Need help with verbal reasoning

[dzlist]

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hello guys, I really need serious help with VR on the MCAT. is there any tip? I took the MCAt once and scored 10 PS, 11BS and O Writing, but very low on Verbal (shamefully low). I have tried to read all the books, mag, etc, and even tried Kaplan, none helped. I want to try it again next year. any advice would be greatly appreciated. 😕

 

[Swack]

First, read the name of the forum before you post .

Seriously though, have you tried the TPR workbook or EK verbal books?

 

[YML]

dzlist is obviosly new to this site so why dont the people w/ 50+ posts give him/her a break?!?!?!

to answer you question:
read, read, read!
new yorker, new york times, etc.

make sure you understand what your reading as you go, meaning, paraphrase what youve read.

YOU SHOULD BE READING ABOUT AN HOUR A DAY

i have no idea why caps lock is on

 

[Swack]

dzlist is obviosly new to this site so why dont the people w/ 50+ posts give him/her a break?!?!?!

to answer you question:
read, read, read!
new yorker, new york times, etc.

make sure you understand what your reading as you go, meaning, paraphrase what youve read.

YOU SHOULD BE READING ABOUT AN HOUR A DAY

i have no idea why caps lock is on

Some people can't take a joke 🙄.

 

[UTMed2008]

I agree with YML...make sure you are reading alot as this will help your verbal score. Also, make sure you practice verbal passages that are in the same format as on the MCAT. I found the biggest problem with the verbal section was the timing. Learn how to pace yourself depending on the passage (easy/difficult) since you will inevitably be short on time on the real MCAT. Good luck! 🙄

 

[Swack]

Oops I jus reread my post and I can see how it sounds really rude. My apologies. I was being serious when I mentioned the TPR verbal workbook and the EK verbal book. The EK book is especially good for dealing with tricky answer choices since the passages are pretty light reading.

 

[IndyZX]

nah, it wasnt that rude. its the wrong forum for this.

eh, whatever.

 

[Datrix]

hello guys, I really need serious help with VR on the MCAT. is there any tip? I took the MCAt once and scored 10 PS, 11BS and O Writing, but very low on Verbal (shamefully low). I have tried to read all the books, mag, etc, and even tried Kaplan, none helped. I want to try it again next year. any advice would be greatly appreciated. 😕

Verbal was my worst section on the MCAT too. I tried everything Kaplan had and I still didn't get a high score on the verbal section. I never tried this but it worked for my friend. He spent about twelve minutes on seven passages and guessed on the rest. He got a ten on his verbal part. If that doesn't work I say keep on reading those hard journals like science, atlantic monthly, and wall street journal. Good luck! 😀

 

[SpiritiualDuck]

I got use to find their answers and understanding what they want. Because, at first, I always thought that two answers fit. Even after I saw the correct answer, I didn't think it was right. Eventually, I began to understand them.

 

[Heal&Teach]

I second EK and continual practice. What helped me to improve (instantly) was to stop using TRP & Kaplan ways of thinking (works for others, not for me). I just read straight through the passages and did the questions without looking back. No mapping, no grasping the main idea - just focused reading. It's a basic concept, but it might work. I think that knowing that I couldn't go back to the passage made me read more effectively, so that when I got to the questions, I didn't have to look back. My only problem was maintaining that concentration (around passages 4 or 5 I would break and then pick back up for the rest of them). It's very difficult at first, but if you continue to do it, it can work.

Best of luck!

 

[W222]

I CAN TELL YOU WHAT I DID TO RAISE MY SCORE FROM AN 8 TO A 12 IN VERBAL. I taught myself how to read differently, I swear this works. In my "pleasure reading" experience I read slowly and take it all in, but for the MCAT I had to teach myself the art of reading to get at what the author was really trying to say. I couldnt tell you what author X was quoted as saying in the third paragraph but I could answer any author opinion/slant questions that came up. I also took Princeton Review and they really helped me. I read and took every Verbal practice test there was and I also re-examined the article after to see where I went wrong. I also started to notice trends in questions and could eliminate wrong answers based on the strength of the answer (too strong or extreme VS one that was too general). Verbal can be overcome, unlike what some people told me, you just have to work hard.

 

[rivers]

I took a course from TPR (which I highly recommend) and their strategies worked wonders for me. In a nutshell, here are the methods that I have found help me the most:
1.All passages are not created equal. Therefore, take the first three, rank them from easy-hard. Do the easy one. Take the next three, rank again. Do the easy one. After going through all the easy passages, do the mediums. Do one or two hard. Rank based on a quick read of the first paragraph and skimming over the question types. The first paragraph will give you an idea of how abstract the passage material is and the question types you are looking for are direct straightforward questions (what does line 67 imply) as opposed to questions asking you to predict how the author would view these statements, etc. Do NOT rank based on whether the material of the passage is a topic you are interested in or not.
2.Don't attempt to do all 9 passages! If you do all the easy passages, then the mediums, then one or two hard, you will have done about 7 passages. 7 passages is more than enough to get you a 10 on the section and the best strategy to use if you are pressed for time. If you have time left over, attempt the last two.
3.Relax and don't overthink the questions. I took a practice test hungover and completely out of it once, and got the my best verbal score (11).

My two cents. Hope it helps.

 

[dzlist]

Thank you all for your advice. They are all very helpful. I will invest my whole year to improve my verbal reasoning. Thank you so much guys.