Mcat Verbal

[Newton Bohr MD]

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hey all, what is the best way to pick the right answers for the verbal section???

Specifically, what is the best strategy to use when reading and picking answers??

 

[ND2005]

hey all, what is the best way to pick the right answers for the verbal section???

Specifically, what is the best strategy to use when reading and picking answers??

I think we need some more specifics than that if you want help.

Not trying to be sarcastic, but all I can figure to tell you from what you asked is to read the passage, understand it, and pick the answers that are right.

 

[Mr. Tee]

I think he wants to understand your process of elimination -- what filters do you go through? any particular order of filters?

 

[ND2005]

I think he wants to understand your process of elimination -- what filters do you go through? any particular order of filters?

Filters:

I think I do things on an intuitive level quite a bit when it comes to verbal. I often find that I will have circled an answer without even having a clue of why...I just "know" it is right. The good news on this is that it leads to finishing the test with a lot of time to spare; the bad is that I usually have to go back and double-check my answers on a number of questions b/c I might have been reading carelessly.

The main things I try to look for are:

1) high-level distractors: answers that sound fancy and impressive, but don't really make any sense

2) opposites/distortions: answers that are relevant, but when you read closely involve some twist or even complete 180 on the real answer

3) outside infos: drawing from Kaplan here, but whatever. I had problems, particularly with psych passages, where the answer would contain a fact that I knew to be true, but really had nothing to do with the actual question.

 

[ADeadLois]

Filters:

I think I do things on an intuitive level quite a bit when it comes to verbal. I often find that I will have circled an answer without even having a clue of why...I just "know" it is right. The good news on this is that it leads to finishing the test with a lot of time to spare; the bad is that I usually have to go back and double-check my answers on a number of questions b/c I might have been reading carelessly.

The main things I try to look for are:

1) high-level distractors: answers that sound fancy and impressive, but don't really make any sense

2) opposites/distortions: answers that are relevant, but when you read closely involve some twist or even complete 180 on the real answer

3) outside infos: drawing from Kaplan here, but whatever. I had problems, particularly with psych passages, where the answer would contain a fact that I knew to be true, but really had nothing to do with the actual question.

My Kaplan instructor also said that with questions asking which choice is true or false, any answer with an extreme modifier like "always" or "never" is wrong 90% of the time. Is this accurate?

 

[ND2005]

My Kaplan instructor also said that with questions asking which choice is true or false, any answer with an extreme modifier like "always" or "never" is wrong 90% of the time. Is this accurate?

That is definitely a Kaplan strategy:

Extremes are always wrong.

 

[87138]

That is definitely a Kaplan strategy:

Extremes are always wrong.

Extremes are ALMOST always wrong. Like the other guy said, at least 90% of the time. But don't AUTOMATICALLY rule it out completely right away. When you see "always" or "never", that's a pretty good indicator that it's wrong, but that's not true 100% of the time.


(Unless you meant your statement to be ironic itself, in which case ignore what I just said)

 

[ND2005]

(Unless you meant your statement to be ironic itself, in which case ignore what I just said)

yup. Was being funny.

 

[Newton Bohr MD]

thanks all... right now I am at 6 b/c I keep picking terrible answers