard, but it is actually the easiest section once you learn how to do it right.
 
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Just a vote of confidence for all of you taking the April test... i studied with kaplan for last august's administration of the MCAT and my VR score went up 4 points (according to AMCAS this doesn't happen very often). Do all of their practice tests, and try the exam crackers book for verbal reasoning. i found those passages to be more difficult and closer to what was on the actual MCAT. If you can, practice at the time you'll be doing verbal reasoning on test day, i know it sounds cheesy, but it helps. time yourself, you want to be used to the time crunch by the time test day rolls around! Just keep working hard, push through it, and don't lose sight of what you want, if you work hard, there's nothing to stop you from getting there! ;)
 
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i heard about poetry being on the test, but i seriously thought it was a joke.

um...iambic pentameter anybody????
can't remember anything about it.

:eek:
 
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I thought we put the poetry on the VR section section topic to rest. According to previous discussions on this topic, there is NO poetry on the VR.
 
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I am very frusterated with how my verbal scores have been turning out.

Kaplan FL1- 10
Kaplan FL6- 10
Kaplan FL7- 10
EK Verbal 1- 9
EK Verbal 2- 9
EK Verbal 3- 9

I try so hard to go up, but even when I try my hardest I get the same scores.

Which scales do you all believe are more realistic? I am taking Kaplan FL2 tomarrow, hopefully I can gain a point, it would make my day.
 
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Practice everyday for 30 min until april. EVERYDAY!

Good news is you are still in the range of scoring 11 on the real thing. I wouldn't bet for 12 at this stage, but a score of at least 10 is very achievable, even 11 if you work solidly on it! I know 6 people this year who coudln't apply because they scored less than 7 on verbal....At least you know that you're scoring in a respectable range of 9-10 already!
 
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i just took kaplan verbal test 3 today. when i started grading it, i thought i had the wrong answer key b/c i missed the first 5 questions! :mad: i ended up with a 40/60 =/ i'll be taking the mcat in august.. i hope i'll see some improvement by then
 
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