For those who have already been through the real MCAT verbal

[jillzhou]

I've started studying for the verbal section and my biggest problem is that I can't seem to finish up on time. Since the actual test is computerized, how do you have time switching from page to page/section to section while simultaneously taking notes/highlighting? I feel I'll lose a lot of time on the real thing because I've always studied using a book (just like the SATs). Any input greatly appreciated!

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[ijongoo]

Actually, you'll save a lot of time on the real one. The computer screen is divided into two sides, the left side is the passage , and on the right side there are all the questions. all you do is scroll up and down. so you dont need to flip pages and get confused and end up losing time.

i always ran out of time for practice verbal (by just a few questions), but i ended up having 5 minutes to spare on the real thing. and i looked over every question in that time which was great.

 

[FattySlug]

You should definitely order some practice CBT. It will help you familiarize with the test. I use highlighting feature while doing verbal too. just hover our cursor next to the passage and highlight as you read but make sure you don't slowdown to do it.

 

[bfarn30]

You should definitely order some practice CBT. It will help you familiarize with the test. I use highlighting feature while doing verbal too. just hover our cursor next to the passage and highlight as you read but make sure you don't slowdown to do it.

You NEED to order some online content to see what the testing interface looks like. O/w it will be totally foreign to you on test day.

 

[Ismet]

As the above replies say, you need to do some online computer-based practice tests. The ones from AAMC cost $35 each and they are good predictors of the ballpark of score you'll get on the real test. It's in the same format as the real test (including the little tutorial at the beginning) and you can highlight in the passage and strikeout wrong answers just like on the real one.

One good piece of advice I got from my Kaplan class was that once you start reading a passage, COMMIT to it. Read the whole passage and answer those questions. In the PS and BS sections it's easy to mark a question and come back to it later. That is harder to do in VR as you may forget important details from the passage after you read the other 6. You can still mark a question to review, but limit that in VR. Try to average 7-8 minutes on each passage + questions.

In the Kaplan classes we learned about mapping the passage and writing down the topic, scope, and purpose...complete waste of time. I could never finish the VR in 60 min if I mapped. Just highlight names, dates, places, key or unusual phrases, and transition words (signifies a change in opinion or topic).

When you read the questions, try to answer them in your head (if possible) before looking for the answers. Sometimes other answer choices can confuse you and if you have an idea of what the answer is before you see the choices, you are more likely to choose the right answer.

 

[Glazebrook]

To expand on Ismet's comments, something that I did to keep myself on track for verbal is to quickly write down the start times 60-52-44-36-28-20-12-4 on the scratch paper and then label each start time with the corresponding passage (1-7, 4 minutes for extra time). You'll end up spending a little more time on the passages with 7 questions versus the ones with only 5 questions, but it should help you stay on track if that's what you're having trouble with.

 

[ridethecliche]

I've also found that excessive highlighting is counterproductive since you're more likely to miss an answer you haven't highlighted if you're highlighting everything.

I ONLY highlight main points and where the author is making bold statements.

 

[Glazebrook]

I've also found that excessive highlighting is counterproductive since you're more likely to miss an answer you haven't highlighted if you're highlighting everything.

I ONLY highlight main points and where the author is making bold statements.

+1

I also made (very) quick looks at the questions before the passage but ONLY for questions referring to a specific word in the passage. I then highlighted the word when I read the passage so I could quickly refer back to it (can't do that if everything's highlighted).

 

[ModernAlchemist]

You need to practice online like the above posts indicate. If you're not finishing on time, you're doing too much second-guessing and going back. I had a big problem with this. The way I improved my score is to simply take my time reading and then just make "gut judgments" without over-thinking anything. Yes, you will miss some, but you will gain a lot more by getting to consider all the passages and questions. That said, I messed up this advice on my real test. Practice this method and you won't make the same mistake.

 

[btc8]

This is all very good advice. I followed EK strategy of "read for the main idea." I also practiced from their 101 passage book. I had trouble timing too, but I did a few things to remedy that.

First, I forced myself to read for the main idea: I would basically summarize each paragraph (chunking, in my head) as I read and then the whole passage after I was finished. This seems like it takes long, but it's just a few words, in my head, about the main idea.

Second, I only look back when it requires it: A small detail, a name, etc.

Third, I answered each question as they were presented. I did not skip.

Fourth, always practice by timing yourself. If you practice the above, you will find that more efficiently you answer the questions, the less you back, and the more effectively you summarize the main idea(s), that you can get done with passages in approximately 8 minutes.