how many passages are actually in the verbal?

[latrala2300]

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I'm sorry for asking an extremely noob question, but with my mcat in 19 days this is stressing me out. Various sources say different things, so how many passages are actually on the 60 minute verbal section? I know it's 40 questions. 6? 7? Cheers.

 

[Rabolisk]

I've worked under the assumption that it is 7.

 

[EgyptianDoc]

40 questions, 60 minutes, 7 passages, 8.5 minutes per passage or 17 minutes per passage pair. I uploaded a Kaplan Timing Cheat Sheet for you. Cheers 🙂

 

[Rabolisk]

Of course, you should practice with much more difficult constraints. I prefer 7 minutes. That way, I can spend extra time on that one really difficult passage, and on those wishy-washy questions.

 

[EgyptianDoc]

Of course, you should practice with much more difficult constraints. I prefer 7 minutes. That way, I can spend extra time on that one really difficult passage, and on those wishy-washy questions.

👍 I totally agree with this. The real exam has longer passages. However, if your score significantly decreases because of the constraint then increase it until you reach a comfortable limit that doesn't exceed 8.5 minutes (obviously).

 

[latrala2300]

thank you both. i took a kaplan exam and had this to say about it:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=9994245#post9994245

since you guys know what you're talking about, i'd appreciate your insights there too. the timing wasn't a problem AT ALL (finished with 20 mins to spare), but I got 9 wrong (which, according to kaplan, is an 8). 1) Are kaplan's curves too easy, indicating i should expect worse on the real deal? 2) Is kaplan easy to finish early? muchos gracias