The dreaded last passage

[makingaplay]

so when i do verbal problems i usually do 3-4 passages in a set and give myself about 30 mins. the problem im finding is that i will do the first couple really well like perfect or 1-2 wrong, but then in the last one, with the worry of time i mess up like 3/7, 2/6, 4/7 etc.

what suggestions do you have?

thanks!

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[francais7979]

I took TPR class and the guy suggested do the first 6 passages really well, and the last passage just guess on all the questions.

I then sat in on another verbal class, and the lady told us to get through all the passages but skip questions that are really difficult.

I just try to get through all the passages and try to answer all the questions because its really difficult to come back to questions b/c you have to remember what the main idea of that passage was.

 

[CN85]

I took TPR class and the guy suggested do the first 6 passages really well, and the last passage just guess on all the questions.

I then sat in on another verbal class, and the lady told us to get through all the passages but skip questions that are really difficult.

I just try to get through all the passages and try to answer all the questions because its really difficult to come back to questions b/c you have to remember what the main idea of that passage was.

Agreed. The third option should always work the best.

 

[scummie]

so when i do verbal problems i usually do 3-4 passages in a set and give myself about 30 mins. the problem im finding is that i will do the first couple really well like perfect or 1-2 wrong, but then in the last one, with the worry of time i mess up like 3/7, 2/6, 4/7 etc.

what suggestions do you have?

thanks!

To me, this means that you're running out of stamina aka brain juice. I'd get the 101 Passages book and practice. There have been some good suggestions by other posters in this thread as well. Something that's easy to do is take a 15 second break between passages to clear your head and keep it all in perspective.

 

[J ROD]

I practiced until I could do ALL the passages with 5-8 minutes left. That way you can handle harder passages and get the stamina going for the real deal.

Also, I practiced with older, written versions that had more passages than 7. That way when I did 7 at the end of my practice, it was much easier.

 

[lstone13]

I took TPR class and the guy suggested do the first 6 passages really well, and the last passage just guess on all the questions.

I then sat in on another verbal class, and the lady told us to get through all the passages but skip questions that are really difficult.

I just try to get through all the passages and try to answer all the questions because its really difficult to come back to questions b/c you have to remember what the main idea of that passage was.

I think that the first suggestion works best, while keeping in mind that you should not spend too much time on the harder questions.

If you have time, I would suggest reading some literature on how to speed read. I found that knowing to just push myself through the section, especially the last passage, saved time in itself.

Also, another piece of advice for the real MCAT on verbal. At my testing center, start times were staggered so that during this section, other people were typing away and working on their writing sections. It was very distracting and the noise cancellation headphones didn't work well. So my suggestion: practice taking the test, especially the verbal section, in varying environments with different types of possible distractions. It will help you practice your focus during the test.

Haha, sorry this was so long. It's been awhile since I've talked about the MCAT.

 

[Longshanks]

I took TPR class and the guy suggested do the first 6 passages really well, and the last passage just guess on all the questions.

I then sat in on another verbal class, and the lady told us to get through all the passages but skip questions that are really difficult.

I just try to get through all the passages and try to answer all the questions because its really difficult to come back to questions b/c you have to remember what the main idea of that passage was.

I don't agree with that first "strategy". Maybe if you're only hoping for a 9 or 10, but if you bomb one passage you won't do better than 10, 11 if you're really lucky. Heck, if you get one or two wrong every passage and then blow the last one you're looking at an 8 at best, if not 7. If going by the AAMC guideline, 4 or 5 questions wrong will eliminate you from 11+ contention, so this strategy settles for being barely above test taker average and only at the mean of matriculants for most schools rather than learning how to attack VR and conquer it. Its a defeatist mentality and its one thing you can never have in life, whether it be sports, your career, or a test... not pushing through to your best possible capability is unacceptable. Anything less than a 9 will absolutely sink your application. I know several people who had great GPA's and mid 30 MCAT scores but a bombed VR section who had to apply more than once or retake.

Try your best on every passage. Its a matter of practice, practice, and more practice to build stamina and to anticipate the types of questions and what these questions want you focus on. Learning how to discern wrong answer choices and bring your options down to two, and understanding the subtle differences in wording will help you break the 10 barrier. Look for the author's conclusions and evidence. Always ask yourself why is the author presenting the material in this way or order, what is the message he or she is trying to get across and why does it matter.

Don't let my first paragraph scare or upset you, I'm just frustrated that any prep teacher would ever suggest such a strategy.