Need advice on pacing/timing in BS and Verbal

[bellab17]

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I am taking my mcat next week and I still have not improved my verbal and biology scores much I keep making 6 or 7 and I always feel like I am rushing to finish. When I check my answers in bs, I miss questions b/c I make the easy questions seem hard, misread or narrow down b/t two but end up picking the wrong one. Idk what to do, especially in bs! I got my undergrad degree in bio and did a masters in bio and I feel comfortable with the concepts so why is my score not improving after 3-4 months of studying?

Please any advice is needed..how do those who are scoring 9+ on verbal and bs doing so? What is a good strategy and what can I do about timing?

Thanks so much!

 

[deleted554870]

For the bio section and physical science section do the 12 discrete questions first. Then go on to do the passages. I was able to score a 10 and a 9 on bio with basically knowing very little organic chemistry. I took organic chem 1 and 2 many years ago and didn't really review it. I made sure to take my time on the biology passages using about 8 minutes a piece, 1 minute a piece for each discrete question, and then answering what I could on organic and guessing the rest. Most people screw up on timing because they get caught up on one passage or one question. If you don't know it, or it's going to take a long time to figure out, guess and come back later if you have time.

As far as verbal goes, the only way to improve timing is to do practice exams. Some people are just good at verbal, others arent. Good luck

 

[Person0715]

Unfortunately, your scores indicate that you may not understand the concepts as well as you think. Try doing some practice passages untimed to see if you can get most of the questions correct to ascertain whether or to that is the problem.

 

[MedOldAge]

I am taking my mcat next week and I still have not improved my verbal and biology scores much I keep making 6 or 7 and I always feel like I am rushing to finish. When I check my answers in bs, I miss questions b/c I make the easy questions seem hard, misread or narrow down b/t two but end up picking the wrong one. Idk what to do, especially in bs! I got my undergrad degree in bio and did a masters in bio and I feel comfortable with the concepts so why is my score not improving after 3-4 months of studying?

Please any advice is needed..how do those who are scoring 9+ on verbal and bs doing so? What is a good strategy and what can I do about timing?

Thanks so much!

For the bio section and physical science section do the 12 discrete questions first. Then go on to do the passages. I was able to score a 10 and a 9 on bio with basically knowing very little organic chemistry. I took organic chem 1 and 2 many years ago and didn't really review it. I made sure to take my time on the biology passages using about 8 minutes a piece, 1 minute a piece for each discrete question, and then answering what I could on organic and guessing the rest. Most people screw up on timing because they get caught up on one passage or one question. If you don't know it, or it's going to take a long time to figure out, guess and come back later if you have time.

As far as verbal goes, the only way to improve timing is to do practice exams. Some people are just good at verbal, others arent. Good luck

OP, when is your MCAT?

For VR, if you have time.....in my two cents opinion, READ READ READ, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE........again, again and again. I believe we all can do it.

Try Economist! a couple of articles a day for 6 months....

 

[487806]

I am taking my mcat next week and I still have not improved my verbal and biology scores much I keep making 6 or 7 and I always feel like I am rushing to finish. When I check my answers in bs, I miss questions b/c I make the easy questions seem hard, misread or narrow down b/t two but end up picking the wrong one. Idk what to do, especially in bs! I got my undergrad degree in bio and did a masters in bio and I feel comfortable with the concepts so why is my score not improving after 3-4 months of studying?

Please any advice is needed..how do those who are scoring 9+ on verbal and bs doing so? What is a good strategy and what can I do about timing?

Thanks so much!

1. Postpone the MCAT.
2. Conduct an extensive post-game analysis on your practice tests to see where you're making a mistake.
3. Keep practicing.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

I'd prob have a harder time maintaining pace on PS.

 

[TopTomato]

I am taking my mcat next week and I still have not improved my verbal and biology scores much I keep making 6 or 7 and I always feel like I am rushing to finish. When I check my answers in bs, I miss questions b/c I make the easy questions seem hard, misread or narrow down b/t two but end up picking the wrong one. Idk what to do, especially in bs! I got my undergrad degree in bio and did a masters in bio and I feel comfortable with the concepts so why is my score not improving after 3-4 months of studying?

Please any advice is needed..how do those who are scoring 9+ on verbal and bs doing so? What is a good strategy and what can I do about timing?

Thanks so much!

Dude if you're getting 6's and 7's in VR and BS you NEED TO POSTPONE. Do NOT expect a miracle on test day! One week is not enough to improve your score to around a 9+.

 

[bellab17]

Thanks for all the advice! I really don't want to wait another year, but I don't want to get a bad score either. For bio I have gone through the TPR book two times and I feel good about the concepts, its just the timing that makes me not finish one bio passage and makes me guess on the two orgo passages. I feel like if I was finishing on time, I would score higher in at least bio and verbal.

Idk??? If I do decide to postpone, should I follow the Sn2ed study schedule? Was that helpful in really improving your scores?

 

[Person0715]

Thanks for all the advice! I really don't want to wait another year, but I don't want to get a bad score either. For bio I have gone through the TPR book two times and I feel good about the concepts, its just the timing that makes me not finish one bio passage and makes me guess on the two orgo passages. I feel like if I was finishing on time, I would score higher in at least bio and verbal.

Idk??? If I do decide to postpone, should I follow the Sn2ed study schedule? Was that helpful in really improving your scores?

If I were you, I wouldn't chalk up the errors to time constraints. Rather than giving yourself excuses, actually face your problem. If you knew your stuff, you would be able to finish on time. Your scores indicate that you do not know the material as well as you think. The amount of time you spend studying doesn't dictate how well you should be doing. What dictates that is how wisely you studied. If I were you, I would do another round of more serious content review.