Ran out of verbal material...Need advice!!!!

[dongdong21]

Hi guys,

I really need your input. I'm retaking the MCAT in January and I've run out of verbal material. I worked through EK and TPR while staying away from Kaplan due to the influx of negative reviews (people saying how it's not in any way representative of the actual) and was scoring consistently at 10-11 but on the actual exam, my score dropped DRAMATICALLY. Exam day stress and anxiety aside.. the problem is that I don't know how to go back and study verbal now. I can't redo the passages because that defeats the purpose so I'm thinking of looking at some LSAT stuff.. does that sound like a good idea? Through my research it seems like some people also read articles online and found that helpful..Does anybody have any insight on this that they can share? I'd really, really appreciate it.


Thanks.

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[MelloTangelo]

Unfortunately, I don't know anything about LSAT materials, and I don't know if there are enough verbal passages to last you through your second round of studying, but have you taken a look at the AAMC SA's? I haven't done them myself, but the Verbal package includes 120 questions (so I suppose roughly three exams worth?). Even better, they're straight from the makers of the test, so they're about as accurate as it gets! If I had more time, I'd probably have taken a look into them a little more!

It sounds like your Verbal skills are pretty good, though! I can understand how test anxiety affects that (same thing happened to me, and I dropped from 10-11 to an 8), but if you're able to walk back into that testing center and tackle the beast with confidence, I'm sure you'll be in a good position!

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Have you done all the official practice exams? I found the best practice for verbal was getting the timing down solidly... and there's nothing quite like practice exams to do that.

 

[mehc012]

Verbal Self Assessment.

 

[NextStepTutor_1]

Agreed. If TPR and EK are exhausted then go to the AAMC self-assessments. That's a large resource of QUALITY VR passages.
But if you've also exhausted the VR SA, then you may have to try Kaplan for yourself or you could go down the article reading path as you mentioned (both will be better than either 1 alone). My advice would be to read the NY Times opinion articles in 3-4 minutes without reading the titles (this can give away a lot of info!). Obviously the downside to this is that there won't be any questions waiting for you, so write out 5-10 typical questions (i.e. what's the main theme, etc.) and answer them in a couple of minutes. Then go back and reread the article leisurely to see if you captured the essence and if you'd changed any of your answers.


Good luck!

 

[blu3]

Do the verbal passages from 2015 mcat practice test and guide.

 

[dkr34]

Do you have access to Kaplan's online materials? Check out their Verbal Reasoning sections tests! They have about 9, I believe, and they also give you access to the AAMCs self assessments. If you want more practice, purchase other exams, like Gold Standard.

 

[stitchattack]

Do the verbal passages from 2015 mcat practice test and guide.

I'm having the same issue as OP. I'm planning to do the Kaplan VR but I'm wondering if I should get the 2015 practice test as well. Is it pretty much the same format/question types as the current mcat for VR?

 

[dongdong21]

Wow guys, thanks for the responses, encouragement and overall good vibes!

Unfortunately I have done the VR SA and all the official AAMC exams.

@blu3 --I didn't even think of the verbal passages from the 2015 practice test and I'm definitely going to utilize that resource.
@NextStepTutor_1-- Thanks for the step-by-step on reading articles. I'll definitely try it.
@dkr34 --As for Kaplan, I've heard generally really awful things regarding their verbal reasoning which is why I've not considered it, even at this point. Have you done Kaplan verbal? If so.. are the things I'm hearing through the grapevine true?

 

[prettyNURSEtoMD]

LSAT books.