MCAT Verbal

[alankar]

Need some suggestion regarding improving verbal score. I am currently enrolled in TPR and not doing very well in their verbal.Actually my score has gone down since applying their tcchniques and I am very discouraged. If someone can take some time and post some useful info. ,that will be very appreciated.

 

[Diogenes]

I dunno. I didn't do any prep. Just practice, practice, practice, I guess. There isn't too much you can do in the way of learning facts, I think it is just a matter of being comfortable with the test format. And I think that comes with practice. Then again, how would I know, right?

 

[Dr/\/\om]

If the techniques aren't working for you, then don't use them! They aren't helpful to everyone...you just have to figure out what works best for YOU. Try different things until you find something that improves your score.

General suggestions (I don't know what TPR teaches, so hopefully something "new" is here for you!):

1. practice reading things that you would usually consider boring...especially articles/essays in the social sciences and other topics that usually appear in the MCAT verbal. This is probably the most important thing you can do. Unfortunately, there is no good way to study for the verbal section.

2. watch your timing. If you take too much time reading and trying to over-analyze the questions you won't get done (which automatically will hurt your score).

3. don't read for all of the details the first time through the passage. Skim, mark it up (circle words, underline), and make brief notations so that you can find things again. Once you get to the questions, then you can refer back to the appropriate parts of the passage as needed.

I hope this helps. Any other suggestions out there?

 

[nero]

i am taking kaplan, but found EK to be much better...its not a trick, but just some suggestions on ways to improve your verbal score...its a common sense, realistic way......doing their method, along with practicing like crazy...will help you out.....forget pr and kaplan's way....do what works best for you.............practice practice practice...i went from a 5 on the diag to 10s.....10s isnt' great, but i'm happy with it........all i did way read the EK book, and am practicing like crazy......so far so good.....good luck

nero

 

[alankar]

Thanks everyone for suggestions.
I think I am over analyzing the questions and also skimming the passages very fast.
Where can I find EK material?

 

[phatty925]

i also took examkrackers for the april mcat, but didn't end up taking the mcat.
their 101 verbal passages book just came out and i just did a couple of passages- they seem a bit more difficult than aamc passages, but the questions are very mcat-like, the most mcat-like i've seen before. (if you want to order one, just go to www.examkrackers.com or call 888-krackem)
i honestly think to do well on verbal, you just need to do passages everyday so you become familiar with the types of questions and answers they like.
also, i don't think you should mark up the passage and concentrate on details- the important thing that EK stresses is after reading the passage through CAREFULLY the first time, you should understand what the author's opinion is and what the main point of the passage was.
don't worry- it'll come with practice. i'm having trouble with verbal myself also, but we have a month left, which is plenty of time if you practice EVERDAY.
good luck!

 

[Doctor Octopus]

Practice...I went from a 5 diagnostic to a 13-15 on April 2003.

Make sure you are frequently summarizing in your mind what you just read. Actively reading for structure and purpose will help you to better grasp the main points.
Everytime I read an example I wrote "ex" next to it. Everytime I saw evidence offered to support an argument, I wrote "ev" next to it. You must come up with a way to very quickly locate the relative information in the passage that you need to answer the question. All correct answers will be supported by the passage.

Most importantly, do as many practice tests and passages as you can.

 

[relatively prime]

When it comes to verbal, you gotta figure out what works best for you... if you don't like doing it the way TPR or Kaplan suggest, then don't do it that way. Just try many techniques and find out what way is most comfortable and rewarding for you.

And of course, whatever way you choose, practice a lot! and practice everyday.

Good luck

 

[sng33]

octopus, what practice materials did you use to prepare for verbal.

 

[Doctor Octopus]

Originally posted by sng33
octopus, what practice materials did you use to prepare for verbal.

I did about 7 of the Kaplan full length verbal sections (I think they have 13 total) in addition to 13 full length (Kaplan and AAMC) pratice exams. By test time I had done 20 simulated verbal sections, and had become quite good at predicting some of the questions before I saw them, as well as some of the answers without looking at the answer choices. Also, you begin to see exactly which strategies are working best for you. I'm sure other test prep verbal sections would work too.

 

[mws99]

I took the TPR in the spring and I had to skip verbal classes after about the second week. I would NOT recommend their technique to anyone. Don't waste time circling and boxing and all that other stuff, its pointless. They actually told us that we should not try and finish all of the passsages unless we were scoring 10's or higher on the practice test, we should skip the one that looks the hardest and spread out the time on the remaining 8. That is a stupid technique and most of the people in my class bombed the verbal and I think TPR is to blame.

 

[wgu]

Originally posted by Doctor Octopus
Practice...I went from a 5 diagnostic to a 13-15 on April 2003.

Make sure you are frequently summarizing in your mind what you just read. Actively reading for structure and purpose will help you to better grasp the main points.
Everytime I read an example I wrote "ex" next to it. Everytime I saw evidence offered to support an argument, I wrote "ev" next to it. You must come up with a way to very quickly locate the relative information in the passage that you need to answer the question. All correct answers will be supported by the passage.

Most importantly, do as many practice tests and passages as you can.

Dang! About how many passages totally do you estimate you've done??

 

[sng33]

Doctor octopus, how did you space out doing your full length diagnostics and your other verbal sections? Did you do most the the practice exams the last couple weeks? So far I have taken two diags, and am setting my goal to complete materials by the beginning of August. Then I am going to spend the remainder of the time taking Kaplan, TPR, and AAMC diags. Is this a similar strategy that you used. Also I am curious what you did after you scored the test. Did you go over the whole test, only look at the ones you got wrong, or did you not look at the test at all after you scored it. I am just trying to plan out the best srategy for the last three weeks when I will be basically just taking practice tests.

 

[Doctor Octopus]

WGU: Let's see...20 tests X 9 passages/test = 180 passages.

SNG 33: I did most of the extra verbal tests in the beginning. I layed off the verbal sections as the test got closer because at that point I was getting high scaled scores. Starting in January I tried to do 1 full-length a weekend up until the test. During the week was when I did aamc items and extra section tests. Some weekends I had to skip because of exams at school. In the two weeks before the test, though, I did 5 full-length exams (thats how my Kaplan proctored exams were scheduled). I saved aamc #6 for a couple of days before the test. I did about the same on the real thing as aamc #4-6, except I went down a couple of points on the physical (lack of sleep, I think )

 

[Blitzkrieg]

improve verbal? practice
ditto PS: practice
ditto BS: ditto.


PRACTICE

w3rd

 

[relatively prime]

THat's child's play octopus! I took ~6 Kaplan verbal plus 5 PR verbal plus ~23 full length (AAMC, Kaplan, and PR) practice tests... that's 34 X 9 = 306 passages!! Oh yeah! and loved every last one of them!!

 

[DW]

Originally posted by relatively prime
THat's child's play octopus! I took ~6 Kaplan verbal plus 5 PR verbal plus ~23 full length (AAMC, Kaplan, and PR) practice tests... that's 34 X 9 = 306 passages!! Oh yeah! and loved every last one of them!!

RP, how long did you study for it? One year? A SEMESTER? 23 full lenth diags? Yikes. Did it ever get to the point of diminishing returns?Good sweet god, I took 5 through TPR and that was about all I could handle ( I was working forty hours a week, taking 15 credit hours, writing a publication and volunteering all day sundays last spring, but still)

 

[Doctor Octopus]

Originally posted by relatively prime
THat's child's play octopus! I took ~6 Kaplan verbal plus 5 PR verbal plus ~23 full length (AAMC, Kaplan, and PR) practice tests... that's 34 X 9 = 306 passages!! Oh yeah! and loved every last one of them!!

You are hands down the champion of obsessive MCATing!

 

[relatively prime]

I just spent most my time doing practice tests... as opossed to reading or doing individual problems. I worked and volunteered too... I don't know how I found the time. I really didn't have much of a life while studying for the MCAT. The second time around was easier.