EK Verbal vs TPRH Verbal

[aspiringdoc09]

I have starting to get the hang of TPRH verbal and now miss 2 on average per passage. My issue is that now I am doing worst on EK Verbal 101. At the beginning, I was doing all EK but around April I decided to start using TPRH. I was getting better with EK then but since I started using both together (1 or 2 passages for each) every other day. I have improved with TPRH from 20-30% correct to 70-80%. Am I doing something wrong? Should I take all EK passages one day and all TPRH passage on alternate days? How can I be going in an opposite direction for EK? I am on Test 12 in EK and in mid-20s forTPRH book.

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[TheShaker]

How much did you go down in EK? If it's only by 1-2 points then it could just be normal variation. EK does ask questions different from TPRH though. If there is a significant difference then it sounds like you are trying to improve on the specific test instead of the verbal section itself. You should try to get better at reading to understand the main point instead of getting used to the way they ask questions. That's the only thing I can think of that can cause a deviation since they do phrase things differently between EK and TPRH. Maybe another reason could be that TPRH tends to ask more content related questions while EK asks more about what you can assume and extrapolate from the passage content. Perhaps you're just better at memorizing the passage and not as good at getting the big picture and analyzing it. But yeah, try to get better at reading rather than trying to get better at answering questions. Your reading will be the only constant factor on the day of the MCAT since we won't know how similar their questions and phrasing will be to any test prep company.

Still, I'm doing the same thing as you and I don't see a difference in my performance.

 

[aspiringdoc09]

How much did you go down in EK? If it's only by 1-2 points then it could just be normal variation. EK does ask questions different from TPRH though. If there is a significant difference then it sounds like you are trying to improve on the specific test instead of the verbal section itself. You should try to get better at reading to understand the main point instead of getting used to the way they ask questions. That's the only thing I can think of that can cause a deviation since they do phrase things differently between EK and TPRH. Maybe another reason could be that TPRH tends to ask more content related questions while EK asks more about what you can assume and extrapolate from the passage content. Perhaps you're just better at memorizing the passage and not as good at getting the big picture and analyzing it. But yeah, try to get better at reading rather than trying to get better at answering questions. Your reading will be the only constant factor on the day of the MCAT since we won't know how similar their questions and phrasing will be to any test prep company.

Still, I'm doing the same thing as you and I don't see a difference in my performance.

I went from missing 2 on average to getting only 2 right on each passage. I will try to focus a little bit more on it. The way they answer their questions is different. I know the last I took an AAMC I was only getting a 5/6, so I definitely need to improve by July 6th. Thanks.

 

[maybemed2013]

So which on is better EK verbal 101 or TPRH verbal?

 

[TheShaker]

So which on is better EK verbal 101 or TPRH verbal?

I think they're both pretty good. You definitely can't go with a single one since there's just not enough passages to practice on.

 

[kimicurtis]

My TPRH scores have been improving but my EK scores have decreased a bit. I feel like TPRH has better written questions and answers though. Sometimes EK has me like:wtf after I read the correct answer. Thoughts?

 

[crazedpiggy]

My TPRH scores have been improving but my EK scores have decreased a bit. I feel like TPRH has better written questions and answers though. Sometimes EK has me like:wtf after I read the correct answer. Thoughts?

I feel the same way. When I went through the books, I improved my verbal only through TPRH and did not improve at all with EK. If you look at the EK 101 thread, almost everyone's scores stays the same all the way through.

With TPRH, the questions seem more realistic with more clear cut answers. Sometimes the EK answers just don't make logical sense at all, except for whoever was writing the question. I find EK 101 to be harder than both TPRH and AAMC.

For improving verbal, TPRH (second to AAMC of course, but still very close) is the best resource. However, if you weigh the costs, you get way more passages for the price for EK101.

 

[09ine]

Yeah seriously, I just got TPRH yesterday, I looked at the ToC and saw only 4 sections? $125 for 4 vs $50 for like 14. Hope it's worth it, and at least the resale value is good.

 

[kimicurtis]

If your scores don't improve, then how am I supposed to gage my performance using EK? : |

 

[aspiringdoc09]

I just started seeing improvement in my VR score 8/9 on TPRH Practice test 1, 11-12 on TBR 1 and 8/9 on few other practice test. Of course it is sporadic, but I think I am getting to 8/9 range. Never improved with EK. I got to the point half-way thru to not even worry about looking at solutions, because I didn't see any improvements. I stopped looking at solutions for TPRH too because every passage is different and there is no real way to learn from your mistakes. I was missing questions randomly (main idea, inferences, weaken arguments, etc.) Improvement comes from practice and getting the hang of it. Trust me, I started with 5/6. Missing a few questions on VR can easily change your score from a 8 to a 5. Just keep at it and eventually, you will be in test mode and it will just click. I started this thread late May and it is mid-June. See what I mean? My test is July 6th.

 

[kimicurtis]

Ok. Thanks!