Tips for Mapping Out Bio/Phys Sections

[ManyChoices]

Hi everyone,

I'm thick in the heart of MCAT studying, and I was wondering if anyone has effective strategies for tackling bio/phys sections of the test. For verbal and psych, it's a lot easier for me to see the main takeaways but for the sciences, I get lost in trying to remember all the details.

I have a difficult time centering in on what's important/relevant as I skim through the passage. If I try to understand everything that's going on, I get lost in detail and take lots of time trying to comprehend what each word and sentence means.

I tried spending 1 minute writing down keywords in the questions and then trying to map out the passage. But it seems to expend a lot of energy without much return.

Any strategies would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance and good luck to you all!

-Matt

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[DanniD]

Hi everyone,

I'm thick in the heart of MCAT studying, and I was wondering if anyone has effective strategies for tackling bio/phys sections of the test. For verbal and psych, it's a lot easier for me to see the main takeaways but for the sciences, I get lost in trying to remember all the details.

I have a difficult time centering in on what's important/relevant as I skim through the passage. If I try to understand everything that's going on, I get lost in detail and take lots of time trying to comprehend what each word and sentence means.

I tried spending 1 minute writing down keywords in the questions and then trying to map out the passage. But it seems to expend a lot of energy without much return.

Any strategies would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance and good luck to you all!

-Matt

"trying to remember all the details" is the worst thing you can do to yourself during MCAT, what I do is to get a general idea of the paragraph by asking myself "what's the purpose of this paragraph" for example if the paragraph gives out too much detail about a specific disease such as where it originated, how it infects and so on... I just say to myself that "this paragraph is talking about the nature of the disease" then move on. when u get to a question that asks you about causes of the disease then you know you can find the proper info in that paragraph.

 

[ElectricNoogie]

"trying to remember all the details" is the worst thing you can do to yourself during MCAT, what I do is to get a general idea of the paragraph by asking myself "what's the purpose of this paragraph" for example if the paragraph gives out too much detail about a specific disease such as where it originated, how it infects and so on... I just say to myself that "this paragraph is talking about the nature of the disease" then move on. when u get to a question that asks you about causes of the disease then you know you can find the proper info in that paragraph.

+1000

Your goal when reading a passage should not be to memorize the details. The passage is onscreen, and isn't going anywhere. When deciding what to highlight or write down in notes, focus instead on relationships, conclusions implied by data, comparisons/contrasts made, concepts related to the experiment/study/info discussed. These are what the majority of MCAT Qs will ask about, and will be the best way to raise your score. Keywords can help point out where this info is. When you see a figure, examine its axes, to see what potential relationships/trends it is presenting.

If a Q ends up asking for specifics, your highlighting/note taking can tell you quickly where to go to find them.

The AAMC loves to present students with complex phenomena or procedures. Remember, they cannot test you on what they haven't disclosed is on the exam (their 2015 outline). No matter how complex or confusing, the info MUST relate to something they have told you you should know. This will help you avoid panic/anxiety when you see unfamiliar figures/tables/apparatus. It may be unfamiliar, but the science is not.

Even in CARS, you do not need to understand every last word. Often the AAMC will put really abstract sentences in their just to confuse and distract you, much like they do with experimental details in the sciences. Focus again on the big picture: arguments, opinions, conclusions reached by the author.

Worry about details when you are studying content.

Good Luck!!

 

[basophilic]

+1000

Your goal when reading a passage should not be to memorize the details. The passage is onscreen, and isn't going anywhere. When deciding what to highlight or write down in notes, focus instead on relationships, conclusions implied by data, comparisons/contrasts made, concepts related to the experiment/study/info discussed. These are what the majority of MCAT Qs will ask about, and will be the best way to raise your score. Keywords can help point out where this info is. When you see a figure, examine its axes, to see what potential relationships/trends it is presenting.

If a Q ends up asking for specifics, your highlighting/note taking can tell you quickly where to go to find them.

The AAMC loves to present students with complex phenomena or procedures. Remember, they cannot test you on what they haven't disclosed is on the exam (their 2015 outline). No matter how complex or confusing, the info MUST relate to something they have told you you should know. This will help you avoid panic/anxiety when you see unfamiliar figures/tables/apparatus. It may be unfamiliar, but the science is not.

Even in CARS, you do not need to understand every last word. Often the AAMC will put really abstract sentences in their just to confuse and distract you, much like they do with experimental details in the sciences. Focus again on the big picture: arguments, opinions, conclusions reached by the author.

Worry about details when you are studying content.

Good Luck!!

What about visualizing really dense logical steps presented in a passage (e.g. convoluted biochem pathways)? Do you thing it's best to draw out symbolic logic diagrams for these?

Also how can I consistently try to visualize/simplify logical problems? Often there are questions that ask about inferring from passage information and answering comes down to figuring out logical flaws in the wrong answer choices and determining whether correct answer choice is correct within reason; the correct answer often tends to be worded in an unideal way, so under a time crunch it becomes easy to fall in the trap of eliminating that because it sounds wrong. So my point is how can I consistently visualize or simplify logic problems?

 

[ElectricNoogie]

you can use logical symbols if you want. A classic one used on the MCAT and LSAT is in the analysis of arguments.

There are the explicit parts of the argument (evidence, conclusion) and the implicit parts (inferences/assumptions).

A general formula for a "complete" argument could read: Evidence (why I think what I think) + Assumption (what must be true for my evidence to support my conclusion if it is not self-evident) = Conclusion (what I think/argue for/recommend) + Inference (what other consequences are true if I am right?)

Evid + Assump ---> Concl + Inf

For example, The BK in my hospital has the typical fast food sign NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO SERVICE.

If I were to tell you I had a whopper yesterday after a shift (conclusion) and you know the rules for BK and I show you my receipt (evidence), what inferences can you draw from my argument? What MUST be true if my argument is true?

Well you could infer some things about what I was wearing yesterday. A shirt? Sure. Shoes? Yup. Pants ? Maybe. Sunglasses ? Perhaps Socks? Who knows!

The only thing that must be true is that I got service (my whopper) which allows you to infer I had satisfied the rules of BK's dress code. The only things you know for sure are my shirt/shoe status. Anything else could be true, but doesn't HAVE to be for my argument to be true.

When you are analyzing tougher arguments on the MCAT, try this equation. Figure out what you've been told (Evid, Concl) and what blanks need/must be filled in for the argument to work. The AAMC often confuses you with answer that might be true, but do not have to be. We want the 1 thing that MUST be true for most of those skill 3 and skill 4 CARS questions.

This works in the sciences too. If they give you a figure/table/graph (evidence) what conclusions can you reach? What assumptions about the underlying mechanism/topic would explain the findings?

In the endocrine system or bioenergetics, draw out the portion of the pathway they are asking you about or the hormone flowchart that applies to the Q. Practice will make you better at this kind of AAMC-like thinking

Good luck!!