Next Step FL CARS

[tvbbnumber41]

I wanted to see what you guys thought the difficulty of the CARS section on NS FLs were compared to actual FL material. I've gotten 125, 126, 127, 125 (FL 1,2,3,4 respectively) which is roughly 64-74%. I ran out of AAMC tests, because I made the mistake the of taking them very early in studying so I really don't have a baseline to compare it to. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

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[Dr. Stalker]

Your CARS is fine. Most test prep companies (I used NS and Altius) tend to give us a lower CARS score. I'd say you're at a solid 127 right now.

Have you done the AAMC Question Pack CARS Volume 1 and Volume 2? Those are all official MCAT verbal passages that are great practice options if you've already taken the more recent full length AAMC MCAT Practice exams.

 

[tvbbnumber41]

Your CARS is fine. Most test prep companies (I used NS and Altius) tend to give us a lower CARS score. I'd say you're at a solid 127 right now.

Have you done the AAMC Question Pack CARS Volume 1 and Volume 2? Those are all official MCAT verbal passages that are great practice options if you've already taken the more recent full length AAMC MCAT Practice exams.

So I've done both the volume 1 and 2. What's worrying me a bit is that at first I began scoring as low as 122 on the CARS, but improved to the scores now. However, when I go over the answers I no longer see the comprehensive reasons why I'm getting them wrong. I'd say out of the 10-13 questions I've been consistently getting wrong, around 8 of them would be on questions where I see too much subjectivity for me to understand why the correct answer is correct. Any tips on how to get over this hump?

 

[Dr. Stalker]

So I've done both the volume 1 and 2. What's worrying me a bit is that at first I began scoring as low as 122 on the CARS, but improved to the scores now. However, when I go over the answers I no longer see the comprehensive reasons why I'm getting them wrong. I'd say out of the 10-13 questions I've been consistently getting wrong, around 8 of them would be on questions where I see too much subjectivity for me to understand why the correct answer is correct. Any tips on how to get over this hump?

10-13 is fine, that'll land you a 126-128 depending on the curve.

Those magical 8 questions you describe are designed for you to get wrong (no sarcasm). Those are to be answered correctly by those lifelong readers we know and are extremely jealous off.

The key to CARS is to minimize the careless mistakes. Did the passage imply the author HATES crabs but LOVES lobsters? Then you better NOT pick that he loves crabs and hates lobsters. This is the key to mastering the section. Minimize those mistakes. If you get 8 wrong, you're a 128-129 (possibly a 127, but I doubt).

 

[DameJulie]

10-13 is fine, that'll land you a 126-128 depending on the curve.

Those magical 8 questions you describe are designed for you to get wrong (no sarcasm). Those are to be answered correctly by those lifelong readers we know and are extremely jealous off.

The key to CARS is to minimize the careless mistakes. Did the passage imply the author HATES crabs but LOVES lobsters? Then you better NOT pick that he loves crabs and hates lobsters. This is the key to mastering the section. Minimize those mistakes. If you get 8 wrong, you're a 128-129 (possibly a 127, but I doubt).

Do you have a table of the percentage correct in CARS vs. score? Just want a genera idea of a ballpark number

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Roughly 13 wrong is a 127, aim for 11 for a hard 128/129

 

[DaAlienist]

Roughly 13 wrong is a 127, aim for 11 for a hard 128/129

Is this a constant? I noticed for the AAMC tests the "curves" are not the same. Is this also true for the Next Step CARS materials? I would bet that it fluctuates based on passage difficulty, questions used, and so on.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Is this a constant? I noticed for the AAMC tests the "curves" are not the same. Is this also true for the Next Step CARS materials? I would bet that it fluctuates based on passage difficulty, questions used, and so on.

Well, I can't guarantee its constant, that's just a very strong correlation. Like you said, it depends on the curve; if everyone aces all the passages, 1 question wrong can hit really hard. On the other hand, if its a difficult set of passages, don't worry about missing a few here and there.

Rule of thumb is the CARS NS prep gets someone to a 127, say + or - 1 point.

 

[tvbbnumber41]

I just took the AAMC official guide question with 5 practice passages. I got a 26/30. I found that to be particularly easy. Probably not a good representation of the actual exam right?

 

[Dr. Stalker]

I just took the AAMC official guide question with 5 practice passages. I got a 26/30. I found that to be particularly easy. Probably not a good representation of the actual exam right?

It is not.
AAMC FL 2 Scored > AAMC FL 1 Scored > AAMC Sample Test > AAMC Official Guide Questions
That goes for all 4 sections on the MCAT.