MCAT verbal = disaster

[drlove87]

I have exactly a month left until im taking my MCATs and I have a very difficult time with verbal. To put it in simple terms I cant break double digits. I bought and did all of the passages in the EK 101 passages and the highest score I got was a 9. I got a bunch of 9s but generally my scores remain consistent, somewhere between 7 and 9. I also took 2 AAMC exams and i got 2 7 on verbal. This is the only section on the exam which is killing me. Can someone please advice me? What should I do to improve my score?

In addition, I have been using the EK strategy for verbal but sometimes I encounter a passage and I have no idea whats going on? I try finding the main idea but in many cases its very hard because the passage is so complex. Also, in some cases i lose my focus and concentration and do really badly on those passages. Finally, my scores significantly differ from one passage to another. I can get either a perfect score or nearly a perfect score (1 question wrong) but on other passages i can get like 2 out of 7 questions right. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can improve that? Thank you

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[spyderracing32]

Focus on the main idea of the passages and read with intent. Something that really helps me is to imagine someone who might tell me what the author has written actually telling me the passage. Sounds crazy, but it seems to work for me (started with 7s on verbal and have gotten 12s on AAMC 3 and 4).

 

[lastcall]

I have exactly a month left until im taking my MCATs and I have a very difficult time with verbal. To put it in simple terms I cant break double digits. I bought and did all of the passages in the EK 101 passages and the highest score I got was a 9. I got a bunch of 9s but generally my scores remain consistent, somewhere between 7 and 9. I also took 2 AAMC exams and i got 2 7 on verbal. This is the only section on the exam which is killing me. Can someone please advice me? What should I do to improve my score? Thanx a lot

Those two AAMC exams...were they #8 and 10? Those two seemed hardest for me in regard to verbal...

 

[greencan]

I was also having trouble before the actual thing, I'm not a fast reader and really had a hard time staying on task. I was first hitting 10's and 11's, then suddenly dipped to 7's (I think I was getting burned out). Then at that point, I developed a strategy that I tried to apply consistently to all the exams I took.

This is a synthesis of the EK, Kaplan, and my own idea... since it's a computer exam, get lots of practice online. You're allowed to highlight, as you read each paragraph, highlight the most important idea that sums up the paragraph in the least amount of words. DO NOT HIGHLIGHT DETAILS.
Read as fast as you can and try to avoid getting bogged down on details you don't understand, this highlighting idea will help you get the main idea of each passage. You're bound to understand at least a few points of each paragraph and the highlighting will emphasize the main idea of the paragraph.

After you finish reading, quickly glance back at the highlighted portions, and it will serve as a nice "map" / "flow chart".
This does several things:
1) You didn't waste time re-reading things/writing a physical map
2) You have a good flow chart
3) Your mind will be putting all the paragraphs together and you'll have an easier time seeing what what the author was writing about and why.

So with this, to a certain extent, you were able to capture the main idea (EK), construct a makeshift map (Kaplan), and stay focused.

Now, when you answer the questions, you'll be more into what you just read... the reason I told you not to highlight details is because MCAT passages sometimes have a lot of details, you don't want to be reading an entire paragraph of highlighted stuff.

The beautiful part of this strategy is that if you do encounter a detail question, you can navigate the highlighted portions to locate the details you need (they will be UN-HIGHLIGHTED and the highlighted main ideas serve as good markers).

This may not be the best verbal strategy, but it's something that I started using and was able to start bringing the 7's to become 10's and 11's before the actual thing. It requires practice and the nice thing is that you can apply some form of structured thinking to the verbal section instead of attacking them blindly without any strategy (as I first started doing). After several good scores you'll hopefully become more confident.

Good luck!

 

[Libtech]

Don't stop reading! Even if you have doubts or wasn't sure what the last half of the last sentence said, keep going. Congruency is key, and if you have a good overall picture, you will find that tiny DETAIL if asked in a question.

I went in to it with the same situation as you, (8's 9's were averages) but changed my strats a couple of days before test day and it helped me keep confidence and focus through out the entire verbal section.

 

[StandUp8]

I agree with the above poster. Also, you should probably try to get some more practice passages from TPR or even TBR if you can (Kaplan if you really want more). Depending on when you want to apply, you may consider postponing the test.

 

[futuredoctor10]

You're allowed to highlight, as you read each paragraph, highlight the most important idea that sums up the paragraph in the least amount of words. DO NOT HIGHLIGHT DETAILS.
Read as fast as you can and try to avoid getting bogged down on details you don't understand, this highlighting idea will help you get the main idea of each passage. You're bound to understand at least a few points of each paragraph and the highlighting will emphasize the main idea of the paragraph.

After you finish reading, quickly glance back at the highlighted portions, and it will serve as a nice "map" / "flow chart".
This does several things:
1) You didn't waste time re-reading things/writing a physical map
2) You have a good flow chart
3) Your mind will be putting all the paragraphs together and you'll have an easier time seeing what what the author was writing about and why.

So with this, to a certain extent, you were able to capture the main idea (EK), construct a makeshift map (Kaplan), and stay focused.

Greencan, excellent strategy! I stopped passage mapping about 2 weeks ago and started highlighting, very similar in method to yours - just the main ideas of the paragraphs. It helps me focus and also makes reading more active without wasting time writing stuff down every paragraph! My AAMC verbal has gone up 2 points since I started doing this

 

[drlove87]

Those two AAMC exams...were they #8 and 10? Those two seemed hardest for me in regard to verbal...

Yes one of the exams was AAMC exam 10 and I also thought that verbal was a little tougher. The second one was AAMC test 3 and I think I actually got an on that exam

 

[drlove87]

I agree with the above poster. Also, you should probably try to get some more practice passages from TPR or even TBR if you can (Kaplan if you really want more). Depending on when you want to apply, you may consider postponing the test.

I did one of the TPR exams and I got a 5 on Verbal because the passages were extremely hard and I had no idea what was going on. I think in general TPR exam are more difficult. Am I right?

 

[BlueElmo]

I did one of the TPR exams and I got a 5 on Verbal because the passages were extremely hard and I had no idea what was going on. I think in general TPR exam are more difficult. Am I right?

From where did you get the TPR passages? If they are from the Verbal Workbook, no, those passages are okay. If you are talking about the Online Diags, then yes, those are difficult.

But if you are hitting 9's on EK, then that's pretty good. Why don't you try doing more AAMC's though, and see where you stand?

 

[silverlion]

I think the highlighting strategy is very good...to go back and take a quick glance at everything seems to be a good idea..

Anyway...Someone said that a score of 9 on EK is good...I've only used the Ek 101 passage so far and I think that the difficulty level on the passages is ok...not too hard...not too easy...I've been getting really paranoid however about my score...I've been getting 10s even when I think it went very good...it seems as if I'm missing something somewhere that is keeping me within the raw score of 46/60....I wonder what it is... and what could I do to get it up to 11 or 12 (I got 46, 4 times out of 7...its like a curse...)

 

[PullMyFinger]

My biggest problem is I take 10 mins per passage..then I realize I got 30 mins left for 4 passages...so I panick and have to kick up a notch.

Hilarious though, one time I only had 25 minutes and I ripped through 4 passages faster than prob Superman and I came out with a score of 10. I couldn't even take time to comprehend the passages...I just speedred and didn't even fully digest anything. And I got most of the questions right too. Real ironic and but I definitely don't recommend it.

 

[BlueElmo]

My biggest problem is I take 10 mins per passage..then I realize I got 30 mins left for 4 passages...so I panick and have to kick up a notch.

Hilarious though, one time I only had 25 minutes and I ripped through 4 passages faster than prob Superman and I came out with a score of 10. I couldn't even take time to comprehend the passages...I just speedred and didn't even fully digest anything. And I got most of the questions right too. Real ironic and but I definitely don't recommend it.

omg, that is exactly what happens to me sometimes, too. Iono, why don't you try that 4 passage/25 minutes method and see if you still dominate it?

 

[starl3tte]

I did one of the TPR exams and I got a 5 on Verbal because the passages were extremely hard and I had no idea what was going on. I think in general TPR exam are more difficult. Am I right?

If you are talking about the verbal sections in TPR's Hyperlearning Practice Tests A-D, then I agree with you - the passages were much harder for me than passages found on old AAMC exams.

 

[CHOPSTIX]

Hey greencan, I think your strategy is great! I had a question though, do you read the entire paragraph first and then go back and see what is the main idea sentence in that paragraph or do you highlight as you are reading? I'm using EK 101 and i try to simulate highlighting with underlining and I find myself re-reading things if I highlight as I read.

 

[ghost08]

A really good strategy on exam day: plug your ears with your fingers as soon as you get distracted.

When I took the verbal, the a student walked in with the proctor and started whispering. Even though it was a whisper, it totally prevented me from concentrating.

Also, halfway in your reading, some people may be starting the writing section, and start typing. The sound of intermittent typing can be a big distraction too.

Verbal scores can go up and down a lot, so if you fail to concentrate on test day, it will kill you.

 

[greencan]

Verbal scores can go up and down a lot, so if you fail to concentrate on test day, it will kill you.

So true -_____-

Chopstix, I usually tried to highlight the first time around to just save time, but at times I end up having to quickly glance back to look for a good summary sentence. Just be sure not to get bogged down, the main idea is to get the main points and save time in the long run.