Reading material to improve VR?

[Rhino1000]

Will reading expository texts or novels over a period of about 6 months improve your score more? I am interested in both, but of course, the novels would be more fun to read.

Especially to all you high VR scorers out there - are you an avid reader? Do you find yourself reading a lot of expository materials (e.g. interesting books on history, autobiographies etc) or do you find yourself reading fiction (novels such as Ulysses, Crime and Punishment, Great Expectations, etc.)? Speculation is not necessarily what I am looking for; if you can provide anecdotes/studies on this info, that would be awesome!

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[Gauss44]

Will reading expository texts or novels over a period of about 6 months improve your score more? I am interested in both, but of course, the novels would be more fun to read.

Especially to all you high VR scorers out there - are you an avid reader? Do you find yourself reading a lot of expository materials (e.g. interesting books on history, autobiographies etc) or do you find yourself reading fiction (novels such as Ulysses, Crime and Punishment, Great Expectations, etc.)? Speculation is not necessarily what I am looking for; if you can provide anecdotes/studies on this info, that would be awesome!

My tutors have said:

1. It depends on what you need practice in.
2. The Economist Magazine is the most popular VR prep tool for general reading practice. (I think The New Republic is pretty good too.)
3. Any reading that is very similar to the reading you're struggling with is good practice.
4. Remember that practice makes permanent, said one tutor to me in context of a discussion about different methods of reading. We both read for exams differently than we read for pleasure.
5. My tutors have me practicing a method where I don't make any attempt to understand and remember everything in a passage first time through. They all just want me to get the structure and author's main purpose, and do so quickly in less than 3 minutes. Then they suggest going back to the passage to confirm each answer is correct as time permits. (I mention #5 because it impacts how I practice and don't practice my reading.)

For a while I was having trouble with information dense passages so my tutor had me practice reading online free history and social science journals. Wiki Pre Med has suggestions too for reading practice, although I have only minimally tried their suggestions: http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/free-stuff/1247592/

 

[Rhino1000]

My tutors have said:

1. It depends on what you need practice in.
2. The Economist Magazine is the most popular VR prep tool for general reading practice. (I think The New Republic is pretty good too.)
3. Any reading that is very similar to the reading you're struggling with is good practice.
4. Remember that practice makes permanent, said one tutor to me in context of a discussion about different methods of reading. We both read for exams differently than we read for pleasure.
5. My tutors have me practicing a method where I don't make any attempt to understand and remember everything in a passage first time through. They all just want me to get the structure and author's main purpose, and do so quickly in less than 3 minutes. Then they suggest going back to the passage to confirm each answer is correct as time permits. (I mention #5 because it impacts how I practice and don't practice my reading.)

For a while I was having trouble with information dense passages so my tutor had me practice reading online free history and social science journals. Wiki Pre Med has suggestions too for reading practice, although I have only minimally tried their suggestions: http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/free-stuff/1247592/

When your tutor said that "practice makes permanent," does me mean that heavy reading practice will permanently affect your ability to read? Or permanently affect your style of reading? I've never heard that saying before. Have you been scoring well with that #5 strategy?

 

[Willy38]

I'm no expert for VR but I started with a 7 and got a 12 on the real thing. My advice would be to work through each passage like a proof. Every author is trying to prove something, either with weak ambiguous evidence or clear and strong evidence. Find out what that is and then be sure to pick a mellow answer that supports it. For me and most others, everyone can pretty quickly narrow down the answers to 2 choices, from there eliminate the stronger one (most often it claims something that is in line with the passage but goes one step too far using a word like all, always, never, no one etc. ) Don't give the author any slack, if they say one of those words they mean it. Read like a lawyer (critically).

As far as non passage reading, I think biographies are the way to go. (Ben Franklin by Walter Isaacson is good). Look at the arguments he makes in each paragraph and how they are supported.

 

[Rhino1000]

I'm no expert for VR but I started with a 7 and got a 12 on the real thing. My advice would be to work through each passage like a proof. Every author is trying to prove something, either with weak ambiguous evidence or clear and strong evidence. Find out what that is and then be sure to pick a mellow answer that supports it. For me and most others, everyone can pretty quickly narrow down the answers to 2 choices, from there eliminate the stronger one (most often it claims something that is in line with the passage but goes one step too far using a word like all, always, never, no one etc. ) Don't give the author any slack, if they say one of those words they mean it. Read like a lawyer (critically).

As far as non passage reading, I think biographies are the way to go. (Ben Franklin by Walter Isaacson is good). Look at the arguments he makes in each paragraph and how they are supported.

Wow! Good job man, and thanks for the tips. I will definitely employ this advice when I start my MCAT VR passages.

And to all of you other VR beasts -Can I get any further anecdotes as far as the types of reading material you read in the months/years leading up to your MCAT?

 

[Rhino1000]

Bump! What kinds of materials do you successful VRer's read?

 

[Waggles]

I went from a 10 to 11 on the actual test and I found that reading things timed/under pressure was the most important thing for me. Try reading for 5-10 minutes straight and then trying to summarize mentally what you just read.

I think it's super important to be able to be focused and read the passage for understanding on the first time through, versus having to reread several paragraphs when trying to pick the best answer. Constantly having to go back to the passage takes time.

I also did tons of practice passages (TBR full lengths, all AAMC material, TBR verbal workbook, TPR verbal workbook (which is awesome!), EK)

 

[Rhino1000]

@Waggles thanks for the tip to focus on reading faster, I will certainly work on my speed as you suggest.

However, let's stay on topic: people who scored 12 or greater.. what kinds of materials do you read? What do you think I should read to improve my VR score? Willy38 suggested reading autobiographies; can I some anecdotes about what kinds of things you guys read?

 

[Willy38]

FL's are good. I worked through the whole EK book and most of TPRH. I didn't see a big verbal jump for a while though. Don't keep switching up strategies either. Find one you are comfortable with and stick with it for an entire book. Oh and don't just do a couple passages, maybe at the beginning, but pretty soon you should be going FL verbal sections every day, 7 passages 40 questions.

 

[Rhino1000]

FL's are good. I worked through the whole EK book and most of TPRH. I didn't see a big verbal jump for a while though. Don't keep switching up strategies either. Find one you are comfortable with and stick with it for an entire book. Oh and don't just do a couple passages, maybe at the beginning, but pretty soon you should be going FL verbal sections every day, 7 passages 40 questions.

I'm 600 pages into a fairly dense history book right now - I plan on reading the next book as well, and then a novel over the summer - or whatever anyone else suggests. I might squeeze a novel in before the next book in the history series.

 

[Willy38]

I'm 600 pages into a fairly dense history book right now - I plan on reading the next book as well, and then a novel over the summer - or whatever anyone else suggests. I might squeeze a novel in before the next book in the history series.

That's great, I think over a long period of time reading novels etc. will help, but at least 4 months before your test date I would definitely start focusing more on the passages.

 

[Rhino1000]

That's great, I think over a long period of time reading novels etc. will help, but at least 4 months before your test date I would definitely start focusing more on the passages.

Ok. I was planning to do passages over the summer. I have EK and TPR's passages, so I imagine I will get through most of them for practice's sake. Hopefully I can, at least.

 

[Rhino1000]

Did anyone here score highly on VR without being an avid reader? Those of you who artificially created a reading habit - how did it work out for you? Can I get some comments from high scorers on their reading habits?

 

[Rhino1000]

Bump! Looking for anecdotal evidence for or against the conjecture that creating an artificial reading habit is an effective way to prep for vr!

 

[Rhino1000]

I think the reason that not many people are responding is the fact that not many people have tried to actually read books to improve their verbal score. So I hope it will be excused when I bump this thread again in the hope of catching that rare fish who has done so.!

 

[mrh125]

I have ADD, am probably one of the least voracious readers around, and I got a 11 on verbal my first go on the mcat. What helped me the first time around was just reading a lot of verbal passages and answering their questions and these included non-AAMCs sources. Basically AAMCs sources are gold, but just doing more passages and learning how to dissect them will make you more comfortable with them and used to the ideas and logic in each category of verbal passages. The social sciences and the humanities ones were generally the hardest for me, but I became way more comfortable with them over time. If you could just utilize every verbal reasoning source: Examcrackers 1001, TBR verbal, kaplan's verbal in FLS, gold standards verbal sections, and TPR verbal I think you could get a 11. Writing down things like main ideas on paper, learning to properly highlight (something i'm admittedly bad at and I mainly use highlighting to keep my place on verbal exams), and getting used to verbal reasoning goes a long way, farther in my opinion than any novels or books might. Also, learning to pace yourself between passages and take short breaks does wonders because otherwise it'll seem like a blur and passages become harder to comprehend. btw Verbal on the real mcat will always seem longer and a lot of students have trouble finishing it on time, so keep that in mind. Also, the verbal section generally has a very unforgiving curve.

I wouldn't really recommend any particular articles unless they are around the same length as verbal passages, and if you do definitely expose yourself to the humanities ones. Those can be the most difficult for science students and many seem like they have multiple right answers. Practice, practice, and more practice. Repetition is key. If you make your brain jump through hoops it'll get significantly less difficult over time. You don't need to be an english major or be able to read crime and punishment or Ulysses. I have both of those and never finished them and still got verbal to work out for me.

 

[RoosterCogburnsGhost]

I'm a pretty big reader overall, but I don't think that was the most helpful thing for preparing for MCAT verbal passages. Reading words is, bizarrely enough, a fairly passive act (maybe not as passive as watching TV, wherein a screen plays stuff that your eyes happen to watch, and your brain hopefully processes). The goal is to turn reading into an active process. What helps with that? Who knows, it's up to you. I like underlining and scribbling notes while I read, even if it's not for a class, which keeps me engaged. Let's say you're reading a book for a course and your ultimate goal is to write an essay on it. While you're reading this book, your best bet is usually to note things that might be relevant (even before you know what you're going to argue) while trying to draw connections between different vignettes throughout. Essentially, you're reading critically while practicing recall. So, if you're going to read books, make sure you're interacting with them in a non-passive way. The Economist, the New Yorker, pretty much everything is good. I vaguely remember reading a Sontag essay on a practice MCAT, and it was a joy. In sum, it's not the act of building a reading habit, it's developing critical reasoning skills while you read that will help prep for the MCAT. And that's a pretty useful skill in life.

 

[Rhino1000]

I'm a pretty big reader overall, but I don't think that was the most helpful thing for preparing for MCAT verbal passages. Reading words is, bizarrely enough, a fairly passive act (maybe not as passive as watching TV, wherein a screen plays stuff that your eyes happen to watch, and your brain hopefully processes). The goal is to turn reading into an active process. What helps with that? Who knows, it's up to you. I like underlining and scribbling notes while I read, even if it's not for a class, which keeps me engaged. Let's say you're reading a book for a course and your ultimate goal is to write an essay on it. While you're reading this book, your best bet is usually to note things that might be relevant (even before you know what you're going to argue) while trying to draw connections between different vignettes throughout. Essentially, you're reading critically while practicing recall. So, if you're going to read books, make sure you're interacting with them in a non-passive way. The Economist, the New Yorker, pretty much everything is good. I vaguely remember reading a Sontag essay on a practice MCAT, and it was a joy. In sum, it's not the act of building a reading habit, it's developing critical reasoning skills while you read that will help prep for the MCAT. And that's a pretty useful skill in life.

I appreciate this. I have a minor qualm with a point that you seem to have neglected, however; you seem to support the notion that reading in an engaged manner is the main means to a satisfactory VR score, but have not considered that in fact, the actual comprehension of sentences may also be a barrier. In other words, someone may read a sentence ~3 times and literally not understand what the sentence says, even despite its lack of complexity. I think this case demonstrates that the act of reading words, is in itself, not always a passive act. It may seem that way to you, because you said that you read a fair amount. I think they call the actual comprehension of an individual sentence "decoding," or something similar. Of course, if you can't decode a sentence, then you can't read critically.

I will take your advice and will attempt to make conscious efforts to be an active reader during my reading time. I have been reading a couple books (halfway through On the Interpretation of a Dream, and recently started Ulysses), as well as about 30-40 pages of the Economist per week, which gives me the opportunity to follow through on this kind of advice.

What books would you recommend to improve your reading skills? I know you recommend the Economist, which I have indeed been reading a fair amount of lately, but what about other reading material? I have heard that Faulkner has some challenging novels, have you read any of them? (e.g. A Fable has a lexile rating of 1500, which is very high).

Thanks for the relevant reply!

 

[RoosterCogburnsGhost]

I appreciate this. I have a minor qualm with a point that you seem to have neglected, however; you seem to support the notion that reading in an engaged manner is the main means to a satisfactory VR score, but have not considered that in fact, the actual comprehension of sentences may also be a barrier. In other words, someone may read a sentence ~3 times and literally not understand what the sentence says, even despite its lack of complexity. I think this case demonstrates that the act of reading words, is in itself, not always a passive act. It may seem that way to you, because you said that you read a fair amount. I think they call the actual comprehension of an individual sentence "decoding," or something similar. Of course, if you can't decode a sentence, then you can't read critically.

I will take your advice and will attempt to make conscious efforts to be an active reader during my reading time. I have been reading a couple books (halfway through On the Interpretation of a Dream, and recently started Ulysses), as well as about 30-40 pages of the Economist per week, which gives me the opportunity to follow through on this kind of advice.

What books would you recommend to improve your reading skills? I know you recommend the Economist, which I have indeed been reading a fair amount of lately, but what about other reading material? I have heard that Faulkner has some challenging novels, have you read any of them? (e.g. A Fable has a lexile rating of 1500, which is very high).

Thanks for the relevant reply!

Yeah, I don't disagree on that--my point was more that reading CAN be a passive process, especially because novels are more narrative driven and, just like you pointed out, it's easy to gloss over sentences that don't seem immediately relevant. That might be my issue with Faulkner and Joyce, too, actually. I love Faulkner, personally, and you learn some good 'lessons in reading' from reading these guys. A part of it is that sometimes a sentence isn't clear, but if you revisit it after the passage, it makes a lot more sense. Alternatively, skipping a paragraph in a novel won't really hurt you in terms of getting the big picture, but in an MCAT style passage, that's clearly not an option. It sounds like you're reading at a pretty voracious pace, to be honest. Ulysses, undoubtedly a work of art, might not help out much with the MCAT because it's this postmodern thought experiment. In terms of MCAT prep, essays are definitely the way to go. I think the New Yorker actually does a better job at affecting that style than the Economist (the Economist is nice and technical, but the humanities essays on the MCAT are usually pretty good stuff, and you'll notice that their changes for the 2015 exam are pushing away from the more technical styles to the more poetic ones). In terms of pure practice, though, from a triage perspective, passages are always going to be more helpful. I don't think MCAT verbal passages are too different from LSAT passages, so those might be a good thing to review, and even some SAT/AP English materials would be helpful. And maybe the most painful advice: it's hard to get a perfect. Definitely do all the reading you want to do--at worst, it'll be helpful during interviews because even if people don't read, they always respect somebody who does. I still think that in terms of raising your score, it's about learning to be critical while you read a passage, dissect it if you have to, and be quick. But seriously, if you do that reading, do your practice, you'll gain an intuition about question and sentences regardless of whether you consciously understand their meaning.

 

[Rhino1000]

Yeah, I don't disagree on that--my point was more that reading CAN be a passive process, especially because novels are more narrative driven and, just like you pointed out, it's easy to gloss over sentences that don't seem immediately relevant. That might be my issue with Faulkner and Joyce, too, actually. I love Faulkner, personally, and you learn some good 'lessons in reading' from reading these guys. A part of it is that sometimes a sentence isn't clear, but if you revisit it after the passage, it makes a lot more sense. Alternatively, skipping a paragraph in a novel won't really hurt you in terms of getting the big picture, but in an MCAT style passage, that's clearly not an option. It sounds like you're reading at a pretty voracious pace, to be honest. Ulysses, undoubtedly a work of art, might not help out much with the MCAT because it's this postmodern thought experiment. In terms of MCAT prep, essays are definitely the way to go. I think the New Yorker actually does a better job at affecting that style than the Economist (the Economist is nice and technical, but the humanities essays on the MCAT are usually pretty good stuff, and you'll notice that their changes for the 2015 exam are pushing away from the more technical styles to the more poetic ones). In terms of pure practice, though, from a triage perspective, passages are always going to be more helpful. I don't think MCAT verbal passages are too different from LSAT passages, so those might be a good thing to review, and even some SAT/AP English materials would be helpful. And maybe the most painful advice: it's hard to get a perfect. Definitely do all the reading you want to do--at worst, it'll be helpful during interviews because even if people don't read, they always respect somebody who does. I still think that in terms of raising your score, it's about learning to be critical while you read a passage, dissect it if you have to, and be quick. But seriously, if you do that reading, do your practice, you'll gain an intuition about question and sentences regardless of whether you consciously understand their meaning.

Excellent reply. Thank you so much for your efforts.

 

[RoosterCogburnsGhost]

Excellent reply. Thank you so much for your efforts.

For sure, man. We're all just trying to navigate this rocky terrain, and there are some people with really strong opinions on here who don't really understand the nuance behind each person's specific study habits. I say keep up the reading, if only because it sounds like you enjoy it and it'll keep you sane. Tell me how it goes, though, and feel free to hit me up for some reading suggestions.