What are some things you highlight in verbal?

[csx]

just curious what everyone else does. Im not really sure what to highlight unless something really big jumps out at me (rare).

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[user12]

names, dates, and numbers. mostly names though.

 

[Jack Westin]

I agree- names and dates- are things I think can be highlighted but I don't necessarily recommend using the highlight tool all too often unless it helps you actively read. Actively reading is the key to doing well on verbal. Highlighting can help with this, however, it could also lead to distractions if you do not know how to do it properly.

Generally, I recommend reading the each paragraph and then at the end of each paragraph, mentally highlighting what the important themes were. It's tricky to do when you first start out but eventually it'll become a natural strategy you use. This type of mental highlighting can really help with the science sections as well. Practice is key to making this stick. You can use any type of reading material to practice this.

Jack

 

[makingthejump]

Nothing. Highlighting is a waste of time b/c its breaking your concentration AND inefficient b/c how do you know what you are highlighting is considered important? Its rather a guess and therefore not an efficient means of understanding the passage. Honestly, just read the passage and focus extremely hard for the entire passage, then answer the questions after reading them once and move on....I believe this is the most effective strategy.

 

[Gauss44]

Me: I highlight nothing. I find that highlighting is non-optimal for me. If something's important enough to highlight, I am capable of making mental note of it's location.

 

[stitchattack]

I only highlight important themes but I'm trying to avoid highlighting as much as possible..it actually takes up time and makes you lose focus.

 

[efle]

Also nothing highlighted for me. Trying to predict what will need to be referenced is a huge waste of time - it will take all of 3 seconds to track down something if you need to find a specific statement or number, but that is rare. Far better to read it uninterrupted start to finish, then read questions and look back as needed.

 

[tdod]

i never highlighted and i don't recommend it. most questions can be answered if you understand the passage. detail-oriented questions can usually be answered via process of elimination. occassionally questions require a specific detail. in these cases, i would find the detail if i knew approximately where/what it was. otherwise, i would mark the question and review it at the end of the exam.

 

[TheAnonymous]

i never highlighted and i don't recommend it. most questions can be answered if you understand the passage. detail-oriented questions can usually be answered via process of elimination. occassionally questions require a specific detail. in these cases, i would find the detail if i knew approximately where/what it was. otherwise, i would mark the question and review it at the end of the exam.

As someone who is struggling with VR, I'm wondering if what you said above (bolded) worked for you even when doing non AAMC materials, specifically EK101? I find it extremely difficult to use just the main idea to answer EK101 questions!

 

[stitchattack]

As someone who is struggling with VR, I'm wondering if what you said above (bolded) worked for you even when doing non AAMC materials, specifically EK101? I find it extremely difficult to use just the main idea to answer EK101 questions!

EK 101 answer choices are not as clearly written as AAMC ones..especially as you work your way towards the later tests. AAMC answer choices are not as confusing as EK's so if you have a good understanding of the passages, you can answer them without having to look back to the passage for details numerous times. No prep company's material will be as perfect so practice with AAMC to get use to their format but don't waste AAMC material unless you got your VR methods done and doing pretty decent on EK 101.

 

[ZMA]

Understanding the "main idea" is one of the tools you can use to answer questions, but it's not as simple as it seems. As I read through a passage, I'm constantly evaluating and reevaluating what the message is. The introductory paragraph gives a piece of it, and each additional paragraph adds to this message through examples, counterarguments, distracting information etc. This is difficult to describe but I'll give it a shot, hopefully this helps someone reframe their approach to verbal:

I find that it helps to construct a parallel narrative in my mind as I am reading through a passage. This is similar to the mental highlighting mentioned above, and is just a summary in your own mind. After reading a paragraph, I'll essentially talk to myself (not out loud), and explain:
1) what the author is saying
2) what is the author's tone
3) what the author actually means
4) how are previously used concepts and keywords applied
5) how new examples fit into the argument, and how well they support it

Here's an absurd example to illustrate what I mean by this parallel narrative that I would say to myself at the end of a passage before reading the questions:
"The author talks about bats' classical adaptations, with a skeptical tone, emphasizes the overlooked importance of body hair. The concept of metaconvergent evolution is introduced and mentioned in multiple contexts, with additional irrelevant examples of squirrels and mongeese providing tenuous support of its existence."

I find that if I am able to construct this, it means I have a good grasp of the passage, and answering questions is usually straightforward. However, if a passage is particularly obscure, fact-filled, or pretentious, I can't always get all of the information I need on the first run-through. This is basically the only time I would consider highlighting a concept: when you feel that a piece of information would be important for a question, but you can't quickly fit it into your parallel narrative, or otherwise store it in memory. 99% of the time though, verbal should be a completely mental exercise, no highlighting necessary.

 

[Jack Westin]

ZMA,

I like your thought process and the example you gave us but I think it's a little too complicated for the MCAT. This test is actually a lot easier than you think it is. You are so right about the author's tone and all the other things to look for but its just too much for someone to grasp quickly and efficiently. I instead think it's best to summarize the big ideas in your own words but in a way that fits the overall theme/ discussion.

If someone posts a paragraph they want to summarize "MCAT style" I'll show you how I do it.

Jack

 

[tdod]

As someone who is struggling with VR, I'm wondering if what you said above (bolded) worked for you even when doing non AAMC materials, specifically EK101? I find it extremely difficult to use just the main idea to answer EK101 questions!

ya i thought EK was a harder than the practice AAMC's... some of their answer choices are just too ****ing similar/vague. Also, some of the passages at the end are really wierd. However, on the real MCAT you will have to occassionally refer back to the passage, so it's actually a very good skill to have; knowing when and how to go back to the passage, and perhaps developing a strategy to review certain questions if you have extra time.

Also, the best practice passages (besides AAMC) are the 4 practice tests at the end of TPRH... and it's not even close.

 

[csx]

ya i thought EK was a harder than the practice AAMC's... some of their answer choices are just too ******* similar/vague. Also, some of the passages at the end are really wierd. However, on the real MCAT you will have to occassionally refer back to the passage, so it's actually a very good skill to have; knowing when and how to go back to the passage, and perhaps developing a strategy to review certain questions if you have extra time.

Also, the best practice passages (besides AAMC) are the 4 practice tests at the end of TPRH... and it's not even close.

I thought EK101 was very fair lol