EK VERBAL 101 is going to ruin my MCAT score

[Blondnuttyboy]

I have no idea why everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) loves EK verbal 101 so much. I can usually score 10 on anything from kaplan. tpr, and aamc - so I know how to do verbal. Nevertheless, I dont do as well with EK and I disagree with SO many of their answers.

EK tends to make huge stretches on right answers, crazy assumptions, and the use of non-conservative language (which everyone knows, is a no-no)..

I'm frustrated with that book and even more confused why everyone likes it so much.

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[LaDaLa]

i TOTALLy agree...and I feel like the EK book questons require too much retrieving of details from the passages, and less analysis of the main point.

 

[CATallergy]

i TOTALLy agree...and I feel like the EK book questons require too much retrieving of details from the passages, and less analysis of the main point.

funny, I was just thinking the opposite - that compared to ek, aamc practice tests asked more about passage detail unrelated to the main point.

 

[killinsound]

My EK scores strongly correlate with my practice AAMC scores and my Kaplan scores do not. I think EK is better but that's just my two cents.

 

[Blondnuttyboy]

I'm just so baffled at their answers in the book...for example, if anyone has EK 101 verbal...check out the 1st two "warm up" verbal passages...if you can honestly tell me you agree with every answer for those two, then I'm going to head back to the drawing board b/c I obviously don't understand verbal : )

 

[killinsound]

I'm just so baffled at their answers in the book...for example, if anyone has EK 101 verbal...check out the 1st two "warm up" verbal passages...if you can honestly tell me you agree with every answer for those two, then I'm going to head back to the drawing board b/c I obviously don't understand verbal : )

i thought i did... any questions in particular you do not like?

i agree with you that EK is far from perfect, but it is MORE like the AAMC in teh questions they ask, and I think that is what it's good for.

 

[dr.kicia]

i thought i did... any questions in particular you do not like?

i agree with you that EK is far from perfect, but it is MORE like the AAMC in teh questions they ask, and I think that is what it's good for.

I agree. I think Kaplan verbal is very different. But don't give up on EK just yet. Just keep on practicing and one day it will click. It is frustrating but i think with verbal the best strategy is to wait a day or two before taking another test and constantly review old passages forming a main idea. And just try to read them how EK says, full focus, 5 second brakes and normal speed. I found that when i don't rush i go back to passage less and even when i have problem finishing on time i am pretty accurate with the answers. I found question stem thing work really well too. When i used just that i scored 12 on the verbal and i am non-native(like really non native english speaker, moved to US when i was 18 so you get the idea).

 

[Mark84]

I agree, Kaplan verbal is just plain awkward for lack of a better term. I went through the entire EK 101 book and the strategy book. Its simple and effective, and very comparable to what you will see in the aamc tests.

 

[brownie786]

Kaplan's VR is definately weird...although I was scoring around the same range on the Kaplan FLs and AAMC.
When I tried to use the EK method on an AAMC exam...my VR went down two points

 

[killinsound]

I'm not a very active reader so i do use kaplan's method to map (only like a couple words per paragraph)... that's about it

 

[babycapybara]

i really liked the EK method and practice passages. They were a little different from the real thing, but closer than any other practice material i came across. I scored an 11 on the real thing (despite the messed up passage) and felt that EK did help me.

 

[raptors]

I agree. I think Kaplan verbal is very different. But don't give up on EK just yet. Just keep on practicing and one day it will click. It is frustrating but i think with verbal the best strategy is to wait a day or two before taking another test and constantly review old passages forming a main idea. And just try to read them how EK says, full focus, 5 second brakes and normal speed. I found that when i don't rush i go back to passage less and even when i have problem finishing on time i am pretty accurate with the answers. I found question stem thing work really well too. When i used just that i scored 12 on the verbal and i am non-native(like really non native english speaker, moved to US when i was 18 so you get the idea).

Hey,

Do you spend thirty minutes just reviewing teh question stems/answers for each passage as EK suggests? I really don't understand how you could possilbe spend that amount of time as they suggest, i'm finding it doesn't take me that long to analyze them.

Also, EK says there's always a wealth of information when reading teh question stems. As you do the exam after you read the passage, do you read all the question stems and then start answering teh questions? I'm a little confused about their strategy

 

[raptors]

i thought i did... any questions in particular you do not like?

i agree with you that EK is far from perfect, but it is MORE like the AAMC in teh questions they ask, and I think that is what it's good for.

I also agree with the answers to the warm up passages.

 

[Blondnuttyboy]

Ok - for those who agree with the warm up answers - someone please explain this to me:

warm up passage #1, question #7 -

the stated answer is A - more realistic

I chose C - it straight up says in the passage "But, when it is used in film {Elizabethan Style}, the actor may seem to rigid and theatrical"

I feel like choice C is more focused and choice A is a stretch that lends itself to the end of the passage. They say "Character in film" refers to the last passage but the phrase appears earlier...


Passage #2-

Question 9 is just ridiculous. I dont think the real AAMC would ever have an answer as bold as "the authour does not think much of the british" - I actually did not think any answer was right on this one.

Then on question 13 - the word impact, clearly relates to making an impression - "trump any aesthetic considerations, and have much more impact on the viewer"

I dont see how choice C - convey authority even comes about in the final couple sentences...I think that choice is a stretch.

Thanks for the help guys..I appreciate it