Here are some of the tips that Kaplan?s review book gives for preparing for Verbal Reasoning.
1. Read actively?pay attention to structure. Identify the main idea and keep it in mind. Make a note beside each paragraph summarizing (briefly!) what that paragraph was about. They call this making a mental map.
2. There are 6 question types: Main Idea, Detail, Inference, Application, Tone, and Logic. Most questions will be Inference, Application, or Detail questions. Don?t worry about remembering details. You can refer back to the passage.
3. You don?t have to do passages in order. Start with the easiest one or the one with the most questions. This way you will maximize points. You usually won?t save time by scanning the questions first and it may draw your attention away from the passage.
4. Know the purpose of the details, not the details themselves. Look for structural keywords to help you anticipate new ideas. Examples of structural key words are: ?although, however, but? when showing contrast or ?also, further, moreover? when continuing an argument.
5. Check the citation at the end of the passage for clues to content or tone. For example, is the passage from an art magazine? It may be written by an art critic. Is the author critical or the subject or supportive?
On the Questions:
1. Make sure you know the main idea of the passage. Wrong answer choices will often distort or reverse the main point. If you can eliminate wrong answers, you increase your chances of getting the right answer.
2. Look back at the passage to clarify details. Answer the questions based on the passage, not on outside knowledge.
3. And, finally, if you don?t know an answer or you run out of time?GUESS!
I do not use all of these techniques myself because I think I have found a ?groove? for doing this section of the test and I have always done well. I can tell you that eliminating wrong choices is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Also, underlining or making notes in the margin helps to keep your brain focused on what you are reading?especially on dull passages!
It is true that the MCAT focuses a lot on the structure of passages. You need to understand why an author makes a particular point. Don?t assume that anything is unimportant. Details are given to support a point in some way. So you need to ask yourself, ?how does this support the main idea of the passage (or the paragraph)??
Now, we have a few more days before we have to tackle this beast again. Use that time to practice reading passages and applying those tips! I know they seem daunting. Kaplan actually had more, but I tried to condense it to the ones I thought were most important and easiest to implement.
Good luck.
Willow
