Hi! I just started reading the The Economist a couple days ago at the library. I have heard from many SDNers that reading The Economist regularly could improve comprehension for the verbal section of the MCAT (I'm taking it next year). I really enjoy reading some of its articles. But I'm having trouble reading articles that I do not have background about especially the ones dealing with international politics and world current events. How should I approach this problem? Should I just keep on reading the articles even if they do not make so much sense to me? For MCAT verbal preparation, what questions should I be asking myself about the article after I have read it? Thanks in advance!
The Economist
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Hey I have the exact same problems and exactly the same questions..
I was wondering if continuing to read the stuff that I dont understand will gradually make me used to it and... ?
I really dont know. But the economist really seems to be the best practice source for someone taking the MCATs next year (so am I).
I think paraphrasing each paragraph in our own words would be one thing..
Anything else ?
I was wondering if continuing to read the stuff that I dont understand will gradually make me used to it and... ?
I really dont know. But the economist really seems to be the best practice source for someone taking the MCATs next year (so am I).
I think paraphrasing each paragraph in our own words would be one thing..
Anything else ?
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For me, what seemed to work the best on the Verbal section is not stopping to write anything, and not breaking the flow of thought. If I ever started paraphrasing each paragraph, I'd be pinched for time near the end. What I do is just read it straight through, and try to get the MAIN IDEA and the OPINION of the author into my head. In terms of where facts are located....you'll remember...the passage on the MCAT is only so long. Paraphrasing isn't as efficient as some may think
So yeah just read the article through and try to get the author's stance and what he's discussing (broadly and specifically...topic and scope). Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
And then cook a turkey and eat it
edit: and btw...the most important part of the verbal section is learning to break the test book seal. It takes an MCAT MASTER to do it correctly. If you do it right, the AAMC will give you an automatic 15. Only a few legends in MCAT history have accomplished this task, however.
So yeah just read the article through and try to get the author's stance and what he's discussing (broadly and specifically...topic and scope). Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
And then cook a turkey and eat it
edit: and btw...the most important part of the verbal section is learning to break the test book seal. It takes an MCAT MASTER to do it correctly. If you do it right, the AAMC will give you an automatic 15. Only a few legends in MCAT history have accomplished this task, however.
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Turkeyman said:
are you serious about people being graded on the basis of how precisely they open the seal?!
oh and thanks for letting me know how not useful paraphrasing is.
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LOL naaah I'm just joking haha 
But the seal is so annoying to break open, I made a thread on it after this past weekend's MCAT because I hate it :-D
The paraphrasing thing is just my opinion, listen to what everyone else says too. I just feel you'll remember more about the passage than you think by not stopping to write.
But the seal is so annoying to break open, I made a thread on it after this past weekend's MCAT because I hate it :-D
The paraphrasing thing is just my opinion, listen to what everyone else says too. I just feel you'll remember more about the passage than you think by not stopping to write.
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I would agree that a quick read of the passages to seek the main idea is a good strategy for the MCAT verbal reasoning section. I invariably ran out of time on most of my practice VR sections when I slowed down to write comments in the margins, and generally, I found it hindered my ability to grasp the continuity of the passage and subtle shifts in the author's opinion. Personally, I love the Economist (perhaps because I find international politics fascinating), yet I don't think reading specifically the Economist will improve your VR score. On the other hand, anything you can do to improve your reading speed and comprehension couldn't hurt! Good luck!
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If you do not understand The Economist try something more on your level. Say the text on stamps or bumper stickers. Once you have mastered these, I would say you can graduate to reading cereal boxes and milk cartons. Just remember, always read for purpose, topic, and scope.
jv00927 said:
I am extremely skeptical that reading The Economist will help you with the verbal. Maybe if you have 3 yrs to prepare.
Read the Examkrackers verbal guide. It has excellent suggestions in my opinion. The key to reading verbal passages is to get the main idea but not sweat the details. I wouldn't write notes. You should remember the main idea in your head and noting any details wastes time.
Read the Examkrackers verbal guide. It has excellent suggestions in my opinion. The key to reading verbal passages is to get the main idea but not sweat the details. I wouldn't write notes. You should remember the main idea in your head and noting any details wastes time.
one more thing to consider is the mood/tone of the author political writers are as you can emagine extremely opinionated so this will help with the questions if you know the mood or tone of the writer...if he agrees or disagrees with the issues he/she is commenting on. th emost important thing is to master what you are uncomfortable with. my mcat experience..exactly what i was confused about appeared on the exam. despite my thinking that the fact that i knew a lot of other stuff would cover me...big mistake. if it make syou uncomfortable or it seem sto difficult tackle it.
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EK's main point is to read a passage and figure out the main idea and also the tone and who the author might be. You can do these exercises with articles in the economist (and other magazines) so I don't see how they can't help.
I only got two 10's on EK 101 verbal passages 1-7 and that was the only 2 weeks I was reading The Economist articles to see if I could find the main idea, tone, who was the author.
It may have been a fluke but I try to read articles in my free time now so I can get rid of that "WTF" feeling I get on occasions when finishing a passage. On boring passages I find it hard to stay focus so reading various humanities passages is helping me.
I was planning to take the April MCAT but will take the August MCAT instead.
I only got two 10's on EK 101 verbal passages 1-7 and that was the only 2 weeks I was reading The Economist articles to see if I could find the main idea, tone, who was the author.
It may have been a fluke but I try to read articles in my free time now so I can get rid of that "WTF" feeling I get on occasions when finishing a passage. On boring passages I find it hard to stay focus so reading various humanities passages is helping me.
I was planning to take the April MCAT but will take the August MCAT instead.
I'm sure it won't hurt to read The Economist, so if you have unlimited time, go right ahead. But I firmly believe that the time spent reading The Economist would be better spent doing practice passages. But actually, I believe you could form bad habits, such as spending too much time absorbing detail. And The Economist is all written in the same tone so you'll get used to that. Far better to do the Examkrackers book with that time.
Don't get me wrong, I love The Economist. I read it all the time. But time is a fixed resource and I don't think this is the best way to spend it. Anyway, just my opinion.
Don't get me wrong, I love The Economist. I read it all the time. But time is a fixed resource and I don't think this is the best way to spend it. Anyway, just my opinion.
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When I read the Economist I try to read it as quickly as possible and try to come up with a main idea in 5 seconds. Reading during commutes or during idle times does not seem like it will suck up too much time.
I'm sure reading The Economist on the train won't hurt. I would just be careful not to get carried away (say by making special trips to the library to sit and read The Economist).
Keep in mind that The Economist represents only one possible writing style. If you're gonna practice reading stuff, get a book of LSAT passages and use those (since you can't get real MCATs). You can buy a book with dozens of passages from actual LSATS.
Keep in mind that The Economist represents only one possible writing style. If you're gonna practice reading stuff, get a book of LSAT passages and use those (since you can't get real MCATs). You can buy a book with dozens of passages from actual LSATS.
