"Just skim the passage"

[663697]

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My TPR instructor for CARS gave us this advice the other day and said that it's better to just skim the passage looking for key points rather than straight up reading it.

I tried this out and my comprehension was close to 0, as I found it hard to pick out key points while skimming. Does anyone else think this is a good idea or should I put more emphasis on thoroughly reading the passage first?

 

[SuaveCardigans]

No, dont skim. Read every word, would recommend highlighting key points. I did consistently well in CARS doing that.

 

[aromatic substitution]

I agree with the advice above. You should thoroughly read the entire passage. Making a mental note of the main idea and structure of the passage as you go along.

 

[pms_testosterone]

If possible, get a different instructor.

 

[NeuroMap]

I did Kaplan and TPR books the first time I took the mcat. Did exam krackers the second time. EK advises to read the entire passage. You really need to train yourself to be focused during this section cause some passages are downright boring. If you can get "good" at understanding main points and positions of the writer then you should be in good shape.


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[aldol16]

"Skimming" is a good strategy but only when used correctly. What "skimming" means to me is to read the passage - the entire thing without skipping anything - but to retain only the most important points and get a general "road map" of where things are and how they relate to everything. In other words, by reading the entire passage once, you should be able to, if someone were to ask you, to draw a road map or summary schematic that illustrates what the author is trying to say and how he or she says it. That's effective "skimming," or reading.

 

[deleted600623]

I'm in TPR live online and just had my first CARS class. Skimming is only useful if you have pre-read the questions to get an idea of what to look for. The MCAT doesn't care how well you understand the whole passage. It only cares that you answer the questions correctly. Once you have an idea of what to look for, you read until you find what you need and skim everything else while getting the tone and structure of the passage.


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