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Verbal Reasoning Help!!
- Thread starter kjburke
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I heard the kaplan verbal methods were bad because it focuses on details. I don't know if this is true and not sure what the mapping method is but I find it interesting you're scoring so low on verbal. Maybe the theory about kaplan verbal is true? Who knows.
I'm bad at verbal too but these are some things my course taught me:
1. Focus on the main idea not details (this will help you differentiate answers choices that agree with the main idea.) Mcat rarely tests details.
2. Focus on tone to help differentiate answer choices. Ask yourself does the answer choice agree with the tone of the passage?
3. Write down contrasting theories, Main idea, and paragraph summaries and look back at this instead of the passage.
4. During the "tutorial time" make a timing charge (8 min per passage) so you don't run out of time ( After 8 minutes move on)
5. Learn the question types for example main idea directly asked.
6. Practice doing these things under non timed conditions on practice passages and be very detailed and making sure you understand the passage. Each time trying to do it faster.
7. Practice reading a passage and in 3.5 minutes writing a main idea contrasting theories and paragraph summaries will getting a grasp of the tone. Do this on the mcat.
8. Read scholarly works. Some people say this help for example the economist.
9. Pay attention and write down the qualifier for example: NOT
10. Does the answer choice agree with the author's opinion?
Verbal is tough tough and sometimes 2 answers choices may be right and one more correct. Just do your best and that is all you can do! Hope this helped if not oh well.
Best of Luck
I'm bad at verbal too but these are some things my course taught me:
1. Focus on the main idea not details (this will help you differentiate answers choices that agree with the main idea.) Mcat rarely tests details.
2. Focus on tone to help differentiate answer choices. Ask yourself does the answer choice agree with the tone of the passage?
3. Write down contrasting theories, Main idea, and paragraph summaries and look back at this instead of the passage.
4. During the "tutorial time" make a timing charge (8 min per passage) so you don't run out of time ( After 8 minutes move on)
5. Learn the question types for example main idea directly asked.
6. Practice doing these things under non timed conditions on practice passages and be very detailed and making sure you understand the passage. Each time trying to do it faster.
7. Practice reading a passage and in 3.5 minutes writing a main idea contrasting theories and paragraph summaries will getting a grasp of the tone. Do this on the mcat.
8. Read scholarly works. Some people say this help for example the economist.
9. Pay attention and write down the qualifier for example: NOT
10. Does the answer choice agree with the author's opinion?
Verbal is tough tough and sometimes 2 answers choices may be right and one more correct. Just do your best and that is all you can do! Hope this helped if not oh well.
Best of Luck
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Glad it helped if it did.
The Kaplan method is interesting. I don't think one approach will work for everybody.
One thing I forget to say was some people think writing practice MCAT questions and "becoming an MCAT author" helps. Kinda getting inside the people's head who write the MCAT help.
Some questions types to use when writing these questions:
1. Main idea directly asked
2. Main Idea used to choose one answer choice from another
3. Tone Directly asked
4. Tone used to choose one answer choice from another
5. Argument question (what is the most/least/not supported): basically asks you which argument the author made was least supported in the passage. You can support an argument in many ways. For example talking about it more, citing an authority, etc.
6. What was the purpose the author used this argument?
7. You are presented with new information and are asked what argument the author made would be most weakened or strengthened by this new information. If the passage says more people prefer cars to motorcycles then saying some people like motorcycles doesn't weaken the argument FYI.
8. You are given new information and are asked how the author would use/react to this.
9. This question could just be about the author beliefs. For example you read a passage that is anti abortion and are asked what is the author's political party?
10. Asked about a theory presented in the passage. You have to understand the main idea of the theory
11.Differentiate between theories. presented in the passage. There could be two theories that contrast so you have to be able tell them apart and understand them.
12. This question makes you take a theory and infer something else from it. For example. A teacher who is aware of freud's theory of (w/e) could use this in their classroom how?
13. Vocab in context; For example race in this passage means?
14. Complex questions: This is just a wordy question that is complicated that you have to simplify.
The Kaplan method is interesting. I don't think one approach will work for everybody.
One thing I forget to say was some people think writing practice MCAT questions and "becoming an MCAT author" helps. Kinda getting inside the people's head who write the MCAT help.
Some questions types to use when writing these questions:
1. Main idea directly asked
2. Main Idea used to choose one answer choice from another
3. Tone Directly asked
4. Tone used to choose one answer choice from another
5. Argument question (what is the most/least/not supported): basically asks you which argument the author made was least supported in the passage. You can support an argument in many ways. For example talking about it more, citing an authority, etc.
6. What was the purpose the author used this argument?
7. You are presented with new information and are asked what argument the author made would be most weakened or strengthened by this new information. If the passage says more people prefer cars to motorcycles then saying some people like motorcycles doesn't weaken the argument FYI.
8. You are given new information and are asked how the author would use/react to this.
9. This question could just be about the author beliefs. For example you read a passage that is anti abortion and are asked what is the author's political party?
10. Asked about a theory presented in the passage. You have to understand the main idea of the theory
11.Differentiate between theories. presented in the passage. There could be two theories that contrast so you have to be able tell them apart and understand them.
12. This question makes you take a theory and infer something else from it. For example. A teacher who is aware of freud's theory of (w/e) could use this in their classroom how?
13. Vocab in context; For example race in this passage means?
14. Complex questions: This is just a wordy question that is complicated that you have to simplify.
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AAMC's are the best at e-mcat.com if you haven't used those yet. Otherwise I know gold standard has some as well as the princeton review.
EK is good for easy passages, if you are really struggling with reading, start there.
EK is also good for difficult questions, but essentially the same questions over and over about different passages. Master those, and you are on your way.
TPR has difficult passages. Do EK's passages first if you really struggle with reading. Once you master TPR passages, you will be a good reader.
TPR has more questions about details than EK. If you start out with EK, you will have to adapt to "TPR detail questions," they are many and kind of different than EK questions.
Can anyone provide similar details about other VR sources, like AAMC's or GC's?
Esp. AAMC.
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You have lots of time to improve. Just take a deep breath before reading every passage and forget you're taking a test. Read it like a family member is telling you a story. Why are they telling you this story??? I jumped from a 7 to a 13 doing this (over a few tests but still relatively quickly) 👍
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omg I hate kaplan mapping. NO solid no, just read it. You dont have time to map unless you are the WORLD'S fastest reader youll end up panicking the last few passages cause ur running out of time.
