1 year till MCAT!!! :)

[basketball]

hey guys, i will be taking the MCAT and I have some questions about what to do now.

What would you have done differently 1 yr before you took the MCAT?

I was never a fan of reading, but Im starting to realize that reading is the key to success on the MCAT, so I've been reading the economist, etc. lately. Do you think it is possible to be a fast reader + have better comprehension (11+ in VR) in just 1 year, 4 months of intense reading? Also, do you recommend going over the big thick kaplan book for other subjects? (I havent finished orgo/A+P yet though)

THANKS! i appreciate it!

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[BeardedRunner]

I personally will take EK's stance on reading a lot and say that it isn't true. I really don't think it will help - at all.

If were to start a year in advance I would dive right in and do practice verbal passages. You have to start noticing trends in the questions - like finding the main idea of the passage or understanding what the author would think about some other topic. Reading the economist won't help you.

I actually started reading it and although I learned a lot about the current oil conflict and Obama's universal healthcare plan, I don't feel that it helped with my verbal passages.

The verbal passages on the MCAT are specifically written poorly using confusing language in order to trip up the test taker. The economist uses elevated vocabulary but it doesn't use run-on sentences.

Think about it.

 

[bodonid]

The Economist is the most boring crap ever. Why does everyone say to read that? The point is just to read more. Read novels! Read science articles. If you are anything like me, reading the Economist would last maybe three weeks.

 

[tncekm]

I personally will take EK's stance on reading a lot and say that it isn't true. I really don't think it will help - at all.

Worked well for me.

I suggest reading, and reading lots. You'll read faster, retain more, and that's what's important.

I feel like I've become a much better reading and have a much higher comprehension in just a matter of a couple months--now, if I had been an avid reader throughout my life, this may not have been the case. But, the OP indicates he/she may be like me, and if that's the case I'd suggest reading.

The Economist is the most boring crap ever. Why does everyone say to read that? The point is just to read more. Read novels! Read science articles. If you are anything like me, reading the Economist would last maybe three weeks.

I agree. Its horribly boring. The New Yorker, Harpers, etc, those are at relatively high levels of reading and can have interesting things to read.