How do you do your verbal?

[Richter915]

Do you pop it open and go straight through in order or do you go to each passage and figure out your order from there. At first I did the straight through method, then I tried to go through the verbal and order myself, and now I'm back to going straight on through.

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[qtrlifecrisis]

straight on through...i figure i'm going to answer them all anyway, so might as well not waste time "triaging".

 

[poppytart]

I did it straight through...i think its time consuming to order them for a cbt.

 

[The Force]

I'm sorry, but going through and ranking passages is probably the most ridiculous strategy I've ever heard. I'm assuming that those who use this strategy already have trouble finishing. Why waste a large chunk of time "evaluating" the passages? You can't really know how easy or hard a passage is until after you read it and answer the questions. Straight through is the way to go.

 

[killinsound]

i think its funny to rank passages because its kind of banking on NOT finishing all the passages.

 

[finality333]

I read really really really fast and answer the questions on the right hand side......REALLY FAST....then i press next......PRESS IT FAST TOO. HAHAHAHAH

 

[bluesTank]

First, I bend over, and then.........

I get a 7

 

[mongrel]

I do verbal like I do my women. Straight through, no bells and whistles or wasting time trying to predict what something will be like-- I just jump right in.

And oh yes. I always finish.

 

[AnEyeLikeMars]

I'm sorry, but going through and ranking passages is probably the most ridiculous strategy I've ever heard. I'm assuming that those who use this strategy already have trouble finishing. Why waste a large chunk of time "evaluating" the passages? You can't really know how easy or hard a passage is until after you read it and answer the questions. Straight through is the way to go.

I completely agree, it's a waste of time and hard to judge anyway.

 

[Lshapley]

I only triage a passage if it is really nasty. If I find myself unable to understand what the author is trying to say, then I save it for last. I end up doing that about every other practice MCAT. Also, on my computer at home, I lost seven minutes the other night going from the final screen to review omitted, so I am really hesitant to go to the final screen anymore.

 

[scottj72]

I always go in order and answer every question even if it is a guess. I have always been paranoid I would bubble in the wrong questions if I skiped one. I guess the CBT does eliminate that problem. I do not read the questions before the passage. However I am actively reading antisipating MCAT type questions. I find it helpful to read the first paragraph and last paragraph first. This gives me a quick idea of what the passage is really about. Then I skim the first paragraph again and begin reading the remaining passage. I often found I got lost in the passage. But know since I have an idea of what the author is trying to say, I am usually able to see how this paragraph relates back to what the author is trying to say.

 

[CATallergy]

i think its funny to rank passages because its kind of banking on NOT finishing all the passages.

I actually do the opposite - when practicing, I notice that I always get sloppy by the end of the section (just from burnout). so if a passage looks easy (like science/politics/econ), I might skip it to hit the harder ones first (e.g. social criticism), so my mind will be sharp.

note: I always finish VR with minutes to spare, so I'm not too worried that a skipped, easy passage will not get completed. if you run out of time, this strategy would be horrible.

 

[HristosKaran]

I actually do the opposite - when practicing, I notice that I always get sloppy by the end of the section (just from burnout). so if a passage looks easy (like science/politics/econ), I might skip it to hit the harder ones first (e.g. social criticism), so my mind will be sharp.

note: I always finish VR with minutes to spare, so I'm not too worried that a skipped, easy passage will not get completed. if you run out of time, this strategy would be horrible.

I'm the exact opposite, I always try to find the easiest passage first, because I notice I'm more into the groove after a passage or two...I usually save the really hard ones for the very end. That way if I guess, at least I would probably of been guessing anyways