Any tips for improving on reading for MCAT and in general when just reading?

[Monkeys4Lyfe]

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Like the title says, I am wondering if anyone has any tips on reading. It is something I struggled with for the old mcat and now I unfortunately have to take this new mcat. Reading is my biggest obstacle and something i struggled with since high school. I read slow with poor comprehension much of the time, so pretty much in other words, i suck at reading in all aspects imaginable . This brings me to a few questions:

1) Are there any specific mcat books for improving reading/verbal/CARS? I used EK 101 for the old mcat to not much avail. Which is allegedly the best as of now or most preferred (i know there is no 'best'?)

2) How can I improve reading for the mcat without using mcat books specifically? I am also currently in a few summer classes that are somewhat reading intensive in economics. Any tips for this? I need to aim for reading fast and improving comprehension so pretty much enhancing all skills needed for it. I read earlier today that reading science articles for all the subjects would be a good idea. Needless to say though, reading anything could help but one must be timely. I don't have a great deal of time if I want to apply this year (still debating).

3) Is it worth the time to take notes or highlight or whatever else you could do?

Thanks in advance. I am open to all suggestions!

 

[Monkeys4Lyfe]

Just to clarify, I am looking for any way that will most drastically improve my reading skills. It could be use specific mcat books or be reading something completely unrelated like Jane Eyre (which someone has recommended before). Just please be specific if possible. Thanks!!

 

[youmed]

I honestly think that only way to improve is to read a lot. I realize that you would like to know a specific strategy but I don't think there is one.

 

[GCSDOC]

Like the title says, I am wondering if anyone has any tips on reading. It is something I struggled with for the old mcat and now I unfortunately have to take this new mcat. Reading is my biggest obstacle and something i struggled with since high school. I read slow with poor comprehension much of the time, so pretty much in other words, i suck at reading in all aspects imaginable . This brings me to a few questions:

1) Are there any specific mcat books for improving reading/verbal/CARS? I used EK 101 for the old mcat to not much avail. Which is allegedly the best as of now or most preferred (i know there is no 'best'?)

2) How can I improve reading for the mcat without using mcat books specifically? I am also currently in a few summer classes that are somewhat reading intensive in economics. Any tips for this? I need to aim for reading fast and improving comprehension so pretty much enhancing all skills needed for it. I read earlier today that reading science articles for all the subjects would be a good idea. Needless to say though, reading anything could help but one must be timely. I don't have a great deal of time if I want to apply this year (still debating).

3) Is it worth the time to take notes or highlight or whatever else you could do?

Thanks in advance. I am open to all suggestions!

I am learning that its literally all about practice. I have been able to see significant improvement in my CARS scores by reading six passages/day with 8mins per passage. I have been working on this skill since last Fall, but really started hard on it two months ago and have seen some major improvements. If your goal is to improve CARS on the MCAT, then just stick to a strict schedule of daily practice passages and you will see improvements. Good luck!

 

[drechie]

in all seriousness ---- how do you not run out of practice verbal passages with that strategy of doing 6/day

 

[Monkeys4Lyfe]

I am learning that its literally all about practice. I have been able to see significant improvement in my CARS scores by reading six passages/day with 8mins per passage. I have been working on this skill since last Fall, but really started hard on it two months ago and have seen some major improvements. If your goal is to improve CARS on the MCAT, then just stick to a strict schedule of daily practice passages and you will see improvements. Good luck!

So you are recommending an mcat specific book? (which book do you recommend?). Any tips you would use from what you learned and applying it to reading in general? Like i said above, I have summer classes I will have to read for so how can i improve here?

Should I skim as fast as possible or really read it, etc? thanks!

 

[GCSDOC]

So you are recommending an mcat specific book? (which book do you recommend?). Any tips you would use from what you learned and applying it to reading in general? Like i said above, I have summer classes I will have to read for so how can i improve here?

Should I skim as fast as possible or really read it, etc? thanks!

I am using EK 101, TPRH Verbal, Old AAMC VR Section Tests, and Old AAMC VR Self-Assessments. What has worked for me is after each paragraph, write down a very concise fragment about what the paragraph was about, paying special attention to the "tone" of the passage throughout. These two things have helped considerably and I have found that my reading comprehension is significantly improved when I keep the author's tone in mind when reading throughout.

 

[Cawolf]

A subscription to the The New Yorker may be a good investment.

You can find some really good deals if you get one of the papers that falls out of the magazine.

It will give you good practice material to focus on reading critically and avoiding exhaustion. Of course, reading skills are often difficult to develop in a short time frame. I personally found success in the verbal section, but I attribute it mostly to a voracious consumption of books since I was 6.

 

[Monkeys4Lyfe]

A subscription to the The New Yorker may be a good investment.

You can find some really good deals if you get one of the papers that falls out of the magazine.

It will give you good practice material to focus on reading critically and avoiding exhaustion. Of course, reading skills are often difficult to develop in a short time frame. I personally found success in the verbal section, but I attribute it mostly to a voracious consumption of books since I was 6.

Do you think reading other things like scientific articles and publications would be worth it? Any reading would definitely help but i don't want to waste too much time. Thanks!

 

[Cawolf]

Do you think reading other things like scientific articles and publications would be worth it? Any reading would definitely help but i don't want to waste too much time. Thanks!

I took the MCAT in January, so I may not have a great understanding of the content of the current exam.

I think that CARS will not include any science passages and focus more on art, philosophy, sociology, etc. For this reason I don't see any value in reading scientific journals. If you are looking to improve your general reading comprehension, then editorials and the like will be the best thing. They are lengthy and maybe not that interesting - the most challenging type of reading.

I proposed general reading with the assumption you are far away from your MCAT test date. If you are looking to "cram" for a test that is soon, then I am not sure.

 

[Monkeys4Lyfe]

I took the MCAT in January, so I may not have a great understanding of the content of the current exam.

I think that CARS will not include any science passages and focus more on art, philosophy, sociology, etc. For this reason I don't see any value in reading scientific journals. If you are looking to improve your general reading comprehension, then editorials and the like will be the best thing. They are lengthy and maybe not that interesting - the most challenging type of reading.

I proposed general reading with the assumption you are far away from your MCAT test date. If you are looking to "cram" for a test that is soon, then I am not sure.

I would be retaking after having done the old mcat. But I would restart content review for the new mcat. If I am applying this cycle, it would be in about 2.5 month from today...

 

[Cawolf]

With a test date 2.5 months from today you need a more focused strategy than reading for general comprehension.

If you were planning to perform at a high level, I would suggest starting an intensive study plan at least two weeks ago.

 

[Monkeys4Lyfe]

With a test date 2.5 months from today you need a more focused strategy than reading for general comprehension.

If you were planning to perform at a high level, I would suggest starting an intensive study plan at least two weeks ago.

Ya I should have started before my semester ended. Well, I guess I will stick to the mcat specific books and maybe use old TBR passages for practice. I will also have to read for my 2-3 summer classes.

 

[Cawolf]

Best of luck.

 

[mdorbust2018]

read faster, try to approximate the speed at which you read anything else

 

[Monkeys4Lyfe]

read faster, try to approximate the speed at which you read anything else

haha, how the heck do i read faster? is it something you just force yourself to do? Like literally force your eyes to scan words quicker and with time, you can just improve how well you acknowledge those words?

 

[mdorbust2018]

Yeah you just read faster. Don't take notes, don't try to go slow so you understand, just bomb through it. Try picking up a newspaper now and without thinking about your speed just read an article then summarize it out loud.

What I found when I was taking the test and tutoring it is that a lot of people try to slow down in an attempt to understand better. I think that leads to a lot of confusion. You have a reading speed that you have learned from a lifetime of reading. The best way I have found to approximate that is to actively try to read fast.

 

[justadream]

My advice is off-topic but also on-topic.

Simply devote minimal time in preparing for this section. If your goal is to maximize your overall score, study for the other sections instead. I put about 10-15% of my time studying for VR and I thought even that was pretty much a complete waste of time.

 

[Altius Premier Tutor]

I recommend that you perform consistent drills focused on both reading speed, and on comprehension speed. One can read fast and not comprehend. One can also increase the rate at which one picks up on the information read. I have students do one set of drills where they read as slow and as comfortably as they wish, focusing only on comprehension, but still tracking the time spent per passage. Do 4 to 5 VR passages in a row, focused on shaving just a few seconds off your time, then break. The next day, do a different drill in which you give yourself the amount of time you would have on the MCAT (9 minutes for passage w/ 5 questions; 10 minutes for passage w/6 questions; 11 minutes for passage with 7 questions). This time you must attempt to finish the entire passage within the time limit. When finished, write down everything you can remember (without going back) about the main idea, any author arguments or opinions, the gist of any examples or authorities cited, etc. Repeat this for 4-6 passages focusing on remembering a little more each time. Alternate drills for 2-3 months and you will see a huge improvement---ONLY if you are consistent though. The first drill is ever-so-gradually increasing your speed while trying not to lose the level of comprehension you had when reading as long as you felt like, the second drill is ever-so-gradually increased the amount of information you comprehend within the specified time limit. Give it a try and let me know how it goes for you.

 

[mdorbust2018]

Based upon my personal experience, and the students I have taught for the last couple of years I don't think you can read so fast as to not comprehend enough of the material to get all the questions right. I suggest practicing doing a whole EK verbal section in a lot less time than you would have on the test. Give yourself 48 or 50 minutes. Don't write any notes, just try to figure out the main idea of the passage and get a sense of why the author wrote it. The on;y time you use your pencil is to cross out answer choices and circle the right ones.

The first time I tried this I got a 10, which was pretty much in line with what I was averaging. The next time a 12. When I went back to full time I let my pace slow a little, but mostly used the time at the end to review marked questions. This is the strategy I used to get a 14 on test day, and it has served my students who have taken the test pretty well. I think the pressure of the clock is a huge distraction, so you should learn to be comfortably ahead of it.

Obviously there are no guarantees, and no matter what you do you will have to practice a lot, but theres little downside in giving it a shot.