Verbal Prep Schedule...>.<

[Aceventura74]

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Hi all,

I am anticipating on taking my MCAT this February or March of 2014 (depending on the test-date schedule...waiting for it to be released). Until then I am studying (of course). I'm doing fine on the sciences, and of course, struggling with the verbal section. I am trying to do 2 passages/day. However, I am not sure of which passages TO BE DOING!

I don't want to use up the "best prep" stuff until closer to my exam, so I'm saving EK 101 + the AAMC exams for December through January. Now until December (so approximately 80 days or so), I'm looking for good verbal passages, and I was wondering if any book or tutoring program has a really large AND great question bank for my needs? I'm enrolled in a kaplan course right now and I don't want to take passages from my 11 actual kaplan exams. Any and all suggestions are welcome, thanks people, and good luck!

Sincerely,
Ace

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

I just started studying 2 weeks ago for the Jan 2014 and I think if you are holding out till Feb or March, you can run the risk of forgetting a chunk of what you studied for in the earlier months (such as topics from Sept vs. topics from Dec). That's just my opinion though, so I will answer your question.

I am currently doing TPRH and EK 101. I usually alternate my timing for each of the passages. I usually do 2-3 passages one after the other. At the beginning I did 9 minutes per passage, but now I am to <7 minutes per passage to challenge me under timed conditions.

I would do 3 passages from either EK or TPRH and finish them strictly under 20-21 minutes. It really is a challenge too, fires up your brain so I like doing them before I start content review as I usually start off slow when reviewing.

However, don't strictly time yourself all the time. I alternated between untimed and timed passages in the EK and TPRH books. The reason why I implement untimed conditions is to build a certain verbal strategy as I am going along the schedule; a kind of approach it like this: trying methods out, using methods that work, remove what doesn't etc.

I've felt a great improvement by doing this and I just completed a 7 passage practice test (took out 7 random passages from TPRH practice) and was consistently scoring 5/7 6/7 and one or two 7/7s in passages. To each their own, verbal is just the section that is tough to readily improve on, but if you don't really have a solid foundation on "reading/"verbal analysis" styles, then I would advise creating your own strategy as you go along in your study.

Cheers, and happy (semi-sarcastic) studying!

 

[Aceventura74]

Johnny, thanks for your awesome input. I have TPRH and EK 101. I'm aware that I might "forget" topics for the Feb 2014 MCAT, but I just want to brush up on my verbal skills constantly. I can re-learn orgo in less than 2 months for example, but I don't think I can do that with something as complicated and non-formulaic as reading comprehension. I'm just looking for some source of 2 passages a day that can keep me going through December, any particular books/prep company packages you'd suggest? Also, how many passages are in TPRH? Thanks for you informative response!

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

I recall a member on SDN who gave some pretty good info. He said before you start an VR practice, take an hour or so to read up on NY Time, LA Times, The Economist etc. Read the "hard to read" journals.

It was also advised to read 2-3 science papers (published ones, typical science-type, peer-reviewed paper) every other day from different journals (Nature, NEJM, Cell, JMC, Chem etc). Not only will this help with verbal by active reading, but will also help solidify the understanding of passages in the MCAT (becoming more experimental-based) in a way to extrapolate information from a passage in the BS/PS with better MCAT-style "finesse."

TPRH, as I recall, has ~45 practice passages and I think around 4-5 FL verbal tests.
The consensus is that EK 101 has a slightly better edge, but I would attribute that to the fact in TPRH VR is kind of hard to come by.

 

[MedOldAge]

I recall a member on SDN who gave some pretty good info. He said before you start an VR practice, take an hour or so to read up on NY Time, LA Times, The Economist etc. Read the "hard to read" journals.

It was also advised to read 2-3 science papers (published ones, typical science-type, peer-reviewed paper) every other day from different journals (Nature, NEJM, Cell, JMC, Chem etc). Not only will this help with verbal by active reading, but will also help solidify the understanding of passages in the MCAT (becoming more experimental-based) in a way to extrapolate information from a passage in the BS/PS with better MCAT-style "finesse."

TPRH, as I recall, has ~45 practice passages and I think around 4-5 FL verbal tests.
The consensus is that EK 101 has a slightly better edge, but I would attribute that to the fact in TPRH VR is kind of hard to come by.

Johnny, I assumed that you are taking/took the PR course, the 45 passages are independent VR one and the 4-5 FL are 40 VR questions each full test, correct?

 

[UoCfin]

Johnny, thanks for your awesome input. I have TPRH and EK 101. I'm aware that I might "forget" topics for the Feb 2014 MCAT, but I just want to brush up on my verbal skills constantly. I can re-learn orgo in less than 2 months for example, but I don't think I can do that with something as complicated and non-formulaic as reading comprehension. I'm just looking for some source of 2 passages a day that can keep me going through December, any particular books/prep company packages you'd suggest? Also, how many passages are in TPRH? Thanks for you informative response!

Let me just say this..coz this is not encouraged here on SDN...but it is advz from a person who got a 14 on their verbal (not me).
Since you have all this time and you don't want to use up the good stuff. I would suggest taking this 14VR scorer's advz...He/She said buy the LSAT (kaplan) comprehension book and learn those strategies and drill those practice passages. I am thinking..if it helped him/her...it might help us as well...coz Verbal is just not that easy to decipher.

 

[altitude]

Let me just say this..coz this is not encouraged here on SDN...but it is advz from a person who got a 14 on their verbal (not me).
Since you have all this time and you don't want to use up the good stuff. I would suggest taking this 14VR scorer's advz...He/She said buy the LSAT (kaplan) comprehension book and learn those strategies and drill those practice passages. I am thinking..if it helped him/her...it might help us as well...coz Verbal is just not that easy to decipher.

Are the other non-EK non-TPRH MCAT Verbal resources that unhelpful that it would be better to use LSAT Verbal passages than those from prep companies who designed Verbal passages specifically for the MCAT (even if they're not as similar to the real deal as EK and TPRH)?

 

[UoCfin]

Are the other non-EK non-TPRH MCAT Verbal resources that unhelpful that it would be better to use LSAT Verbal passages than those from prep companies who designed Verbal passages specifically for the MCAT (even if they're not as similar to the real deal as EK and TPRH)?

a consensus seems to run here on SDN...that is: AAMC...EK...TPR and thats about it. Some will include Kaplan. The advz i posted above is from a single individual and i took his advz...i am just spreading the news...but i haven't tested it.

And to answer your querry...it sure must be that TBR verbal will be a waste...n so follows the others.