Doing poorly on verbal...how to improve?

[FauxBlue]

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So I've been doing TPR Hyperlearning Verbal and I've been scoring around 3/6 or 4/7 (usually 3 incorrect) and maybe sporadically having one perfect passage.

Is there any way I can improve the consistency of my scores on verbal reasoning?

(I've been doing 3-4 passages a day and I think I'm actually getting worse. I switch between EK 101 and TPRH verbal)

 

[Altius Premier Tutor]

Mastering the CAR section is a bit beyond a forum-sized paragraph...but here are a few places to start:

1. For a while, practice reading text only. Spend some time reading AAMC-like text and focusing solely on understanding the text. Find some challenging text similar to what is seen on the AAMC materials pre-released for MCAT-2015 and read at a 3-4 minutes/600-650 word pace while noticing and remembering key rhetorical components such as: main idea, author's opinions, tone of the passage, how the author did or did not support arguments, the gist of major points, etc. In the end, answering the questions depends on a holistic literary sense for the writing. In my experience, student's ability to understand, remember and "pick up on the subtle tone and nuance" of a passage in under 4 minutes is severely limited. The level of reading skill you need for a top score might be in your wheelhouse given 10-15 minutes to read/analyze, but you need to specifically work on approaching a similar level of analysis in 3-4 minutes. To me, this is the key. Most students simply do not pick up on major passage tone, assertions and nuances to the level needed in the time alloted--and no wonder they then miss questions. These skills are things one CAN improve upon, and one can improve speed of acquisition of that analysis with repetitive practice.

2. Practice re-wording every question stem in your own simplified words before reviewing the questions.

3. Practice simplifying every answer choice dramatically. For example: A) "The advent of adoption agencies made adopting a child more difficult" and B) "Government programs and agencies improved the rate of successful adoption placement" become...A) adoption agencies/programs = negative and B) adoption agencies/programs = positive

As you practice getting the passage clearly and confidently mastered in the available time (3-4 min) and also perfect the ability to boil down stems and answer choices to their tone/gist, you will begin seeing how much things are a "matching game." The tone of the author will MATCH the tone/gist of the correct answer choice (unless there is a negative qualifier in the stem), the tone/gist of the stem will match the correct answer, the correct answer will logically address the stem (many choices are true, or straight from the passage, but don't logically answer or relate to the stem), and so forth. For example, in the adoption example above, most AAMC passages include opinion or persuasion. If you accurately figure out if the author is leaning toward agencies being good, or toward agencies being a bad thing that MUST match the answer you choose. The issue becomes that this conclusions may not be overt from the passage, or the TONE of the answer choices which suggests positivity or negativity toward adoption agencies could be quite subtle.

Master the above and you will improve significantly. That isn't all, you'll need to improve in other forms of reasoning too--such as deciding which of a given set of answer choices is most analogous to something in the passage, or which of four statements most weakens/supports an argument...but those can be fine-tuned later.

I'm not familiar with the materials you are using, but check them against the AAMC1 practice exam CAR section. Most CAR stuff I've seen doesn't always allow for using the simple methods described above because the questions aren't written exactly like the AAMC question are. For AAMC materials, however, a TRUE mastery of just the simple things I've mentioned will work with amazing reliability and take you a long ways. Good luck!

 

[Alkaidius]

Out of interest, how do you read your passages? From my experience, just changing a few things can have a pretty radical increase.

 

[FauxBlue]

Out of interest, how do you read your passages? From my experience, just changing a few things can have a pretty radical increase.

To be honest, when I read my passages, I simply read through them once. I find myself having to refer back to the text a lot because I can't seem to remember the fine details. I'm having trouble remembering key names and such. I try to finish the passages in 7 minutes, but I have a hard time doing that already which is why I do not consider writing down the main idea of each paragraph (which I wish I did).

What do you think of this? Any feedback is appreciated!

 

[FauxBlue]

Mastering the CAR section is a bit beyond a forum-sized paragraph...but here are a few places to start:

1. For a while, practice reading text only. Spend some time reading AAMC-like text and focusing solely on understanding the text. Find some challenging text similar to what is seen on the AAMC materials pre-released for MCAT-2015 and read at a 3-4 minutes/600-650 word pace while noticing and remembering key rhetorical components such as: main idea, author's opinions, tone of the passage, how the author did or did not support arguments, the gist of major points, etc. In the end, answering the questions depends on a holistic literary sense for the writing. In my experience, student's ability to understand, remember and "pick up on the subtle tone and nuance" of a passage in under 4 minutes is severely limited. The level of reading skill you need for a top score might be in your wheelhouse given 10-15 minutes to read/analyze, but you need to specifically work on approaching a similar level of analysis in 3-4 minutes. To me, this is the key. Most students simply do not pick up on major passage tone, assertions and nuances to the level needed in the time alloted--and no wonder they then miss questions. These skills are things one CAN improve upon, and one can improve speed of acquisition of that analysis with repetitive practice.

2. Practice re-wording every question stem in your own simplified words before reviewing the questions.

3. Practice simplifying every answer choice dramatically. For example: A) "The advent of adoption agencies made adopting a child more difficult" and B) "Government programs and agencies improved the rate of successful adoption placement" become...A) adoption agencies/programs = negative and B) adoption agencies/programs = positive

As you practice getting the passage clearly and confidently mastered in the available time (3-4 min) and also perfect the ability to boil down stems and answer choices to their tone/gist, you will begin seeing how much things are a "matching game." The tone of the author will MATCH the tone/gist of the correct answer choice (unless there is a negative qualifier in the stem), the tone/gist of the stem will match the correct answer, the correct answer will logically address the stem (many choices are true, or straight from the passage, but don't logically answer or relate to the stem), and so forth. For example, in the adoption example above, most AAMC passages include opinion or persuasion. If you accurately figure out if the author is leaning toward agencies being good, or toward agencies being a bad thing that MUST match the answer you choose. The issue becomes that this conclusions may not be overt from the passage, or the TONE of the answer choices which suggests positivity or negativity toward adoption agencies could be quite subtle.

Master the above and you will improve significantly. That isn't all, you'll need to improve in other forms of reasoning too--such as deciding which of a given set of answer choices is most analogous to something in the passage, or which of four statements most weakens/supports an argument...but those can be fine-tuned later.

I'm not familiar with the materials you are using, but check them against the AAMC1 practice exam CAR section. Most CAR stuff I've seen doesn't always allow for using the simple methods described above because the questions aren't written exactly like the AAMC question are. For AAMC materials, however, a TRUE mastery of just the simple things I've mentioned will work with amazing reliability and take you a long ways. Good luck!

Thank you for all the great tips! Do you think that there is usually enough time to be writing down key points and such or paraphrasing in my own words? I've been trying to do the verbal passages (range from 6-7 questions) in 7 minutes. Should I allot myself 10 minutes such as in the new MCAT 2015 (even though the material I am using is for the old MCAT)?

 

[MrRed]

So I'll preface this by saying that I haven't actually received a score on the real MCAT yet (took in in April but only because it was half price, just for practice and voided it).
However, I've been getting 512-515 on all of the TPR and Kaplan exams (lowest is 512) I've taken in the past 2 weeks (4 of them), which I'm assuming puts me in a decent place.

I've been studying for 5 weeks so far, and when I first started I was getting only about 50-60% right on CARS if that; my average was 55% right per section (took a few of the old AAMC practices).

So now my CARS average for the actual full length practice exams is consistently 80-90%; hoping to bring it up to 95%+ consistently before September rolls around; but here's what I did.

1. If you're like me, you're very used to reading things passively. You read it but it just goes in and out. I think this is a by product of the schooling system where memorizing plays a huge part in getting the A. So, what I started to do is fall in love with what I'm reading, in a way. I read it out-loud, very quietly, and in a funny voice in my head that entertains me. I look at it like a game now. Every time I see a passage I smile and just make it fun!

I'm like you in that I don't highlight and just read the passage once over, occasionally going back for a quick skim of the paragraphs the questions reference me to.
Think about it like this, when you read an article/book that you LOVE, do you remember everything in it? Of course you do!
For me, now its bodybuilding/powerlifting. I've been powerlifting for years now and I still love it. Every time I read an article having to do with some new training style I might be researching, or about testosterone, igf-1, all these various molecules that play a role in the body, maintenance of body fat, muscle growth pathways, nervous system -- literally anything that relates to training, I can tell you word-for-word what that article said immediately after reading it. Why? Because I was PASSIONATE about what I was reading. I was truly interested.

You CAN learn to treat the MCAT CARS section this way. I know because I did it in only 5 weeks.
So tip 1; learn to treat the MCAT CARS like that amazing book you've been wanting to read or an article about something that absolutely infatuates you.

2. The ability to consistently apply this mindset to MCAT CARS passages comes with practice. So does getting better at answering the questions themselves, and reading quickly. When I started studying 5 weeks ago I had done zero practice passages. Now I've done a total of 4 Full-lengths, a few old AAMC exams, and all the EK questions in their new book set, and you can bet it is just SO much easier to answer MCAT style questions; it's literally becoming second nature.
MASS PRACTICE is the second key. There are plenty of ways to do it for free/very cheap, so money should not be a limiting factor here.
CARS is a skill that can be developed just like anything else -- and don't let anyone tell you differently, because they are lying. In fact, getting an amazing score on the MCAT is something that can be learned 100% in my opinion.

3. It is my opinion that it is a waste of time and resources to write things down on CARS. Most questions I've seen can be answered without having to memorize tiny details; and if you truly can slip into the mindset of reading the passages passionately and with a genuine interest, you'll probably remember the little things anyways.

So that's my advice hope it helps a bit and possibly motivates you 🙂

 

[mcatjelly]

To be honest, when I read my passages, I simply read through them once. I find myself having to refer back to the text a lot because I can't seem to remember the fine details. I'm having trouble remembering key names and such. I try to finish the passages in 7 minutes, but I have a hard time doing that already which is why I do not consider writing down the main idea of each paragraph (which I wish I did).

What do you think of this? Any feedback is appreciated!

Rather than writing things down, I recommend creating a mental list of key words and phrases that you'll highlight when you encounter them, mostly for ease of returning to the paragraph later on. For instance, I highlighted transition words, assertions made by the author, counterpoints, key names of people, and anything in quotes--the MCAT loves to have you interpret what the author meant by those words in quotes. I found that this also helped me stay more focused while reading.

 

[Alkaidius]

To be honest, when I read my passages, I simply read through them once. I find myself having to refer back to the text a lot because I can't seem to remember the fine details. I'm having trouble remembering key names and such. I try to finish the passages in 7 minutes, but I have a hard time doing that already which is why I do not consider writing down the main idea of each paragraph (which I wish I did).

What do you think of this? Any feedback is appreciated!

I love some of the suggestions so far and I will attest that, absolutely, CARS can be learned. I had over a 50 percentile difference between my two CARS attempts. That said, I personally think you've fallen into a trap and are doing things very backwards. There's no point in doing something in 7 minutes if you can't already do it more slowly. On my first MCAT attempt, I followed suggestions like that as gospel. I MUST read it in 3 minutes. I used the EK method of just giving it a thorough once over. When I broke down after getting my first score back I decided to do something insane, though: I started reading the passages in 4 minutes. OhmyGod, higher practice score!

This got me thinking whether I wasn't utilizing the correct method for me. I've always found myself zoning in and out of the passage when it didn't interest me (despite my best efforts). I realized that I started thinking things like "augh, I'm only 3 paragraphs into this thing". So I broke my reading down into smaller goals. I would read a paragraph and then stop to think about what the paragraph was about (whether it had a thesis, why it was there, the author's tone in that specific paragraph, etc). When I did that I stopped zoning out and wasting time. It helped me accomplish two things: 1) read the entire thing actively, 2) synthesize a location map (I could, at the very least, remember where details were if I needed to refer back to it).

This is just my opinion, and should definitely be treated no more important than anyone else's so far, but verbal reasoning is a dumb section that "clicks" when you've got a working method. A method that you read worked for a ton of people, won't necessarily work for you. I chose to read the passages paragraph by paragraph which, on a handful of them, wound up taking me as much as 5 minutes and am over the moon about my current MCAT. Ask anyone on these boards what they think about reading passages in 4+ minutes and they will collectively agree you're crazy...but what can I say other than it worked for me! So I suggest you not give two flying flips about the 7 minute thing right now and see if there's anything you can polish or change up first.

 

[basophilic]

So I'll preface this by saying that I haven't actually received a score on the real MCAT yet (took in in April but only because it was half price, just for practice and voided it).
However, I've been getting 512-515 on all of the TPR and Kaplan exams (lowest is 512) I've taken in the past 2 weeks (4 of them), which I'm assuming puts me in a decent place.

I've been studying for 5 weeks so far, and when I first started I was getting only about 50-60% right on CARS if that; my average was 55% right per section (took a few of the old AAMC practices).

So now my CARS average for the actual full length practice exams is consistently 80-90%; hoping to bring it up to 95%+ consistently before September rolls around; but here's what I did.

1. If you're like me, you're very used to reading things passively. You read it but it just goes in and out. I think this is a by product of the schooling system where memorizing plays a huge part in getting the A. So, what I started to do is fall in love with what I'm reading, in a way. I read it out-loud, very quietly, and in a funny voice in my head that entertains me. I look at it like a game now. Every time I see a passage I smile and just make it fun!

I'm like you in that I don't highlight and just read the passage once over, occasionally going back for a quick skim of the paragraphs the questions reference me to.
Think about it like this, when you read an article/book that you LOVE, do you remember everything in it? Of course you do!
For me, now its bodybuilding/powerlifting. I've been powerlifting for years now and I still love it. Every time I read an article having to do with some new training style I might be researching, or about testosterone, igf-1, all these various molecules that play a role in the body, maintenance of body fat, muscle growth pathways, nervous system -- literally anything that relates to training, I can tell you word-for-word what that article said immediately after reading it. Why? Because I was PASSIONATE about what I was reading. I was truly interested.

You CAN learn to treat the MCAT CARS section this way. I know because I did it in only 5 weeks.
So tip 1; learn to treat the MCAT CARS like that amazing book you've been wanting to read or an article about something that absolutely infatuates you.

2. The ability to consistently apply this mindset to MCAT CARS passages comes with practice. So does getting better at answering the questions themselves, and reading quickly. When I started studying 5 weeks ago I had done zero practice passages. Now I've done a total of 4 Full-lengths, a few old AAMC exams, and all the EK questions in their new book set, and you can bet it is just SO much easier to answer MCAT style questions; it's literally becoming second nature.
MASS PRACTICE is the second key. There are plenty of ways to do it for free/very cheap, so money should not be a limiting factor here.
CARS is a skill that can be developed just like anything else -- and don't let anyone tell you differently, because they are lying. In fact, getting an amazing score on the MCAT is something that can be learned 100% in my opinion.

3. It is my opinion that it is a waste of time and resources to write things down on CARS. Most questions I've seen can be answered without having to memorize tiny details; and if you truly can slip into the mindset of reading the passages passionately and with a genuine interest, you'll probably remember the little things anyways.

So that's my advice hope it helps a bit and possibly motivates you 🙂

I've heard before about making verbal passages fun to read. Do you mind elaborating a bit on your thought process in making ANY passage interesting?

 

[nomdeplume1234]

So I've been doing TPR Hyperlearning Verbal and I've been scoring around 3/6 or 4/7 (usually 3 incorrect) and maybe sporadically having one perfect passage.

Is there any way I can improve the consistency of my scores on verbal reasoning?

(I've been doing 3-4 passages a day and I think I'm actually getting worse. I switch between EK 101 and TPRH verbal)

What do you score on the passages if you don't time yourself?

 

[MrRed]

I've heard before about making verbal passages fun to read. Do you mind elaborating a bit on your thought process in making ANY passage interesting?

Sure thing -- although I must admit it is still a work in progress for myself (still 59 days till MCAT) and Im refining the process -- but will be testing tomorrow morning on another TPR full length; aiming for 95% right!!

So I'll start off by saying that stress management during the passages for CARS (and every section for that matter) is absolutely crucial for myself. If I get stressed my score drops significantly. Meditation and exercise have been key in really giving me the calm mindset I believe in necessary to approach an MCAT section and get at least 90% right. Although I've only used TPR and kaplan thus far, but I've heard they are significantly harder than the real thing (and when I took the test in April it felt much easier I only voided because I had yet to learn any psych/soc at the time at all).

So barring any stress, which is the first thing to take care of during a passage, I will read the passage quietly, to myself, and talk to myself a lot.
My method is to really mess around -- I'll say to myself things like: "Well what the hell does the author even mean by this?" or "Why in God's name would anyone spend the time to write such a boring foolish paragraph.". I say things like this in my head in a joking manner while I read the passage and I actually find myself laughing (in my head, I smirk a lot though). Paradoxically, I've found it makes me focus. And this is on the REALLY boring paragraphs about some obscure neo-conservative view point on who knows what. I don't do this every passage, but usually if my mental fatigue starts kicking in or I realize I start glazing then I will actively try do it.

Then, as I read, because all of a sudden I'm actually in a great mood and making almost a game out of the whole thing, I actually find it very easy to read what the author is saying and pick it apart. I remember the whole passage after the first read through because I was actually enjoying the time I spent reading; actively questioning and trying to figure out what the author was saying but with my own satirical spin on it that makes it truly like a little game. I laugh at the author, in a way (if I find the piece especially drab) and it kind of helps me see his/her viewpoint. I'll be like "Damn, why you so mad about this bro?". And when I say these little things to myself I notice that my brain is actually just instantly wiring the authors opinion/disposition to me without having to do any work in actively picking it up. The little, satirical, criticism/comments/questions I spontaneously form seem to always somehow pick up exactly what the author is trying to say/express; ironically.

Sometimes I will talk at myself and say something like, "You idiot, how didn't you see that point of view; obviously the Byzantines didn't like Queen Laura she was a fool duh". You have to understand though; none of these self-talks are actually negative -- they are all just said to myself very sarcastically and, well, in a really fun way.


I'm sorry did that make any sense? I tried to explain it the best I could, but it is kind of... obscure. Again none of that works without having the ability to actively and effectively manipulate your thought patterns during the exam without any stress (again where the meditation comes in big time for me). But ya, I just say things that like to myself, it makes me smile and enjoy the time I'm reading, and makes it a lot easier to listen in to what the author is actually saying even if I don't care one bit.

This method has been getting me 14's recently on the old AAMC practice tests (well only today and yesterday), but I have yet to score 95% or better on a TPR or Kaplan verbal; however tomorrow might be the day. If not I'll try again on Thursday 🙂

 

[jbuc1081]

So I've been doing TPR Hyperlearning Verbal and I've been scoring around 3/6 or 4/7 (usually 3 incorrect) and maybe sporadically having one perfect passage.

Is there any way I can improve the consistency of my scores on verbal reasoning?

(I've been doing 3-4 passages a day and I think I'm actually getting worse. I switch between EK 101 and TPRH verbal)

I was having problems with the verbal and improved it from a 3 to a 9 in a month by reading the New York Times and doing about 100 practice sections from some random website. It's pretty easy if you separate reading for pleasure from reading for content.

 

[Sarahka74]

I was having problems with the verbal and improved it from a 3 to a 9 in a month by reading the New York Times and doing about 100 practice sections from some random website. It's pretty easy if you separate reading for pleasure from reading for content.

What website was it?

 

[jbuc1081]

What website was it?

It took me awhile to find it, but here's the link:

http://www.inquarta.com/30-mcat-passages/

I ended up paying for it and there use to be more practice sections, but it was really worth it to have practice sections that I could just get use to speed reading. I've always had a pretty good verbal competency, but speed reading wasn't my strong suit. It didn't help that the first time I took the MCAT I had food poisoning and a 102 fever, but it happens.

 

[EverStriving]

Rather than writing things down, I recommend creating a mental list of key words and phrases that you'll highlight when you encounter them, mostly for ease of returning to the paragraph later on. For instance, I highlighted transition words, assertions made by the author, counterpoints, key names of people, and anything in quotes--the MCAT loves to have you interpret what the author meant by those words in quotes. I found that this also helped me stay more focused while reading.

I did the highlighting thing as well. It helps keep the focus on, and quickly creates a way to visualize the logical progression of the passage as a whole. Much faster/better than writing down your own map.

 

[Shreyasthegreat]

@jbuc1081 Hi, the website you linked seems to only offer 30 passages, how did you get access to the other 70?

 

[jbuc1081]

That website had the other 70 when I bought it last year. It was $60 instead of the $15, so I apologize for not being able to provide that information. It's possible to find more online, though.

 

[belle88]

Sure thing -- although I must admit it is still a work in progress for myself (still 59 days till MCAT) and Im refining the process -- but will be testing tomorrow morning on another TPR full length; aiming for 95% right!!

So I'll start off by saying that stress management during the passages for CARS (and every section for that matter) is absolutely crucial for myself. If I get stressed my score drops significantly. Meditation and exercise have been key in really giving me the calm mindset I believe in necessary to approach an MCAT section and get at least 90% right. Although I've only used TPR and kaplan thus far, but I've heard they are significantly harder than the real thing (and when I took the test in April it felt much easier I only voided because I had yet to learn any psych/soc at the time at all).

So barring any stress, which is the first thing to take care of during a passage, I will read the passage quietly, to myself, and talk to myself a lot.
My method is to really mess around -- I'll say to myself things like: "Well what the hell does the author even mean by this?" or "Why in God's name would anyone spend the time to write such a boring foolish paragraph.". I say things like this in my head in a joking manner while I read the passage and I actually find myself laughing (in my head, I smirk a lot though). Paradoxically, I've found it makes me focus. And this is on the REALLY boring paragraphs about some obscure neo-conservative view point on who knows what. I don't do this every passage, but usually if my mental fatigue starts kicking in or I realize I start glazing then I will actively try do it.

Then, as I read, because all of a sudden I'm actually in a great mood and making almost a game out of the whole thing, I actually find it very easy to read what the author is saying and pick it apart. I remember the whole passage after the first read through because I was actually enjoying the time I spent reading; actively questioning and trying to figure out what the author was saying but with my own satirical spin on it that makes it truly like a little game. I laugh at the author, in a way (if I find the piece especially drab) and it kind of helps me see his/her viewpoint. I'll be like "Damn, why you so mad about this bro?". And when I say these little things to myself I notice that my brain is actually just instantly wiring the authors opinion/disposition to me without having to do any work in actively picking it up. The little, satirical, criticism/comments/questions I spontaneously form seem to always somehow pick up exactly what the author is trying to say/express; ironically.

Sometimes I will talk at myself and say something like, "You idiot, how didn't you see that point of view; obviously the Byzantines didn't like Queen Laura she was a fool duh". You have to understand though; none of these self-talks are actually negative -- they are all just said to myself very sarcastically and, well, in a really fun way.


I'm sorry did that make any sense? I tried to explain it the best I could, but it is kind of... obscure. Again none of that works without having the ability to actively and effectively manipulate your thought patterns during the exam without any stress (again where the meditation comes in big time for me). But ya, I just say things that like to myself, it makes me smile and enjoy the time I'm reading, and makes it a lot easier to listen in to what the author is actually saying even if I don't care one bit.

This method has been getting me 14's recently on the old AAMC practice tests (well only today and yesterday), but I have yet to score 95% or better on a TPR or Kaplan verbal; however tomorrow might be the day. If not I'll try again on Thursday 🙂

Thanks for your advice! I'm definitely going to work on this! You mentioned meditating to help with stress. Would you mind sharing how you meditate?