MCAT studying

[The Brown Knight]

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Hi,
So I took a TPR practice exam and the verbal ended up being a complete disaster; i got a 14 BS 12 PS and VR was a whopping 5!!! I seriously felt ******ed when I checked the score, but in truth I literally couldn't compose myself when i was taking it and ended up guessing on 2 passages. I had to pause the timer just to recollect my thoughts since the verbal strategy I'd been developing the last 3 weeks just went down the drain! I literally couldn't understand anything I was reading and practically reread the same lines three-four times!! Before this, I was doing passages from TPR workbook but untimed so I can understand the reasoning process and improve my active reading skills along with an hour of The Economist; but in the practice exam it just seemed way harder than the articles on Economist or TPR workbook. So do you guys recommend using tougher reading material from my school library to practice reading?
My strategy in doing a passage (at least when I was doing them untimed) included reading the first paragraph a little slowly, then marking in my head the topic sentence/main idea of each paragraph, identifying and speeding through the evidence/details, pause and mark in my head at anything indicating tone, and when I'm done quickly recap the main ideas of each paragraph and recite an overall main idea in my head. I didn't have to go back to the passages too much with this strategy. What parts of this strategy need fixing?
I plan on starting the EK101 book soon, but can you guys suggest a somewhat intense plan I can follow till test date (I'm taking it on 09/18)? Like how much should I do untimed before diving into timed passages? And I HAVE done a good amount of humanities coursework every semester in philosophy, theology, literature and have done pretty well in most.

Also, for the science sections, do you guys recommend doing TBR passages timed? I'm definitely going to time the TPRH and EK1001 Bio passages. And, any recommendations to up the PS score? I'm currently doing the TBR reading and passages for topics that I'm uncomfortable with.

Thank you for any advice! 🙂

 

[lmn]

TPR is generally harder than the real thing, so you can try an AAMC to see how you're really doing, although a 5 is pretty darn low.

Check the MCAT forum for tips on approaching verbal, there are a variety of techniques to help better your approach and thus (hopefully) you're score. I have seen TPR recommend that once you learn how to work through a passage, that you only do 6 out of the 7 passages and then randomly guess answers for the last one to help you finish within time. Supposedly this is method is ok for scoring close to a 10 on that section. Not a great score obviously, but if you are averaging a 14 and 12 in the other sections, and overall 36 would work well. Also, I have seen TPR teach quick skimming and question/passage reference methodology to help get you answers right without wasting time reading the whole passage so much.

Honestly try a few things and see what works the best, unfortunately though for the vast majority of people I've seen it is extremely hard for them to change their verbal scores very dramatically unless they were doing something very wrong/simple to fix.

 

[The Brown Knight]

How do I pace myself better? When I am not worried about time, I can read faster and little better but when the clock is ticking over me, I just lose control. Also, it can't possibly be THAT hard to bring my score up at least to a 9?
And how can I improve the PS score? As a chem major I've had higher level courses in p chem, inorganic, analytical, and calc-based physics, but it's still tripping me up! Though, when i looked back, most mistakes were on a solids passage that i didn't know much about; but any suggestions to get the tricky questions right?

 

[hoihaie]

I'd suggest you start doing outside reading for more than 1 hour. Read stuff like philosophy articles or books.

 

[alexibluezz]

What worked for me was getting a solid strategy down before I even started worrying about timing on VR. I used a slightly modified version of Kaplan's--I wrote down the topic, scope and purpose for each passage, and then summarized each paragraph with a few words. After several practice tests, I realized that I no longer needed to write anything on paper, as I was basically doing it all in my head, and had each passage pretty well mapped out by the time I was done reading it. Then I was able to focus on getting faster...

Another thing--don't worry about reading every single word of the details. Often, if a question requires you to reference specific passage details, skimming will have a given you a good enough idea of where to look, and you can nail down the answer in a few seconds. It takes a lot less time, imo.

 

[The Brown Knight]

Hi again guys,
I took another TPR FL and ended up with BS 12 VR 7 PS 12 though the BS could have been a point lower since I got a couple lucky guesses. I have increased practice for VR, but any suggestions for bumping up the BS and PS scores? I know VR is going to bring down my score but I can still try to maximize my overall score by getting as much as possible out of BS and PS.
I have found it's primarily some really tricky questions that had me fair and square (like a salt solution whose boiling point INCREASES rather than remain constant as you boil more and more of it) but there were also a few silly mistakes. Since I have a little under two months, I was thinking about leaving the last month before test date to take TPR and AAMC FLs every 2-3 days and use the 25 or so days from now to mid-August to finish the TBR Physics, GC, and OC books and as many of the TPRH passages as possible. I have already gone through most of my difficult topics on TBR physics.
Also, when you guys go over your exams or practice passages, do you guys go over the material you missed in more detailed textbooks?

 

[DielsAlder]

Hi,
So I took a TPR practice exam and the verbal ended up being a complete disaster; i got a 14 BS 12 PS and VR was a whopping 5!!! I seriously felt ******ed when I checked the score, but in truth I literally couldn't compose myself when i was taking it and ended up guessing on 2 passages. I had to pause the timer just to recollect my thoughts since the verbal strategy I'd been developing the last 3 weeks just went down the drain! I literally couldn't understand anything I was reading and practically reread the same lines three-four times!! Before this, I was doing passages from TPR workbook but untimed so I can understand the reasoning process and improve my active reading skills along with an hour of The Economist; but in the practice exam it just seemed way harder than the articles on Economist or TPR workbook. So do you guys recommend using tougher reading material from my school library to practice reading?
My strategy in doing a passage (at least when I was doing them untimed) included reading the first paragraph a little slowly, then marking in my head the topic sentence/main idea of each paragraph, identifying and speeding through the evidence/details, pause and mark in my head at anything indicating tone, and when I'm done quickly recap the main ideas of each paragraph and recite an overall main idea in my head. I didn't have to go back to the passages too much with this strategy. What parts of this strategy need fixing?
I plan on starting the EK101 book soon, but can you guys suggest a somewhat intense plan I can follow till test date (I'm taking it on 09/18)? Like how much should I do untimed before diving into timed passages? And I HAVE done a good amount of humanities coursework every semester in philosophy, theology, literature and have done pretty well in most.

Also, for the science sections, do you guys recommend doing TBR passages timed? I'm definitely going to time the TPRH and EK1001 Bio passages. And, any recommendations to up the PS score? I'm currently doing the TBR reading and passages for topics that I'm uncomfortable with.

Thank you for any advice! 🙂

For TPR science, your science scores are great. Take an AAMC test for comparison on the verbal. Buy as many verbal workbooks as you can and time yourself. I used to do 2-3 passages a day when not taking a practice test. I ended up with 11 VR. I don't believe outside reading helps. A New Yorker article or an article about current events in The Economist are nothing like the real exam.

 

[Gauss44]

I reduced OP's statement to questions only:

1. So do you guys recommend using tougher reading material from my school library to practice reading?
2. What parts of this strategy need fixing?
3. I plan on starting the EK101 book soon, but can you guys suggest a somewhat intense plan I can follow till test date (I'm taking it on 09/18)?
4. Also, for the science sections, do you guys recommend doing TBR passages timed?
5. Any recommendations to up the PS score?

1. Use tougher material only if you struggle with tough passages. Material similar to that you're struggling with will serve you well.
2. If you got a 5, probably all of it. Hiring a tutor (with a good VR score) is your best bet. Have your tutor help you identify a strategy that makes sense given your personal strengths and weaknesses. Wyzant.com is a good place to find one. (Don't bother with tutors that only teach one method to everyone.)
3. Here's some guidelines: If you're too tired to practice reading quickly and actively, consider practicing another time ("practice makes permanent, only perfect practice makes perfect"). You will need to develop a reading strategy, timing strategy, and knowledge of WHY questions are right or wrong (the test maker's reasoning). Do NOT limit your VR practice to EK 101 because it is NOT exactly like AAMC material. You best use a variety of practice material from different test makers (like Kaplan, TPR, and redo AAMC Self Assessment passages for extra AAMC practice). It's okay to NOT understand every single question from non-AAMC sources because some are duds, but it is optimal to check on those questions with a tutor just in case. Work as hard as you can when your mind is capable of studying well, and give yourself a break when you are too tired to practice correctly. Factor this into your schedule.
4. No. TBR is meant to teach, not to test or estimate scores. Most people find that timing TBR science passages causes them to make errors that they wouldn't make on a normal timed AAMC MCAT, and can lead to anxiety and loss of confidence.
5. MASTER EK, then move along to TBR.

 

[NYCdude]

EK practice exams should be banned for being absolutely nothing like the actual AAMC exams.

AAMC exams as well as the Verbal self-assessment are exactly like the real exam. TPR is the second closest.

 

[The Brown Knight]

On my last couple, PS13/ VR7/ BS12 and PS13/ VR7/ BS15. Verbal is definitely improving a little, but still needs a boost. Test is in a little over a month; any other tips for verbal practice? Currently doing EK101 and TPR online passages. My strategy is to really get my timing down regardless of accuracy and then work on accuracy.