Are you using EK Verbal tests? Post your scores here!

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firebird69guy

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For those of you who are practicing with EK Verbal "101 passages in MCAT Verbal Reasoning," I'm curious as to how you're doing on the 11 practice tests. Verbal is my toughest section, by far, and is the reason I am re-taking the MCAT after getting a 7 on last April's MCAT. So far, I have taken tests 1, 2 and 3, each after completing a physical sciences section to help simulate the real thing, and my results are as follows:

Test 1: 8
Test 2: 8
Test 3: 9
Test 4: 9
Test 5: 9
Test 6: 9
Test 7: 9
Test 8: 8
Test 9: 9 OK, is this a waste of time or what?
Test 10:9
Test 11:9

Never broke the 10 mark.. came close a couple times.. but alas, I must try to do it on the actual test.

Good luck everyone!!! I'll post my actual score when it comes out for you future MCATers..
 
Kap diag:9
3R:10
EX 101 Yest 1: 9

-I have no problem finishing the passages, but get 3-4 "what was the main point/author feels" questions wrong!!

-Any advice on these specific questions??

Thanx
 
Test 1: 9
Test 2: 9
Test 3: 8
Test 4: 8

At first I was worried about these scores, but I hope to get a 10 on the verbal as well because its my weakest section. I am doing better but I do need to watch my time because I sometimes dwell on things I don't understand instead of moving on...however i think i'm improving. I think that this post is a good idea because i DEFINITELY need the motivation for the verbal section woohoo! good luck!
 
Glad I searched for this thread!

EK Verbal 30 minute exam scores: 10 10 7

EK 101 scores, Test 1: 10

Did anyone else find the reasoning questionable for the first test? I know they try really hard to make the answer choices as vague as possible, but for a couple of the question, I really thought that one of two answers was perfectly plausible, despite their explanation.
 
junebuguf said:
I know they try really hard to make the answer choices as vague as possible, but for a couple of the question, I really thought that one of two answers was perfectly plausible, despite their explanation.


Well said... the guy who wrote the book has a brother that claims he scored a perfect on the real MCAT and only missed one on EK exam 1 (and thus claimed a remarkable similarity between the two). After reading the answers, I too tend to disagree with some of them (which makes me even less confident sometimes..)

I'll be really happy when I get a 10 or 11 on one of these .. maybe next week? SEE POSTED SCORE
 
Well, I took the MCAT last April, but I will post my trend in the EK 101 book for encouragement: 7, 7, 8, 9, 8, 10, 9, 10, 10 (I didn't do the remaining two passage sets). Got a 10 on the real deal. Good luck to you all!
 
EK 30min exams: 8 7 6
EK Verbal 1: 7


To be updated

is anyone retaking the verbals a day later without looking at answers like they suggest? I did that with the EK verbal full lenght 1 and got a 12 but that is very time consuming and I'm unsure of how beneficial it is.
 
Verbal is a challenge. I swear some of the answers I get HAVE to be right (but alas are WRONG).

EK 30 min #1 - 10
EK 30 min #2 - 9
EK 30 min #3 - 11

EK 101 #1 - 8

Guess I have to practice not getting tired reading. I didn't start missing alot until the last 3 sections.

My goal is 12 so I'll just keep chugging away 🙂

Keep posting your scores as you do them!

Roselee
 
Examkrackers 101 Verbal Pssgs.

Test 1: 11
Test 2: 11

So in general, have people found that these scores are predictive of the real thing? Got an 8 last time on the real one 2 years ago and Im looking for 10+ this time...

So far seems very close to real thing in terms of content and question wording...
 
I am a little skeptical of all your inflated scores. A 10 in EK verbal is probably going to be around a 13-15 on the real test. I have completed many of their tests and I attest they are clearly more challenging than a real test would be. But, if you guys are telling the truth and you are really scoring that high (even on the killer ones like #2) then you are a lot smarter than I.
 
I got anywhere from 8-10 on all those EK 101 tests (mostly 9s) and ended up with an 11 on the real thing. The general consensus around here is if you take the average of your EK tests, you will likely score +1 or +2 on the real thing.
 
blz said:
I got anywhere from 8-10 on all those EK 101 tests (mostly 9s) and ended up with an 11 on the real thing. The general consensus around here is if you take the average of your EK tests, you will likely score +1 or +2 on the real thing.


Good to know! Since I'm getting mostly 9s!!!!


Will try my hardest to get a 10 or better next time..... I'm missing stupid questions.
 
marglinw said:
I am a little skeptical of all your inflated scores. A 10 in EK verbal is probably going to be around a 13-15 on the real test. I have completed many of their tests and I attest they are clearly more challenging than a real test would be. But, if you guys are telling the truth and you are really scoring that high (even on the killer ones like #2) then you are a lot smarter than I.

Nahh homie, not at all. A 13-15 on the real thing is a 98 percentile or better. I highly doubt that only 2% of all testakers can get a 10 or better on the EK verbals.
 
I was getting 11-12s on EK 101 Verbal and ended up with a 12 on the real thing. They correlated pretty well for me.
 
AAMC 3R
EK 30min exams: 8 7 6
EK Verbal 1: 7
EK Verbal 2: 9
EK Verbal 3:10

To be updated

did anyone think EK 101 #3 had a lot of easy pasages?
 
Well, that is just the thing!! I honestly believe that 2% of the nation can score a 10 on EK verbal (excluding tests 10 and 11 because I have not taken them yet). Look at EK test 2. The exam has 5 passages with more than 80 lines, not to mention real thick questions stems and lengthy answers. Do you realize how hard that is too finish by speed reading alone? Of the 5-6 people that I am practicing with, we are getting killed by EK verbal, but WE DID NOT GET KILLED BY AAMC 5R. The EK verbal is an outstanding resource that will really improve your score fast. However, I forever remain skeptical of those people that say they are scoring 9/10/11 on EK test 2, for instance. But, if you want to believe the scoring is accurate for these tests you will be extremely excited when you take 5R or 6R before the real test.

Revolution #9 said:
Nahh homie, not at all. A 13-15 on the real thing is a 98 percentile or better. I highly doubt that only 2% of all testakers can get a 10 or better on the EK verbals.
 
Thats good to hear... but I am finishing every test just on time. The key is timing yourself... I took the MCAT last april using TPR method and skipped a whole passage!! They said that this was fine.. thats BS!! Now I have to retake because I ended up with a 7 on verbal...

I am just several questions away from getting 10s... When I go back through the test, my 2nd choice answers are always correct. Therefore I am getting tricked into certain answers.. Also: TPR verbal seems more detailed, and harder to finish.

Can't wait to take 6R if it is what you say it is..

PS: What did you get on 6R?
 
A few questions away from a 10? If that means you are scoring consistent 9's then you are probably around high 10 low 11/12. To score a ten on an EK verbal test is a remarkable accomplishment. I find it extremely difficult to believe someone earning 10/11 on EK material not scoring 13-15 on the real thing!! EK has longer passages, more convoluted questions, and a much tougher scoring scale. Some passages have question stems that are 5-6 lines long. Just keep pushing hard any you will be teaching MCAT verbal soon.

firebird69guy said:
Thats good to hear... but I am finishing every test just on time. The key is timing yourself... I took the MCAT last april using TPR method and skipped a whole passage!! They said that this was fine.. thats BS!! Now I have to retake because I ended up with a 7 on verbal...

I am just several questions away from getting 10s... When I go back through the test, my 2nd choice answers are always correct. Therefore I am getting tricked into certain answers.. Also: TPR verbal seems more detailed, and harder to finish.

Can't wait to take 6R if it is what you say it is..

PS: What did you get on 6R?
 
marglinw said:
A few questions away from a 10? If that means you are scoring consistent 9's then you are probably around high 10 low 11/12. To score a ten on an EK verbal test is a remarkable accomplishment. I find it extremely difficult to believe someone earning 10/11 on EK material not scoring 13-15 on the real thing!! EK has longer passages, more convoluted questions, and a much tougher scoring scale. Some passages have question stems that are 5-6 lines long. Just keep pushing hard any you will be teaching MCAT verbal soon.

marglinw,
look, i'm not exactly the most avid reader around here, and i've been getting consistent 9's on the EK tests. Uusally high 9's, and just missing a ten by one or two. It's not that difficult to get a 9 on EK, but a ten is a little harder. However, i'm pretty sure a 10 on EK is not as difficult as obtaining a 13-15 on the real MCAT.
 
So far on EK verbal, I have scored:

Lecture 1: 8
Lecture 2: 10

EK 101 #1: 9

When I took the full-length 101 test, I had over 10 minutes left to spare. Has anyone else had this problem?
 
shellyr33 said:
So far on EK verbal, I have scored:

Lecture 1: 8
Lecture 2: 10

EK 101 #1: 9

When I took the full-length 101 test, I had over 10 minutes left to spare. Has anyone else had this problem?

that's considered a problem? 😀
 
I am referring to the Examkrackers 101 verbal passages. Is your book the most updated version? If you have the same book as me and you are scoring 9/10 then you definitely need not worry about verbal. The examkrackers 101 series exams would be what the MCAT resembled if it was given upon entrance into hell!! You may be referring to the lecture exams, or even the full length tests EK sells. I am talking about the yellow book that has 11 verbal full length exams. Good luck.

dave613 said:
marglinw,
look, i'm not exactly the most avid reader around here, and i've been getting consistent 9's on the EK tests. Uusally high 9's, and just missing a ten by one or two. It's not that difficult to get a 9 on EK, but a ten is a little harder. However, i'm pretty sure a 10 on EK is not as difficult as obtaining a 13-15 on the real MCAT.
 
marglinw said:
I am referring to the Examkrackers 101 verbal passages. Is your book the most updated version? If you have the same book as me and you are scoring 9/10 then you definitely need not worry about verbal. The examkrackers 101 series exams would be what the MCAT resembled if it was given upon entrance into hell!! You may be referring to the lecture exams, or even the full length tests EK sells. I am talking about the yellow book that has 11 verbal full length exams. Good luck.

I was getting 10-12's on the EK 101 verbals and ended up getting a 10 on the August 2004 verbal. FYI, when I was taking the actual test, I breezed through the entire section and had about 5 minutes to spare. I actually thought that I had aced it, but only got a 10. Point is, it all depends on the curve, as everyone with my form obvious thought it was just as easy as I did.
 
Allright, I give up. Perhaps you people are just really bright. I can't help to feel the EK exams are harder than TPR and AAMC tests. Perhaps it is my verbal strategy that does not configure well with the EK tests. My experience with their product is I am beginning to do very well on verbal yet I can not seem to duplicate my success on EK verbal. Nevertheless, the weight of not doing well on verbal has finally started to be lifted. I am happy. I do not need to do well on EK verbal tests. I need to do well on the real test. So, that said, I hope you geniuses do not get my same test. Stop studying and let me catch up.

futuredoc10 said:
I was getting 10-12's on the EK 101 verbals and ended up getting a 10 on the August 2004 verbal. FYI, when I was taking the actual test, I breezed through the entire section and had about 5 minutes to spare. I actually thought that I had aced it, but only got a 10. Point is, it all depends on the curve, as everyone with my form obvious thought it was just as easy as I did.
 
kaplan diag: 8
aamc 5: 11
kaplan 1st FL: 8

i know this is the wrong thread.

I really want to improve my score to an 11 on test day.
 
I took the MCAT using this book last year. I think it's the greatest single book ever for those who suck at verbal.

I got a 7 April 03, 8-10s on EK 101, and a 12 on the real deal April 04. I ONLY used this book to prep.
 
That is the testimonial I receive from my friends that took the MCAT August 2004. They told me that if you are scoring an 8 on EK verbal then you will be fine for the real test. Congratulations by such a drastic improvement!!

shock827 said:
I took the MCAT using this book last year. I think it's the greatest single book ever for those who suck at verbal.

I got a 7 April 03, 8-10s on EK 101, and a 12 on the real deal April 04. I ONLY used this book to prep.
 
EK Verbal 101

PT1&2: lost my score sheets, but I think it was 7 and 9 or something like that.

PT3: 10
PT4: 9
PT5: 9
PT6: 8
PT7: 10
PT8: 10
PT9: 9

This test is goofy. It feels so arbitrary.
 
AAMC 3R: 9
Online TPR: 56%
EK 30min exams: 8 7 6
EK Verbal 1: 7
EK Verbal 2: 9
EK Verbal 3:10
EK Verbal 4:10

To be updated

I only find myself getting confused on 1-3 questions these last couple of verbal exams. When I first started doing Verbal, I really got stuck on trying to figure out what the question was.

Also doing well on not going back to the passage too often.

Verbal test 3 seemed to have easy passages
Verbal test 4 had a couple of passages I did not feel comfortable with.
 
UPDATING this post semi-regularly as I take more verbal exams.
Have to retake MCAT after a 29 with a 6 verbal was not enough.

EK1 - 6
EK2 - 6
EK3 - 9 (apparently everyone does much better on this EK test)
EK4 - 8
EK5 - 9
EK6 - 6 !! looks like I am screwed, as there are only 3 weeks left before the test
 
FIRST FULL LENGTH!!!

Used EK verbal test 7 along with Kaplan FL 9 (for PS and Bio sections)..


Results: 12PS, 9V, 9B

Really disappointed about the 9V, I felt that I nailed the section.
I was thoroughly worn out during bio, so I gotta build that stamina up.
 
AAMC 3R: 9
Online TPR: 56%
EK 30min exams: 8 7 6
EK Verbal 1: 7
EK Verbal 2: 9
EK Verbal 3:10
EK Verbal 4:10
EK Verbal 5:9

To be updated

I only find myself getting confused on 1-3 questions these last couple of verbal exams. When I first started doing Verbal, I really got stuck on trying to figure out what the question was.

Also doing well on not going back to the passage too often.

Verbal test 3 seemed to have easy passages
Verbal test 4 had a couple of passages I did not feel comfortable with.
Verbal test 5 seemed to have a few questions that had 2 equally good answers,a few questions I had to reread and still did not understand, couple of hard passages. Starting to see familiar topics covered in previous passages which is comforting and distracting at the same time.
 
I just took the EK 101 Test 10 tonight. Scored a high 9. I thought it would be my first 11, but these things seem so messed up.

I have NOT been using the EK verbal method, and now I'm wondering if it's too late to go back to it. I'm basically reading the 1st and last paragraphs for the main idea. Then, I haul through the bulk of the passage and go straight to the questions.

Contrary to what EK advises, my method of quickly skimming the bulk allows me time to go back to the passage and spend some time. I'm not having timing issues, but I'm also not setting the world on fire. It's just that this method gives me a better feeling of confidence, versus the EK method. I also have scored consistent with it. But, I haven't scored higher than a 10 either, and I'm not really improving from 9's and 10's.
 
cfdavid said:
I just took the EK 101 Test 10 tonight. Scored a high 9. I thought it would be my first 11, but these things seem so messed up.

I have NOT been using the EK verbal method, and now I'm wondering if it's too late to go back to it. I'm basically reading the 1st and last paragraphs for the main idea. Then, I haul through the bulk of the passage and go straight to the questions.

Contrary to what EK advises, my method of quickly skimming the bulk allows me time to go back to the passage and spend some time. I'm not having timing issues, but I'm also not setting the world on fire. It's just that this method gives me a better feeling of confidence, versus the EK method. I also have scored consistent with it. But, I haven't scored higher than a 10 either, and I'm not really improving from 9's and 10's.

I just finished EK10 last week during spring break. I also scored a 9. I was hoping for my first 10. I have been scoring 9 for about past 4 tests and haven't improved since.

It seems like most of the people posting here have been performing much better than me. However, the fact that not many people are scoring above 11 probably indicates that EK passages are a little tougher..... ? At least I would like to believe so. The problem is that I'm not scoring too hot on the AAMC ones either. I got a 9 on the 5R, and this makes me worried.

Were you able to perform better than EK on AAMC tests or other practice material?

BTW, I'm using EK method but not scoring any better than you, so I guess you should stick to the method you feel comfortable with 😳

Good luck :luck:
 
Verbal scores
Kaplan Full length 1: 12
AAMC 3R: 8
EK101 test 1: 9

I have no clue what's going on here... My goal is get to a 12 come April... Also, there are a couple of questions that I still strongly dispute in EK101 after reading the solutions... another discrepancy is that when I go back and fix the questions I got wrong, on Kaplan and 3R, I was able to increase my score to a 14 and a 12, respectively... with EK101 I got it up to "only" 11.
 
1: 9
2: 9
3: 10
4: 8
5: 7

i'm starting from square 1 again w/verbal. i noticed that after test 3 i started becoming way too aware of the time. i would check the clock 2-3 times per passage b/c i didn't want to spend more than 9 minutes per passage...big mistake! today i did one of the 30 minute exams and went back to a 9 w/5 minutes left over. i realized that going back to the passages too much seems to make me very jittery and more likely to over-analyze the questions.

:luck: to everyone!
 
Thought i may as well put my two cents in.

i've been teaching MCAT science and VR for the past two years, and although i do not work for EK, I think the 101 passages is the best verbal book out there. i used it myself (scored 8-9 on all), and got a 12 on the real thing. I used only their stratigies, with one modification. You should keep track of time by doing 3 passages/~24-30 min. This is the best way for most people. You lose focus if you look at your watch during/after each passage. Anyhow, good luck.
 
AAMC 3R: 9
Online TPR: 56%
EK 30min exams: 8 7 6
EK Verbal 1: 7
EK Verbal 2: 9
EK Verbal 3:10
EK Verbal 4:10
EK Verbal 5:9
EK Verbal 6:8

To be updated

I only find myself getting confused on 1-3 questions these last couple of verbal exams. When I first started doing Verbal, I really got stuck on trying to figure out what the question was.

Also doing well on not going back to the passage too often.

-Verbal test 3 seemed to have easy passages
-Verbal test 4 had a couple of passages I did not feel comfortable with.
-Verbal test 5 seemed to have a few questions that had 2 equally good answers,a few questions I had to reread and still did not understand, couple of hard passages. Starting to see familiar topics covered in previous passages which is comforting and distracting at the same time.
-Verbal test 6: going into the exam i was not feeling confident.difficult passages.Very poor time management. I check the time when I finish passage 5 and hope to have 40minutes. I had about 30 minutes.

I'm doing a full length exam every week starting tomorrow. I have already done 2 of them. I start with EK full length 1G and then AAMC 4-7. Doing one EK verbal full length and also one full length MCAT once per week I hope by the end of the month I am in the 9/10 area.

Going to check the time every 3 passages now as suggested above. :luck:
 
mag5h said:
Thought i may as well put my two cents in.

i've been teaching MCAT science and VR for the past two years, and although i do not work for EK, I think the 101 passages is the best verbal book out there. i used it myself (scored 8-9 on all), and got a 12 on the real thing. I used only their stratigies, with one modification. You should keep track of time by doing 3 passages/~24-30 min. This is the best way for most people. You lose focus if you look at your watch during/after each passage. Anyhow, good luck.

I have a question: I have the EK 101 Passages book, but it's just passages. Could you list the strategies are you referring to? Is there another EK Verbal Book?

Also, how do said strategies compare to PR strategies?

Thanks 👍
 
AAMC 3r: 10
EK full length 1: 10
EK full length 2: 9
EK full length 3: 9
101 test 1: 9
101 test 2: 9

At least I am consistent. I hope that by the end of the book to see a more upward trend 🙂

I have tried the strategy of not going back to the passages. But lately I have been searching back more and more.

I anyone getting though the questions with out looking back to the passages like the EK VR strategy book says??
 
On two exams I scored 10's when I was not going back too often. then I fell into my bad habits again and scored an 8 wasting way too much time prospecting for answers.

optimistique said:
I anyone getting though the questions with out looking back to the passages like the EK VR strategy book says??
 
Jamaican MD said:
I have a question: I have the EK 101 Passages book, but it's just passages. Could you list the strategies are you referring to? Is there another EK Verbal Book?

Also, how do said strategies compare to PR strategies?

Thanks 👍

Yes, there is a verbal reasonging book by EK that is just strategy. It also includes MCAT math. I bought it as a part of their study guide but you can get it separately, for example here http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=LF8lO86BiO&isbn=1893858359&itm=2
 
Kaplan Diagnostic: 10
AAMC VI: 8
AAMC III: 9
EK 1: 9
EK 2: 10
EK 3: 12

I hate verbal, but the practice is helping- I'm seeing improvement
 
It seems that the majority of people feel that the EK tests are more difficult than the real MCAT. I tend to think that their passages are on the short size (in terms of lines) and that they are pretty readable (nothing abstract and hard to comprehend). Questions are challenging as far as logic go, but in terms of question stems' length and vocabular of answer choices, I feel that it is easy reading as well. In terms of readability (ease of reading passages, vocabulary used, length of passages and questions), do you guys thinks that it is representative of the MCAT? I took the MCAT last august and if memory serves me correctly (perhaps it is bused) i felt that almost all the passages were 2 full columns (some more than that). Am I completely off base?
 
EK1: 9
EK2: 9
EK3: 11
EK4: 9
EK5: 11
EK6: 11
EK7: 11
EK8: 11

Not a single 12 😡
great thread, keep on posting.
 
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