Studied Verbal for a Year.. advice?

[CaribbeanBlue]

So I have put off applying to Medical school due to the verbal reasoning portion of the MCAT.

I started studying a year ago in summer, but voided my exam in september because my verbal reasoning scores were around a 6. I then studied for a January exam and received a PS10, VR6, BS11.

This summer I am signed up for a September MCAT.

My EK scores have been 7-9 (so some improvement)
and my last verbal MCAT scores have been:
AAMC 3: 9
AAMC4: 7
AAMC5: 8
AAMC10: 7

I typically score between 25-27 correct out of 30. I have tried every strategy in existence numerous times on tests. The TPR strategy works for getting me a 7-9 at best because guessing on a last passage really hits hard, but I have been trying to finish all 7 passages while increasing my accuracy.

I have done verbal practice tests every day for the last month and a half this summer and still have not broken into the 30/40 zone.

My scores on the sciences have ranged from 11-13 on practice tests.

What I am asking is, should I just take whatever score I get, apply next June and hope for the best? I am really not up for studying again for this exam and I am not sure I will be able to have such an opportunity to boost my score again since I am not working or anything this summer. So i do believe how I am performing is the best score to my abilities.

I am heavily considering just going for DO next June's cycle all because of VR.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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[PanRoasted]

I would try skipping the hardest passages (language-wise) and coming back to them at the end. It's been working well for my timings, because I can complete easier passages faster when I am less stressed for time, so leaving the hard passages for the end when the clock is running down makes the test overall less stressful. If you think that's a factor during your VR tests, I suggest you try it.

 

[UofT9919]

I think when people get that low it shows that they did not understand the passages. People focus too much on having enough time to do the questions and not enough on reading, understanding how the passage is set up/ themes, and the authors arguements.Youd be surprised how many times two answers make sense and can be right but only was mentioned in the passage or relevant part of the passage.

 

[UofT9919]

I would try skipping the hardest passages (language-wise) and coming back to them at the end. It's been working well for my timings, because I can complete easier passages faster when I am less stressed for time, so leaving the hard passages for the end when the clock is running down makes the test overall less stressful. If you think that's a factor during your VR tests, I suggest you try it.

I think this is a smart strategy for someone getting a 9+ and wants to do better but a person getting only 6 consistently shows that the true problem is their lack of ability to understand the passage.

To the OP: Try spending 10min just reading any aamc practise passage without highlighting or w/e and after every paragraph mark down the topic of that paragraph. At the end of the passage write the thesis of the passage. Why did the author spend time writing the passage. Then go to each question and ask yourself " did the author mention A) is B) relevant C) ... D).etc. Youd be surprised that although 2 answers may be right, one is more right than the other

 

[CaribbeanBlue]

I think this is a smart strategy for someone getting a 9+ and wants to do better but a person getting only 6 consistently shows that the true problem is their lack of ability to understand the passage.

To the OP: Try spending 10min just reading any aamc practise passage without highlighting or w/e and after every paragraph mark down the topic of that paragraph. At the end of the passage write the thesis of the passage. Why did the author spend time writing the passage. Then go to each question and ask yourself " did the author mention A) is B) relevant C) ... D).etc. Youd be surprised that although 2 answers may be right, one is more right than the other

You really hit the nail on the head, actually. I was getting 6's up until my January test because I was not understanding a lot of the passages. I spent a couple months afterwards reading some philosophy, which helped a little bit, but at least I am hitting some 9's now after understanding the passages more.

Today I got a 9 on EK #6 (28/40) and honestly, it comes down to if I am focusing enough to understand the passages. I feel that EK is easier than AAMC for some reason. I am a lot better at straightforward questions than abstract ones where you interpret new information.

Sometimes I feel like I have a reading problem because sometimes I will read a passage and will only be able to say what the main idea was, but I will not remember a lot of the details. I was thinking of seeing if I needed to get prescribed for ADD.