It is really so boring reviewing verbal but I have to deal with it. It seems most of the questions I get wrong are stupid mistakes but I keep making them all the time. Any idea how to avoid those?
I'll just tell you how I do verbal and maybe that'll help?
Firstly,
clear your head (deep breaths, special place, etc.)
. This is very important. After I have successfully completed that task I look at the questions, I don't
READ them, but I look at them. On one of the AAMCs, there were two questions asking directly what a certain word meant in its context without giving a paragraph number. I couldn't recall where they were and ended up guessing one of them correctly and getting the other wrong. So I look for those questions first.
I then read the passage one time through. I am not a particularly fast reader, but I make sure I read every word. Yes,
every word. A lot of people talk about skimming and mapping and what not. If it helps them, great, but not for me.
After reading one time through, I begin the questions. I read the question stem, then I
always cross off two of the answers that are wrong. No matter what, I read through every answer. The annoying fact is that verbal is sometimes a "more right" answer section, which makes it important to read every answer. After I have dwindled it down to 50/50, I look to see if one is more obviously correct. If not, I try to look back at the passage for support one way or the other.
Big thing here is to not infer your own opinion into the question. Sometimes an answer can seem very sexy, but it is in fact something you've concocted in your head. Always be sure it is supported or inferred in the passage.
Note: I often look back at the passage for details. Many people find this time consuming, but I tend to remember well enough where it talked about certain aspects.
After I have finished all of the questions for a given passage, I go back to the top, read through each and every question and my answer
one more time. Again,
one more time. Any more than this and you will begin second guessing yourself. If it feels okay with me after that re-read, I leave it alone. On AAMC #5 I forgot this rule of mine and changed 4 correct answers to incorrect.
After that, move on to the next passage.
Another thing I've been doing lately is putting on "blinders." I put my hands on the side of my face and sort of shield my peripheral vision. Not ridiculously, of course, but just enough to remove any distractions out of the way (lamp, bugs, etc.). I'd be careful about this, though, because if you make it look like you're covering your eyes, they will get
very suspicious
very quickly.
I have no clue if this will help you. I hope it does! Rooting for you and everybody else! Let's do this!
