Kaplan and the reading comp

[Rusunn]

HI,

I am taking the the oat very soon and also presently taking the kaplan course. in this course, they teach you to "map" the passages in the reading comp section. When i do it this way sometimes it works and sometime its doesnt. i was just wondering, for those who took the oat already, do you find the kaplan method of "mapping" useful during the REAL OAT?? did you used this method during the exam or did you just read it normally?

thanks for the help

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[ariel winter]

you DO NOT have time to actually read the entire passages if you wish to do well. scan each paragraph and put, beside each paragraph, one or two words that describe that section (ie: on my oat, i had a passage on nosocomial pathogens, etc... in one of the paragraphs, they discussed possible causes, so i put the word "causes" beside that paragraph; another paragraph discussed prevention, so i put the word "prevention" beside that one, etc...). you will find this very helpful and effective in this section. also, for each paragraph, underline or box words you think are important (normally, these are the ones you do not know the meaning to). after doing this, go directly to the passage's questions and assess them accordingly. you will find that 90% of the questions come from what you have "sectioned off" or "extrapolated" from you preliminary scan. no more, no less is necessary to ace this section, i guarantee it. although i have not received my marks for the oat, i am positive this was my best section, as i finished with 7 minutes left over to check all of my answers. try out this method of mine and tell me how it works out for you. good luck in all your endeavours.

 

[gioiarioia]

you DO NOT have time to actually read the entire passages if you wish to do well. scan each paragraph and put, beside each paragraph, one or two words that describe that section (ie: on my oat, i had a passage on nosocomial pathogens, etc... in one of the paragraphs, they discussed possible causes, so i put the word "causes" beside that paragraph; another paragraph discussed prevention, so i put the word "prevention" beside that one, etc...). you will find this very helpful and effective in this section. also, for each paragraph, underline or box words you think are important (normally, these are the ones you do not know the meaning to). after doing this, go directly to the passage's questions and assess them accordingly. you will find that 90% of the questions come from what you have "sectioned off" or "extrapolated" from you preliminary scan. no more, no less is necessary to ace this section, i guarantee it. although i have not received my marks for the oat, i am positive this was my best section, as i finished with 7 minutes left over to check all of my answers. try out this method of mine and tell me how it works out for you. good luck in all your endeavours.

The above method worked well for me in the paper version.
I took the computerized version on Oct. 24 and had PLENTY of time to read the entire passage, answer questions, and refer back for quick check and ended early. I went from 360 on written to 400 on computerized... It seemed very easy for me to be able to guess which questions would be asked when reading the passage. Good Luck to you.

 

[optopt]

HI,

I am taking the the oat very soon and also presently taking the kaplan course. in this course, they teach you to "map" the passages in the reading comp section. When i do it this way sometimes it works and sometime its doesnt. i was just wondering, for those who took the oat already, do you find the kaplan method of "mapping" useful during the REAL OAT?? did you used this method during the exam or did you just read it normally?

thanks for the help

i took the kaplan couse as well, and the method didn't work for me at all.
my instructor did say that the effectiveness of this method is not 100% and it all depends on your reading habits (same strategy applies to your math). i still did my RC the traditional way. even though i didn't do well on my RC part, i know if i followed the kaplan method, the result would be even worse. i'm not saying the method is not useful...just it didn't really help me much.

 

[Subiedubie]

I really relied on the Kaplan mapping method for my written OAT exam this past October. Imagine my shock as I found out moments before the test that scratch paper was not allowed.
I'm still mad thinking back on it because that section really hurt my overall score. Now I have to retake the test in January.

 

[pre_opt_sku]

I really relied on the Kaplan mapping method for my written OAT exam this past October. Imagine my shock as I found out moments before the test that scratch paper was not allowed.
I'm still mad thinking back on it because that section really hurt my overall score. Now I have to retake the test in January.

You get scrap paper for the entire test in the computerized version, so that should make things easier for you.