Is it possible to improve much on the Verbal portion?

[SmokeyG]

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I'm a senior in high school who has very little homework now that it is second semester. In my abundance of free time, I have taken two practice MCAT Verbal tests. On the first one I scored a 9, and on the second one, I realized a 10 (almost an 11/12, but I completely bombed one passage because I wasn't paying much attention...I got a 1/6 on it!).

I worry, because (as I saw) one bad passage can totally kill your score. Although I did well in both tests, I still feel horribly insecure about this section. I feel like my 9/10 could just have easily been a 6.

I guess my question is, how possible is it to improve in this section? It seems like it's one of those tests where bad habits are hard to break. Do you think that in a few years I will be able to score around an 11/12 on it if I practice? Thanks for your insight!

P.S. I'm done taking these tests for the most part until I begin studying for the MCAT in college. My free time was anomalous, and I wanted to gage where I stand in the MCAT territory.

 

[sgtbrushes]

I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that VR is probably the most static score; i.e., the one most tailor to natural ability and most difficult to raise with study and preparation.

The good news is that if those were AAMC practice tests, your scores are wonderful. After a couple of years of building critical thinking skills, writing skills, and reading dense biology and chemistry textbooks, you may gain another point or two. For the record, don't even think about the MCAT yet. Work hard and get good grades in your pre-req's; you have years before you need to worry about it.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Do yourself a favor, and forget the MCAT exists until you have to sign up for it. If you're worried about your verbal scores (which are fine, by the way), just take some literature courses in college. It's all about critical reading, and practice makes perfect.

 

[fahimaz7]

Why are you taking practice MCAT sections as a high school student? Just focus on doing well in class and in college, read as much as you can if that's your gig, and then focus on the test when it comes in a few years.

A 10 on VR as a high school senior is a good accomplishment.

 

[avatarftw]

Go lift weights, read the books you want to read, go to the beach, etc right now!

I'm a senior in high school who has very little homework now that it is second semester. In my abundance of free time, I have taken two practice MCAT Verbal tests. On the first one I scored a 9, and on the second one, I realized a 10 (almost an 11/12, but I completely bombed one passage because I wasn't paying much attention...I got a 1/6 on it!).

I worry, because (as I saw) one bad passage can totally kill your score. Although I did well in both tests, I still feel horribly insecure about this section. I feel like my 9/10 could just have easily been a 6.

I guess my question is, how possible is it to improve in this section? It seems like it's one of those tests where bad habits are hard to break. Do you think that in a few years I will be able to score around an 11/12 on it if I practice? Thanks for your insight!

P.S. I'm done taking these tests for the most part until I begin studying for the MCAT in college. My free time was anomalous, and I wanted to gage where I stand in the MCAT territory.

 

[astrife]

Don't waste those practice AAMC's now. Use them when you are closer to your date. If you want to begin prepping, buy MCAT audio osmosis and listen to it in your car. I did that for a couple years before I took the MCAT, and it really helped, especially for biology (got a 14).

 

[SmokeyG]

Note the whole P.S. thing, guys.

I lift every day, and am very social. Watch the snap judgements; just because I'm hyper-motivated doesn't mean I don't have balance. It was a Thursday night and I had nothing to do.

Thanks for the insight, though.

 

[Geneticist]

I didn't even know what the MCAT was in 12th grade. Grats on the decent score, though. You'll have time to raise it a point or two by the time you take it in 3 years.

 

[kcin]

Note the whole P.S. thing, guys.

I lift every day, and am very social. Watch the snap judgements; just because I'm hyper-motivated doesn't mean I don't have balance. It was a Thursday night and I had nothing to do.

Thanks for the insight, though.

Hyper-motivated is just a cute way of saying you're obsessed and need to come back to reality.

 

[the duck]

Note the whole P.S. thing, guys.

I lift every day, and am very social. Watch the snap judgements; just because I'm hyper-motivated doesn't mean I don't have balance. It was a Thursday night and I had nothing to do.

Thanks for the insight, though.

Scoring 10 w/o any preparation is quite good! I wouldn't be worried.

 

[fahimaz7]

Note the whole P.S. thing, guys.

I lift every day, and am very social. Watch the snap judgements; just because I'm hyper-motivated doesn't mean I don't have balance. It was a Thursday night and I had nothing to do.

Thanks for the insight, though.

It's still nuts that you're taking practice tests for something that you may or may not take in 3-4 years. You might as well sign up for a practice USMLE step 1 and a subscription to Uworld.

 

[rhesuspieces]

Like others have said, OP, it's not really necessary to worry about VR four years before you'll even take the test.

That being said, if you find yourself stuck at 10's in the future, 1) relax, 10 is a great score and 2) know that it IS possible to improve. I was stuck at 8-10ish on my VR practice tests for a long time, then I took a step back and completely reevaluated my testing style. I saw what I was doing wrong, fixed it, and got a 14. I think a lot of people struggle with the VR because the average person has been reading since age 5. An individual's reading style is so ingrained that it's hard to change even if it isn't conducive to scoring well on the MCAT.

 

[ANEShopeful2018]

Yeah, a 10 on verbal is pretty decent. Just read some classical books whenever you have free time and online journals (I recommend The Economist and Art Times Journal), and I'm sure you can get up to a 11/12, maybe even a 13!