How much time to spend ACTUALLY READING each VR passage

[ej37]

I have been having some serious problems with pacing on VR. I have tried to use Vihsadas's method of doing each passage in 6.5 minutes, but it just doesn't seem to be working for me, I find myself struggling to finish in 8.

I usually (try) to spend about 3 minutes reading the passage and 5 minutes answering the questions, but sometimes this turns into 4 and 6 respectivley, and all of a sudden I am at the 30 minute mark with only 3 passages completed and 4 left to go. From what I can tell, the newer MCAT is just as long if not longer than AAMC 7-10 and EK 101 passages, so I am quite concerned about time on the real test, which is 2 short weeks away.

Examkrackers says that you should try not to go back to the passage, although I don't know, I find myself going back to the passage quite frequently, usually for almost everything except those big picture/main idea type questions.

I was wondering how everyone else's strategies compared to my own (if you even want to call my method a strategy at all). How long do you spend actually reading the passage, and how long answering the questions?

Also, do you answer the questions in the order they appear, or "triage" them as Kaplan suggests?

I guess the bottom line is I'm still having trouble figuring out the Verbal section- I feel like I am on the brink of figuring things out but just can't seem to get over the hump, especially as far as pacing is concerned. Thanks for your input and help.

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[unsung]

I have been having some serious problems with pacing on VR. I have tried to use Vihsadas's method of doing each passage in 6.5 minutes, but it just doesn't seem to be working for me, I find myself struggling to finish in 8.

I usually (try) to spend about 3 minutes reading the passage and 5 minutes answering the questions, but sometimes this turns into 4 and 6 respectivley, and all of a sudden I am at the 30 minute mark with only 3 passages completed and 4 left to go. From what I can tell, the newer MCAT is just as long if not longer than AAMC 7-10 and EK 101 passages, so I am quite concerned about time on the real test, which is 2 short weeks away.

Examkrackers says that you should try not to go back to the passage, although I don't know, I find myself going back to the passage quite frequently, usually for almost everything except those big picture/main idea type questions.

I was wondering how everyone else's strategies compared to my own (if you even want to call my method a strategy at all). How long do you spend actually reading the passage, and how long answering the questions?

Also, do you answer the questions in the order they appear, or "triage" them as Kaplan suggests?

I guess the bottom line is I'm still having trouble figuring out the Verbal section- I feel like I am on the brink of figuring things out but just can't seem to get over the hump, especially as far as pacing is concerned. Thanks for your input and help.

I spend about 3 min reading the passage too. Maybe 4, if it's long or convoluted. I think that is plenty of time. Maybe work on speeding up the Q answering portion. I usually spend about 3-5 minutes answering the Qs, so maybe that's where I make up the time. At this speed, I usually finish AAMC practice verbal sections about 10-15 min early. On the real thing, I finished about 5 min early.

Something that helps me is when I read the Q, I usually try to formulate a vague answer or sense of an answer in my head before looking at any of the options. Then I just kind of skim the answers until one pops out at me which matches my sense of the answer. If a particular Q is especially tough for me and I'm torn between 2 answers, I'll just pick an answer, mark the Q and move on. So just using those 2 techs have sped up my Q answering speed considerably.

 

[engineeredout]

I don't buy not going back to the passage. Often enough you end up with "mechanical" problems that involve looking up some inane detail. You can't remember all those stupid little details in the passages.

Triage = bull****. You're going to waste more time looking for easier question (or passage) then if you did them in order.

Personally I read through the passages in order, do the questions in order, look back at the passage if needed, and if I'm really stuck I mark the problem for later. Finishing on time has never been a problem for me. I end up with 10-15 minutes left when I click end. I've gotten 10s on all my practice AAMCs so far, but the questions I get wrong I wouldn't have gotten right if I spent more time on them, so its not like I'm rushing through.

If it takes you an extra few minutes to read certain passages, maybe thats because they are difficult and may require more time than others. I don't like setting real strict time limits on passages before I move on for this reason.


I wish that the AAMC exams gave you line numbers during the verbal passages like they do in the printed books.



I assume you've done all the 101 EK verbal to try to increase your speed?

 

[kweekes80]

read that EK book, it really helped me. I agree, verbal is toughto finish, and time is really a factor.

You won't spend 4min/6 min on every passage-some have only 5 questions so you will finish in like 7 minutes. And some passages won't take you 4 minutes to read, you will probably find you get through them in 2 and a half to 3. So i think it is ok to take 10 min. on some passages, since others you will finish quicker. I would not get obsessed in making sure each is done in a certain amount of time. Also 6.5 min is not realistic, since alot w/ 7 questions will take you longer.

I think the thing that wastes time on verbal like EK says is going back to the passage. I really think this burns alot of time. Like they say only do this when you don't know the answer and you know where in the passage the answer is. I think this is important. If you are thinking of glossing/skimming through the whole passage searching for the magic line that gives you the answer i think this wastes time.
Like if the question asks about X and you remember the 3rd parg. talking about X, yeah go back and find what you need - I think they expect you to go back in some cases.
But there are alot you will remember from reading, and you wont have to go back, and some others like you said are more main idea/global, and you won't have to go back for them.

Also when you get it down to 2 and you aren't sure, don't waste alot of time thinking which is best. Go with your gut and pick which you think sounds best and best answers the question, I think this is another area which wastes time.
Another thing i can think of, when reading and you arent sure what you are reading, don't worry about not understanding something-just go through it and give it your best shot, and understand and take from the passage what you can.
re-reading something 3 times and then moving on, probably still not understanding it, can also waste time.

Just try to read the psg. to get the main gist of it, what's the author saying and what's his main point. And remember any details that you happen to. I guess in other words, just read the passage and do the best you can, that was my approach.

 

[LovelyBRass]

Spend three minutes reading each passage and one minute on each question.

**If you do the math, that will take 61 minutes, but usually you don't need so much time for each question, and you can take any surplus time to work on particularly difficult questions.**

 

[BlueElmo]

read that EK book, it really helped me. I agree, verbal is toughto finish, and time is really a factor.

You won't spend 4min/6 min on every passage-some have only 5 questions so you will finish in like 7 minutes. And some passages won't take you 4 minutes to read, you will probably find you get through them in 2 and a half to 3. So i think it is ok to take 10 min. on some passages, since others you will finish quicker. I would not get obsessed in making sure each is done in a certain amount of time. Also 6.5 min is not realistic, since alot w/ 7 questions will take you longer.

I think the thing that wastes time on verbal like EK says is going back to the passage. I really think this burns alot of time. Like they say only do this when you don't know the answer and you know where in the passage the answer is. I think this is important. If you are thinking of glossing/skimming through the whole passage searching for the magic line that gives you the answer i think this wastes time.
Like if the question asks about X and you remember the 3rd parg. talking about X, yeah go back and find what you need - I think they expect you to go back in some cases.
But there are alot you will remember from reading, and you wont have to go back, and some others like you said are more main idea/global, and you won't have to go back for them.

Also when you get it down to 2 and you aren't sure, don't waste alot of time thinking which is best. Go with your gut and pick which you think sounds best and best answers the question, I think this is another area which wastes time.
Another thing i can think of, when reading and you arent sure what you are reading, don't worry about not understanding something-just go through it and give it your best shot, and understand and take from the passage what you can.
re-reading something 3 times and then moving on, probably still not understanding it, can also waste time.

Just try to read the psg. to get the main gist of it, what's the author saying and what's his main point. And remember any details that you happen to. I guess in other words, just read the passage and do the best you can, that was my approach.

I keep telling myself to just guess and go on but it is so hard. I just can't seem to move on. I dwell on it and end up wasting time. I really should stop this habit, but it's like watching porn. Some habits are just too hard to kick off.

 

[requeim]

I keep telling myself to just guess and go on but it is so hard. I just can't seem to move on. I dwell on it and end up wasting time. I really should stop this habit, but it's like watching porn. Some habits are just too hard to kick off.

hahah. great analogy

i dont think you should put a limit on how long you should take on reading a passage because you never know how long it's going to be. say if you get an exceptionally long passage and end up spending more than three minutes; from that passage onwards, your whole timing is off. what you should be focusing on is how to answer the questions and get the main idea...

just my 2 cents..

 

[trojanMD]

One thing I have found that has really helped me to improve in verbal is just actually taking more time to read the passage. By reading slower and really trying to take it all in, you subconsciously remember the little details even though you dont realize it. I spend anywhere from 3:30 to 4 min reading a passage and it usually takes me 3-4 minutes to answer all the questions.

Bottom line, take as much time as you need reading the passage. Make sure you understand what you are reading and constantly try to formulate the main idea. If you dont understand the passage to the best of your ability, you wont be able to answer the questions accurately and will consequently, waste more time going back to the passage trying to find what you're looking for.

 

[BlueElmo]

One thing I have found that has really helped me to improve in verbal is just actually taking more time to read the passage. By reading slower and really trying to take it all in, you subconsciously remember the little details even though you dont realize it. I spend anywhere from 3:30 to 4 min reading a passage and it usually takes me 3-4 minutes to answer all the questions.

Bottom line, take as much time as you need reading the passage. Make sure you understand what you are reading and constantly try to formulate the main idea. If you dont understand the passage to the best of your ability, you wont be able to answer the questions accurately and will consequently, waste more time going back to the passage trying to find what you're looking for.

TPR tells me to spend as little time as possible on the passage because it is the questions that count and that's where our points are coming from. EK also seems to stress the questions (I'm referring to the part where they make us derive our answers from reading the question stems alone). So do you think 3 minutes is too little for a passage?

 

[trojanMD]

As far as the verbal section goes, I think the TPR method is just propaganda. The way they tell you to hurry though passages, label passages "now, later, or killer", and preview the questions...its all very inefficient and time consuming. Their method is really geared toward people who just want an average verbal score (8-9). Personally, I'm sold on the EK method of just reading the passage intently and answering the questions. No trickery, no method, just good ole fashion 'do it.' 3 minutes to read a passage definitely isnt enough for me and it may not be enough for you. It varies for different people depending on their reading abilities. What you have to find out for yourself through practice is the length of time it takes you to really digest the passage and have a solid understanding. It may take you 3 minutes, 3.5, or 4 minutes and of course some passages are easier to read than others, so it again, varies. Bottom line, dont be rushed. Its much better to absorb in entirety what is being said in the passage rather than rushing through it with a loose understanding and frantically trying to asnwer the questions.

I have done a little experimenting and I do much better and finish much faster when I more or less disregard the feeling of time pressure and take however long it takes me to fully understand the passage b/c when I understand the passage well, the questions are a breeze. When I rush and try to read passages in a set time, I seldom understand fully what is being said and I find myself constantly going back to the passage to figure out what the heck the author was talking about.

 

[ej37]

With all this being said, do any of you map passages? Either on paper or in your head? I'm going to really try hard to improve my reading comprehension (maybe reading slower), should I buy into this mapping technique?

 

[futuredoctor10]

Yeah I'm curious about ej37's questions too. I map right now, trying to keep my summarizing words for each paragraph very concise. But I still run out of time.

I am trying to work on increasing reading speed without sacrificing accuracy. Also, I am falling for "wrong answer pathologies" - any advice on how to work on that with EK101/other materials- I have Kaplan?

 

[requeim]

with the EK 101, they give you explanations to all the answers and why they are wrong.

also, if you have the regular VR book from EK, they have a section dedicated to finding the wrong answer and you could totally sit there with the book and find wrong answers for a couple passages.

 

[futuredoctor10]

Awesome thanks! Just got EK 101 in the mail last night. I am going to start going taking those exams, followed by detailed analysis post-exam. I am also going to try the exams NOT doing the Kaplan mapping stategy, just focusing on main idea, and see how it works.

 

[BlueElmo]

Awesome thanks! Just got EK 101 in the mail last night. I am going to start going taking those exams, followed by detailed analysis post-exam. I am also going to try the exams NOT doing the Kaplan mapping stategy, just focusing on main idea, and see how it works.

where did you get it?! Everywhere it's over 100 dollars other than EK website.

 

[futuredoctor10]

where did you get it?! Everywhere it's over 100 dollars other than EK website.

Yeah I got it from the EK Website... it was the EK 101, 2nd edition. The prices for the first edition on the Web are pretty crazy indeed

 

[requeim]

$100???? I got mine for $26.37 off of amazon back in may. wtfff.