CARS Strategy under 1.5x Extended Time Conditions

[sellsellsell1989]

Hello,

I have a well-documented learning disability and was recently approved for extended time on the MCAT, with 1.5x standard conditions.

Reiterating that the basis for my receiving this is well-founded, I would be interested in how any CARS high scorers or ostensible extended-time CARS high scorers would alter their related strategic approaches for the section under 1.5x extended time conditions (+45 minutes).

While I would not be able to carry such an approach exactly (unless, perhaps, the advice is coming from a fellow accommodations recipient) given I'm not exactly the fastest, I think it would nonetheless be beneficial, given so much of the CARS strategy discussion emphasizes the standard time conditions.

As a sweetener, I would be happy to provide details as to how I received accommodations for someone who has received them in the past and is wondering how to do so for the MCAT.

Thanks

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[pms_testosterone]

How do you figure the strategy will be changed? You'll still want to read each passage thoroughly and then answer the questions in the order posed. You'll just have more time to read, which will be good for comprehension.

 

[StevenBrata]

Hello,

I have a well-documented learning disability and was recently approved for extended time on the MCAT, with 1.5x standard conditions.

Reiterating that the basis for my receiving this is well-founded, I would be interested in how any CARS high scorers or ostensible extended-time CARS high scorers would alter their related strategic approaches for the section under 1.5x extended time conditions (+45 minutes).

While I would not be able to carry such an approach exactly (unless, perhaps, the advice is coming from a fellow accommodations recipient) given I'm not exactly the fastest, I think it would nonetheless be beneficial, given so much of the CARS strategy discussion emphasizes the standard time conditions.

As a sweetener, I would be happy to provide details as to how I received accommodations for someone who has received them in the past and is wondering how to do so for the MCAT.

Thanks

Would you mind messaging me what documentations you acquire to get a 1.5x? Apparently being ADHD and having eye defects doesn't qualify....

 

[TestingSolutions]

Hello,

I have a well-documented learning disability and was recently approved for extended time on the MCAT, with 1.5x standard conditions.

Reiterating that the basis for my receiving this is well-founded, I would be interested in how any CARS high scorers or ostensible extended-time CARS high scorers would alter their related strategic approaches for the section under 1.5x extended time conditions (+45 minutes).

While I would not be able to carry such an approach exactly (unless, perhaps, the advice is coming from a fellow accommodations recipient) given I'm not exactly the fastest, I think it would nonetheless be beneficial, given so much of the CARS strategy discussion emphasizes the standard time conditions.

As a sweetener, I would be happy to provide details as to how I received accommodations for someone who has received them in the past and is wondering how to do so for the MCAT.

Thanks

@sellsellsell1989 - This is a great question and something I'm planning on writing a post on this soon for my 30-day guide to CARS success here on SDN. My recommendation would be to spend the extra time on understanding the passage. You should still allow yourself only about a minute and two minutes max for each question. If you spend your extra 45 minutes on questions, I suspect you'll end up sinking a lot of it in the 3 or 4 hardest questions on the CARS section that you probably were going to have to guess on anyways. For the very hardest questions, your likelihood of getting them right after spending 3 minutes on them vs spending 8 minutes on them isn't going to change much. Doing this for 8 to 10 questions on the CARs section could completely eat up your 1.5x time accommodation without netting you more than 2 or 3 extra questions correct. We can optimize this and get you more points.

Instead, I'd recommend you use all your extra time reading the passage. Instead of reading it in less than 4, read the passages in 9 minutes. My recommendation would be to 1) read each paragraph, 2) pause at the end of each paragraph and in the author's own words highlight what you think the most important idea or claim in that paragraph is, and then 3) on your scratch paper, write down in a few words (not complete sentences) what you think the purpose or main idea of that paragraph is (note that some complicated or very long paragraphs my have more than one point). It's not possible to do this third step in the standard 90 minutes. There just isn't enough time. But with an extra 5 minutes added to each passage (and with most passages having between 4 and 7 paragraphs), this allows you to spend 45 seconds after each paragraph writing a brief summary.

If you do these 3 steps, I suspect you'll see your comprehension soar and it will ultimately make answering the questions much easier.

Best of luck on your MCAT and please let me know if you have any more questions!

Warmest,
Nick

 

[sellsellsell1989]

@TestingSolutions This is exactly the sort of response I was seeking with the post, thank you. Your advice is well-considered given that all questions stem from either comprehension or structural familiarity with the passage, it would seem to make the most sense to shore this up at the front end.

Thanks for taking the time to offer your detailed response. I actually use Testing Solutions currently and would recommend it.

 

[TestingSolutions]

@sellsellsell1989 - Thank you for your kind words. I hope we're able to help! Please let us know if there's anything else we can do! Best of luck with all your CARS studying!

 

[mphd]

Hello,

I have a well-documented learning disability and was recently approved for extended time on the MCAT, with 1.5x standard conditions.

Reiterating that the basis for my receiving this is well-founded, I would be interested in how any CARS high scorers or ostensible extended-time CARS high scorers would alter their related strategic approaches for the section under 1.5x extended time conditions (+45 minutes).

While I would not be able to carry such an approach exactly (unless, perhaps, the advice is coming from a fellow accommodations recipient) given I'm not exactly the fastest, I think it would nonetheless be beneficial, given so much of the CARS strategy discussion emphasizes the standard time conditions.

As a sweetener, I would be happy to provide details as to how I received accommodations for someone who has received them in the past and is wondering how to do so for the MCAT.

Thanks

Hi @sellsellsell1989, could you message me about your accommodations application process. I have a couple specific questions for you re:1.5x.