MCAT Verbal Reasoning.....Really deparate :(

[cmlaw]

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Hi all,

I have been using examkrackers to prepare for VR. And I have tried the first two 60 mins exams on the 101 VR prep book. And my results are really bad, got less than half of questions right. I guess my main problem is reading too slow and not have enough time and not being able to grasp the ideas behind the words.

The most frustrating thing is even I look up the explanations to the answer, sometimes I still could not get why it is the answer. Does anyone have any idea how I can improve????!!!!!

Appreciate in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[darklabel]

Just keep going. My problem was reading too fast and not absorbing enough of the material. I suggest keep reading slowly and try to absorb the material. What I do is fake interest into whatever I read. It could be about wood used for chairs (seriously hated that one) and I try to trick myself into being genuinely interested in the material.

Good luck!

 

[cmlaw]

Thanks for your reply! How fast did u read for each passage?

 

[angemon89]

I agree with darklabel. Fake liking a passage gets your mind off of the "WTF am I reading thoughts." It's something I just started doing coincidentally.

 

[darklabel]

Thanks for your reply! How fast did u read for each passage?

Hmm, lets see, I've taken about 5 Verbal Tests and last 4 are 10s (Trying to make it a 12).

I can't accurately answer since each passage varies. For 1 hour and 7 passages, I spend maybe 5 - 6 minutes for the long ones and 4 - 5 minutes on the shorter ones.

One great thing that helped is knowing exactly how many questions there exactly are, and knowing where I am at at all times. Like theres 2 more passages and I have 20 minutes left so I allot enough time to finish them. BUT only look after finishing a section. Elimination is also vital since it can narrow choices. Always have the person's main idea in mind (usually a passage introduces an idea and last minute it can go from an informative point to a critical one) and just keep doing them. You'll be busting 12s - 13s in no time.

 

[Jepstein30]

I suggest to stop timing yourself until you start improving. It's important to develop the skills you need to do well on the section first before you start learning strategies to manage your time well. End of the day, getting 80% of the questions right but not getting to the last passage is still better than getting 80% of the questions wrong, anyways. It's also easier to manage your time after you have an effective strategy!

For now, read the passage slowly. Sum each paragraph up in a few words as you go (write it down if it helps in the legend). Before you look at the questions, give yourself a quick summary of it. Think about how you think the author feels about the subject (i.e. tone) and the argument as a whole. Think generally, don't worry about the specific details.

Then, attack the questions. The goal is to look for all the WRONG answers, not the one correct one. Process of elimination. Prove to yourself that each choice is correct/incorrect by finding the line in the passage that supports or disproves it (hint: if its not in the passage, it has to be wrong). If you get the question right, make sure you know why you got it right, read the explanation. If you get the question wrong, don't immediately read their explanation. See what the answer is and figure out for yourself why its correct. Then compare your reasoning to theirs.

It may take you a half hour to go through each passage this way but you'll get better at the core skills involved. When you start hitting better scores, start timing yourself. Just do the same thing.. faster. Don't cut corners.

Other timing tips:
Underline names, places, locations, etc. Things you'll want to be able to find in a second if they come up in a question or answer.
For dense science-y passages, map it out. If they start listing the three ways that disease X develops, write down on scrap paper a few words on each way.
Focus less on the details of each sentence and more on the general idea of each paragraph. It's more important to know WHERE in the passage a question is asking about then exactly WHAT it says. You want to be based in the text, so you should be looking back into it constantly. You should be able to read each passage in 3-4 minutes because you aren't really reading every single word.

 

[cmlaw]

darklabel,
Thank you for your suggestion! Maybe I should focus more on the core skills before timing myself. Did you also use examkrackers for your prep?