SN2'd first day

[TexasSurgeon]

EDIT: This was supposed to be a thread about the first day of SN2. However as with all intelligent life, things evolve. This thread has now become a support page for people following the SN2 plan. You can think of it as Alcoholics Anonymous for people studying to take the MCAT using the SN2 plan.

EDIT July 1, 2014:
If you are interested in @mehc012's Anki Deck, DO NOT SEND A PM. Here is the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7if6wgaif98rkoa/mehc012 SN2edCh4s.apkg
**A NOTE: @mehc012 and several others (myself included) want to tell you guys that studying from another person's deck will probably not be as beneficial to you as creating your own cards. Yes you can take advantage of @mehc012's generosity, but you won't get the same advantage. Study the material. Create cards as you go along. You will find it more helpful to your studying. **

EDIT July 22, 2014:
The following is @TBRBiosadist's official MCAT Verbal Reasoning Strategy:
@TBRBiosadist's strategy that got [him] from a 7 average to scoring 13-15 average..

Spend the bulk of your time reading. Up to 3 minutes per passage.

• Read the first and last paragraph thoroughly to begin with. Understand what the authors main point will be because 90% of questions require nothing more than a general idea.
• After this, read the entire passage slowly enough where you dont feel like you need to reread sentences for understanding.

Next is just answer questions, there is a few tricks here that work about 90% of the time

• Unless the passage is asking you about a specific detail, dont look back. READ EVERY ANSWER THOROUGLY AND THEN Answer what makes sense from the general point of the passage. Its very easy to prove a wrong answer to be somewhat correct if you dig hard enough, dont. Answer what your gut says and move onto the next question, dont contemplate to much. With that being said...
• Answer like you were dropped on the head as a child. Alot of times if Im arguing between two answers, there is the answer that is 100% correct, and one that is 90% correct. Be an idoit and choose the one that seems like it is correct. However.....
• "Always" is a word to avoid. If an answer uses this word, or definites like it, it is something to avoid. I would say 80% of the time the wishy washy answer is more correct then the highly affirmative one. This leads to my final point....
• 100% of the time you are not actually looking for the "right" answer in verbal, this isnt PS or BS where 1+1 almost always equals 2 (unless we are talking about the different sedimentation values for Ribosomes). In verbal you are looking for the answer that isnt wrong. Often times an answer will seem very "right" but one aspect of it is clearly wrong, as compared to an answer that isnt wrong, but doesnt seem as right as that answer, these are meant to fool you. Choose the answer that isnt wrong.

I understand that I few of these tips may be at odds with each other. Ultimately you must adjust slightly for each passage, but it comes down to one thing. Read thoroughly. Read every sentence in the passage. Read every question. Read every answer. Then the correct answer will be fairly obvious. This may seem like it takes longer, but it takes much less time than skimming, and then trying to find the correct information later.

Or to summarize in one sentence

Understand what the hell the author is arguing

EDIT July 26, 2014:
@DoctorInASaree uploaded a guide to Verbal Reasoning. If you're interested, it's worth a look. Here is the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2byivymmqwlvjms/MCAT VR Primer DRSAREE.pdf

EDIT 2, July 26, 2014: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/sn2d-first-day.1074344/page-52#post-15510851
________________________________________________
Just finished the first day of SN2...man is it long and exhausting.

The first day is BR physics chapter (translational motion) + 1/3 of the passages. I felt like I wasn't able to apply the stuff I read into the stuff I was tested on.

Has anyone felt this way when following the schedule? It just seems like the contents of the chapter didn't really stick in my head when I took the practice passages. Will this improve over time?

EDIT 3, March 4, 2015:

For verbal, if you are feeling lost and confused, I highly highly recommend you to look into the MCAT Strategy Course by @Jack Westin. I've been working with him, and nothing comes close to his course and teaching. It's a strategy course, so it will cover everything, not just the VR/CARS section.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[justadream]

Just did the AAMC Verbal SA in 2 sittings... they weren't bad overall, though the final couple passages were kinda rough. Ended up with 85%, not sure what this means scoring-wise? Any input?

That's about 11-12.

 

[mehc012]

They don't give you an overall "AAMC score" at the end of them? I would think 85% is pretty good!

No, but they give you a % at the end of your FLs!

 

[ymmit]

That's about 11-12.

Thanks, that's encouraging. @aspiringMD/DO : I don't really have a strategy or specific approach that I'm thinking about as I do the verbal. I mainly just read the passage actively as if I were reading a book or magazine article, thinking about what the author's point is. Then when I approach the answers, I use POE for ones that are definitely wrong, and then usually one answer will stand out. If I am unsure, I quickly glance over at the passage around where the answer might be, and usually the correct answer will start to "glow" a bit more. The questions that I miss are generally ones that I overthought or simply misread/misunderstood in the passage (hopefully will improve more with practice, as I pretty much just started doing verbal). Sorry I don't have more helpful tips; I've generally been very good at verbal (i.e. on the SAT and GRE). I don't mind the passages and kind of enjoy them. Unfortunately this ability doesn't seem to translate to the science sections.

 

[aspiringMD/DO]

Thanks, that's encouraging. @aspiringMD/DO : I don't really have a strategy or specific approach that I'm thinking about as I do the verbal. I mainly just read the passage actively as if I were reading a book or magazine article, thinking about what the author's point is. Then when I approach the answers, I use POE for ones that are definitely wrong, and then usually one answer will stand out. If I am unsure, I quickly glance over at the passage around where the answer might be, and usually the correct answer will start to "glow" a bit more. The questions that I miss are generally ones that I overthought or simply misread/misunderstood in the passage (hopefully will improve more with practice, as I pretty much just started doing verbal). Sorry I don't have more helpful tips; I've generally been very good at verbal (i.e. on the SAT and GRE). I don't mind the passages and kind of enjoy them. Unfortunately this ability doesn't seem to translate to the science sections.

sounds like a similar approach I have, additionally, those are the same reasons I miss questions as well. What are you planning to use for continuous practice? I'm moving away from TBR VR. When are you taking your exam?

 

[ymmit]

sounds like a similar approach I have, additionally, those are the same reasons I miss questions as well. What are you planning to use for continuous practice? I'm moving away from TBR VR. When are you taking your exam?

I'm scheduled for Oct 21. For continuous practice, not sure. Probably TPRH verbal workbook and just any verbal sections on FLs.

 

[mehc012]

Verbal SA. Best source of useful practice there is.

I didn't find TPRH, EK101, TBR, or anything else to be remotely similar to AAMC.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

So I took the MCAT today (September 10, 2014) at 8 AM

Immediate thoughts:
Wow that wasn't as bad as I was thinking. I don't know for sure how many I missed or how I will score in relation to my other FLs I've taken, but I can honestly say that this was my best shot and attempt at taking it given the amount of preparation I went through. There was one passage in PS where I didn't know what was going on and I had to make some educated guesses/inferences. A similar situation happened in VR

PS: Not bad. Didn't see any passages that I was weak on in terms of content. I felt like I could figure stuff out from reading the passage. Either that OR I actually missed some stuff that they hid in there due to not enough content (less likely scenario)

VR: Actually pretty decent I think. One passage was ridiculous IMO. That author was smoking something. But we'll see

BS: Much easier than I expected. BS was my least area of preparation but I still felt like it was decent.

I think I really put all the effort and focus into this exam and I hope I see the results of it. But in case I don't, here's my plan which I'll start in about a month.
_____________________

Tomorrow: Register for January 23 spot JUST IN CASE.
Next 2 weeks: Focus entirely on school. Catch up. Ace all exams.
Last 2 weeks of September/early October: Start looking back into the MCAT.

I'm currently in school with a ton of ECs going on. If I am not happy with my score on the MCAT, I'm going to plan on taking a TPR LiveOnline Course. My reason for this is that I would like to have the material fed to me again across everything and the schedule they provide students in the course will help me keep up and put the pressure on me to learn the material effectively. Also, I've heard good stuff about their Amplifire section that helps you learn through discrete problems. How I plan to ace the 2nd retake:

• Discretes on all the sections of PS and BS (lots of VR practice/reading)
• Passages untimed first to soak in concepts
• Passages timed
• FLs to see where I'm at and review

My main problem (and I suspect that this applies to some of you) was that I spent my time doing too much at once: passages and questions and reading and FLs and anki and everything. I also didn't feel as engaged in reading the material on my own alone. I'll do it but I just never felt intimate with the stuff even though I could say I "knew" it. So I'll take a course despite the cost and people telling me its unnecessary because I find that it'll help me by forcing/structuring it for me esp with the semester going on right now. I know I can score well on this exam. Looking back, it's not even that hard of a test when you know your information properly.

Other things I've changed: Over the course of my studying I had several forms of notebooks I used to keep information I needed to know in so I could study later. These were often massive texts that got boring very fast because they were like entire answer explanations. Now, with the help of @orangetea who suggested me this, I've got a notebook where I just write down the main idea of the question answer down into like one sentence, or the necessary equation, etc. It becomes very easy to follow and read through fast and its quick to pull out and review in a short time.

I am actually looking forward to taking the course because I now know what I did right and wrong. I think despite the cost of the course, it'll touch base on stuff all over again which I'm already familiar on and give me some more resources.

Of course, this is all just talk until I can pull the scores. But I will still be on this thread! Almost at 100 pages, my baby has grown up lolololol

Anyways I wanna thank literally everyone on this thread for helping me in some way or another. I'll routinely type crap out here. I don't know if you guys can tell already but I like writing stuff out- it clears my head

If anyone want's to PM me about why I'm going against the SDN grain here and opting into a course or about anything else, feel free

 

[gene_pool]

@TexasSurgeon

AM or PM test?

 

[TexasSurgeon]

@TexasSurgeon

AM or PM test?

8 AM! Just edited it in there

 

[ymmit]

Totally a lazy bum request, but I searched for 5 minutes and couldn't find the original post by @pbrocks15 about how we need to use our time more wisely. It was the one about observing a friend work for 8 hours nonstop or something... Wanted to dig it up for some motivation but something is wrong with my eyes. Help?

So many posts in this thread deserve stickies.

 

[poop420]

.

 

[poop420]

Dude, I am right there with you.

I moved my exam to October 21st and I'm about to go into the hardest semester of my life. I have a part time job at school and I am involved in two research labs (only because i'm thinking of doing MD/PhD) and I just have a HORRIBLE teacher for one class and I need to get A's this semester.

Just think about how rewarding it will be when you're all finished though. Imagine trying your hardest and succeeding. Honestly today I was just standing outside in the sun and looking at the mountains and after some deep thinking I realized that I can, I really can. I just need to stop interrupting my study sessions with SDN and other things.

I think a lot of us think we'er studying hard, but in reality, we aren't going as hard as we can. I was with a friend of mind and I watched him study for his board exam. He was so concentrated, so dedicated and had so much drive to do well that at the end of a 5 hours session he was actually tired! We ate for 30mins and got back to another 5 hours session. The second session was better than the first! How?!? He knows that time is not in our control but we can control what we do with our time. But more importantly he said everyone actually knows that. But people don't really use their time efficiently. This is where I lack to be honest. I need to put more energy into every minute and I think that changed the course of my studying.

Here

 

[poop420]

And I was honestly was just going to watch scrubs but after re-reading this post decided to continue studying

 

[ymmit]

And I was honestly was just going to watch scrubs but after re-reading this post decided to continue studying

Many thanks!

 

[JMMTB]

So many posts in this thread deserve stickies.

Ya I'm waiting for this to a become a stickie too.

 

[aspiringMD/DO]

@poop420 just finished TBR CH3 for Nov 7 exam date. Running behind

 

[poop420]

@poop420 just finished TBR CH3 for Nov 7 exam date. Running behind

Yeah you need to catch up that's a little too far behind .. But dont rush things I find that I enjoy my studying alot more spending extra time on topics.... Maybe cut out break days pull double days ??

 

[poop420]

I am excited to see @TBRBiosadist score this coming Tuesday all the best !

 

[aspiringMD/DO]

Yeah you need to catch up that's a little too far behind .. But dont rush things I find that I enjoy my studying alot more spending extra time on topics.... Maybe cut out break days pull double days ??

How many hours a day do you find you can possibly study for - I'm hitting my limit after 9hrs

I've been trying to put in 10hr days but having trouble trying to endure it.

 

[poop420]

How many hours a day do you find you can possibly study for - I'm hitting my limit after 9hrs

I've been trying to put in 10hr days but having trouble trying to endure it.

yeah 9 hours seem about right .. But I dont study straight I take alot of random breaks to watch scrubs . Just finished the last episode today so I hope to see a increase in my study time.. I have a couple of 12 hour days in which my eyelid muscles started to spasm out of control and I wouldn't recommend that to anyone

 

[JMMTB]

Ya eyelid muscle spasms or if your eyes are open and you can't focus on the book in front of you because they are too weak and tired making you see double. Those are pretty good indicators that you should take a break or nap.

 

[ayocaptain628]

I am excited to see @TBRBiosadist score this coming Tuesday all the best !

me too!
posted for reference

SO if I get a 40+ on my MCAT I will donate $50 to charity, stop masturbating for a month, and post my real face here

If I get a 44 or 45 I will donate $50 to charity and $50 dollars to my university, stop masturbating for 2 months, and post my real face and first name here

 

[bambam92]

Got a 76% on gen chem self assessment…kinda pissed. I was really tired though, but still. I have been averaging 80-85% on TBR gen chem so was kinda like wtf. I want to get 10+ on PS. My date is 10/25. Doable?

 

[sillyjoe]

Got a 76% on gen chem self assessment…kinda pissed. I was really tired though, but still. I have been averaging 80-85% on TBR gen chem so was kinda like wtf. I want to get 10+ on PS. My date is 10/25. Doable?

Very doable and that is a very respectable score. Have you taken any AAMC exams yet?

 

[bambam92]

Very doable and that is a very respectable score. Have you taken any AAMC exams yet?

Thanks Joe, I appreciate your input. Was feeling pretty discouraged about that score. And no not yet. Will start soon. Also thinking about adding GS's --heard their PS is great practice.

 

[sillyjoe]

Thanks Joe, I appreciate your input. Was feeling pretty discouraged about that score. And no not yet. Will start soon. Also thinking about adding GS's --heard their PS is great practice.

I am confident with that score you can get over a 10 by the time your test arrives. I scored poorly on both TBR passages and the self assessment and had been consistently getting 11+ on PS by the time I was taking AAMC practice exams. I haven't taken physics in 3 years so if I can do it, you definitely can do it.

 

[bambam92]

I am confident with that score you can get over a 10 by the time your test arrives. Now you need to be. I scored poorly on both TBR passages and the self assessment and had been consistently getting 11+ on PS by the time I was taking AAMC practice exams. I haven't taken physics in 3 years so if I can do it, you definitely can do it.

Thanks for the encouragement, it's appreciated! I hope you get your desired score when your scores get released!!

 

[ymmit]

Having an existential crisis. Considering moving to January. Over.

 

[JMMTB]

Having an existential crisis. Considering moving to January. Over.

You've got this! We're all here to help, that's the purpose of this thread. Feel free to PM me, or most of us on here, if you need anything.

 

[justadream]

Got a 76% on gen chem self assessment…kinda pissed. I was really tired though, but still. I have been averaging 80-85% on TBR gen chem so was kinda like wtf. I want to get 10+ on PS. My date is 10/25. Doable?

Maybe you need a break.

If you're averaging that high on TBR, you should do at least as well on the SA (considering that TBR is harder).

I think most people who average 80-85% on TBR are more than capable of 12+ scores.

 

[DoctorInASaree]

Hello SDN! I would like to share my Verbal strategy with you!

My verbal strategy is based on how I think, and it is informed by my previous experiences, and those are unique to me. Therefore, my "process" - my strategy is unique to me. It may or may not work for you! I believe that life and the progression of knowledge is cumulative - we keep on adding to what we know (this is what we call science) as long as it's valuable and demonstrable. So, please, if any part of my Verbal strategy is of value to you, use it! If you can adapt it to your existing strategy(ies) all the better! I wholeheartedly welcome any valuable improvements and/or suggestions that any of you can contribute.

I suppose an appropriate aphorism would be: If the cat does not catch the mouse - then you need a new cat!

I sincerely hope that my Verbal strategy is valuable to someone out there!

The Saree Method
-------------------------

0) Flow of Information [constant - given]

-Your methodology. Your framework.
- As you move from passage to passage this is the singular constant. My methodology, as stated above, is based upon my own unique experiences and perspectives. I have elucidated upon some of them in my Verbsies primer (logic and scientific reasoning).

1) Read the Questions [<20seconds]

- Read them in numeric order
- Do NOT read the answer choices
- Before immersing yourself into the passage, imagine for a moment that you are cooking a feast for a large banquet hall. People have ordered meals X, Y, and Z, and your task as the chef is to figure out a) the requisite ingredients & b) the procedure in which to mix them all together (quantities, etc.) in order to produce a meal.
My technique employs a similar methodology. By reading the questions first I am doing two things:
1. I am extracting the theme (crux) of the passage. I can map out the structure of the passage and what the author has argued simply by reading the questions.
2. Most importantly, like the chef, I am figuring out which details (ingredients) I must attain or understand in order to answer the questions (produce a meal).

- Lastly, this will stop you from thinking about previous passages. You will be turning your brain's focus to this passage as it begins to focus on the passage's content before the passage itself is read.

2) Read the passage [<2minutes]
- Fairly obvious...read the passage! Each and every word! DO NOT speed-read - no matter how skilled you believe yourself to be. There is no reason to rush through the verbal section. Be calm and pay attention to each and every word the author has written on the page, for they have done so for a reason. Do not miss out on vital details!
- Read with purpose: you know what the passage is demanding of you (the questions), so read with the intent of answering those questions.
- Your duty is not to engage in an academic quest of figuring out some deep mystery about the subject matter. Your duty is to answer the questions - that's it. Everything else is irrelevant.

3) Discern the crux of the passage [<20seconds]
- I cannot stress how important this step is.
- Ask yourself the following question: how can I best summarize the contents of the entire passage into one statement. What is this passage truly about? What is the author trying to tell the reader about topic z?
Intro/concluding paragraphs -> contain the crux of the passage - what the author believes. In between? You will find supporting and/or contrasting arguments which reveals how and why the author agrees or disagrees. How does the author reach his/her conclusion's? Premises. How does he/she go about proving or substantiating his/her premises?
- How does one go about testing the value of premises? By employing LOGIC, and testing the validity of statements by identifying the presence or lack thereof of logical fallacies.
- Take a deep breath of air because it is time to begin answering passage questions.

4) Answer the questions
- At this point, you know the methodology, the crux of the passage, arguments that support or weaken the author's position, the premises that underlie the author's conclusion, etc. Have no fear, and answer the questions!

Secret: I apply my verbal method to the other two sections of the MCAT. Instead of reading the passage (and their wasteful two paragraphs of introducing us to the mechanisms of a toilet looking at your TBR Ch7 ), look for key equations, tables of values, and graphs.

Application
--------------

Whovians will enjoy this section. [If you are not familiar with Doctor Who, and would like a further demonstration of my method feel free to PM me!] One of the most substantive television shows out there is...Doctor Who! I have thoroughly enjoyed myself as I have been applying my MCAT Verbal method in analyzing the three episodes thus far. Whenever I read a newspaper article or watch a television show I ask myself: what is the theme of this article or program? What is this show really about?! What is the crux of X?

Episode 1 - The Doctor poses the viewer with the following conundrum: Everyone and everything is constantly changing (ranging from every second as a new experience to cells in our body being constantly replaced) therefore - we are not who we were a second ago or even a picosecond ago. The crux: Who are we? What defines us?

Every single other piece of information and/or contribution from a character is IRRELEVANT! The Doctor is asking a question of: Who am I? The episode deals with identity and what substantiates identity.

MCAT connection: Recall my first step is to read the questions and begin my flow of information. The Doctor is discussing: identity and delta identity (change in). I ask myself: what do I know about that? Like a raging typhoon my brain begins churning out the following:

Identity - Philosophy (self is discussed by Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Descartes. STOP. I don't need anymore than this. Overanalysis is paralysis). Sociology. Psychology. Religious perspective of what is the self (Hinduism - actions substantiate who we are - also Kantian perspective). Descartes: I think therefore I am. Kant/Hinduism: I do (act) therefore I am.
Change in Identity - this is a classic philisophical paradox of the grandfather axe. I know precisely where the Doctor is coming from.

Consider the second episode. The Doctor is dealing with an evil race called the Daleks - whose primary (and singular) purpose in the universe is simply to destoy any and all life. They are evil. The writers pose the following questions to viewers: Do Daleks have the capacity to do good? Do they have the potential to be good? Is anyone in the universe truly good or bad? Or are we just aspiring to DO good or bad - trying our best to measure up to two universal standards. Are good and bad true standards, or are they relative? If relative, relative to what?

Yikes. Scary. What is the crux? The problem of evil. The next question I ask myself is: how does one describe evil? Again, there are various perspectives: religious, psychological, sociological, philosophical, and even scientific. The names of notable philosophers, religious figures, etc. and their arguments surface.

All of that from a television show! Perhaps that are other perspective on this television show, but they are not the primary focus, the theme, THE CRUX of the show. This reminds me of the story of a teacher and his archers. The only student that gets to shoot the bird atop a tree branch is the student who correctly describes what he sees, to the teacher. Three students tell the teacher about things ranging from weather conditions to the durability of the branch. The teacher's favorite pupil answers: O Sage, I see only the bird. Then, we must be like the archer Arjun, and be solely focused on relevant information to us in order to solve MCAT questions.

This flow of information happens in less than five-ten seconds. Now imagine if I had known the television programme was about identity, or the problem of evil. Imagine how much more rich my analysis would have been of the show. That is precisely why I read the questions before reading the passage. I break the dam, and let a deluge of information out.

I haven't even read the passage, yet I know so much about the topic! My brain is active. This is quite similar to a science passage. I see the word collision. That is all I need to know before solving the questions. Why? Collision -> momentum. Therefore, the passage deals with the conservation of linear momentum and the flow of information has begun: I remember the 7 different cases of collision and their respective equations and conditions of elasticity and ineleasticity, what that means to KE and PE, etc.

Work in Progress - Common Verbal Questions tips:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Inference Qs - PoE based on passage won't help you, but make sure that your answer is consistent with the author's position OR the theme of the passage.

 

[ayocaptain628]

Hello SDN! I would like to share my Verbal strategy with you!

My verbal strategy is based on how I think, and it is informed by my previous experiences, and those are unique to me. Therefore, my "process" - my strategy is unique to me. It may or may not work for you! I believe that life and the progression of knowledge is cumulative - we keep on adding to what we know (this is what we call science) as long as it's valuable and demonstrable. So, please, if any part of my Verbal strategy is of value to you, use it! If you can adapt it to your existing strategy(ies) all the better! I wholeheartedly welcome any valuable improvements and/or suggestions that any of you can contribute.

I suppose an appropriate aphorism would be: If the cat does not catch the mouse - then you need a new cat!

I sincerely hope that my Verbal strategy is valuable to someone out there!

The Saree Method
-------------------------

0) Flow of Information [constant - given]

-Your methodology. Your framework.
- As you move from passage to passage this is the singular constant. My methodology, as stated above, is based upon my own unique experiences and perspectives. I have elucidated upon some of them in my Verbsies primer (logic and scientific reasoning).

1) Read the Questions [<20seconds]

- Read them in numeric order
- Do NOT read the answer choices
- Before immersing yourself into the passage, imagine for a moment that you are cooking a feast for a large banquet hall. People have ordered meals X, Y, and Z, and your task as the chef is to figure out a) the requisite ingredients & b) the procedure in which to mix them all together (quantities, etc.) in order to produce a meal.
My technique employs a similar methodology. By reading the questions first I am doing two things:
1. I am extracting the theme (crux) of the passage. I can map out the structure of the passage and what the author has argued simply by reading the questions.
2. Most importantly, like the chef, I am figuring out which details (ingredients) I must attain or understand in order to answer the questions (produce a meal).

- Lastly, this will stop you from thinking about previous passages. You will be turning your brain's focus to this passage as it begins to focus on the passage's content before the passage itself is read.

2) Read the passage [<2minutes]
- Fairly obvious...read the passage! Each and every word! DO NOT speed-read - no matter how skilled you believe yourself to be. There is no reason to rush through the verbal section. Be calm and pay attention to each and every word the author has written on the page, for they have done so for a reason. Do not miss out on vital details!
- Read with purpose: you know what the passage is demanding of you (the questions), so read with the intent of answering those questions.
- Your duty is not to engage in an academic quest of figuring out some deep mystery about the subject matter. Your duty is to answer the questions - that's it. Everything else is irrelevant.

3) Discern the crux of the passage [<20seconds]
- I cannot stress how important this step is.
- Ask yourself the following question: how can I best summarize the contents of the entire passage into one statement. What is this passage truly about? What is the author trying to tell the reader about topic z?
Intro/concluding paragraphs -> contain the crux of the passage - what the author believes. In between? You will find supporting and/or contrasting arguments which reveals how and why the author agrees or disagrees. How does the author reach his/her conclusion's? Premises. How does he/she go about proving or substantiating his/her premises?
- How does one go about testing the value of premises? By employing LOGIC, and testing the validity of statements by identifying the presence or lack thereof of logical fallacies.
- Take a deep breath of air because it is time to begin answering passage questions.

4) Answer the questions
- At this point, you know the methodology, the crux of the passage, arguments that support or weaken the author's position, the premises that underlie the author's conclusion, etc. Have no fear, and answer the questions!

Secret: I apply my verbal method to the other two sections of the MCAT. Instead of reading the passage (and their wasteful two paragraphs of introducing us to the mechanisms of a toilet looking at your TBR Ch7 ), look for key equations, tables of values, and graphs.

Application
--------------

Whovians will enjoy this section. [If you are not familiar with Doctor Who, and would like a further demonstration of my method feel free to PM me!] One of the most substantive television shows out there is...Doctor Who! I have thoroughly enjoyed myself as I have been applying my MCAT Verbal method in analyzing the three episodes thus far. Whenever I read a newspaper article or watch a television show I ask myself: what is the theme of this article or program? What is this show really about?! What is the crux of X?

Episode 1 - The Doctor poses the viewer with the following conundrum: Everyone and everything is constantly changing (ranging from every second as a new experience to cells in our body being constantly replaced) therefore - we are not who we were a second ago or even a picosecond ago. The crux: Who are we? What defines us?

Every single other piece of information and/or contribution from a character is IRRELEVANT! The Doctor is asking a question of: Who am I? The episode deals with identity and what substantiates identity.

MCAT connection: Recall my first step is to read the questions and begin my flow of information. The Doctor is discussing: identity and delta identity (change in). I ask myself: what do I know about that? Like a raging typhoon my brain begins churning out the following:

Identity - Philosophy (self is discussed by Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Descartes. STOP. I don't need anymore than this. Overanalysis is paralysis). Sociology. Psychology. Religious perspective of what is the self (Hinduism - actions substantiate who we are - also Kantian perspective). Descartes: I think therefore I am. Kant/Hinduism: I do (act) therefore I am.
Change in Identity - this is a classic philisophical paradox of the grandfather axe. I know precisely where the Doctor is coming from.

Consider the second episode. The Doctor is dealing with an evil race called the Daleks - whose primary (and singular) purpose in the universe is simply to destoy any and all life. They are evil. The writers pose the following questions to viewers: Do Daleks have the capacity to do good? Do they have the potential to be good? Is anyone in the universe truly good or bad? Or are we just aspiring to DO good or bad - trying our best to measure up to two universal standards. Are good and bad true standards, or are they relative? If relative, relative to what?

Yikes. Scary. What is the crux? The problem of evil. The next question I ask myself is: how does one describe evil? Again, there are various perspectives: religious, psychological, sociological, philosophical, and even scientific. The names of notable philosophers, religious figures, etc. and their arguments surface.

All of that from a television show! Perhaps that are other perspective on this television show, but they are not the primary focus, the theme, THE CRUX of the show. This reminds me of the story of a teacher and his archers. The only student that gets to shoot the bird atop a tree branch is the student who correctly describes what he sees, to the teacher. Three students tell the teacher about things ranging from weather conditions to the durability of the branch. The teacher's favorite pupil answers: O Sage, I see only the bird. Then, we must be like the archer Arjun, and be solely focused on relevant information to us in order to solve MCAT questions.

This flow of information happens in less than five-ten seconds. Now imagine if I had known the television programme was about identity, or the problem of evil. Imagine how much more rich my analysis would have been of the show. That is precisely why I read the questions before reading the passage. I break the dam, and let a deluge of information out.

I haven't even read the passage, yet I know so much about the topic! My brain is active. This is quite similar to a science passage. I see the word collision. That is all I need to know before solving the questions. Why? Collision -> momentum. Therefore, the passage deals with the conservation of linear momentum and the flow of information has begun: I remember the 7 different cases of collision and their respective equations and conditions of elasticity and ineleasticity, what that means to KE and PE, etc.

Work in Progress - Common Verbal Questions tips:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Inference Qs - PoE based on passage won't help you, but make sure that your answer is consistent with the author's position OR the theme of the passage.

i also cant wait to see how u do too!

 

[mehc012]

I'm responding to all MCAT enquiries with my new motto: 45 until proven otherwise!

It's like innocent until proven guilty, except that the prosecutor HAS the evidence all along, they're just waiting to see if they can break you psychologically before playing the trump card!

 

[deleted388502]

Wooooow, I have not checked this thread in a while because of life insanity but I hope you all are killing it with school and such! Good luck to the August 15thers with score release coming out...can't wait to see @sillyjoe, @TBRBiosadist be the first 45 scorers this year

I finally broke 30 on a practice test this weekend Seeing my score breakdown was probably one of the BEST things that has happened to me in almost two months (if not the best thing, lol - and it wasn't even on a real test!!!!) because I feel remotivated in my ability to succeed at this exam. Even better, I have a month to only go up from here. This thread was such an amazing support group for me and I LITERALLY would not be able to study for this exam without the support I've gotten here so thank you all.

And as a study update (just my two cents), I highly endorse EK 1001 and Kaplan for anyone struggling. I got a 22 on AAMC 3 after a summer of sn2ed, and on some serious post-reflection, I think doing BR was a good 'intro' to the MCAT, but I really don't think that the amount of hype those books get is worth it. I mean, getting a 22 on AAMC 3 was a serious indication that I had no idea what was going on in the science sections. Kaplan's stuff is phenomenal, and I think the resources they provide through their course is phenomenal. Get your hands on EK 1001 and drill all your concepts home with EK and then use Kaplan section tests - kaplan section tests made me want to cry after I took them the first time, but I learned so much more from them from any TBR post-game I ever did, because they're so much more like AAMC (in my opinion, at least). Also, I think a really big thing stressed on SDN for MCAT prep is stimulating test taking conditions and such and I finally understood the definition of that - not necessarily doing timed 7 minute passages, but literally having a 1 hour 10 minute simulated PS section in front of you on your computer screen in MCAT style format with MCAT style passages - I really think Kaplan is phenomenal for this. Really helped with test anxiety (!!!!! huge issue for me) and timing. I didn't finish the last two passages on PS the first time I was taking AAMC 3 and now with the help of Kaplan I literally did my PS section this weekend and had 15 minutes left over to review. And that was just through practice.

Regardless, hope you guys are studying hard with the balance of school and such. Hang in there and remember that it will all pay off! Just a piece of the puzzle and a piece of the larger process- was talking to a friend today who told me the MCAT was the "worst period of his life" (lol) and I think the MCAT is like this hazing ritual you have to go through to realize what medical school hell is going to be like. The countless hours of studying, demoralization, demotivation....but above all that, getting back up and realizing that you are just as smart and capable as anyone else to do this test. ^ this post was partially a self pep talk, but if I could go back to June and tell myself this, I really wish I could because I really struggle with keeping my confidence and motivation up. It's so easy to want to give up with a few bad scores or starting as an underdog. But I truly believe that in the end, hard work and persistence pays off. No matter what.

ADDITIONALLY, I would like to add that everyone on this thread seems like a crazy hard worker, and if you have reached the point in studying where you would rather eat rusted nails than study that day, take a ****ing break day. My BIGGEST mistake this summer was putting my ENTIRE life on hold because of this test. I took extended leave from my jobs, never saw my friends, didn't do anything I loved and it made me absolutely miserable. Being ~busy~ because I'm doing things I care about outside of this test, having FUN on the weekends, makes you a more productive studier for the time that you do allot to study, in my opinion. Just something to keep in mind. I very much approached this test with my nose to the grindstone --> all I'm gonna do is study - and I crashed and burned when I did try to study because I was miserable. Remember to live a little.

Hope you all had a phenomenal weekend! Cheers!

 

[JMMTB]

@avenlea Congratulations on breaking 30!

 

[DoctorInASaree]

i also cant wait to see how u do too!

Thanks so much

 

[sillyjoe]

Wooooow, I have not checked this thread in a while because of life insanity but I hope you all are killing it with school and such! Good luck to the August 15thers with score release coming out...can't wait to see @sillyjoe, @TBRBiosadist be the first 45 scorers this year

I finally broke 30 on a practice test this weekend Seeing my score breakdown was probably one of the BEST things that has happened to me in almost two months (if not the best thing, lol - and it wasn't even on a real test!!!!) because I feel remotivated in my ability to succeed at this exam. Even better, I have a month to only go up from here. This thread was such an amazing support group for me and I LITERALLY would not be able to study for this exam without the support I've gotten here so thank you all.

And as a study update (just my two cents), I highly endorse EK 1001 and Kaplan for anyone struggling. I got a 22 on AAMC 3 after a summer of sn2ed, and on some serious post-reflection, I think doing BR was a good 'intro' to the MCAT, but I really don't think that the amount of hype those books get is worth it. I mean, getting a 22 on AAMC 3 was a serious indication that I had no idea what was going on in the science sections. Kaplan's stuff is phenomenal, and I think the resources they provide through their course is phenomenal. Get your hands on EK 1001 and drill all your concepts home with EK and then use Kaplan section tests - kaplan section tests made me want to cry after I took them the first time, but I learned so much more from them from any TBR post-game I ever did, because they're so much more like AAMC (in my opinion, at least). Also, I think a really big thing stressed on SDN for MCAT prep is stimulating test taking conditions and such and I finally understood the definition of that - not necessarily doing timed 7 minute passages, but literally having a 1 hour 10 minute simulated PS section in front of you on your computer screen in MCAT style format with MCAT style passages - I really think Kaplan is phenomenal for this. Really helped with test anxiety (!!!!! huge issue for me) and timing. I didn't finish the last two passages on PS the first time I was taking AAMC 3 and now with the help of Kaplan I literally did my PS section this weekend and had 15 minutes left over to review. And that was just through practice.

Regardless, hope you guys are studying hard with the balance of school and such. Hang in there and remember that it will all pay off! Just a piece of the puzzle and a piece of the larger process- was talking to a friend today who told me the MCAT was the "worst period of his life" (lol) and I think the MCAT is like this hazing ritual you have to go through to realize what medical school hell is going to be like. The countless hours of studying, demoralization, demotivation....but above all that, getting back up and realizing that you are just as smart and capable as anyone else to do this test. ^ this post was partially a self pep talk, but if I could go back to June and tell myself this, I really wish I could because I really struggle with keeping my confidence and motivation up. It's so easy to want to give up with a few bad scores or starting as an underdog. But I truly believe that in the end, hard work and persistence pays off. No matter what.

ADDITIONALLY, I would like to add that everyone on this thread seems like a crazy hard worker, and if you have reached the point in studying where you would rather eat rusted nails than study that day, take a ******* break day. My BIGGEST mistake this summer was putting my ENTIRE life on hold because of this test. I took extended leave from my jobs, never saw my friends, didn't do anything I loved and it made me absolutely miserable. Being ~busy~ because I'm doing things I care about outside of this test, having FUN on the weekends, makes you a more productive studier for the time that you do allot to study, in my opinion. Just something to keep in mind. I very much approached this test with my nose to the grindstone --> all I'm gonna do is study - and I crashed and burned when I did try to study because I was miserable. Remember to live a little.

Hope you all had a phenomenal weekend! Cheers!

This is amazing! You definitely deserve it too with all the hard work you have put into it. You stressed something that I think is very important and that is that a single prep material and schedule will not work for everyone. SN2ed should be used as a guideline that is adapted for your own personal learning style.

Anyways, great job and you will only improve from here.

p.s. based off the time you posted this message I am going to have to assume that this was some #drunkSDNing...happens to the best of us.

 

[aspiringMD/DO]

Having an existential crisis. Considering moving to January. Over.

You've got this, girl

 

[aspiringMD/DO]

Hello SDN! I would like to share my Verbal strategy with you!

My verbal strategy is based on how I think, and it is informed by my previous experiences, and those are unique to me. Therefore, my "process" - my strategy is unique to me. It may or may not work for you! I believe that life and the progression of knowledge is cumulative - we keep on adding to what we know (this is what we call science) as long as it's valuable and demonstrable. So, please, if any part of my Verbal strategy is of value to you, use it! If you can adapt it to your existing strategy(ies) all the better! I wholeheartedly welcome any valuable improvements and/or suggestions that any of you can contribute.

I suppose an appropriate aphorism would be: If the cat does not catch the mouse - then you need a new cat!

I sincerely hope that my Verbal strategy is valuable to someone out there!

The Saree Method
-------------------------

0) Flow of Information [constant - given]

-Your methodology. Your framework.
- As you move from passage to passage this is the singular constant. My methodology, as stated above, is based upon my own unique experiences and perspectives. I have elucidated upon some of them in my Verbsies primer (logic and scientific reasoning).

1) Read the Questions [<20seconds]

- Read them in numeric order
- Do NOT read the answer choices
- Before immersing yourself into the passage, imagine for a moment that you are cooking a feast for a large banquet hall. People have ordered meals X, Y, and Z, and your task as the chef is to figure out a) the requisite ingredients & b) the procedure in which to mix them all together (quantities, etc.) in order to produce a meal.
My technique employs a similar methodology. By reading the questions first I am doing two things:
1. I am extracting the theme (crux) of the passage. I can map out the structure of the passage and what the author has argued simply by reading the questions.
2. Most importantly, like the chef, I am figuring out which details (ingredients) I must attain or understand in order to answer the questions (produce a meal).

- Lastly, this will stop you from thinking about previous passages. You will be turning your brain's focus to this passage as it begins to focus on the passage's content before the passage itself is read.

2) Read the passage [<2minutes]
- Fairly obvious...read the passage! Each and every word! DO NOT speed-read - no matter how skilled you believe yourself to be. There is no reason to rush through the verbal section. Be calm and pay attention to each and every word the author has written on the page, for they have done so for a reason. Do not miss out on vital details!
- Read with purpose: you know what the passage is demanding of you (the questions), so read with the intent of answering those questions.
- Your duty is not to engage in an academic quest of figuring out some deep mystery about the subject matter. Your duty is to answer the questions - that's it. Everything else is irrelevant.

3) Discern the crux of the passage [<20seconds]
- I cannot stress how important this step is.
- Ask yourself the following question: how can I best summarize the contents of the entire passage into one statement. What is this passage truly about? What is the author trying to tell the reader about topic z?
Intro/concluding paragraphs -> contain the crux of the passage - what the author believes. In between? You will find supporting and/or contrasting arguments which reveals how and why the author agrees or disagrees. How does the author reach his/her conclusion's? Premises. How does he/she go about proving or substantiating his/her premises?
- How does one go about testing the value of premises? By employing LOGIC, and testing the validity of statements by identifying the presence or lack thereof of logical fallacies.
- Take a deep breath of air because it is time to begin answering passage questions.

4) Answer the questions
- At this point, you know the methodology, the crux of the passage, arguments that support or weaken the author's position, the premises that underlie the author's conclusion, etc. Have no fear, and answer the questions!

Secret: I apply my verbal method to the other two sections of the MCAT. Instead of reading the passage (and their wasteful two paragraphs of introducing us to the mechanisms of a toilet looking at your TBR Ch7 ), look for key equations, tables of values, and graphs.

Application
--------------

Whovians will enjoy this section. [If you are not familiar with Doctor Who, and would like a further demonstration of my method feel free to PM me!] One of the most substantive television shows out there is...Doctor Who! I have thoroughly enjoyed myself as I have been applying my MCAT Verbal method in analyzing the three episodes thus far. Whenever I read a newspaper article or watch a television show I ask myself: what is the theme of this article or program? What is this show really about?! What is the crux of X?

Episode 1 - The Doctor poses the viewer with the following conundrum: Everyone and everything is constantly changing (ranging from every second as a new experience to cells in our body being constantly replaced) therefore - we are not who we were a second ago or even a picosecond ago. The crux: Who are we? What defines us?

Every single other piece of information and/or contribution from a character is IRRELEVANT! The Doctor is asking a question of: Who am I? The episode deals with identity and what substantiates identity.

MCAT connection: Recall my first step is to read the questions and begin my flow of information. The Doctor is discussing: identity and delta identity (change in). I ask myself: what do I know about that? Like a raging typhoon my brain begins churning out the following:

Identity - Philosophy (self is discussed by Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Descartes. STOP. I don't need anymore than this. Overanalysis is paralysis). Sociology. Psychology. Religious perspective of what is the self (Hinduism - actions substantiate who we are - also Kantian perspective). Descartes: I think therefore I am. Kant/Hinduism: I do (act) therefore I am.
Change in Identity - this is a classic philisophical paradox of the grandfather axe. I know precisely where the Doctor is coming from.

Consider the second episode. The Doctor is dealing with an evil race called the Daleks - whose primary (and singular) purpose in the universe is simply to destoy any and all life. They are evil. The writers pose the following questions to viewers: Do Daleks have the capacity to do good? Do they have the potential to be good? Is anyone in the universe truly good or bad? Or are we just aspiring to DO good or bad - trying our best to measure up to two universal standards. Are good and bad true standards, or are they relative? If relative, relative to what?

Yikes. Scary. What is the crux? The problem of evil. The next question I ask myself is: how does one describe evil? Again, there are various perspectives: religious, psychological, sociological, philosophical, and even scientific. The names of notable philosophers, religious figures, etc. and their arguments surface.

All of that from a television show! Perhaps that are other perspective on this television show, but they are not the primary focus, the theme, THE CRUX of the show. This reminds me of the story of a teacher and his archers. The only student that gets to shoot the bird atop a tree branch is the student who correctly describes what he sees, to the teacher. Three students tell the teacher about things ranging from weather conditions to the durability of the branch. The teacher's favorite pupil answers: O Sage, I see only the bird. Then, we must be like the archer Arjun, and be solely focused on relevant information to us in order to solve MCAT questions.

This flow of information happens in less than five-ten seconds. Now imagine if I had known the television programme was about identity, or the problem of evil. Imagine how much more rich my analysis would have been of the show. That is precisely why I read the questions before reading the passage. I break the dam, and let a deluge of information out.

I haven't even read the passage, yet I know so much about the topic! My brain is active. This is quite similar to a science passage. I see the word collision. That is all I need to know before solving the questions. Why? Collision -> momentum. Therefore, the passage deals with the conservation of linear momentum and the flow of information has begun: I remember the 7 different cases of collision and their respective equations and conditions of elasticity and ineleasticity, what that means to KE and PE, etc.

Work in Progress - Common Verbal Questions tips:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Inference Qs - PoE based on passage won't help you, but make sure that your answer is consistent with the author's position OR the theme of the passage.

You're absolutely amazing. I'm so grateful to you for sharing this.

 

[orangetea]

MY MCAT study method

 

[deleted388502]

This is amazing! You definitely deserve it too with all the hard work you have put into it. You stressed something that I think is very important and that is that a single prep material and schedule will not work for everyone. SN2ed should be used as a guideline that is adapted for your own personal learning style.

Anyways, great job and you will only improve from here.

p.s. based off the time you posted this message I am going to have to assume that this was some #drunkSDNing...happens to the best of us.

Do not ever assume, friend. Makes an ass out of U and Me

 

[pbrocks15]

I miss you guys

 

[poop420]

The new research girl working beside me is the most beautiful blonde with captivating blue eyes, I have been nothing but cold and distant to her because I know if I start having convos I will accumulate wasted time talking and texting .. The funny thing is this is a struggle for me ha ha ha O well back to studying .. Guess its time to grow up and stop being a wolf/dog

 

[poop420]

Good luck today @TBRBiosadist hope you get the score you deserve !

 

[lazyindy]

@DoctorInASaree you are simply amazing! I hope you get that smokin hot 45!

Also Karna > Arjuna

 

[lazyindy]

I miss you guys

Yea I haven't been on here in forever. Was dealing with intense family issues and was quite depressed. Lost a good 5 days of studying. Hope I can still be ready by Nov 7th, don't want to prolong at this point.

 

[DoctorInASaree]

@DoctorInASaree you are simply amazing! I hope you get that smokin hot 45!

Also Karna > Arjuna

Umm...Draupadi!!!

Thank you all for your warm reception to my strategy - if you do implement it or use parts of it could you please let me know whether it is efficacious or not. Feedback is deeply appreciated I will be posting Verbal tips to common questions sometime in the next few days!

 

[sillyjoe]

Umm...Draupadi!!!

Thank you all for your warm reception to my strategy - if you do implement it or use parts of it could you please let me know whether it is efficacious or not? Feedback is deeply appreciated I will be posting Verbal tips to common questions sometime in the next few days!

What does efficacious mean?

 

[mehc012]

What does efficacious mean?

having the power to produce a desired effect <an efficacious remedy>

 

[Sed8&Intub8]

Hey y'all! What have I missed in the past month? Any major news?

Someone fill me in!