TBR passage timing

[janutt345]

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I know it's suggested to to them in 7 min, but is anyone else just following the 1.3 min/question (9+ minutes for a 7-question passage) for TBR's passages? Will this translate to being too slow on the practice AAMCs or is it fine?

 

[eleveneleven]

I would try to keep it in the 7-8 minute range for practice. When I was doing my studying I really tried to keep it at that and even so had some trouble with timing on the real deal. No matter how much studying or practice you do, you're going to second guess yourself and be much more cautious on the real deal, and it's good to have that little amount of buffer time for that.

 

[janutt345]

How much time do/should you spend reading the passage for PS?

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I always gave myself 7 minutes per passage (6 min for verbal). On the real exam I finished each section with 10-15 minutes to spare (except for verbal which I had 2 minutes left on the clock for).

It's dangerous to practice with the same allotted time on the MCAT. You need to get used to hurried thinking, pressure, and strict time management. It also ensures that when you take the real thing you have 14 more minutes per science section than you're used to, which will help calm your nerves during the test and give you more time to contemplate harder questions.

 

[eleveneleven]

As for time spent reading the passage, this has a pretty broad range for me. I would take a quick look at the passage and try to get the "feel" for where it was going to determine how much time I would need to spend on it. If it was a complex experiment, for example, that required me to understand all of its components, I would spend a little more time on it. However, if the passage just seemed like one of those more background-y passages I wouldn't spend any more than a minute on it and just refer back to it as needed.

 

[circulus vitios]

I've been doing 1 minute per question plus 2 minutes per passage. Usually I'll finish with 1.5 minutes to spare.

 

[janutt345]

I've been doing 1 minute per question plus 2 minutes per passage. Usually I'll finish with 1.5 minutes to spare.

2 minutes to read the passage and 1 minute per question?

 

[circulus vitios]

2 minutes to read the passage and 1 minute per question?

Yes.