For the people who got 12+ in verbal...

[TheGuy2000]

How did you do it? I'm loving Examkrackers, and am eating up all of their tests and any tests I can get my hands on. But what were your methods? English majors? Some secret code? Thanks, And congrats to all who did well on the April MCAT, and keep hope alive for August if you didn't!

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[ornis4]

How did you do it? I'm loving Examkrackers, and am eating up all of their tests and any tests I can get my hands on. But what were your methods? English majors? Some secret code? Thanks, And congrats to all who did well on the April MCAT, and keep hope alive for August if you didn't!

I got a 12 on the verbal, and I wish I could divulge some simple formula I found, but I can't. It's funny, verbal was always my weaker side on the SATs and GREs while math was clearly my strength. I used EK, and practiced a modest amount, especially compared to many others around here. I think the biggest key for me was learning the style that test-makers use with the verbal section...when I first read the EK hints about answer "types" and how to spot them, I thought it was BS...but then I kind of found it to be true in many cases. So when I went through the verbal on the actual test, I was very wary, read the passages closely with an open mind, and then perused the answers very carefully, usually avoiding any answers I thought to be either too obvious, or too final...but like I said, no magic formula here. I also really appreciated EK's tip to wait 5 seconds and take a deep breath before moving on to another passage. There have been many times when I've jumped right in and had to start over after realizing I hadn't really been paying close attention to the passage. Clearing your mind in between each passage should help a lot...as should reading at a decent pace, absorbing the passage. That's all I can think of...and once again, I'm certainly no expert. I needed the 12 to balance my other sections, so I'm very thankful. Good luck!

 

[wldhokie]

I got a 13 on the verbal and I think keeping things simple is a good strategy. When I read the passage and went with my gut feeling or first impulse, I would get 12's on the practice tests. When I would really think about my answer and analyze I got between an 8 and a 10. My advice is to do tons of practice tests and when the big day comes, relax and trust your instinct. Good luck!

 

[An Yong]

Up Up down down left right left right B A B A select start = free 50 points on verbal section =) Hehe.

Anyways, one thing that helped me a lot was actually from kaplan (see kaplan is useful in some ways). Before answering each question, I'd try to answer the question without looking at the answer choices. It helps prevent being misled by the tricky answer choices. But, don't spend too much time using this strategy, if you can't come up with an answer in 3 or 4 seconds, go ahead and look at the answer choice. Oh here's one from MCAT 45, if you have no clue what the answer is to a question, skip it and answer the rest of the questions of that passages. Sometimes, by answering the rest of the questions and reading the rest of the question stems will sometimes give you a clue as to how to answer the questionable question

Good Luck

Oh, and do a lot of practice tests =P

 

[stoic]

I got a 13 in verbal.

I think what helped me the most was experience reading complicated and not so interesting research publications. You really have to focus and read for understanding with those - makes for great verbal practice.

 

[superdevil]

I think what helped me the most was experience reading complicated and not so interesting research publications. You really have to focus and read for understanding with those - makes for great verbal practice.

ditto. i got a 12 like this. use both scientific and philosophical journals for best results.

 

[lynnier79]

i, too, got a 12.

i used EK techniques and really found visualizing the author helpful. the gut feelings i got from doing that were almost always on the mark for those "main idea' questions. the more complicated mapping that kaplan suggested just didnt seem to work for me in verbal, because so many of the questions were NOT detail oriented. i just felt like i was wasting time mapping when i could slow down my reading and really "listen" to the passage at hand.

also, the advice EK gives about taking a 5 second break between passages was key for me. i would take a deep breath, remind myself that i am no longer thinking about the last passage, and then i would move on. really move on. my mind wouldnt be about the old passage anymore. that ritual really helped me refocus.

good luck!

 

[elephunt]

Okay, I got a 15. I wish I could tell you that there was some magic thing I did that helped me get that score...I was an English major at one point, and ended up being and Economics/Communications double major, so clearly I have an affinity for the verbal side of things. But I got a 9 on my Kaplan diagnostic so I still studied and tried to use the Kaplan strategies (I took their review class.) Some of them seem stupid and like common sense, but they really helped me; I tend to over-analyze questions, and Kaplan tells you to categorize answer choices into certain types of choices in order to eliminate down to the best answer. I also really tried to answer the question without looking at the answer choices if at all possible, so that I wouldn't be fooled by tricky wording or plausible-sounding (but not actually correct) choices. When I read a question and couldn't immediately think of an answer without looking at the choices, I would go back to the passage and re-read the pertinent paragraph to try to come up with an answer. (I think you're not supposed to do this too much because it can slow you down, but I was generally okay on timing so...) My best advice is not to over-analyze questions and to try to answer as many questions as you can without looking at the answer choices. If you're taking a prep class, try to practice the question types that you have the most trouble with and learn to identify the "trick" answer choices. Hope this helps!

 

[lorelei]

I got 15. I don't think I used any particular strategies; the reason your verbal score is so hard to change is that it's really a talent that develops long-term from reading a lot. Reading a variety of things is very useful.

I read a lot of crap (think Anne Rice and Cosmo magazine), which is actually not bad because it at least keeps me used to reading, and keeps my speed up (I finished the section way before time). But I also read magazines like the New Yorker or the Atlantic, pop-science books (I love Carl Sagan), and decent novels, and that sort of thing is definitely more useful.

Practice reading with an eye to analyzing the arguments - flip through your New Yorker, pick an essay on a somewhat controversial topic, and look for the assumptions, logical flaws, arrangement of the argument.

There tend to be passages from the natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. You should practice reading about each of those, obviously focusing on whatever's harder for you. You don't need to be reading scientific papers; the MCAT passages are at the level of pop-science books you find at the bookstore. Actually, on my MCAT one of the passages was out of a book I read, loved, and discussed with my friends - that was a lucky break, but just doing reading and discussion on any topic is a big help.

I think (but don't know from experience) that finding someone who's good in verbal to help you practice could be really helpful. They can show you how their thought process goes when scanning the passage for answers - reading the explanations in the review books is helpful but not the same.

The strategies people mentioned: come back to impossible questions, try to think of the answer before you read the choices, don't read the passage as carefully as if you had to memorize it, are all good.

Edit: one strategy I did use. In the back of the booklet, it gives attributions for the passages. This can be very helpful for those questions that ask about the author's biases - I remember one practice exam had a passage put out by a marketing association, which made the bias pretty darn clear.

 

[Whitney]

I went from a 7 on the Kaplan diagnostic to a 14 on the test. I think what helped me most was practicing a ton and really dissecting the ones I got wrong. I think Kaplan's workshops which encourage you to get the main point of the passage were also useful...I kept asking myself, "what's this writer trying to say here." Also, trying to predict the direction of a passage before you read the next paragraph, predicting answer chioices before you look at them was very good practice. Hope it helps.



PS: For more on verbal stuff, I posted in Practice Tests vs. Real MCAT Scores for April 04 Thread

 

[MoosePilot]

I got a 13 on verbal.

On my previous two admins I got a 12 and an 11. This time I took TPR. I mapped the passage (briefly) and applied most of their techniques except skipping around (I knew I'd do all passages, so I didn't waste my time skipping around to find the easiest first).

 

[Marvin O'Connor]

I got 15 on verbal. I'm an engineer, so I was shocked since we can't communicate. I think reading classic literature and non-fiction written before 1960 helps alot. The archaic prose in these is hard to understand sometimes, so it gives you good practice. Also, reading technical journals is great. I wish there was a magic formula.

 

[Kazema]

I got a 14 on verbal. I think my score is a combination of reading a lot throughout my life, and in the past few years reading a lot of psychological journal articles, science books written for the layperson, and I think (maybe I'm wrong) developing an interest for art as well as my long-time interest in music. They really seem to love putting those art history or music history passages in there, and I think actually being interested in the stuff helps. Short of actually becoming interested in it, at least expose yourself to it so that you have an idea of what they're talking about.

Well to be more accurate, a large part of my score comes from those things. The first diag I took I scored an 11. The other 3 points came from practice and picking certain strategies from the TPR course that worked for me. Not all of their (or Kaplan's or EK's I imagine) strategies will work for everyone, but I'm sure that by trying them out and practicing them a bit, you'll find a few that do decrease the amount of time it takes you to get through a passage and understand it as well as increase the number of questions you can answer correctly. I think that being able to finish all of the questions for all of the passages before time expires (without sacrificing accuracy) gives you a HUGE advantage score-wise.

 

[ucsdmd2b]

I got a 13 on verbal. I think its the hardest section to give tips on, since so much of it is innate ability and experience. I read all the time and have since I was a kid, I'm sure that didn't hurt. I took TPR and started out with 10's and 11's on the first few diags, I think some of their strategies did help push me up a little higher, especially writing down the main idea and tone of the passage right after I read it. I went back to the passage for any question I wasn't 100% sure on. If I got stuck between 2 answers (which was usually the case on the harder questions), I would save it for later and try and eliminate whichever choice was just a little too broad or too specific. Basically, I think a lot of it just comes down to practice and feeling comfortable with your abilities.
Best of luck!

 

[dave613]

So, for all of you guys who got 12+ on the verbal, what type of books have you been reading? also, have any of you gotten scores of 12 and above, without having been avid readers all of your lives?

 

[Kazema]

Here are the last 5 books I read before the MCATs. I didn't read them all while studying, but rather over the course of the past year:

"The Executive Brain" - Elkhonen Goldberg
"Foucault's Pendulum" - Umberto Eco
"The Name of the Rose" - Umberto Eco
"Sun Tzu's The Art of War" - Ralph D. Sawyer
Several chapters (still not finished) of "Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid" - Douglas R. Hofstadter.

I actually read GEB during the two days before the test when I didn't do any studying but wanted to keep my mind sharp. It's a monster of a book .

 

[shock827]

I rarely read for leisure. I got a 12 and I don't even remember the last book I read for fun. I really need to read more Even if you are not an avid reader, you can still pull off a high score by practicing and honing your verbal strat and with a little luck on your side!

 

[Marvin O'Connor]

Just for kicks, here are the last five books I read before MCAT day. These were read during my studying. As I said above, I got a 15.

1. For Whom the Bell Tolls - Hemingway
2. Death in the Afternoon - Hemingway
3. The Civil War: A Narrative - Shelby Foote (all 3,000 pages or so!)
4. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
5. The Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace

Right now, I am reading The House of God by Shem. A surgeon I know recommended it. It is an eye opener.

 

[iggyboop]

I got 15 on verbal. I'm an engineer, so I was shocked since we can't communicate.

This made my day.

 

[lorelei]

Books I remember reading before the MCAT:

Carl Sagan, "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark"
Jared Diamond, "Guns, Germs, and Steel"
Neal Stephenson, "Cryptonomicon"
Neil Gaiman, "American Gods"
Diana Gabaldon, "Outlander"
Anne Perry mysteries and a bunch of other non-literary books

I definitely recommend the Sagan; it's very inspiring, gives a review of scientific philosophy, and has some good stuff on critical thinking. Also the Diamond is pretty relevant to the types of passages you'd find on the test.

The next two books on my list aren't especially relevant subject-matter-wise, but I recommend them if they appeal to you, because they're well-written and complex enough to give you practice while entertaining you. The last two are just what I happened to be reading for fun.

 

[blz]

Anyone get a 12+ that doesn't read at all? I somehow managed an 11 and never read a book out of liesure in my whole life.

 

[dave613]

Thanks a million guys, i really appreciated it!!

 

[elephunt]

I'm impressed by all the heavy-duty literature some of you guys were reading before the MCAT...I didn't have time to read anything besides my textbooks and the occasional newspaper during lunch...and if I had time, I probably would have been reading some pop-lit or Pride and Prejudice for the nine millionth time. In fact, I didn't start any new books on purpose for about two months before the MCAT, because I get so into whatever book I'm reading that I slack on everything else (i.e., studying) until I finish it. But I definitely agree that being a practiced reader helps with the verbal section...I'm in grad school, and I think reading endless boring research articles and having to distill the author's arguments for class discussion also helped. If you're not a read-for-fun kind of person, I guess the best way to approximate would be doing tons of practice passages? Bleah. I don't know. I'm trying to give useful advice, but the people on this thread are right...some of it just comes down to luck of the DNA.

 

[skiz knot]

Anyone get a 12+ that doesn't read at all? I somehow managed an 11 and never read a book out of liesure in my whole life.

I got a 12 and I haven't read anything more substantial than the newspaper (usually just sports) for years.

 

[terzian]

I got a 13 on the verbal. My advice? Read. All the time, whenever you can. Read the paper, medical journals, juvenile fiction; whatever floats your boat. Just keep reading!