Powerful & Effective Verbal Exercise

[WordSword]

To start, I did not invent this exercise. I got it from EK Verbal Reasoning's book, and I must say I'm a believer of the exercise that shows the test taker the importance of extracting important information not just from the passage, but from the questions too.

This is the exercise: Take 3 verbal passages in 30 minutes, and do not read the passage at all. Only read the questions and use the information they present in each question stem to answer them.

I'll be honest, I was skeptical about this exercise. I did it though, and I was so surprised! I've been scoring around 8-10 on verbal, and without even reading the passage I was able to score a 8 scaled from 3 passages (23 questions) in 30 minutes.

This is what I learned from the exercise:

1. More often or not, the main idea is implied in the question stems.
2. Obtaining the main idea can be difficult at times, so if at a lost cause, the main idea will be succinctly paraphrased and presented by the test-writers in the question stems.
3. There are obvious wrong answers in each question that clearly do not answer the question. Oddly enough, when pressured on my normal verbal practices, I ended up choosing those answers. Therefore, doing this exercise enabled me to clearly distill what each question was asking, and finding the answer is easier because the answer choice must answer the question. (This isn't rocket science—but it was so encouraging to see this!)

TLDR: Moral of the story, try this exercise if you're struggling with verbal, you'll probably learn, as I did, that you weren't properly using the wide wealth of information given in the question stems.

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[ymartino]

Ah, yes over read about this and done it once or twice, but not consistently. But I will try to implement this more in to my technique. I've just been focusing on extracting the main idea the entire time that I forget to focus on the question stems.. Which unfortunately also causes me to miss the "not" questions on occasion..

 

[IslandStyle808]

To start, I did not invent this exercise. I got it from EK Verbal Reasoning's book, and I must say I'm a believer of the exercise that shows the test taker the importance of extracting important information not just from the passage, but from the questions too.

This is the exercise: Take 3 verbal passages in 30 minutes, and do not read the passage at all. Only read the questions and use the information they present in each question stem to answer them.

I'll be honest, I was skeptical about this exercise. I did it though, and I was so surprised! I've been scoring around 8-10 on verbal, and without even reading the passage I was able to score a 8 scaled from 3 passages (23 questions) in 30 minutes.

This is what I learned from the exercise:

1. More often or not, the main idea is implied in the question stems.
2. Obtaining the main idea can be difficult at times, so if at a lost cause, the main idea will be succinctly paraphrased and presented by the test-writers in the question stems.
3. There are obvious wrong answers in each question that clearly do not answer the question. Oddly enough, when pressured on my normal verbal practices, I ended up choosing those answers. Therefore, doing this exercise enabled me to clearly distill what each question was asking, and finding the answer is easier because the answer choice must answer the question. (This isn't rocket science—but it was so encouraging to see this!)

TLDR: Moral of the story, try this exercise if you're struggling with verbal, you'll probably learn, as I did, that you weren't properly using the wide wealth of information given in the question stems.

Did it with 2 AAMC passages and it works. I got 60% of them right (the others were look back questions and when I did the passages I got 70% correct). However, I would also add sometimes you don't even need to look at the question, but just the answer choices. The most longish answer and the one with no extreme statements is "usually" the correct one.

 

[deleted439911]

My take on this is that it will help you on most MC style passages based test bc passage Qs should be logically consistent to each other. Also the Qs and Correct answers should improve understanding of a passage. But the problem with this strategy is that when you stick with one wrong answer then this may affect your other answer choices.

I would try to do this on past passages that were done say at least a month ago (assuming you split into doing 2-3 passages for practice). The objective IMO is to understand those consistencies answers and eliminate those that are inconsistent.

 

[stitchattack]

I've never heard of this before but I might give it a shot since I'm struggling with verbal. To start this method, are you guys just not reading the passages anymore and doing the questions only?

 

[deleted439911]

Yes. But you still time it. Eg 1.25 min per Q or whatever you are comfortable with. The exercise is designed to help you reinforce understanding of a passage when you do read it tho.

 

[WordSword]

I've never heard of this before but I might give it a shot since I'm struggling with verbal. To start this method, are you guys just not reading the passages anymore and doing the questions only?

This is NOT, I repeat, NOT, a strategy. To not read the passages is missing out on the elephant in the room. What EK says is to read the passage with deliberate concentrated focus, much like how you listen to a friend tell a story, not focusing on the details, but focusing on the point of why the author is speaking to you.

The point of this exercise is not to say "stop reading the passages" because it's pointless; the questions contain all the info you need to succeed. That's not true. This is an exercise to point out you need to read the question stems with as much rigor and focus and thoughtfulness as you read the passages.

I wanted to say the obvious so please don't think I'm attacking you, I just want to make sure you are aware this is not a replacement strategy to not read the passage.

EK also recommends that after you do your regular verbal day that you GO OVER and REVIEW using this method not reading the passage but focusing on the questions only. This way you're training yourself to not pick answers that trick you into saying "yeah that's right because I remember reading 'x' in the passage and look this question verbatim says 'x' so it must be right." Don't be fooled, aamc uses this to put your confidence in choosing this answer because of quick memory recall from reading the passage. But this, more often than not, usually isn't the correct answer.

So, after trying this activity once like what I bolded at the top, use it when you're grading to consciously distill info from the questions and answer them in your review. Then grade as you normally do.

 

[WordSword]

My take on this is that it will help you on most MC style passages based test bc passage Qs should be logically consistent to each other. Also the Qs and Correct answers should improve understanding of a passage. But the problem with this strategy is that when you stick with one wrong answer then this may affect your other answer choices.

I would try to do this on past passages that were done say at least a month ago (assuming you split into doing 2-3 passages for practice). The objective IMO is to understand those consistencies answers and eliminate those that are inconsistent.

Great insight and advice!

 

[stitchattack]

This is NOT, I repeat, NOT, a strategy. To not read the passages is missing out on the elephant in the room. What EK says is to read the passage with deliberate concentrated focus, much like how you listen to a friend tell a story, not focusing on the details, but focusing on the point of why the author is speaking to you.

The point of this exercise is not to say "stop reading the passages" because it's pointless while the questions contain do contain all the info you need to succeed. That's not true. This is an exercise to point out you need to read the question stems with as much rigor and focus and thoughtfulness as you read the passages.

I wanted to say the obvious so please don't think I'm attacking you, I just want to make sure you are aware this is not a replacement strategy to not read the passage.

EK also recommends that after you do your regular verbal day that you GO OVER and REVIEW using this method not reading the passage but focusing on the questions only. This way you're training yourself to not pick answers that trick you into saying "yeah that's right because I remember reading 'x' in the passage and look this question verbatim says 'x' so it must be right." Don't be fooled, aamc uses this to put your confidence in choosing this answer because of quick memory recall from reading the passage. But this, more often than not, usually isn't the correct answer.

So, after trying this activity once like what I bolded at the top, use it when you're grading to consciously distill info from the questions and answer them in your review. Then grade as you normally do.

Thanks. My problem with VR is 1. Finding the main idea (I think I miss this 80% of the time which is why I get half the questions for the passage wrong) 2. After I narrow down to 50/50, I end up choosing the wrong answer 3. Poor recall..especially for those detail oriented ones. So far, I am doing decent on TPR and EK but Kaplan VR is horrible because there are way too many details to recall.

 

[WordSword]

Ah, yes over read about this and done it once or twice, but not consistently. But I will try to implement this more in to my technique. I've just been focusing on extracting the main idea the entire time that I forget to focus on the question stems.. Which unfortunately also causes me to miss the "not" questions on occasion..

My advice: don't begin to relax after you finish the passage. Remain focused and read the questions clearly and insightfully. We need to become great test takers who notice subtleties in each question.

 

[WordSword]

Thanks. My problem with VR is 1. Finding the main idea (I think I miss this 80% of the time which is why I get half the questions for the passage wrong) 2. After I narrow down to 50/50, I end up choosing the wrong answer 3. Poor recall..especially for those detail oriented ones. So far, I am doing decent on TPR and EK but Kaplan VR is horrible because there are way too many details to recall.

I bought the EK verbal reasoning and math tips book and I find it solid and sound. It's real light reading and gives a simple strategy to be rock hard deliberate in going forward in prep. I got the 7th edition (there's some typos, but examkrackers.com posts their errata on their forums, just make a free account to see them to avoid this, or alternatively, get the 8th edition for $15, but my opinion is that is a waste) for a penny plus 5 bucks shipping. The key in verbal is not to be hungry for the magic solution and be searching for the secret on these forums, but to use one strategy and keep to it. With much practice you'll be prepped to succeed. EK belabors the point that the verbal exam is more of an art than a science. So practice practice practice with great effort in your strategy.

 

[WordSword]

If anything, with this excercise, you can do this on the real deal when you have less than 5 minutes left and one last passage to tackle.

 

[ymartino]

My advice: don't begin to relax after you finish the passage. Remain focused and read the questions clearly and insightfully. We need to become great test takers who notice subtleties in each question.

Yes, I entirely agree. One question, if you do a passage and are unable to understand the main idea whatsoever (despite rereading a few sentences) what do you do? I end up getting flustered, rushing through the reading for times sake, and then getting 70% wrong. Is this when you turn to the question stems?

 

[ymartino]

Oh, one more thing, do you skim the questions prior to reading the passage?

 

[WordSword]

Yes, I entirely agree. One question, if you do a passage and are unable to understand the main idea whatsoever (despite rereading a few sentences) what do you do? I end up getting flustered, rushing through the reading for times sake, and then getting 70% wrong. Is this when you turn to the question stems?

You need to breathe, recuperate, preach to yourself, encourage yourself, be confident, and be at peace. Don't condemn yourself, produce anxiety, and think about how you just don't get it. Don't allow yourself to engage in these kinds of thoughts. What will happen is a cycle of confusion, doubt, and anxiety that only clutters your mind from focusing at the task at hand, which culminates in mental shutdown.

Take a moment, and recuperate. Have you been able to take a verbal passage with a confident, calm composure with great physical posture? You'll be surprised by how well you do when you destroy your worries and replace it with confidence before you engage in a timed exam.

If still you're confused, and you're under the clock, read the questions, guess and move on. Don't let the previous confusion from the past passage carry on to your next one. It will only prolong a state of mental dormancy down a tunnel of despair. This can even bleed into your biological science portion, if you're still upset, and plummet your overall score.

Stay focused and do your best.

I know this isn't a faith based forum, but this keeps me in good courage.

Also, I do not read the questions before I read the passage.

 

[pizza1994]

I tried this and went from 17% to 86% but also my timing went up from 8 minutes to 11 minutes. I will try this strategy again (of course modified in the sense that i read the passage first)

 

[Blueprint MCAT Tutor]

Oh, one more thing, do you skim the questions prior to reading the passage?

That's a bad idea. Avoid it.

The general notion here, though, is an excellent 0ne - "What is the question actually asking me?"

In my work with my tutoring students, I'd say about 25% of the time students struggle b/c they "just dont get it" when it comes to the passage so they freak out and lose focus or start to get both scatter-brained and weirdly hyper-focused on certain details.

But really the other 75% of the time when my students are getting the question wrong it's b/c they don't pay attention to the question. They zoom through the question, go immediately to the answer choices and start obsessing over the wording in the answer choices. They then go back to the passage and end up re-reading the whole thing just looking for some support to justify choice A over choice B or whatever and then they get frustrated, pick choice B and move on. When it was really choice D the whole time, but they crossed that one out right away b/c they didn't read the question itself slowly and carefully.

What makes the right answer the right answer is that it fits the question. The question and the right answer are a lock-and-key relationship (or maybe an induced fit? [oh yeah. enzyme humor. i'm a hit at parties.]) and to make sure you're getting it you've got to really focus on the question.

So yeah, this is a great thread for giving us that reminder. Thanks Mr. Sword!

 

[BornToLead]

To start, I did not invent this exercise. I got it from EK Verbal Reasoning's book, and I must say I'm a believer of the exercise that shows the test taker the importance of extracting important information not just from the passage, but from the questions too.

This is the exercise: Take 3 verbal passages in 30 minutes, and do not read the passage at all. Only read the questions and use the information they present in each question stem to answer them.

I'll be honest, I was skeptical about this exercise. I did it though, and I was so surprised! I've been scoring around 8-10 on verbal, and without even reading the passage I was able to score a 8 scaled from 3 passages (23 questions) in 30 minutes.

This is what I learned from the exercise:

1. More often or not, the main idea is implied in the question stems.
2. Obtaining the main idea can be difficult at times, so if at a lost cause, the main idea will be succinctly paraphrased and presented by the test-writers in the question stems.
3. There are obvious wrong answers in each question that clearly do not answer the question. Oddly enough, when pressured on my normal verbal practices, I ended up choosing those answers. Therefore, doing this exercise enabled me to clearly distill what each question was asking, and finding the answer is easier because the answer choice must answer the question. (This isn't rocket science—but it was so encouraging to see this!)

TLDR: Moral of the story, try this exercise if you're struggling with verbal, you'll probably learn, as I did, that you weren't properly using the wide wealth of information given in the question stems.

Wait, so I'm sort of confused how to go about this. This is what I gleaned from your post..correct me if I am wrong:
1) Start off reading the questions carefully and answer them
2) Leave the ones that just cannot be answered based on the question stem
3) Go to 2 and 3 passage and repeat steps 1 and 2.

So when do I read the passage? After doing step 1 and 2 with ALL the passages OR after doing step 1 and 2 with that particular passage?

 

[WordSword]

Wait, so I'm sort of confused how to go about this. This is what I gleaned from your post..correct me if I am wrong:
1) Start off reading the questions carefully and answer them
2) Leave the ones that just cannot be answered based on the question stem
3) Go to 2 and 3 passage and repeat steps 1 and 2.

So when do I read the passage? After doing step 1 and 2 with ALL the passages OR after doing step 1 and 2 with that particular passage?

Take 3 passages that you have never read before, and in 30 minutes attempt to answer the questions using only the information from the questions themselves.

Ex: You may find question 1 is vague, but after reading question 2 you understand more about the scope of the passage (you didn't read the passage you're inferring this from the question) so now you can make an educated guess. When you're done grade as normal.

Is this clear?

 

[BornToLead]

Yes, much clear now

 

[neoneurohocuspocus]

Just tried this technique on one TPRH verbal passage. I answered all 7 questions without referring to the passage.
Then, I read the passage and changed answers if necessary. I ended up changing 6/7 answers and in the end got 7/7 questions correct.
Meaning, using this technique I got 1/7 questions right. Won't be trying this again, though I appreciate the aims.

 

[JMMTB]

Just tried this technique on one TPRH verbal passage. I answered all 7 questions without referring to the passage.
Then, I read the passage and changed answers if necessary. I ended up changing 6/7 answers and in the end got 7/7 questions correct.
Meaning, using this technique I got 1/7 questions right. Won't be trying this again, though I appreciate the aims.

Same thing 1/7 by just reading the questions, then the next passage I got 6/7 by just reading the questions but it was a science verbal (Yea for relativity!)

 

[Uafl112]

Honestly, I would simply suggest focusing all your energy on thoroughly understanding the passage. If you relax and stay confident, the questions come across easily

 

[Blueprint MCAT Tutor]

Honestly, I would simply suggest focusing all your energy on thoroughly understanding the passage. If you relax and stay confident, the questions come across easily

I'll have to respectfully disagree. I've worked with literally thousands of students and I can tell you that my experience shows the opposite: performance in VR seems to have zero correlation with a student's subjective feeling of confidence in understanding the passage.

Literally every day in my work I see a student who says "I totally freaked out on the passage" but then got like 5/7 or 6/7 right, followed by a passage where the student says "Oh I really liked this passage, I thought it was easy" and they only got 3/7 or 4/7 right.

I would suggest that the exercise of focusing just on the questions didn't work for neoneurohocuspocus because she only did it once and because she was using a test prep company passage, rather than official AAMC passages. Test prep companies are infamous for doing a terrible job mimicking the way the AAMC writes. Frankly, it's just easier to write "look it up" style questions, so that's what test prep companies do.

In any event, the most important thing to keep in mind with the reading passages is that everyone's brain works differently, so if this exercise doesn't work for you, don't sweat it - move on and find something that does work for you. Good luck with it!!

 

[WordSword]

Just tried this technique on one TPRH verbal passage. I answered all 7 questions without referring to the passage.
Then, I read the passage and changed answers if necessary. I ended up changing 6/7 answers and in the end got 7/7 questions correct.
Meaning, using this technique I got 1/7 questions right. Won't be trying this again, though I appreciate the aims.

I didn't want to vomit a response because I truly believe this works, so I've been thinking a bit about your particular case, and I had a thought.

Were you focusing on the answers more than the questions? I think we can be tricked into looking for patterns in the answer choices and letting those patterns dictate our progression of thought as we select other answer choices.

What this exercise is meant to do is force you to mainly look critically at the question, not the answer choices mainly. The answer choice should answer the question logically, which adds a second benefit of learning how select an answer that provides an adequate solution or a sufficient warrant to the justification of the question. A third benefit, that takes longer to master, is that this exercise points you towards the skill to look at answer choices that are meant to distract you.

I'm trying to forestall my judgment because I'm not omniscient. Perhaps you should try an approach similar to the one below and see if this helps. You probably are already doing it to some degree.

In my review of AAMC #4, I'm reviewing the verbal section in a variety of ways. I first look only at the questions and follow the approach here, albeit slightly modified according of the application of @billy2908's idea above. AAMC can tell you straight up what the main idea is in the questions. This first strategy helps to train me towards not picking dumb answers. It's pretty enlightening to do this and take note of the silly mistakes I make. Second, I'm reading the passage and then looking at the questions again. Something to try perhaps?