Help with verbal

[dganaden]

I need all the help I can get with the verbal section. I can not seem to get over 6 on all my practice tests. I miss the 7 by one point tonight. I am using the EK 101 book and their series of book.

Any help would be great.

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[firebird69guy]

Are you finishing the tests? Or guessing on passages?

 

[dganaden]

Are you finishing the tests? Or guessing on passages?

I finish the sections with about 2-3 minutes left. I try not to guess on the passages, but always seem to be missing the easy questions. Is it possible to read to deep into the answers?

 

[mishjtnyu]

You know they say the best practice for verbal is just reading...like the New York Times or a paper cover to cover, even the pages you don't like. Maybe if you read more in general your scores will go up? Are you taking an MCAT class? You might be getting tricked into the wrong answers. I know in PR and Kaplan books for example, im sure examkrackers says the same, that there are often times an answer to each verbal question that doesn't answer the question. i.e. the answer is too specific or doesnt even answer the question. Are you using prep materials?

 

[tmudi]

Hi,
my daughter in wake fores university premed. mcat 27/ gpa 3.0 she said their gpa is weighted gpa. do u suggest her taking one more time MCAT. how to improve gpa.
thanks

You know they say the best practice for verbal is just reading...like the New York Times or a paper cover to cover, even the pages you don't like. Maybe if you read more in general your scores will go up? Are you taking an MCAT class? You might be getting tricked into the wrong answers. I know in PR and Kaplan books for example, im sure examkrackers says the same, that there are often times an answer to each verbal question that doesn't answer the question. i.e. the answer is too specific or doesnt even answer the question. Are you using prep materials?

 

[guitarguy09]

I started out in the same boat as you, scoring only 6's initially. Even though this is against what many people told me, after practicing and practicing with no results, I changed my gameplan. I decided to go slower and be more careful in my reading/answering. Even though I often had one passage left over my score went up a few points (you are bound to guess 1-2 right answers on the passage you don't finish, just make sure it isn't a passage with a lot of questions). This strategy worked for me after I decided I would shoot for a 10, instead of trying to get them all correct. I would give this approach a shot if you continually have problems increasing your score. Hope this helps.

Oh, and so you know... don't be discouraged by this right now. Keep practicing and trying different methods until one works. I was in your situation this time last year and now I'm going to med school next year, just try and keep the faith. Good luck!!

 

[firebird69guy]

I started out in the same boat as you, scoring only 6's initially. Even though this is against what many people told me, after practicing and practicing with no results, I changed my gameplan. I decided to go slower and be more careful in my reading/answering. Even though I often had one passage left over my score went up a few points (you are bound to guess 1-2 right answers on the passage you don't finish, just make sure it isn't a passage with a lot of questions). This strategy worked for me after I decided I would shoot for a 10, instead of trying to get them all correct. I would give this approach a shot if you continually have problems increasing your score. Hope this helps.

Oh, and so you know... don't be discouraged by this right now. Keep practicing and trying different methods until one works. I was in your situation this time last year and now I'm going to med school next year, just try and keep the faith. Good luck!!

Did that last year... and ended up with 7V..

never again! =)

I guess it works for some people though..

 

[TicAL]

The main advice I can offer is to just work on the understanding of the total passage and it's overall meaning. The passages are filled with a bunch of random facts and figures, but try not too hard to memorize them as you go through...just understand what the facts represent and what the author is trying to get it. Though some people advise against it, I personally haven't had any problems going back into the passage to find relevent data to answer questions that ask for specific data.

I try to look at every passage critically, to identify the author's flaws and/or obvious biases. Paying close attention to the adjectives used also helps to identify exactly how the author feels.

My personal opinion on MCAT Verbal is that the large majority of the questions just refer to the passage as a whole. Understanding the basic concepts of the passage can help you answer the majority of the questions.

Helpful? Or completely confusing?