For PS and BS passage based questions...

[sshung]

My strategy is to read the questions first and to see if I can do them by process of elimination without reading the passage. Then I look for the key words/paragraphs that the questions are asking. Basically I barely read most of passages. I've getting 11-12 in BS and 12-14 in PS on the AAMC practices tests. However, my concern is that I've heard that the actual MCAT is more passage based in science sections. I was wondering if I should change my strategy so I won't get screwed on the actual MCAT.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Ssina]

that's what I have heard too, you can try AAMC 11 with this strategy since many say it's closest to the actual one and see if you can do the same... and let me know how it goes!

I was actually wondering about this, so do you just spend the rest of the time working the questions slower?! mmm maybe I'll try it tomorrow when I'll take a practice test! I guess it doesn't hurt to just do the questions and read (even the whole passage if you have to) once you get to questions that require info from the passage.. plus passages have too many junk info in them anyways!

(although I have come across some questions that can go either way, but because of the info the in passage, the answer is one and not the other!)

 

[MrNeuro]

that's what I have heard too, you can try AAMC 11 with this strategy since many say it's closest to the actual one and see if you can do the same... and let me know how it goes!

I was actually wondering about this, so do you just spend the rest of the time working the questions slower?! mmm maybe I'll try it tomorrow when I'll take a practice test! I guess it doesn't hurt to just do the questions and read (even the whole passage if you have to) once you get to questions that require info from the passage.. plus passages have too many junk info in them anyways!

(although I have come across some questions that can go either way, but because of the info the in passage, the answer is one and not the other!)

please update i really wanna know. Because i find myself usually wasting too much time on reading the passage rather than doing the questions.

 

[Ssina]

yeah idk.... too many of the numbers are from the passage, so I either end up spending the time looking for that number/concept or just reading the whole passage anyways! I guess, I'll just stick to reading and doing the questions in order

 

[ridethecliche]

This isn't how it works on the real exam.

There's tons of info buried in the passages even in PS.

If it works for 11, then maybe you should go at it, but you might be shocked come test day.

 

[MedPR]

I read the passage mostly so I know where the details are located so finding them to answer a question isn't as time consuming.

I also read the passage for specific details that might be counterintuitive or presented in a complicated way in a question. For instance, say you have a passage about bacterium, and in the passage it tells you that bacteria "A" has an outer membrane but due to unkown physiological factors it withholds crystal violet in the laboratory and therefore is classified as a gram positive bacterium. Then you have a question that asks

"According to the passage, bacteria A has an outer membrane and is:
A. Gram positive
B. Gram negative
C. A Virus
D. Not infectious to humans"

If you see "outer membrane" you immediately think gram negative. The question *seems* so simple and straight forward that you wouldn't look at the passage to check your answer, and if you hadn't read the passage beforehand you would happily pick the wrong answer and not even know it.