Verbal help please!!!

[cathyrn]

i have being trying to work on verbal but with no success. I have a lot of old kaplan passages (paper format) and i am trying to get used to verbal by just taking them 3 passages at a time for about 24mins. I never finish and get about 50% of the answers right. When i later go over the passages again at a slower pace i do get at least 80-100% right(this is without looking at the answer key and I will have the right reasoning for why i chose my answer). Any ideas or tips? My test May 22nd.

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[IndianVercetti]

I'm only just starting my MCAT studying, but EK's verbal system is amazing. I've never been too great at verbal stuff (didn't do well on SAT verbal, etc.). But EK really makes you view the entire verbal section in different light.

If you're using Kaplan, then stick with that, but I would recommend going to the library to just read up what EK has to say about timing/pacing on the Verbal section.

Good luck!

 

[Lukkie]

my strategy:

clear your mind before reading each passage. just take 5 seconds to look away, close your eyes, etc.

read the passage straight through. if you come to a tricky part, reread it a few times, like 2-3. if you don't get it after 2-3 times, just move on with the passage.

once finished reading, take about 10 seconds to summarize the passage in your head. think about the author, what he is like, what politcal party he might be in, etc.

now go on to the questions, in order. refer back to the passage if necessary, but you should only need to do this on ~1/2 the questions.

once you are done with this passage, clear your mind again before moving to the next.

i didnt write anything out, no key points, mapping or other little doodads. just read and answer the Qs.

i got a 12 in this section btw.

 

[ransomMCAT]

There are 2 important things to do:

1) get as sharp as you can at processing written english.

2) get used to AAMC verbal questions.

For objective 1), verbal skill, The standard advice is to read Wall Street Journal (If I'm not mistaken, one or more of the prep courses comes with a subscription for this reason). I can't say I've tested this newspaper myself as a tool for MCAT prep, though. Still think it's a good idea.

I personally think I benefitted a lot from reading scientific/scholarly journals. I had to read that stuff for an ongoing project, and I think it helped me get used to pulling main points and important information out of writing that sounds intimidating.

For many pre-med students like me who majored in sciences, verbal passages about humanities or social sciences can be especially challenging. You might want to find some of this material (maybe on JSTOR?) and read it on a regular basis.

It's amazing what you can accomplish with small amounts of time on a regular basis.

Also, be sure to do a lot of reading on a screen. Your speed may not be as good on screen as it is on paper, so make sure you get used to it.

Objective 2), getting used to AAMC verbal questions
I recommend the CBT's on www.e-mcat.com
These can be purchased at www.aamc.org/mcat
I think they are far better than any questions written by Princeton or Kaplan, because they have actually been administered on real MCAT exams.

The AAMC questions tend to fall into 2 categories:

1) questions you answer by process of elimination, drawing from your overall understanding of the passage. These usually don't require you to look back to the passage for specifics.

2) questions you answer by going to the passage for specific details. The majority are like this. You are more likely to find your answer and pick it. Less use for process of elimination.

Keep in mind that these categories mark 2 ends of a continuum, and a lot of questions are somewhere in between the two. When you practice, try to decide which kind of question it is and use the appropriate method.

 

[SN2ed]

Check out the MCAT FAQ for its verbal help section.

My favorite verbal guide is Vihsadas's: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=6022602&postcount=96

 

[futuredoctor10]

Yeah I also recommend that you buy the EK Verbal books (definitely EK Verbal 101, and if you want the EK Verbal Reasoning & Strategy).

Kaplan Verbal, frankly, is really bad. I used Kaplan over the summer and their passages are not AAMC-style. You still have a relatively long time before your May test date, so maybe use Kaplan passages now. Then in Feb-Mar you could start the EK Verbal 101 book (they have 14 VR tests, each takes 60 min to complete) and finish that by April.