Verbal Reasoning: Have the skills but not the timing

[Tennisfam]

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I have the aptitude to make 10's on the VR section of the MCAT, so luckily I have the ability to discern between the right and wrong answers and choose the right one.

The problem is I'll do the first 5 passages almost perfect. Then rush through the last 2 and bomb.

When I go back and look at the last 2 passages at a later time, I find them very do-able and realize the reason why I bombed is because I was pressed on time.

What are some strategies I can use to eliminate this problem?

Thanks!

 

[Uafl112]

Do you read on a regular basis? One thing that has worked for me is simply reading more

 

[Tennisfam]

Ok, thanks. What all have you read to help you?

 

[Uafl112]

subjective arguments written from certain authors. Basically articles and books in which the author forms an opinion and uses fluffy language to present it. An example would be philosophy

 

[Swagster]

Tennisfam, I was in your same shoes. I got better and better with timing the more practice I did, but never felt great. On some practice exams I was pressed for time and rushed at the end, but the more I did the less that happened. On the real deal I finished early. I think adrenaline really kicked in on the actual exam.

 

[ApplyPerfectly]

I was the same way. I had to practice the timing over and over again. I also found that I was re-reading sentences and taking time trying to memorize specifics. I had to make myself only read the passage once and not spend any time trying to memorize facts or guess as to what the questions might be. If I were you, I would do a couple of practice passages and see where you are spending the most time. Are you re-reading? Spending to much time analyzing? Thinking about what the questions might be? See if you can identify where you are spending extra time and come up with a plan to overcome that. Then, practice verbal passages under real timing conditions until you have the timing down. Although I eventually mastered the timing, I never felt like I was spending as much time on each passage as I wanted to. I always felt rushed. That being said, I learned how to read the passages quickly and get the right answers. That's how I learned to play the game.

 

[SN2ed]

As already mentioned, to improve your timing you should practice taking passages under strict time constraints. Remember that a key part of verbal is time management.

 

[Tennisfam]

I was the same way. I had to practice the timing over and over again. I also found that I was re-reading sentences and taking time trying to memorize specifics. I had to make myself only read the passage once and not spend any time trying to memorize facts or guess as to what the questions might be. If I were you, I would do a couple of practice passages and see where you are spending the most time. Are you re-reading? Spending to much time analyzing? Thinking about what the questions might be? See if you can identify where you are spending extra time and come up with a plan to overcome that. Then, practice verbal passages under real timing conditions until you have the timing down. Although I eventually mastered the timing, I never felt like I was spending as much time on each passage as I wanted to. I always felt rushed. That being said, I learned how to read the passages quickly and get the right answers. That's how I learned to play the game.

Bingo. I think this may be the problem for me. I find myself re-reading things that I think are important and trying to predict what the questions may be.

This is the tactic I use generally, but for VR it is not working.

Thanks for the diagnosis my friend!

 

[compstomper]

I have the aptitude to make 10's on the VR section of the MCAT, so luckily I have the ability to discern between the right and wrong answers and choose the right one.

The problem is I'll do the first 5 passages almost perfect. Then rush through the last 2 and bomb.

When I go back and look at the last 2 passages at a later time, I find them very do-able and realize the reason why I bombed is because I was pressed on time.

What are some strategies I can use to eliminate this problem?

Thanks!

Hi there. I had similar time management problems initially when I started to study for the MCAT. What I realized, and what I suspect you may have a problem with as well, was that I spent too much time reading the passages and not enough time to actually mull over the questions.

My solution was to increase my reading speed, so that I can finish reading a passage in under 3 minutes. I found that to do this, I had to sacrifice memorization of details in the passage. But what I focused on instead was to 1) get the general feeling and point that the author was trying to convey. 2) Not memorize details but remember where the details are so I can go back to look for them if a question prompts me to.

This way, I was able to cut out alot of the fat in trying to read, comprehend, and memorize passage details that weren't relevant insofar as how they could help you answer the questions. I feel this method helped me tremendously as on the real MCAT I took, the verbal passages were noticeably longer than the practice passages I used, but I stuck to my plan and ended up getting a 11 on the verbal section of the exam.

 

[Tennisfam]

Hi there. I had similar time management problems initially when I started to study for the MCAT. What I realized, and what I suspect you may have a problem with as well, was that I spent too much time reading the passages and not enough time to actually mull over the questions.

My solution was to increase my reading speed, so that I can finish reading a passage in under 3 minutes. I found that to do this, I had to sacrifice memorization of details in the passage. But what I focused on instead was to 1) get the general feeling and point that the author was trying to convey. 2) Not memorize details but remember where the details are so I can go back to look for them if a question prompts me to.

This way, I was able to cut out alot of the fat in trying to read, comprehend, and memorize passage details that weren't relevant insofar as how they could help you answer the questions. I feel this method helped me tremendously as on the real MCAT I took, the verbal passages were noticeably longer than the practice passages I used, but I stuck to my plan and ended up getting a 11 on the verbal section of the exam.

Thanks a lot. This is also what I have been doing. I try to "memorize" information I feel important, and fully understand everything. I will try to "cut the fat" as you mention and see if it helps me as well.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Sugar Pharmacology]

u can also try Jack Westin's classes. He focuses on AAMC and helps u get the strategy that cracks the code