Didn't really use a strategy per se but I did have a set way of approaching each and every question. That's the real benefit of utilizing a strategy, you have a consistent approach so you never get fooled by misreading a question or allow previous questions to affect your performance.
The general approach I suggest to all standardized test takers I work with (SAT/MCAT) is as follows:
1) Read prompt
2) Parse all relevant information as you go (keep notes, you don't ever want to read a question twice.. especially if its a long one)
3) Identify EXACT question.. i.e. what are the answers? (depending on ability, I usually tell people to either circle or otherwise note it down)
4) For Sciences/Math, look immediately at the answers for clues on the format required and strategies you can use
5) For Verbal, don't look at the answers
6) Come up with your own answer w/o allowing the answer choices to speak for you
7) Find the choice that fits your prediction
Steps 3-6 are the important ones IMO. It's REALLY important to come up with your own answers rather than letting the answer choices speak for you (especially in Verbal). It's also a really big help to use the answers.. which sounds contradictory but you are using the answers to provide you information rather than looking at the answers for one that feels right. Answering the wrong question is a really common test taking mistake, even if you don't think you suffer from it.. you probably do. I read the question with the goal in mind to figure out the few word phrase that would literally summarize what I'm being asked.
As for scoring a 29 after averaging higher, did you feel the test you got was filled with weak topics? If yes, its not a test taking problem.. its that you didn't do well enough of a job in covering your weaknesses and unluckily got exposed on test day. Make sure to really identify and eliminate weaknesses next time. If not, then its a test taking issue. Either way, practice passages practice passages practice passages. Identify weaknesses. Eliminate them. Care about strengths later.
I have never ever pre-read the questions, and that was something that I actually thought about trying out last night. So, I'm exceedingly happy that you can vouch for its efficacy.
I think the MCAT came down to a culmination of things:
1) Test was delayed by 2 hours (servers were cut off) which killed my arriving-to-the-test-center-and-taking-the-test-with-resolve
2) My highlighter tool wasn't working
3) For the first 2-3 passages of PS, I was in my own head. I think that set the tone for the remainder of the test.
4) Took verbal for granted, I was averaging a 12 and never studied for it. Subconsciously felt like I could lean on that as a given. Big mistake, in hindsight.
5) Some weaknesses... though not many.
#1-3 were circumstantial but, now that I have a test under my belt (and will go into a fresh new test day) I don't think they will repeat themselves. #4-5 have been accounted for as I take the next 85 days to hone in my skills. That's why I was looking for a strategy--something I didn't think of last time, but that may prove invaluable for an (relatively) unpredictable exam day.
I just spent a couple of days identifying what I did wrong during my last pass at studying (which was a solid amount), then incorporated all of that into my new schedule:
1) Finish bio; finish orgo (this sounds like an obvious, but I ran out of time (owing to 40+ hours at work every week) and wasn't able to practice a small chunk of the content I had learned. My mantra last time was practice, practice, practice--something I intend to do again (one of the things I did right)--but I still had more to do.
2) Review the answer I got RIGHT. I did about 3,000 passage-based questions last time, but I ONLY reviewed all of the things I got wrong. Which I now realize was a mistake. I should be using that practice time to solidify why I got things right, not just log why I got it wrong.
3) PRACTICE VERBAL! This one bit me in the tail. I was averaging a 12, and I went into the test thinking that was a given. When PS shattered my confidence, I had no strategy to fall back on for verbal. I took it for granted. And that was stupid.
4) Try out a couple of answering strategies. I literally just read and answer. Apart from process-of-elimination, I have no strategy at all. So, I might try a couple out and see if it helps.... if nothing else, it gives me a reliable constant to fall back on if I start to feel lost.
All in all, there are things that I can definitely work on. Big things.
