EK Verbal methods

[V4viet]

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Hey guys I'm using EK verbal methods for the first time and I just finished my 1 verbal practice and i got a 6. I was wondering did it take you guys a while to improve on the verbal using EK method? I'm hoping that by the 4 verbal practice i can get an 8. Thanks a lot for reading..

 

[Anastasis]

Remember to wait a day then try to answer by just looking at the answer stems. I know it's hard but try to concentrate more on getting the logic behind it than just on improving your score.

 

[V4viet]

Remember to wait a day then try to answer by just looking at the answer stems. I know it's hard but try to concentrate more on getting the logic behind it than just on improving your score.

So what you're saying is that i should do the verbal test and grade it. Then wait a day and go back to the questions and answer them using the ques. stems and etc without looking at the passage to get the technique down and the verbal intuition.

 

[TWP]

Hey,

With the EK Verbal it is very good to get full of yourself like the book says to do and read the things like you already know all the right choices. Remember that you won't get any right answers from previous knowledge. I know it is hard to do but just take each question as it is and nothing more. Don't let your mind get in the way of the correct choice, it is hard to do but try just focusing on that exact passage and not worrrying about time or freaking out about the previous passage that made no sense at all. Believe in yourself and you'll do well. Good luck

 

[Ebete]

Hey,

With the EK Verbal it is very good to get full of yourself like the book says to do and read the things like you already know all the right choices. Remember that you won't get any right answers from previous knowledge. I know it is hard to do but just take each question as it is and nothing more. Don't let your mind get in the way of the correct choice, it is hard to do but try just focusing on that exact passage and not worrrying about time or freaking out about the previous passage that made no sense at all. Believe in yourself and you'll do well. Good luck

"I am not discouraged because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward." Thomas Edison

I share the same philosophy...it is also the story of my life!

 

[nekrogg]

"I am not discouraged because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward." Thomas Edison

I share the same philosophy...it is also the story of my life!

if i only had such a mind set... my mcat books take beatings after every mistake i make. the books are very badly beat.

 

[75969]

if i only had such a mind set... my mcat books take beatings after every mistake i make. the books are very badly beat.

Dont fear! I started with a 6 as well...it was very discouraging, and i stopped mcat prep for a week or so. Once I felt up to trying again, I went through a few passages, just focusing on getting the answers correct! I then went over my answers and looked at WHY I was getting things wrong, and how I should change my way of thinking about the answers. Now, when I go through the answers, I find myself thinking, "the author wouldnt agree because______" for each of the answer choices. I am now getting 9's and every once and a while an 8 or a 10....but have left the 6-7 range behind! I havent spent a ton of time on it either (like 2 weeks, 30 mins a day max), so you definately have time....just make sure the time you do spend on it is quality time!

 

[V4viet]

Dont fear! I started with a 6 as well...it was very discouraging, and i stopped mcat prep for a week or so. Once I felt up to trying again, I went through a few passages, just focusing on getting the answers correct! I then went over my answers and looked at WHY I was getting things wrong, and how I should change my way of thinking about the answers. Now, when I go through the answers, I find myself thinking, "the author wouldnt agree because______" for each of the answer choices. I am now getting 9's and every once and a while an 8 or a 10....but have left the 6-7 range behind! I havent spent a ton of time on it either (like 2 weeks, 30 mins a day max), so you definately have time....just make sure the time you do spend on it is quality time!

hmmm.. that's interesting.. thank you so much for that.. may i ask how many practice test did you take b4 getting up to the 9 and 10 range? Right now the strageties that im using is.. dont think too much into the answers.. only go back to the passage if i know where and what to look for.. only focus on the passage when im reading... and read the ques carefully.. is that the kind of thinking i should be doing for verbal? I've been finding mistakes such as reading too quick and not interpreting the question ask and etc.. is that what you're talking about finding your own mistakes? does it eventually stick to you automatically after a while and you stop making those mistakes? and oh yeah i try to focus on answering the ques correct too but i set the time just to see how long it'll take me to finish the whole verbal test..

 

[75969]

hmmm.. that's interesting.. thank you so much for that.. may i ask how many practice test did you take b4 getting up to the 9 and 10 range? Right now the strageties that im using is.. dont think too much into the answers.. only go back to the passage if i know where and what to look for.. only focus on the passage when im reading... and read the ques carefully.. is that the kind of thinking i should be doing for verbal? I've been finding mistakes such as reading too quick and not interpreting the question ask and etc.. is that what you're talking about finding your own mistakes? does it eventually stick to you automatically after a while and you stop making those mistakes? and oh yeah i try to focus on answering the ques correct too but i set the time just to see how long it'll take me to finish the whole verbal test..

I had only taken 3 EK practice tests...but spread out over about 2 weeks.

What I mean by figuring out what you are doing wrong (and hence getting the wrong answers) is looking closely at the answers, not why they are necessarily right, but more why you chose the wrong one.

This is what I do:
1)Take a full test (Or half a test, depending on how much time I have)
2)Grade It (DONT worry about the score yet...)
3)Look at the answers that I got wrong.
~Go back to the passage for each one, find the answer (within the passage), try to determine how you could have more closely read the passage, etc... to have gotten it right.
4)Sometimes I re-read the passage VERY slowly, paying very close attention to detail, literally trying to absorb everything in the passage...then go back and re-answer the questions. Did you do better this time? If so, maybe you arent reading closely enough...If not, you might be missing some of the logic behind the answer.

Honestly though, there isnt anything that anyone can tell you to do to improve---to do better on this section, you are going to have to figure out a method tat works best for you (i.e. dont really listen to test prep company strategy if it isnt working for you) and then practice, practice, practice! 🙂

 

[larrry]

i really think the best thing to do is to just read a lot. and it doesnt hurt to start even if you have <6months before the exam. You can take your practice EK exam on a saturday, on sunday go over it(by redoing the questions slowly and only then looking at their answers&explanations). Then the rest of the week set aside an hour or 2 to just read random novels/magazines that you find to be similar to the type of texts you encounter on EK tests. And you can do those 11 practice verbal tests if you have >11wks left before mcat. That said, i have not been able to set aside much time for free reading. But i still refrain from taking a practice verbal more often than once a week.

 

[PureGenius]

If you did bad then you probably missed first point in EK strategy READ EVERY WORD I know I had the same problem. 👍