Verbal!!!

[benjjang751]

Hey,
my first verbal score was 5 and my goal is to get 10.
can anybody who has done that before give me some advice on how to study for verbal?
Also, if you have done well on the verbal section, please provide me with some insights on how to study verbal.
Thanks,

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[SunshineNYC]

Hey,
my first verbal score was 5 and my goal is to get 10.
can anybody who has done that before give me some advice on how to study for verbal?
Also, if you have done well on the verbal section, please provide me with some insights on how to study verbal.
Thanks,

I started out well in verbal. On every practice test it was either a 10 or an 11. I got a 10 on the real thing. It's hard to say how to study for verbal, but I suppose just looking at as many verbal questions and answers as you can and determining what made the right answer right and the others wrong is a good way to go about it. Stay away from any answers that are too extreme, like, "The author says that ALL seafood is bad for everyone". Those answers are generally wrong. Also, read a lot of articles to build up your stamina for this section. Just take as many full-length practice tests as possible and make sure to go over them afterwards and dissect every question until you really understand why the right answer was right.

Good luck!

 

[Hindiana_Jones]

Get EK 101 Passages in Verbal Reasoning and do two passages a day until the MCAT. What I have heard is that your score will slowly increase over time. This is what I plan on doing.

 

[nelsondb]

I'm having trouble with verbal as well, but I've learned it helps to go with your gut instinct. Getting the main idea/tone is crucial and I accredit this to one reason why certain people can go in there and get a 10/11 on the first try.
Not to sound cheesy but try to feel for what the passage is really saying, and then if you have time make sure everything in your answer can be validated by a particular phrase or sentence. MCAT sticks to responses that can be concretely argued for and not necessarily what makes sense in your opinion.

 

[sashie19]

A major rule of verbal is: don't bring in any outside information. Base your answer decisions solely on what is said in the passage and what is unsaid through the author's attitude. Not to cite all Kaplan strategies, but after reading a paragraph sum it up in your own words and write a short sentence encompassing this next to the paragraph (this may seem weird at first, but gets better with practice). Don't read the questions before you read the passage and as already stated stay away from extreme answers. Also, as already stated, look at why answers are wrong or right. It's a hard section to study for, but I went from an 8 on my Kaplan diagnostic to making 10s and 11s in practice and then a 13 on the big day. Don't stress too much and good luck!

 

[dr_90210]

Hey,
my first verbal score was 5 and my goal is to get 10.
can anybody who has done that before give me some advice on how to study for verbal?
Also, if you have done well on the verbal section, please provide me with some insights on how to study verbal.
Thanks,

have you tried random guessing? (guys, im sorry if all ur problems can be solved by random guessing, so i don't need to come up with new lines)

 

[Mr. Tee]

boooo

 

[acurax]

have you tried random guessing? (guys, im sorry if all ur problems can be solved by random guessing, so i don't need to come up with new lines)

Do you have any friends? Seriously, this is the third thread you have advised "random guessing" in the last week or so. Why even post?

 

[dr_90210]

Do you have any friends? Seriously, this is the third thread you have advised "random guessing" in the last week or so. Why even post?

i think its a valid suggestion that could potentially raise the op's score

 

[squeaky]

A major rule of verbal is: don't bring in any outside information. Base your answer decisions solely on what is said in the passage and what is unsaid through the author's attitude. Not to cite all Kaplan strategies, but after reading a paragraph sum it up in your own words and write a short sentence encompassing this next to the paragraph (this may seem weird at first, but gets better with practice). Don't read the questions before you read the passage and as already stated stay away from extreme answers. Also, as already stated, look at why answers are wrong or right. It's a hard section to study for, but I went from an 8 on my Kaplan diagnostic to making 10s and 11s in practice and then a 13 on the big day. Don't stress too much and good luck!

This strategy may work for the paper test...one could write on the test and more time is available per passage. For the CBT, is this plausible?

 

[sashie19]

Hmm...don't know. I didn't think about that. Hopefully someone else can provide insight on how to manage the computer version. I guess making mental notes on the paragraphs could give somewhat similar results. At least then you could make sure you understand it (although for some of the philosophy passages, there is very little one can understand ).

 

[KeyLime]

Keeping a log of all the questions I got wrong was a major pain in the rear, but it really helped to increase my verbal score.
Keep track of all the questions you are missing on your practice tests and practice passages. Write down the question type (strengthen/weaken, main idea, etc.) and also write down why you think you missed the question.
The goal is that you will be able to see a pattern, and you will find your strenghts and weaknesses in terms of question types.
The verbal section went very well for me, so PM me if you have questions about what I've written.

 

[medanthjoint]

Keeping a log of all the questions I got wrong was a major pain in the rear, but it really helped to increase my verbal score.
Keep track of all the questions you are missing on your practice tests and practice passages. Write down the question type (strengthen/weaken, main idea, etc.) and also write down why you think you missed the question.
The goal is that you will be able to see a pattern, and you will find your strenghts and weaknesses in terms of question types.
The verbal section went very well for me, so PM me if you have questions about what I've written.

This is great advice. For me it was all about practice passages all the time. Over time you start to see what question types trip you up and learn to deal specifically with those.

 

[MedChic]

Get EK 101 Passages in Verbal Reasoning and do two passages a day until the MCAT. What I have heard is that your score will slowly increase over time. This is what I plan on doing.

I agree. This is my strategy. I went from a 7 to a 10-11 so far...I think I've plateaued though. Just a couple more points would be nice..

 

[MedChic]

This strategy may work for the paper test...one could write on the test and more time is available per passage. For the CBT, is this plausible?

Squeaky, I love your avatar!

 

[Critical Mass]

Get an Examkrackers book. Take a verbal exam, then look up the answers/explanations. Take another, then look up the answers again. When you're done with that book, move on to a harder one such as Princeton. If after all of that practice you still fail to improve, you might want to get tested for a reading disability.

 

[endofevangelion]

Get an Examkrackers book. Take a verbal exam, then look up the answers/explanations. Take another, then look up the answers again. When you're done with that book, move on to a harder one such as Princeton. If after all of that practice you still fail to improve, you might want to get tested for a reading disability.

^
haha thats funny