Any tips for humanities passages?

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UCSultanPepper

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Do any of you guys have any particularly effective methods of tackling these passages? I am consistently getting 100% on the natural sciences and 92% on the social sciences, but also mid 70's for the humanities. I have gotten 11's on the past 3 VR sections (AAMC 7,8,9) and really only need 2-3 more questions to start pushing that 12-13 range.

To those who were successful with these types of passages, what helped you the most?

Also, my test is in T-10 days, so advice like reading magazines is not really applicable to me.

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I am the exact opposite, the humanities I often get 100% while the others I don't do as well. I would say for humanities you have to especially capture the author's tone. Also, the "big picture" is more important for humanities topics. I find the sciences require more details, and maybe more reasoning and logic.
 
I have never understood scoring differences between VR passages. Verbal Reasoning doesn't require any outside knowledge of the subject area (social science, humanities, etc.). I think a lot of the reason people struggle is mental. I recommend not looking at a "humanities" passage any different than one about science. Read it like it is the most interesting thing in the world. Once your mindset changes, you may see improvements in scores.
 
I have never understood scoring differences between VR passages. Verbal Reasoning doesn't require any outside knowledge of the subject area (social science, humanities, etc.). I think a lot of the reason people struggle is mental. I recommend not looking at a "humanities" passage any different than one about science. Read it like it is the most interesting thing in the world. Once your mindset changes, you may see improvements in scores.
It's really simple. The natural science passages are usually pretty straight forward, and since most MCAT takers have a strong background in science the passages are even easier. Social science passages can get tricky sometimes, but more often than not they're about on the same level as the natural science passages. Humanities passages, however, typically involve egregious and excessive purple prose intertwined with cryptic verbiage and arbitrary neologisms, almost always contained with sentences that continue on for so long so as to disorient the reader with awkward and confusing punctuation (as well as unnecessary breaks in the flow and coherence of the sentence) and all of this is further exacerbated by being layered within equivalently lengthy paragraphs, all of which the writer utilizes merely as a manipulative implement for the sole (but keenly disguised) purpose of incurring upon the reader the impression that said lexical artisan is in possession of mental acumen greatly elevated from that of the academic proletariat. This tends to make them difficult.
 
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I like how your wording mirrored the contents of your post, lol.

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It's really simple. The natural science passages are usually pretty straight forward, and since most MCAT takers have a strong background in science the passages are even easier. Social science passages can get tricky sometimes, but more often than not they're about on the same level as the natural science passages. Humanities passages, however, typically involve egregious and excessive purple prose intertwined with cryptic verbiage and arbitrary neologisms, almost always contained with sentences that continue on for so long so as to disorient the reader with awkward and confusing punctuation (as well as unnecessary breaks in the flow and coherence of the sentence) and all of this is further exacerbated by being layered within equivalently lengthy paragraphs, all of which the writer utilizes merely as a manipulative implement for the sole (but keenly disguised) purpose of incurring upon the reader the impression that said lexical artisan is in possession of mental acumen greatly elevated from that of the academic proletariat. This tends to make them difficult.

Haha, thanks for writing that.
 
It's really simple. The natural science passages are usually pretty straight forward, and since most MCAT takers have a strong background in science the passages are even easier. Social science passages can get tricky sometimes, but more often than not they're about on the same level as the natural science passages. Humanities passages, however, typically involve egregious and excessive purple prose intertwined with cryptic verbiage and arbitrary neologisms, almost always contained with sentences that continue on for so long so as to disorient the reader with awkward and confusing punctuation (as well as unnecessary breaks in the flow and coherence of the sentence) and all of this is further exacerbated by being layered within equivalently lengthy paragraphs, all of which the writer utilizes merely as a manipulative implement for the sole (but keenly disguised) purpose of incurring upon the reader the impression that said lexical artisan is in possession of mental acumen greatly elevated from that of the academic proletariat. This tends to make them difficult.

Yeah, I think it's that much more than psyching myself out. I don't even think about which type of passage it might be while I am doing them, I just look at the score report after. Although, I am generally pretty stoked to get a natural sciences passage, that's like a break from the real VR to me.

By the way, beautiful comment. Hahahaha
 
I feel your pain. Despite doing TPRH verbal, EK 101, AAMC self assessment verbal, 3 FL's, and the fact I have a B.A. degree, I can't get over 11 on the verbal section. With 90% of errors being made in the humanities passages I feel resigned to my fate.
 
I finally broke into the 12 range on AAMC 10 today. Somehow, I got a 100% of humanities. Maybe it was luck, or maybe doing these verbal passages every day is finally starting to pay off. 37/40 is a 12, really tough curve. :eek:
 
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