Should I read the long convoluted experimental passages for bio/biochem too before answering qs?

[maybe...123]

Usually I'm fine with reading the bio passages and answering them, but when I come across the longer experimental passages I feel like it takes me too much time to read and so I definitely lose some accuracy in later answering the questions. Is it super crucial to read the passage beforehand or would it be a decent idea to head to the questions first which will then give me an idea for where to look. (I just feel like I'm wasting a lot of time looking at/ figuring out the relationships etc. etc. of the experiment and a lot of the time most things that I've noted aren't even asked about). Thoughts?

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[aldol16]

You should have the following things in mind when you get to the questions:

1) What hypothesis/question does each experiment seek to answer?

2) In rough terms, how are the experiments set up?

3) What are the results of the experiments?

 

[maybe...123]

You should have the following things in mind when you get to the questions:

1) What hypothesis/question does each experiment seek to answer?

2) In rough terms, how are the experiments set up?

3) What are the results of the experiments?

So there's no need to read line for line? More of a general gist I guess? How much time out of the 8 min would you say is a good amount of time to spend on reading it?

 

[aldol16]

So there's no need to read line for line? More of a general gist I guess? How much time out of the 8 min would you say is a good amount of time to spend on reading it?

If you function better reading line for line, go for it. I tried to read everything. But in terms of high-yield information, it's the info in that list. I would say that you should spend the majority of time on the questions. But you need some fundamental knowledge of the passage to get at the questions anyway.

 

[NextStepTutor_1]

Hi @maybe...123 -

I agree w/ @aldol16 that you want to focus on higher-level questions about the experiment than on little details about the experimental setup that you can pull from the passage if needed. I don't think there's necessarily one right way to approach reading a passage, but I personally tend to approach passages like that by reading them quickly with the goal of getting a general sense of what the experimenters did and why, what's in the various figures, and what they found -- and this approach does work for a lot of people. If you're rushing through the questions to the point that you're making avoidable mistakes, that's a strong sign that you need to move more quickly -- the passages are all well and good, but the questions are what you get points for.

Here's an idea to try that might help you get some insight into this issue. Pick some practice materials that you've done (ideally AAMC, but in a pinch any realistic third-party materials will do), and as you go back through them, make a note for each passage-based question of (1) whether you needed passage information to answer it, and (2) if so, what did you specifically need? Doing this will help you develop your own sense of which parts of a passage you should focus on, versus which parts are likely to be less mission-critical.

Hope this is useful & best of luck!