****EK VR Method Discussion****

[vicinihil]

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Let's see if this is a hit!

When u analyze question stems, can you pick up the main idea? How reliable is this generally. I feel like most of the questions in the 101 book, you need the passage to be able to answer them fully.

I just feel this way. Anyone shed any light on whether or not this is true?

 

[vicinihil]

When we are looking for an answer choice that strengthens or supports a theory, should we be on the look-out for words like only for a CONCRETE answer?

I thought we should avoid answers with words like only and such on the MCATs but I'm working through the TPR verbal workbook and an answer with "only" is the right answer

 

[roycer]

Let's see if this is a hit!

When u analyze question stems, can you pick up the main idea? How reliable is this generally. I feel like most of the questions in the 101 book, you need the passage to be able to answer them fully.

I just feel this way. Anyone shed any light on whether or not this is true?

I think the question stems should shed light on the passage's main idea, but usually you can never know for sure about the main idea unless you actually read the passage. EK suggests that there is a lot of information given in question stems, but the best way to answer questions is to use information in the passage and in question stems.

When we are looking for an answer choice that strengthens or supports a theory, should we be on the look-out for words like only for a CONCRETE answer?

I thought we should avoid answers with words like only and such on the MCATs but I'm working through the TPR verbal workbook and an answer with "only" is the right answer

Question answers with the words "only" or "never" or "always" are usually incorrect choices but that criterium is not definitive. Sometimes the author in the passage uses those words in explaining his/her argument, so an answer choice with those words in it might be legitimate. In other cases, an answer with those words just might be the best answer out of the 4 choices. You should be very wary of an answer choice with such wording, since they probably are wrong, but you should still think about the answer choices with the main idea in mind.

 

[vicinihil]

hm I see. Thanks! So the example that EK uses in showing its question stem strategy is just a far out example where he go SO much from the stems.

Anyone feel that EK like to assume a lot?

 

[zjsm36]

Completely agree with EK making some massive inferences.

I just finished the 3rd 101 VR test and my scores have increased by a point each time (7,8,9). So I cant hate on EK too much. However i would say 1/2 of the questions i missed are because of some inferences I'm not seeing.

 

[PreMed4Dummies]

i am enrolled in the Kaplan class right now, but at the same time i bought the EK VR book because I heard such great reviews... but has anyone else noticed that the EK stragegy seems to be the complete polar opposite of everything that kaplan teaches for VR...?

 

[ashal]

I am enrolled in Kaplan too. But I dont have EK. Whose verbal do you think is better and why?

 

[dcowboys22]

I took kaplan awhile ago when they were teaching the paper and pencil test.. and I dont seem to find their strategy very helpful. I dont have time to write notes on each paragraph I read. Instead I just underline some important points of the passages try to get the gist of it and then attack the questions.

As for the EK strategy, what is the EK strategy? I have been using the EK 101 passages for verbal practice and I think it is pretty good.

 

[voirlesetoiles]

The EK strategy is to do passages in order, without writing anything down. You take 20 secs after reading the passage to construct the main idea in your head.

Has anyone followed the verbal every other day strategy outlined in lecture 4 of verbal? Does it work?

 

[dcowboys22]

The EK strategy is to do passages in order, without writing anything down. You take 20 secs after reading the passage to construct the main idea in your head.

Has anyone followed the verbal every other day strategy outlined in lecture 4 of verbal? Does it work?[/QUOTE

is that strategy just to do verbal every other day? I tend to practice about a full section test in verbal everyday in the EK book..

What are you guys using to practice verbal besides EK 101 passages book?

 

[vicinihil]

if we read the answers, can we deduce anything from that?

 

[voirlesetoiles]

if we read the answers, can we deduce anything from that?

Is that sarcasm? Otherwise, I have no clue what technique you're talking about.

 

[vicinihil]

oh haha, I meant the answer CHOICES under the questions. Because I find that with EK I can deduce VERY LIMITED info from the stems (for example, one passage almost all of the question stems were....

The author more clearly believes that....
...most clearly suggets that....
Author would most likely disagree with.....

SO i was wasn't sure if the answer choices would shed any light.

 

[heymanooh1]

When we are looking for an answer choice that strengthens or supports a theory, should we be on the look-out for words like only for a CONCRETE answer?

I thought we should avoid answers with words like only and such on the MCATs but I'm working through the TPR verbal workbook and an answer with "only" is the right answer

jeebus crist dude, you have to choose your answers judiciously within the context of the question being asked AND the passage, even if there's an "only" for one of the answer choices....that's just common sense.

 

[vicinihil]

in a way you're right. But I'm trying to see if there's any trends, etc. that will help me get from a 9 to 11 or so

 

[_T_]

I'm getting so frustrated..I've taken 4 EK VR Tests..1 Kaplan Full Length..I've gotten 8s on every single one except the one I took today where I got a stupid 7..I wanna throw the book across the room...I CAN'T IMPROVE..I dunno what I'm doing wrong..I dunno how you guys answer all the questions right off the main idea cause I always find myself having to go back to get the details..

 

[vicinihil]

hey man I feel your pain. I'm stuck around a 9

 

[Tussis]

You're honing in a lot on EK's VR strategy being "focusing on the stems". This is actually only a small portion of their strategy. EK's VR strategy is the 'Main Idea' of the author, followed up with only one or two points made by the author. Though I have not taken any AAMC tests yet to verify this approach, it seems to be working in general with the EK passages. (Of course, I also have no idea if the EK questions are deliberately constructed to reflect their strategy.) Furthermore, EK suggests about 20 seconds to reflect on the passage and construct the main idea within one's head. As an in depth study review, they also mention going back to their passages, re-reading, and writing out the main idea, then relating all questions back to this main idea, all in review.

The question stems, as I said, is only a minor part. They had a few exercises in their book that forced one to read (I believe) 3 sets of questions without the passages, and answer them. It was a rather interesting exercise, though I spent much longer than I should have analyzing all answer choices and stems to gather as much info about the passage as possible. But I did score a "simulated" 10 on the questions. (And once again, I have no idea if the questions were deliberately designed to give a bit more info in the stems than would be comparable to the AAMC).

Overall, EK is nothing at all about the nitty gritty details - and even suggests against underlining - and is all about the Main Idea.