dzlist said:
Here is something I posted in another forum just a couple of days ago:
Verbal reasoning can be improved upon, just in a different manner than the science sections. I went up by 3 points from my 1st administration of the MCAT to the 2nd by:
1)
Calming down a lot on test day. I panicked the first time I took verbal and it showed in my score.
2)
Be confident! - I found that by reminding myself that there is nothing on the section that I could not do helped. Realize that if something seems difficult, everyone else probably feels the same way. You can't let it faze you.
The second you lose your confidence is the second your score dips.. I can't stress that enough.
3)
Reading actively (as if you are reading the sunday newspaper in the morning.) Meaning, you are reading for content and understanding more than anything else.
4) Try as hard as possible to
be interested in what you are reading (makes it easier to analyze and make more connections).
5)
Annotate/underline the questions stems and NOT the passage. It is the questions that are directly getting you points; get them right and spend more time on them. You will find that the questions are often asking something more specific than they seem. This will help you narrow down answer choices. As far as the passages, it is important to get the main idea and to get a feeling of the authors tone. Think about it like this, do you memorize numbers and small details when you read normally? No, they are just in one ear and out the other. You are looking to get a firm understanding. MCAT works the same way. It will help to think of the section this way, since an overwhelming majority of questions are NOT detail oriented.
6) The best thing you can do is
practice, practice, practice under timed conditions... this is by far the fastest way to get better at verbal. Try to use AAMC materials, as that is what you will see on the day of the real thing.
So yeah, these are general guidlines and they helped to significantly raise my score. A lot of them are from ExamKrackers.. I suggest their verbal reasoning book and their 101 passages in verbal reasoning if you are still having difficulty. Apply these tips as you like and I wish you lots of success for the MCAT. Keep us all updated on your progress.