ExamKracker VERBAL 101 SCORES

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I was curious if there was anyone else using these? I took the first one last night at a busy starbucks (to begin to aclimate myself to the "be prepared for anything" test climate) and I got rocked. I scored a 5!! :scared:. Its okay though because I knew verbal was going to be the hardest. I was curious if anyone else using these tests could post their scores and or advice (I know there was a thread a while back, but that was for the April exam and I'm in need of encouragment and advice from the august takers. Thanks
 
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I am getting 7's on VR as well. My test is in 37 days. Any chance I can get it up to 10. All I want is a 10...my PS and BS will make up for that 10
 
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theA1doctor said:
I am getting 7's on VR as well. My test is in 37 days. Any chance I can get it up to 10. All I want is a 10...my PS and BS will make up for that 10
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I just want a 9...I am taking my test in 30 days and I dont know if I will be able to get my VR score to a 9...You seem to be doing OK on PS and BS; therefore, you can make up for any 'shortfall' in VR as long as you dont have anything less than 8. I dont have that kind of luxury since I am getting an average of 9 on BS and PS.
 
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Anyone else find EK 10 questions and answers absolutely absurd. I am usually great at verbal and scored a 9. I thought this test was useless. So many ambiguous answers.
 
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gumbyj said:
Anyone else find EK 10 questions and answers absolutely absurd. I am usually great at verbal and scored a 9. I thought this test was useless. So many ambiguous answers.
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It's VR. That's the point. 🙂

I thought the answers all made sense after you actually read them. Some of the questions were really tough, but then again, that's the point, right? 😉
 
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Fed said:
It's VR. That's the point. 🙂

I thought the answers all made sense after you actually read them. Some of the questions were really tough, but then again, that's the point, right? 😉
Click to expand...

Eh, I don't really agree. I think EK totally missed it with tests 10 and 11. I scored 15, 12, 14 respectively on my last AAMCs and find that the passages are far too easy to read and the nature of EK's answers gets more absurd as the book goes on so I won't be using it any longer for practice.
 
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if you have the time, do them all. like i said, i think its best to use a variety of resources from the different companies.

ive taken a few practice tests and i guess the best thing is to just hope for half decent passages on the real thing. if they decide to throw in 7 really hard ones then we're in trouble. its not that bad if theres only one or two insane ones and then mediums
 
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gumbyj said:
Eh, I don't really agree. I think EK totally missed it with tests 10 and 11. I scored 15, 12, 14 respectively on my last AAMCs and find that the passages are far too easy to read and the nature of EK's answers gets more absurd as the book goes on so I won't be using it any longer for practice.
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I completely agree, although I have only done 13 EK passages. I think their passages are way too easy to read but some of the questions are absurd with VERY debatable answers. Overall, I think TPRH is much better practice. I've done the whole In-Class Compendium and about 40% of the Verbal Workbook (total ~60 passages) and they are much tougher to read with very few debatable answers. I was consistently getting 72-85% of the TPRH right (per 3 passage group) and am all over the place with EK (59-83%).

The only AAMC passages I've done are from the Official MCAT Guide book (6 passages, 80% right) and they had no real weasel questions. I will stick out the rest of the EK 101 book, but I'm saving my last ~40 TPRH passages for last along with the actual AAMCs. I can see the value to doing different "types" of VR since they are all a bit different than the real deal, but the EK seems considerably less representitive in my experience so far.

BTW:
Warm up - 7 (10/17)
EK1 - 10 (30/40)
 
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I'm a retaker because I scored a 6 on verbal my first time. Obviously, my goal this time is to at least break ten. So far I've done EK 101 Test 1, EK 101 Test 2, AAMC 3 and AAMC 5. My scores on these were 9, 11, 11, and 11 respectively...though I still have a lot more practice in store I'd like to share what's been working for me...

MAIN IDEA!!! Can't stress that enough. At the end of each paragraph, I try to summarize in my head what the point of each paragraph was. I do not write this down, but rather do it in my head because this keeps it short and avoids incorporating trivial details. Then, at the end of the passage i ask myself, "Why did the author write this article?" (literally, I say this in my head). Almost every single question can be answered if you understand the point of the passage....The only exception I have to this is when I get a natural sciences passage - for these I read very thoroughly and try to remember details because most questions are very specific.

Another thing is if I get stuck on a question, PICK AN ANSWER AND MOVE ON! This is mainly what bogged me down the first time. If you don't know the answer after 30 or so seconds, you won't know it after 2 minutes either! You are better off just guessing and focusing your time on other questions, and I find that when I use this strategy I am never tight on time.

And definitely take a mental breather in between passages....maybe 5 or 6 seconds...this really helps with clearing your head and focusing 100% on each passage.

I know that some of these strategies have been mentioned before but you really have to try to actively fix your game - as soon as I started incorporating some new strategies is when I started seeing improvement.
 
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Please keep in mind that these verbal scores mean nothing. They are not even remotely close to the real MCAT.

Some people will argue, "Well, people who are scoring high on these practice tests generally score higher on the real deal."

True, they probably do but that's because they generally know how to read these kinds of passages. The EK exams do not improve your scores or give you any good indication of your true score. Only AAMC exams do.

Practicing is important but know exactly what to practice is key.
 
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Anyone else feel like VR can not be done with ANY level of fatigue?

I had 1 question wrong through about 30 on test 7, wake up today after four hours of sleep, bam 2/7, 3/7. If I don't get sleep the day of the test I'm just rescheduling.
 
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In the order I've done them so far:

Test 14: 9
Test 13: 9
Test 1: 10
Test 2: 10
Test 3: 10
Test 4: 10

Goal is a 12.
 
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EK#1 compounded score (taken 3 passages at a time over 3 days --> SN2ed schedule)....Are you ready?....A f***ing 5....A FIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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VerbalMadeEasy said:
Please keep in mind that these verbal scores mean nothing. They are not even remotely close to the real MCAT.

Some people will argue, "Well, people who are scoring high on these practice tests generally score higher on the real deal."

True, they probably do but that's because they generally know how to read these kinds of passages. The EK exams do not improve your scores or give you any good indication of your true score. Only AAMC exams do.

Practicing is important but know exactly what to practice is key.
Click to expand...

This coming from a VERBAL TUTOR who has services to OFFER linked in? Lol **** off :laugh:
 
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EK 1= 5 (on time)
EK 2= 7 (5 mins over time)
Ek 3= 5 (6 mins over time)
EK 4= 6 (10 mins over time)

Those Hellenic-related passages kill me.
 
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I am just here to post a warning to people. Sounds like some of you are doing okay in verbal, others not so much like they would want to do.

Personally, I was just naturally good at verbal (very lucky, I know!). I averaged a 10.3, with range being from 9-13, without studying even a little for verbal.

I took the MCAT on May 31st and it was much worse than I could have imagined. Not because the material was any different, but because I was NOT PREPARED FOR THE MINDSET OF THE TEST.

Originally, I was doing Kaplan's passaging strategy. Then, my score went up once I stopped, so I just read and answered without doing any kind of "tracking" or writing down anything. I was getting 10s, 11s, 12s, 13s, so I thought I was okay.

I hope this helps someone, but I was LEAST worried about verbal on the test and therefore when I got to the test and couldn't focus on the verbal section because I was so nervous during the whole test, I kinda froze... Then I was running out of time and I kept losing my focus to look at the timer and every time I looked I would lose my place in the passage and forget where I was and then forget what I had already read because my mind shifted to the time running out then it all built up and I totally freaked the F out. I have not gotten my score back, but I know it will be worse than my average because I have never done so poorly on a verbal section before, I could just FEEL it.

I just hope this will serve as some warning to people. Don't underestimate the nerves of test day. Even with all that adrenaline pumping through me, I couldn't do what I had done so many times ... and I may have ruined my score as a whole because of it.

I don't know how to simulate this... maybe try taking the test after 10 cups of coffee.

I just wish that I had anticipated this and used the Kaplan strategy or something or ANYTHING so that I could just keep focused on the task at hand.

ugh it was a nightmare!

Well, just thought I would share... hope this helps prevent this from happening from someone else.

Best,
C
 
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I dont think there's any other way to put it:

Doing EK101 questions made my AAMC VR scores drop by 2-3 points. The majority of questions hinge on such particular and often strained logic that it derails the efforts to become attuned to the actual MCAT VR approach.
 
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BestDoctorEver said:
You are not gonna have the luxury of going over time on the real test...You have to try to fix that
Click to expand...

I know, but I was hoping that this skill will come with time and that it's more important now to focus on raising my score. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think doing very well on five passages and guessing on two is better than half-assing all seven passages.
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
I know, but I was hoping that this skill will come with time and that it's more important now to focus on raising my score. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think doing very well on five passages and guessing on two is better than half-assing all seven passages.
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You gotta force yourself to do these passages in 8 minutes max...It has worked for me so far.
 
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EK 1= 5 (on time)
EK 2= 7 (5 mins over time)
Ek 3= 5 (6 mins over time)
EK 4= 6 (10 mins over time)
EK 5= 7 (5 mins over time)
EK 6= 6 (2 mins to spare. Finally!)
 
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BestDoctorEver said:
Good...That how it should be. However, it seems like you and I are not making real progress.
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I have noticed that I tend to do really well on some passages and do extremely bad on others. For example, during my test today, I answered almost all of the questions correctly on four passages, but the other three I either had one correct answer or complete bombed the passage.

Hopefully with more practice (I'm doing one verbal FL everyday), we can pull up our score to a more acceptable level.
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
I have noticed that I tend to do really well on some passages and do extremely bad on others. For example, during my test today, I answered almost all of the questions correctly on four passages, but the other three I either had one correct answer or complete bombed the passage.

Hopefully with more practice (I'm doing one verbal FL everyday), we can pull up our score to a more acceptable level.
Click to expand...
Same thing for me. The passages about 'natural science and literature' ect...are killing me too.
 
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theA1doctor said:
I am getting 7's on VR as well. My test is in 37 days. Any chance I can get it up to 10. All I want is a 10...my PS and BS will make up for that 10
Click to expand...

Hey buddy,
the best advice I can give you on that subject matter is to practice it daily. Do a Verbal section every day until your exam (that's what I've been doing the past two weeks). Also, whenever you read - whether it be an article on Popsci, or a person's Facebook status update (more emphasis on the former) make sure to do so analytically. Don't just read as a drone, read with purpose. What did you just read? What was the purpose of it? What would be information that would be useful to have extracted? Make sure these questions are going through your head continuously.

On another note, when you start reading your passages, don't just be reading as a mindless drone. Read like you are reading for your own pleasure - this is one piece of advice that I was given that helped raise my VR scores from 7-9 to constant 11s. When you're reading for your own pleasure, you pay attention to more detail. Many of these articles that we need to read for the MCAT are actually really interesting - we just lose sight of that since we are in the middle of one of the hardest tests known to man.

Hope that helps.
 
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Now I have a question for anyone who may have taken EK 101 Exam 9.

WARNING: SPOILER: CONTAINS INFORMATION REGARDING THE EK VR 9 EXAM AND THE ASNWER


:caution: :caution: :caution: :caution: :caution:


Now...That being said, the question I am concerned with is number 20.


The question reads "According to the passage, Freud's theory of psychosexual development most clearly resulted in:"

The answer given is D: diminishing punishment for homosexual behavior.
The explanation is as follows:
Correct: Do not confuse "prejudice" with "punishment." The only punishment mentioned in the passage is that "imposed by law" (lines 17-18). There is no implication that Freud's theory resulted in any diminishing of punishment.


Is it just me, or is that just contradictory?
I could use help deciphering why this is correct based on their response.

Cheers
 
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EK 1= 5 (on time)
EK 2= 7 (5 mins over time)
Ek 3= 5 (6 mins over time)
EK 4= 6 (10 mins over time)
EK 5= 7 (5 mins over time)
EK 6= 6 (2 mins to spare. Finally!)
EK 7= 6 (one minute over time. 🙁 )
 
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Just finished with my last test.

Test 1: 9
Test 2: 9
Test 3: 12
Test 4: 12
Test 5: 10
Test 6: 9
Test 7: 11
Test 8: 11
Test 9: 10
Test 10: 10
Test 11: 9
Test 12: 9
Test 13: 10
Test 14: 10

So judging from the scores this has been a complete waste of time. No improvement whatsoever. None. What kills me is that on every test I do I always finish with the feeling that I had to have gotten nearly everything right, only to wind up with 8-11 missed questions.

I tried adjusting my strategy too. Before I would rush through, rarely ever looking back at the passage. Average score: 10. Then more recently I tried going through more slowly and referencing the passage for almost every question to make sure I could find something to back up my answer choice and read questions carefully. Average score: 10.

Here's hoping TPRH verbal is better at improving my scores.
 
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Warhawk10 said:
How often are you taking a FL verbal?
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One every day, except for the days I do AAMC FL's. I hope that I can at least maintain a score of 7 AND be able to finish on time. My colleague, also a non-native English speaker, was told by the pre-med adviser at our school that a score of 7 is good enough.

Honestly, the reason I'm doing these passages is mainly to build a stamina. I am not expecting to score anything beyond 8. I am an ESL; I know my limit.
 
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rgrell said:
Now I have a question for anyone who may have taken EK 101 Exam 9.

WARNING: SPOILER: CONTAINS INFORMATION REGARDING THE EK VR 9 EXAM AND THE ASNWER


:caution: :caution: :caution: :caution: :caution:


Now...That being said, the question I am concerned with is number 20.


Is it just me, or is that just contradictory?
I could use help deciphering why this is correct based on their response.

Cheers
Click to expand...

I have written down that on passage IV of test 9 I had a question that I decided to throw out because the explanation given for the right answer seemed to contradict the answer itself, as well as imply that there actually wasn't a right answer at all for that question. I forget which one it was since I didn't write that down, but I'd be willing to bet it's the one you're having issue with. The only other question I ever had a serious problem with like that was one from passage 2 of test 3.
 
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My test scores from EK would either be a 7 or a 8. Maybe twice I pulled a 9.

I ended up with a 10 on the real thing. I think AAMC practice test are more predictive of VS.
 
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OCDOCDOCD said:
I have written down that on passage IV of test 9 I had a question that I decided to throw out because the explanation given for the right answer seemed to contradict the answer itself, as well as imply that there actually wasn't a right answer at all for that question. I forget which one it was since I didn't write that down, but I'd be willing to bet it's the one you're having issue with. The only other question I ever had a serious problem with like that was one from passage 2 of test 3.
Click to expand...

Ok awesome, it seems like that's the same question I had the question about. Thanks man! That one question makes a difference in the score by one point too haha
 
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EK1 : 4
EK 2: 10
EK 3: 12

What did I do between 1 and 2? I read their entire verbal strategy book (it is a succinct, quick read). Their strategy and perspective on it is priceless.
 
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What's everyones thought about exam 14? I thought it was really weird and one of the most difficult ones. I ended up scoring a 7. 🙁

Overall, I think the real AAMC verbal questions are more straightforward and the answers are more clear-cut. Anyone agree?
 
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crazedpiggy said:
What's everyones thought about exam 14? I thought it was really weird and one of the most difficult ones. I ended up scoring a 7. 🙁

Overall, I think the real AAMC verbal questions are more straightforward and the answers are more clear-cut. Anyone agree?
Click to expand...
None of the exams really seemed much harder or easier than the others IMO. Really the only verbal passages I've come across that were far harder than anything else I've seen in my MCAT studying were the TV and Confucious passages from AAMC 3, the latter of which was one of the most confusing and bizarre things I've ever read.
 
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a lot of the passages in the final few tests have to do with china.

1 left to do. this book is decent practice BUT it would be a terrible thing to simply use only EK for verbal. pretty disappointed they have quite a few errors in the answer keys
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
EK 1= 5 (on time)
EK 2= 7 (5 mins over time)
Ek 3= 5 (6 mins over time)
EK 4= 6 (10 mins over time)
EK 5= 7 (5 mins over time)
EK 6= 6 (2 mins to spare. Finally!)
EK 7= 6 (one minute over time. 🙁 )
Click to expand...

Are you thoroughly reviewing the answers and thought process? If not, you're wasting passages. If you have been, please accept my apology as I know exactly how frustrating verbal can be. However, after 50+ passages, you've made no scoring progress thus far while exhausting (more than) the entire test time. I think I'd explore change if I were you.

Good luck. :luck:
 
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polymathg said:
My test scores from EK would either be a 7 or a 8. Maybe twice I pulled a 9.

I ended up with a 10 on the real thing. I think AAMC practice test are more predictive of VS.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm averaging right now with test date in 3.5 days. 🙁
Tbh, I don't think it's gonna go up any higher by doing more practices...might as well spend that time practicing in other sections, no?
 
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Quester said:
That's what I'm averaging right now with test date in 3.5 days. 🙁
Tbh, I don't think it's gonna go up any higher by doing more practices...might as well spend that time practicing in other sections, no?
Click to expand...
With 3 days left you're pretty much out of time, period. The last day or two of your studying should be spent doing nothing MCAT related at all. No tests, no passages, no discretes, no flashcards, no SDN, you get the idea.
 
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