MCAT reading material advice

[Jman35]

---

Members do not see this ad.

This isnt a question about test prep or studying. I don't plan on taking the mcat for another 2-3 years (nontrad). I wanted to start "preparing" for the VR section by just reading more and being comfortable with reading difficult material and understanding it. Can you guys give me some challenging books/journals/etc that I can read regularly to get my abilities up? I remember doing this way back when I studied for the SAT and it helped a lot and I wanted to do this again for the mcat. I've got a few years so time isnt an issue.

 

[TheElement]

The general consensus is read the Economist.

 

[Jman35]

The general consensus is read the Economist.

Really? why is that? I remember being told to read the economist back in hs because someone said it was good too...i never really read it though.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Really? why is that? I remember being told to read the economist back in hs because someone said it was good too...i never really read it though.

The writers have a tendency to draw from particular sources, so the Economist is generally considered to be a good read. You might also want to try doing LSAT passages, because if you can do those, then the MCAT should prove to be easy. This applies if you are fan of the over-prepare approach.

 

[LincolnTwins]

How do ya'll feel about using the New York Times?

 

[Jman35]

The writers have a tendency to draw from particular sources, so the Economist is generally considered to be a good read. You might also want to try doing LSAT passages, because if you can do those, then the MCAT should prove to be easy. This applies if you are fan of the over-prepare approach.

Yea I'm definitely a fan or over preparing when I have a goal in my sights. I'll see if I can get a subscription to the economist soon and get a hold of some LSAT passages. Are there any particular authors who would also be good to get those verbal skills going? I was thinking of reading some of my pynchon and joyce that I have lying around but never got around to reading. This is as much a quest to actually better myself verbally as it is to do well on the mcat.

 

[metastasis]

I am a big fan of Harpers. It cost about $16.00 for 12 issues. The plus side is that they give you access to their archives which have articles up to 1900s and even earlier. I also like how you can browse by category- philosophy, arts, history, etc. I have tried the New Yorker, Economist, and the Atlantic. I was not too interested in the articles as a lot of them were dealing with current issues (something not likely to be on the MCAT). Also if you look at the AAMC sample tests, you will see that they take articles before your time.