I've plateaued. How to get above an 11 on VB?

[cafeverona]

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My average on the first four AAMC's is 10-11. I'm usually around 8 min/passage.

I have stopped practicing VB from EK 101 or TPRH because I think I've plateaued, and my science sections need more work.

My strategy is to read the passage once, really focusing on the first and last paragraph to make sure I understand the author's main point. Then, I usually answer all the questions, trying not to look back to the passage (this has helped me get 11s). I just focus a lot on thinking as the author would think.

I've done an in-depth post game for each AAMC, and my mistakes are usually that I didn't completely understand the main idea of the passage, because usually the questions I get wrong can be answered by fully knowing that. How do I work on this?

What other strategies can I employ to get up to 12 or 13. Is it just luck?

 

[ymartino]

I've plateaued as well. I suppose one should simply try different techniques such as jotting down 1-3 words that can help you locate details from a passage maybe. Unfortunately I finished the EK 101 book so now I need new material... But the passages I got 100% correct on were typically passages where I referred back to the passage only once at most, and could recall and understand the main idea in my own words. So maybe even change your timing on answering questions to spend 30 sec- 1 min more on reading and less on referring?

And yes, some of it is luck. But I think as you practice more, you will begin to get an inclination as to the correct answer. I know the EK 101 book has those very annoying questions where one of the answers is simply more right than the others. I think as you do more, that more right answer will seem more obvious.

Those are just suggestions. Anyway, best of luck!

 

[Dreamstoo]

My average on the first four AAMC's is 10-11. I'm usually around 8 min/passage.

I have stopped practicing VB from EK 101 or TPRH because I think I've plateaued, and my science sections need more work.

My strategy is to read the passage once, really focusing on the first and last paragraph to make sure I understand the author's main point. Then, I usually answer all the questions, trying not to look back to the passage (this has helped me get 11s). I just focus a lot on thinking as the author would think.

I've done an in-depth post game for each AAMC, and my mistakes are usually that I didn't completely understand the main idea of the passage, because usually the questions I get wrong can be answered by fully knowing that. How do I work on this?

What other strategies can I employ to get up to 12 or 13. Is it just luck?

12+ Verbal IMO is just luck tbh. Friend got a 13 in VR on the real thing and was shocked. He was averaging 11-12s on AAMCs.

 

[GodComplex]

12+ Verbal IMO is just luck tbh. Friend got a 13 in VR on the real thing and was shocked. He was averaging 11-12s on AAMCs.

+1

 

[cafeverona]

Thanks for the input. I guess I'll try to alter my strategy a bit to see if different things may increase that. It sucks about the luck thing though. :/ darn verbal!

 

[Dreamstoo]

Thanks for the input. I guess I'll try to alter my strategy a bit to see if different things may increase that. It sucks about the luck thing though. :/ darn verbal!

How are your sciences?

 

[cafeverona]

Definitely needs work. I'm at around a 10/11 in PS but a stupid 8/9 in BS...Bio is killing me.

 

[cafeverona]

I just feel so much more confident doing VB rather than doing BS, so I thought it would be easier to improve there; but sadly, I'm mistaken.

 

[Dreamstoo]

Definitely needs work. I'm at around a 10/11 in PS but a stupid 8/9 in BS...Bio is killing me.

Yeah last time I took a practice test was sometime last summer (will be attempting my first AAMC FL this Friday/Saturday for Sept 6 test) I got a 8 in BS as well and thought I did better. Bio is just studying everything over and over again. But surprisingly after studying it intently for about 2 weeks, it surprisingly has become way stronger through practice questions/bio passages. I study bio probably on average 30 hours a week cause it's the most material IMO.

 

[cafeverona]

GL on your first FL! See, that's the issue with me--I feel like I don't know where to go w/ my working on Bio content. Most of the questions I get wrong are because I didn't analyze the graph correctly or some other analyzing-mistake. Everything that I get wrong due to content, I add to a flashcard and re-read/practice. I think watching Chad's vids for bio might help me. Or reading Kaplan's Bio book, since I've already been through EK, and TBR is wayyy too dense.

What did you do when you studied it for 2 weeks? Did you just study bio and leave everything else on the back burner? And what bio passages did you do? I wish EK 1001 Bio was good enough to actually invest in haha.

 

[Dreamstoo]

GL on your first FL! See, that's the issue with me--I feel like I don't know where to go w/ my working on Bio content. Most of the questions I get wrong are because I didn't analyze the graph correctly or some other analyzing-mistake. Everything that I get wrong due to content, I add to a flashcard and re-read/practice. I think watching Chad's vids for bio might help me. Or reading Kaplan's Bio book, since I've already been through EK, and TBR is wayyy too dense.

What did you do when you studied it for 2 weeks? Did you just study bio and leave everything else on the back burner? And what bio passages did you do? I wish EK 1001 Bio was good enough to actually invest in haha.

No I mix it up. I can PM you where I get my material.