Breaking 127 CARS "hump"

[laxgirl06]

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Hey all, I'm trying to get over the 127 CARS "hump." I finished TPRHyperlearning in Julyish, then went back to it again a few months ago. Scores improved from 5/9 to 7/9 across most passages. Have taken Kaplan's half-length, received a 127 CARS, on Altius half-length, I received a 74% (not sure the scale, probably a 127). Recently began NS 108 Verbal Passages, the first time I got 69% correct, the second time, I only got 60%. The first time, I read them and then answered, but skimmed the last 2 passages for fear of running out of time. The second time, I barely read the passages, but skimmed and tried to look for the answers to the questions. I'm definitely going back to my original approach. What do you think is a good way to get over the 127 hump? Test date is 4/20.

 

[JustinM88]

Have to tried any CARS passages made by the actual writers of the MCAT?

 

[laxgirl06]

Have to tried any CARS passages made by the actual writers of the MCAT?

Not yet. I didn't purchase the AAMC Bundle yet. I thought I should save it for when I actually finish "studying"

 

[EPØCH]

How do you approach the passages and questions? I want to try and better understand how you tackle these passages so I can see if there is any advice I can give.

 

[laxgirl06]

How do you approach the passages and questions? I want to try and better understand how you tackle these passages so I can see if there is any advice I can give.

I usually just try to read actively and then answer the questions. I don't take any notes or highlight. Another thing I forgot to mention was that I did a blind review of the 16 NS questions I missed, and I was able to get 11/16 correct without looking up the answers. It was weird because the correct answers seemed to jump out at me this time... IDK why I wasn't able to get them correct the first time.

 

[EPØCH]

I usually just try to read actively and then answer the questions. I don't take any notes or highlight. Another thing I forgot to mention was that I did a blind review of the 16 NS questions I missed, and I was able to get 11/16 correct without looking up the answers. It was weird because the correct answers seemed to jump out at me this time... IDK why I wasn't able to get them correct the first time.

That is definitely interesting, it could be possible that as you are reading the passage you aren't processing the information actively and it is therefore only once you go back that the information has really sunken in and makes it seem like the answers pop out more frequently?

 

[tammyp]

Reading actively doesn't always translate to understanding the point of a passage. You should be able to know where the author stands on a topic after the first paragraph. After that, take note of statements and examples that support his point and also opposing arguments. The link helped me know what to look for when reading to minimize having to go back into the passage when answering the question. This waste more time than just reading slower. Time yourself for every single practice passage you do. Check out the link for a useful 30 day CARS plan.

Dropbox - Table of Contents - Links to Daily Posts.pdf

 

[laxgirl06]

That is definitely interesting, it could be possible that as you are reading the passage you aren't processing the information actively and it is therefore only once you go back that the information has really sunken in and makes it seem like the answers pop out more frequently?

Yeah I think that's what is happening.

 

[laxgirl06]

Reading actively doesn't always translate to understanding the point of a passage. You should be able to know where the author stands on a topic after the first paragraph. After that, take note of statements and examples that support his point and also opposing arguments. The link helped me know what to look for when reading to minimize having to go back into the passage when answering the question. This waste more time than just reading slower. Time yourself for every single practice passage you do. Check out the link for a useful 30 day CARS plan.

Dropbox - Table of Contents - Links to Daily Posts.pdf

Thank you for the advice! I'm going to do the 30 days CARS plan. I started it before but never finished it. I actually read about someone's cars strategy where they spent 1 minute reading + internalizing the first paragraph, then in subsequent passages, connected each passage to the first paragraph's main idea, and also connected each paragraph to each other. Is that what you're saying worked for you?

 

[tammyp]

Basically yes, I didn't necessarily time myself on how long I would spend on each paragraph but I would reread the first paragraph if I didn't have a clear idea of what the main idea was before going on the next paragraph. But yes, I think connecting each passage to the main idea is key. CARS passages aren't always the most interesting but once I started approaching them this way and kind of reading to find "evidence", it became a lot easier and CARS became my favorite section. I like to think that CARS passages are like listening to your future patients. They may talk a lot and seem like they're going off topic but if you listen (read) attentively and with purpose, you find really valuable pieces of information that can help you diagnose your patient.

Also, you can almost always narrow the answer choice to 2 pretty quickly. And be wary of very specific answer choices. They distract you by using specific words or examples from the passage so it seems the most correct but more often than not, the correct answer is more broad and can be applied to each paragraph. The more you practice, the easier it gets. I did at least 2 new TPR or EK passages a day. Don't redo passages cuz you subconsciously remember more than you think and you're cheating yourself. But definitely keep reviewing your answers and why you got it wrong.

 

[laxgirl06]

Basically yes, I didn't necessarily time myself on how long I would spend on each paragraph but I would reread the first paragraph if I didn't have a clear idea of what the main idea was before going on the next paragraph. But yes, I think connecting each passage to the main idea is key. CARS passages aren't always the most interesting but once I started approaching them this way and kind of reading to find "evidence", it became a lot easier and CARS became my favorite section. I like to think that CARS passages are like listening to your future patients. They may talk a lot and seem like they're going off topic but if you listen (read) attentively and with purpose, you find really valuable pieces of information that can help you diagnose your patient.

Also, you can almost always narrow the answer choice to 2 pretty quickly. And be wary of very specific answer choices. They distract you by using specific words or examples from the passage so it seems the most correct but more often than not, the correct answer is more broad and can be applied to each paragraph. The more you practice, the easier it gets. I did at least 2 new TPR or EK passages a day. Don't redo passages cuz you subconsciously remember more than you think and you're cheating yourself. But definitely keep reviewing your answers and why you got it wrong.

Do you think doing 2-3 passages per day is more efficient than doing 1 timed NS section every 2 days? Yeah, those specific choices with quotes from the passage are tempting!!

 

[tammyp]

Do you think doing 2-3 passages per day is more efficient than doing 1 timed NS section every 2 days? Yeah, those specific choices with quotes from the passage are tempting!!

I'm not sure, I studied for the MCAT while being in a master's program (which was not a good idea) so I was pressed for time. It was easier for me to fit in 2 couples passage during study breaks than a whole section. And I liked being able to grade myself after each passage so that I could try not to make the same mistakes on the next passage instead of making the same errors on 10 passages in a row. But you get a better sense of your timing when you do a full length. I would say maybe do both? If you have enough passages do a whole section every few days and on your off days just do a couple passages.

 

[NextStepTutor_1]

Hi all --

Lots of good advice in this thread, but thought I'd chime in w/ a few thoughts.

@laxgirl06, all things being equal, doing a whole section at a time is probably better practice because it comes closer to simulating what you'll actually have to do on Test Day, but doing 2-3 passages at a time (or even a single passage) is certainly much better than nothing! A rhythm where you do regular practice FL exams, including a full CARS section, and then do a few passages at a time on the side in between exams can often work well.

@tammyp, that's a great point about being careful about very specifically worded answer choices. Sometimes I like to think of those incorrect answer choices as "keyword matching," and there definitely is a very specific kind of wrong answer choice that takes phrases from the passage but is illogical or doesn't answer the actual question. A particularly common way this happens is when a question asks for a general assessment of the main point of the passage, and one of the answer choices instead focuses on a non-essential subpoint.

Also, I really like @tammyp's comparison to taking a history and diagnosing a patient. Even the most dry-sounding passages will have some implicit opinions or contrasts, and it's really important to get a sense of where the author is coming from. I've seen a lot of different suggestions for how to put that into practice, so keep trying to find ways to "connect" with the author (positively or negatively) to make it less about the information and more about the viewpoint.

Hope this is helpful & best of luck to all!

 

[laxgirl06]

UPDATE: Thank you all for the advice! I have combined your advice along with TPR'S MAPS CARS strategy and have seen a dramatic increase in my focus, concentration, retention, and accuracy.
I write on my page:
Main Idea
Attitude/Purpose(and make sure to use a verb to describe the author's purpose-got this from Cambridge Coaching's MCAT blog)
Support
Then I read the first paragraph, find + record main idea, then read the passage for attitude,purpose, and list the support by paragraph (P1, P2, P3), updating main idea if my initial one was wrong. I've been doing 2 passages a day, and will do an entire section shortly. I rarely go back to the passage + have found that my gut answer is almost always correct. Incorrect answers are because it was out of scope, or I misread the question stem. Thank you again![/QUOTE]

 

[tammyp]

UPDATE: Thank you all for the advice! I have combined your advice along with TPR'S MAPS CARS strategy and have seen a dramatic increase in my focus, concentration, retention, and accuracy.
I write on my page:
Main Idea
Attitude/Purpose(and make sure to use a verb to describe the author's purpose-got this from Cambridge Coaching's MCAT blog)
Support
Then I read the first paragraph, find + record main idea, then read the passage for attitude,purpose, and list the support by paragraph (P1, P2, P3), updating main idea if my initial one was wrong. I've been doing 2 passages a day, and will do an entire section shortly. I rarely go back to the passage + have found that my gut answer is almost always correct. Incorrect answers are because it was out of scope, or I misread the question stem. Thank you again!

Thats awesome! I'm glad you're seeing improvements!

 

[needtoretake123]

UPDATE: Thank you all for the advice! I have combined your advice along with TPR'S MAPS CARS strategy and have seen a dramatic increase in my focus, concentration, retention, and accuracy.
I write on my page:
Main Idea
Attitude/Purpose(and make sure to use a verb to describe the author's purpose-got this from Cambridge Coaching's MCAT blog)
Support
Then I read the first paragraph, find + record main idea, then read the passage for attitude,purpose, and list the support by paragraph (P1, P2, P3), updating main idea if my initial one was wrong. I've been doing 2 passages a day, and will do an entire section shortly. I rarely go back to the passage + have found that my gut answer is almost always correct. Incorrect answers are because it was out of scope, or I misread the question stem. Thank you again!

[/QUOTE]

How long do you think everything takes? Like reading the passage + outline, how many minutes per question? I'm kind of a slow reader, take roughly 5 minutes to read the passage and I would like to try this out but I feel as if I will take like 6-7 minutes while doing this and scarifice time for questions.

 

[tammyp]

@needtoretake123 I know that this is a method that TPR strongly recommends but if you are already having issues with timing don't plan on using it because yes, writing does waste time. You could start by writing it out to guide your reading more but the goal should be to do this in your head while you're reading and use minimal highlighting instead. Same to @laxgirl06. Even for a "slower reader" you should aim to finish reading and answering questions with about 2 minutes left to spare.

 

[laxgirl06]

How long do you think everything takes? Like reading the passage + outline, how many minutes per question? I'm kind of a slow reader, take roughly 5 minutes to read the passage and I would like to try this out but I feel as if I will take like 6-7 minutes while doing this and scarifice time for questions.[/QUOTE]
It takes about 4 minutes? I almost always have 3-4 for questions. Idk, my timing for CARS is 5 questions-8 min, 6 questions 8.5 min, and 7 questions-9 minutes and I'm always finished on time. Sometimes I have 2 minutes leftover, sometimes 30 seconds. I did tprh Practice Test 1 and had 6 minutes leftover. Before, I finished CARS sections with 20 minutes leftover, but I think I'm a pretty fast reader. Another update it that I attended the Jack Westin CARS trial today + he recommends writing 1-4 words per paragraph, really big picture focused. I recently also found a "Geocities MCAT" PDF which emphasizes asking what the most important thing the author says to determine main idea. I tried it with a JW CARS passage+ got a 5/6. I take brief notes on the most important thing mentioned in each paragraph + see the recurring big picture theme, that becomes the main idea. The issue with what I was doing before is that not every main idea is in the first paragraph. Also, for some questions, especially JW ones, don't be afraid to rely on POE. That's my personal experience with his passages.