How are you practicing your verbal?

[Ebete]

I have been doing 3 passages /week EK1001, and am assuming that is not enough since my scores reflect my practice time, how about you?

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[Mandek]

I have been doing 3 passages /week EK1001, and am assuming that is not enough since my scores reflect my practice time, how about you?

I am doing the EK Verbal 101. Is there a EK Verbal 1001?

 

[SN2ed]

When I was studying I did about a full length every day under timed conditions. I tried to do 40 questions, but sometimes it would be slightly under or over. Then I got some "help" from my Kaplan teacher..... I went back to what I was doing, but never fully recovered.

 

[Mandek]

When I was studying I did about a full length every day under timed conditions. I tried to do 40 questions, but sometimes it would be slightly under or over. Then I got some "help" from my Kaplan teacher..... I went back to what I was doing, but never fully recovered.

How did you do on your real MCAT? I must say I do agree with you on your view on diags.

 

[SN2ed]

I got a 10. I know I could do better. I mean actually get a higher score, not just the, "duh the scale goes up to 15." I was averaging 12-13, then the Kaplan instructor warned me that if I kept going I would definitely burn out. She told me I had better stop practicing verbal so much. I trusted her judgment since I thought, "she's taken the MCAT and must have done well to become a teacher for it." How wrong was I....

 

[physics junkie]

3 passages/week isn't all that much if you want to see improvement. That means I could catch up to all your passage reading for the year in about 22 hours...or what would be 3 straight days of verbal. My advice would be to up your study time significantly if VR is your weak point.

 

[Ebete]

I am doing the EK Verbal 101. Is there a EK Verbal 1001?

Yeah, that's what I meant, the science books are 1001. Sorry

 

[Ebete]

I guess I get so into the sciences I forget all about how important verbal is. This is why I can't get out of the 8-10 range, I'm going to need to step up things a bit.

Which is more effective; a passage/day with an increase as time gets close to the test or 3 or more passages everyother day also with increase to full lenght?

 

[kronickm]

I do a full length rougly every ten days with smaller practices in between.

 

[RSAgator]

Doing about 6 passages a week from verbal 101. Once I get to 5 weeks before the test I will have a few passages left from verbal 101 and full lengths. The thing that sucks about verbal is that you can run out of quality passages very easily. I like doing my verbal practice in a good practice setting so 40 questions in 60 minutes typically. It's a lot easier to do well when you just focus on fewer passages even if they are timed, so I make sure that when I am studying verbal (doing passages) i'm doing them in optimal conditions.

How much time do you have till the MCAT?

 

[jdla]

I guess I get so into the sciences I forget all about how important verbal is. This is why I can't get out of the 8-10 range, I'm going to need to step up things a bit.

Which is more effective; a passage/day with an increase as time gets close to the test or 3 or more passages everyother day also with increase to full lenght?

3 passage every other day

 

[Ebete]

Doing about 6 passages a week from verbal 101. Once I get to 5 weeks before the test I will have a few passages left from verbal 101 and full lengths. The thing that sucks about verbal is that you can run out of quality passages very easily. I like doing my verbal practice in a good practice setting so 40 questions in 60 minutes typically. It's a lot easier to do well when you just focus on fewer passages even if they are timed, so I make sure that when I am studying verbal (doing passages) i'm doing them in optimal conditions.

How much time do you have till the MCAT?

I'm aiming for the June test, so roughly 19 weeks to go!

 

[mterp45]

I have been doing 3 passages /week EK1001, and am assuming that is not enough since my scores reflect my practice time, how about you?

I read the Newyorker for about an hour every day.

 

[majik1213]

i do two practice passages/day .. took exam last June .. now just doing it to see how much better i can get in case of a retake .. +1 point so far bleh

 

[0Complications]

I read the Newyorker for about an hour every day.

Unless you finish what you read and the editor asks you a series of questions about the passage then I wouldn't recommend this to the OP as VR "Practice". I agree with what the poster above stated about timed conditions. Try to keep taking timed tests. From what I can tell there is a ton of material out there.

EK - VR book with 3 30-min exams
EK 101 - 11 full length old style 85 min passages (9 passages and 60 Q's per exam) ~16 hours of testing and 674 Q's.
Kaplan (if you're taking it) - 10 sectional exams (all 60 mins, 7 passages, 40 Q's)
Kaplan - 10 Full length CBT's, with 10 FL verbal sections
Kaplan - Verbal Workbook 11 FL verbal sections with review
TPR - They have a ton of sectional and FL exams, I haven't picked any up yet, but I have seen a number of them at the bookstore.
Gold Standard - 10 FL Exams (So, 10 FL Verbal passages)
1-3 AAMC Exams - Old school, but still work (I have them in a book)
AAMC - FL Exams 4 - 10 (already listed 3)


Outside of those I'm sure you can find others, but the bottom line is that you have plenty of practice material out there, so I'm not sure why anyone is saying that you're going to run out of passages - at your pace you will only use ~180 passages by your exam date. That would just be what is in the Kaplan workbook and the EK 101.

So up your practice if you want, but just make sure that when you do take a practice you fully utilize it:

- Treat it as the real deal (time, focus, energy)
- Look at the correct answers when you're done and think why did I choose what I did and was my thinking the same (I recommend looking at ALL the answers [wrong and right].
- Then the next day reread the passages and sum up the main idea yourself. Then look at each set of questions and think about what you would pick if you applied your main idea to the questions
- Take more practice exams and apply what you're learning from your old ones.


That's my strategy (most of it is in some way shape or form from the EK method, which I would highly recommend you check out if you haven't already), so I'm banking on it working.

Either way, good luck and I hope whatever method you choose works out for you.

Off to take another 60 min verbal section.

 

[Ebete]

Unless you finish what you read and the editor asks you a series of questions about the passage then I wouldn't recommend this to the OP as VR "Practice". I agree with what the poster above stated about timed conditions. Try to keep taking timed tests. From what I can tell there is a ton of material out there.

EK - VR book with 3 30-min exams
EK 101 - 11 full length old style 85 min passages (9 passages and 60 Q's per exam) ~16 hours of testing and 674 Q's.
Kaplan (if you're taking it) - 10 sectional exams (all 60 mins, 7 passages, 40 Q's)
Kaplan - 10 Full length CBT's, with 10 FL verbal sections
Kaplan - Verbal Workbook 11 FL verbal sections with review
TPR - They have a ton of sectional and FL exams, I haven't picked any up yet, but I have seen a number of them at the bookstore.
Gold Standard - 10 FL Exams (So, 10 FL Verbal passages)
1-3 AAMC Exams - Old school, but still work (I have them in a book)
AAMC - FL Exams 4 - 10 (already listed 3)


Outside of those I'm sure you can find others, but the bottom line is that you have plenty of practice material out there, so I'm not sure why anyone is saying that you're going to run out of passages - at your pace you will only use ~180 passages by your exam date. That would just be what is in the Kaplan workbook and the EK 101.

So up your practice if you want, but just make sure that when you do take a practice you fully utilize it:

- Treat it as the real deal (time, focus, energy)
- Look at the correct answers when you're done and think why did I choose what I did and was my thinking the same (I recommend looking at ALL the answers [wrong and right].
- Then the next day reread the passages and sum up the main idea yourself. Then look at each set of questions and think about what you would pick if you applied your main idea to the questions
- Take more practice exams and apply what you're learning from your old ones.


That's my strategy (most of it is in some way shape or form from the EK method, which I would highly recommend you check out if you haven't already), so I'm banking on it working.

Either way, good luck and I hope whatever method you choose works out for you.

Off to take another 60 min verbal section.

LOVE LOVE LOVE your avatar!!

I have actually been using EK, I like their verbal methods and works for me, the only reason why I haven't seen much improvement (I think) is probably due to how many passages I am doing. I just find no time!!!! By the time I'm done with the other science chapters I'm either drooling on my desk or have a little kid yanking on my leg for a snack. I REALLY needto get serious with this and start incoorporating it like another science chapter. How are you doing this? Do you do Bio and verbal in one day, or Bio one day and the next verbal?
Sorry I'm just trying to figure out what I should do...oh and btw I read Newsweek EVERY morning/night also in the WC. It's not as challenging as the New yorker but the articles are great and of great variety (science-politics), and keeps my eyes in the reading mode (even the boring articles)

Break is over, back to action potentials.

 

[0Complications]

LOVE LOVE LOVE your avatar!!

I have actually been using EK, I like their verbal methods and works for me, the only reason why I haven't seen much improvement (I think) is probably due to how many passages I am doing. I just find no time!!!! By the time I'm done with the other science chapters I'm either drooling on my desk or have a little kid yanking on my leg for a snack. I REALLY needto get serious with this and start incoorporating it like another science chapter. How are you doing this? Do you do Bio and verbal in one day, or Bio one day and the next verbal?
Sorry I'm just trying to figure out what I should do...oh and btw I read Newsweek EVERY morning/night also in the WC. It's not as challenging as the New yorker but the articles are great and of great variety (science-politics), and keeps my eyes in the reading mode (even the boring articles)

Break is over, back to action potentials.

Thanks.

I would incorporate verbal just like any other section (although it doesn't require as much background, just practice). I don't see how verbal can take much more than 2 hours a day (if that, probably closer to 1 hour a day). Since I don't need any review for verbal I'm just mixing it in with whatever I have for that day. For instance, today I was taking Bio exams, verbal exams and reviewed some Organic. Just depends on you. I try to keep them all balanced, but verbal ends up getting a little love everyday, unlike the other sciences which get a lot of love on independent days.

 

[PsychEpathic]

Just doing passages and more passages. Try reading some dry ones...those really test how well you're doing.