Update coming this week!
@nomdeplume1234 for you
There is at least one mistake in the document...I've corrected it for the next iteration
@nomdeplume1234 for you
Attachments
-
1.1 MB Views: 297
Last edited:
I started out with 11s and 12s, and after I implemented my method (in its entirety) I have been consistently scoring 14s. Before writing this guide I decided to solve passages from EK, TBR, TPR, and Kaplan; in order to test it on different planes. It worked like a charmHows verbal been treating you on the FLs? Original scores vs as you've honed the method.
I'm interested in trying your scores as now that my sciences have hit the teens I'm working on bring that verbal up from the constant 10. I also love philosophy and logic, and enjoyed your "VR Primer".
It's like an easter egg hunt. Your mother tells you to find the pink and yellow eggs, and not the red and blue eggs. All I recall is that I need to find pink and yellow eggs. So, to answer your question, I definitely remember what information I need to answer questions. I don't necessarily place a great importance on the order of the questions, or specific wordings.When you read the questions first, do you remember all of them? When I read them first, I tend to remember only 1-2 and tend to focus on details + deviate from the main point..
Thank you. I mite try this strategy out.It's like an easter egg hunt. Your mother tells you to find the pink and yellow eggs, and not the red and blue eggs. All I recall is that I need to find pink and yellow eggs. So, to answer your question, I definitely remember what information I need to answer questions. I don't necessarily place a great importance on the order of the questions, or specific wordings.
I provide two examples in the pdf version of the guide where I breakdown precisely how I read questions, and what information I extract from them. I actually use that step to determine the main point of the passage. It's pretty neat.
Introduction
Hello. You can call me Saree.
Like you, I am studying and preparing to write the MCAT with little time to spare. I have devoted the past several months to the singular pursuit of attaining a high score on the MCAT, and I hope that you, my dear reader, share a similar fervent desire.
I will not do you the dishonor of preaching to you about the difficulty of the MCAT. I believe that you are all too aware of the arduous task awaits you. However, one cannot expect to enter the battlefield with a defeated mindset and expect victory. One's psychological disposition is of utmost importance, and I recommend approaching the MCAT with an unflappable confidence.
I believe that the Verbal section of the MCAT has been received as the most difficult section test, and therefore as a corollary, we test-takers devote an inordinate amount of time seeking to master the Verbal section. The question before us, then, is precisely how to achieve our goal.
I would like to propose one such method – the Draupadi Method. My verbal strategy is based on how I think, and it is informed by my previous experiences. Therefore, my "process" - my strategy - is unique to me. It may or may not work for you! I sincerely believe that life, and the progression of knowledge is cumulative – we are constantly adding to our knowledge base. So, please, if any part of my primer is of value to you, use it! If you can adapt it to your existing methodology all the better!
There are many ways to reach the mountain-top, and this primer simply offers one perspective.
All the best,
DoctorInASaree
Section 1: Procedure
0) Flow of Information [constant - given]
-Your methodology. Your framework.
- As you move from passage to passage this is the singular constant. My methodology, as stated above, is based upon my own unique experiences and perspectives. I will edify several indispensable methods as you progress through this primer.
1) Read the Questions[<20 seconds]
- Read them in numeric order
- Do NOT read the answer choices
- Before immersing yourself into the passage, imagine for a moment that you are cooking a feast for a large banquet hall. People have ordered meals X, Y, and Z, and your task as the chef is to figure out a) the requisite ingredients & b) the procedure in which to mix them all together (quantities, etc.) in order to produce a meal.
My technique employs a similar methodology. By reading the questions first I am doing two things:
1. I am extracting the theme (crux) of the passage. I can map out the structure of the passage and what the author has argued simply by reading the questions.
2. Most importantly, like the chef, I am figuring out which details (ingredients) I must attain or understand in order to answer the questions (produce a meal).
- Lastly, this will stop you from thinking about previous passages. You will be turning your brain's focus to the current passage as you begin to focus on the passage's content before the passage itself is read.
2) Read the passage [<3 minutes]
- Fairly obvious...read the passage!Each and every word! DO NOT speed-read - no matter how skilled you believe yourself to be. There is no reason to rush through the verbal section. Be calm and pay attention to each and every word the author has written on the page, for they have done so for a reason. Do not miss out on vital details!
- Read with purpose: you know what the passage is demanding of you (the questions), so read with the intent of answering those questions.
- Your duty is not to engage in an academic quest of figuring out some deep mystery about the subject matter. Your duty is to answer the questions - that's it. Everything else is irrelevant.
3) Deduce the crux of the passage[<10 seconds]
- I cannot stress how important this step is.
- Ask yourself the following question: how can I best summarize the contents of the entire passage into one statement. What is this passage truly about? What is the author conveying to the reader about topic Z?
Intro/concluding paragraphs -> contain the crux of the passage - what the author believes. In the “sandwich paragraphs” one will find supporting and/or contrasting arguments which reveals how and why the author agrees or disagrees. How does the author reach his/her conclusions? Premises! How does the author validate their premises?
- How does one go about testing the value of premises? By employing logic, and testing the validity of statements by identifying the presence of logical fallacies, or lack thereof.
- Take a deep breath of air because it is time to begin answering passage questions.
4) Answer the questions[<3.5 minutes]
- At this point, you know the methodology, the crux of the passage, arguments that support or weaken the author's position, the premises that underlie the author's conclusion, etc. Have no fear, and answer the questions!
Aside: I apply my Verbal strategy to the other two sections of the MCAT. Instead of reading the passage (and their wasteful two paragraphs which contain an introduction to the mechanisms of a toilet - looking at your TBR Ch7), look for key equations, tables of values, and graphs.
Looking at my Verbal strategy is like gazing upon the night sky for the very first time. What are those lustrous objects in the sky? What am I, a little child, to make of this grand cosmic universe? In the next section, I will edify the tools I use to analyze and synthesize passages, as well as how and when to precisely apply those tools.
Section 2: Dual Modes of Thinking [see pdf version]
Section 3: Verbal Methodology - ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SECTIONS [see pdf version]
Section 4: Logic [see pdf version]
Section 5: The Anatomy of an Argument [see pdf version]
Section 6: Fallacies [see pdf version]
Section 7: Spotting Arguments [see pdf version]
Section 8: Application (Saree solves passages) IMPORTANT [see pdf version]
Section 9: Verbal Tips
Oh my, where to start?!
Sherlock Holmes’ Process of Elimination
· Question: why is a basic process of elimination strategy not sufficient?
· One of Sherlock Holmes most notable quotes is the following:“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”
· In my opinion, people tend to get carried away with feel-good premises, and end up choosing the incorrect answer choice. The Sherlock Holmes’ PoE strategy is demanding in so far as it requires the test-taker to prove that the premise that is being advocated is IMPOSSIBLE. What do I mean by impossible? That means one of two things (a) that nowhere in the passage can one find a single data point or any type of evidence to prove the premise true (b) the author would not agree with the premise.
· This is an exhaustive technique of approaching premises, but it is one, that in time, (through developing intuition) is one of the most rewarding MCAT Verbal strategies that I know of.
· For example, refer back to the passage concerning Social Darwinism (Example #3); I was not comfortable with the conclusion regarding homosexuals. However, I eliminated the other three answer choices as IMPOSSIBLE, and therefore, even though I was not comfortable with the answer and I didn’t think it was a probable answer (from my perspective) it was the right one to choose.
· The Sherlock Holmes’ PoE strategy divorces your experiences and therefore your biases from the MCAT Verbal passage. Yes, it is an exacting strategy, but well worth it.
Time Management
· Practice, practice, practice. This is the only way that I know of that one may begin to develop an intuition for MCAT Verbal passages. I recommend getting your hands on any resource available to you!
· Confidence (more on this later). Earlier on in my MCAT studies I had developed a troublesome habit of second-guessing my answer choices, and therefore, invariably, I would spend more time than desired on a single question. You must learn to trust yourself, and your intuition. Once you mistrust yourself then you end up with the following problem…
· Over-Analysis! Remember this line: over analysis leads to paralysis! Focus on what is relevant and do not analyze more than you have to. You see a man across the street from you, and you begin to analyze his character: his age, gait, weight, oh is he my Prince Charming? This is a classic high-school example of over-analyzing a situation. What is the relevance? None. If you deliberate for too long on answer choices not only are you improperly managing your time, but you are also confusing yourself. Do not hesitate to act! Do your duty and solve the question. Find pertinent information that will allow you to do your duty.
Post-Passage Analysis
There is nothing complicated about “post-game analysis”, and there need not be anything scary about it either. As stated earlier, there are two types of arguments: inductive and deductive arguments. Let’s review!
A deductive argument has three stages: 1. premise(s) 2. inference 3. Conclusion. If it is invalid or has one or more false premises, it will be unsound. An inductive argument: the premises actually provide the required degree of support for the conclusion, and then the argument is a good argument.
Summary: A valid argument transmits truth from the premises to the conclusion. All of the premises must be true for the truth to be transmitted.
· Therefore, an incorrect answer choice is selected because the test-taker has selected an incorrect premise and/or conclusion. This is why the Sherlock Holmes method is important!
· For a deductive argument: you must test premise(s) and inference(s)! If you review my example passages, you will see that I often make statements such as:
o Wild assumption!
o Not supported by evidence in the passage.
o Inference that is not supported by premises
· Always be sure to review your answers in the context of your methodology – inductive and deductive reasoning.
· An author once posed the following question at a book club meeting she attended: John Watson is Sherlock Holmes’ assistant and good friend. He wrote all of the detective cases the Mr Holmes worked on. Question: Why doesn’t Mr Watson display a mastery of deductive reasoning? Answer: He makes unfounded assumptions, because it is easy. Don’t think like Mr Watson, think like Mr Holmes!
· There are other ways of incorrectly answering a question such as:
o Misreading a question
o Lack of knowledge
· However, all of those cases invariably lead where one has selected an incorrect premise and/or conclusion.
Summary: To analyze why you selected an incorrect answer choice, you must first analyze where your inductive or deductive reasoning lead you astray. Which premises did you take for granted?
In Closing
Scoring well on the Verbal Section of the MCAT is no easy feat, and there is no singular way to score well. I’ve encountered, in the past several months, several people who sought out miracle stories, of individuals who scored 14 or 15 on the VR section due to some inherent advantage. I’m here to tell you there are no miracle people. To paragraph Mr Feynman - there’s no talent or special miracle ability. There is no special MCAT Verbal gene, hormone, or potion that one can make use of it to achieve a better score. It comes through practice, studying, reading, learning, being curious, and devoting a great deal of time.
There is no royal road to knowledge – Euclid
Therefore, the potential to score well resides in every single test-taker. Whether you realize that potential or not is up to you.
![]()
In Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow wanted a brain, the Tin Man a heart, the Lion courage and Dorothy to return to Kansas.
The Wizard solved the first three (with a diploma, a testimonial and a medal) but it took the Good Witch of the North to explain to Dorothy that all she had to do was click her heels while repeating “there’s no place like home.”
So why the need for the flying monkeys, talking trees, dissolving witches and munchkins before Dorothy’s enlightenment?
The Witch explained that, while Dorothy always had the power to go home, she had to learn it on her own.
Dorothy vowed that “if I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard.”
The solution resides within you. I hope that my method is of value to you.
All the best,
Saree
![]()
Yes, yes you did!
I believe I began my primer stating this is only one perspective of looking at the Verbal section. I, in no capacity, claimed that this guide is the final perspective on Verbal, and that I have the final say or a monopoly on Verbal strategies. No, no, no! Also, I don't believe to have claimed to be presenting any new knowledge! Inductive reasoning, Deductive reasoning, Logic, analyzing arguments - these are things that have been around long before me, and I expect, long after me.Lol isn't Draupadi supposed to be like the most beautiful woman in the entire Mahabharata...
Anyway, your post seems to be an amalgamation of all the currently accepted VR strategies - which is not a bad thing. It seems like more of a compilation than any new idea or strategy. Its clear you enjoy writing and apparently to an audience, but I think much of this stuff is unnecessary... Again, I say this not to take anything away from your process or your post, but to dissuade others from trying to implement what appears to me to be a rather cumbersome potpurri of techniques... I personally never had time to go over the three stages of a deductive argument...
Also, some MCAT VR questions just do not follow logic or deductive reasoning or whatever. Many times 2 of 4 answers may be equally "right" based on logic, but it is a, for lack of a better word, 'gut' feeling or emergent intuition that comes from the totality of the passage. Often times it is indeed just the right answer because the test-maker said it was. Sometimes, a throw-away part of one sentence is all the justification the test needs to make that the right answer, even though it flies in the face of all the deductive reasoning and logic of the rest of the passage.
Specifically, I disagree that one should read the passage in 3 minutes or less. IMO, one should read the passage being engaged as possible, read every word in order, do not repeat read sentences or paragraphs, just keep going (credit @BloodySurgeon from a few years ago I believe), and however long it takes (within reason) is fine.
I also disagree with reading the questions before the passage, because 1. it subconsciously biases your reading of the passage ("oh this part is extra important because a question is asked about it, I better pay attention to it and re-read it several times to make sure I really get it" 2. you may forget the questions anyway while reading the passage so you've just wasted precious seconds.
FWIW, what worked for me was trying to be engaged as possible in the reading, reading everything once through to begin with, and referring to the passage as needed. 90%+ of the time the answer is somewhat straight forward. Disclaimer: I "only" got an 11 on my VR section.
It also seems to me to be a bit premature making a VR strategy without having received your mcat score back....
Anyway good luck to you.
How are you doing it? I've received numerous questions asking about the "why are you reading questions first, and how do you find that it helps you?".I did about 6 passages today from TPR hyperlearning and only got 4 wrong!! I am so ecstatic right now I can't even describe it. THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR METHOD!!!!!
I think we have a very similar thought-process when it comes to answering questions so that may explain why this method works for us. You are simply awesome!!
I highly urge people to give this method a try, its worthwhile.
Technically, yes. Although I hope to make additions to it as this thread progresses, and others contributeHey Saree, is everything you wrote on your pdf? I want to be able to sit down one day and read everything. I need to do well on verbal(worst area for me). Thank you!
Hey sorry for the late reply. I find that reading the questions first allows me to not only get a glimpse of the content of the passage but also the author's position/argument!How are you doing it? I've received numerous questions asking about the "why are you reading questions first, and how do you find that it helps you?".
What say you, Karna?
@gene_pool - Not ignoring you; I will have a reply tonight
Happy studying.![]()
I usually time myself 7 mins per passage and find myself finishing at or near the time limit. On the real exam you get about 8 and half minutes so by practicing under more stringent timed conditions, you train yourself to read effectively (quickly). This gives you a few more minutes to look back at the passage if you're unsure about a question.Thoughts on time management with respect to Verbal passages?
Call me silly, but I wasn't aware of the 8.5minute time constraint. Thanks for the information!I usually time myself 7 mins per passage and find myself finishing at or near the time limit. On the real exam you get about 8 and half minutes so by practicing under more stringent timed conditions, you train yourself to read effectively (quickly). This gives you a few more minutes to look back at the passage if you're unsure about a question.
the 7 minutes per passage and your strategy of reading the questions first have tremendously improved my scoring. Really hope I can hit in the 13+ range soon.
I'm sort of the opposite: Whenever I feel too confident about an answer it usually turns out being wrong haha! So this is why I try to look for the "least wrong" answer which is neutral in tone. It might not feel good bubbling the wishy-washy answer in but if its correct who cares eh?Call me silly, but I wasn't aware of the 8.5minute time constraint. Thanks for the information!
For what it's worth here's my perspective: the challenge I faced with scoring 13+ was: myself. I knew that in order to score 13+ I could not afford to make silly mistakes, and that had a negative impact on my confidence. I began second guessing almost all of my answers 'hey Saree, are you sure about that answer choice? If you get it wrong you won't score 13+!'. I'm not sure if that helps, but for me, I had to believe in myself (methodology and reasoning). Oh, and practice helps a lot. Also, given your recent practice scores, you're already on track to scoring 13+.
![]()
You have a point! One cannot let themselves be blinded by arrogance (either that, or too much MB for me lately). I agree, that sometimes we have to settle for the most probable answer, because that is reflected in real life. It's the balance of probabilities strategy (Sherlock Holmes uses this quite often), where we look for the most likely answer choice - this reasoning is of course grounded in our intuition and understand of the passage and the author's perspective.I'm sort of the opposite: Whenever I feel too confident about an answer it usually turns out being wrong haha! So this is why I try to look for the "least wrong" answer which is neutral in tone. It might not feel good bubbling the wishy-washy answer in but if its correct who cares eh?
Thanks and given that you're a verbal goddessI'm sure a 15 for you is in sight!
Yes, I agree with that statement. No one sits and dreams of their strategy in one night, we accumulate experiences, ideas, etc. over time. It's a cumulative process, so no, I would not expect anyone to be able to fully understand and apply these concepts in a short period of time (given that the concepts are new to them).Very cool, definitely will give this a careful read!
After reading a few books on skill development, deliberate practice, etc. I am unsure what would be the best way to fully implement and master each aspect of this strategy (or any verbal strategy in general)? Do people that do well implement strategies as a whole when they practice, or do they focus on working on developing individual aspects first? Books I've read seem to advocate for developing/drilling one specific skill at a time and then putting yourself in real situations. For example: putting more focus on Sherlock Holmes Method during one session, and then developing the main idea skills during another session.
So my question is this: do you feel that when practicing verbal strategy, one should try and drill down specific skills in the beginning and work their way towards developing the strategy as a whole? Or should one try to implement the strategy in its entirety from the get-go? What would you think is most efficient? How did you, specifically, go about developing certain skills?
I probably should just try for myself but I also want to see what your take is on this!
Some background: I just took my MCAT and feel like I absolutely bombed verbal (poor concentration because of horrible physics section and poor rest). I felt like I had a strong strategy from EK Verbal, but I guess I never mastered it correctly (never broke 9 on practice, but also crammed the strategy into my last three weeks). Since taking the Cat, I've just been reading A TON of books for leisure, because I'm afraid to start practicing Verbal again for real and because I don't have much materials right now. Definitely want to get it right this time though. I'll be re-taking in January. Thanks for any help!
I don't know what natural range meansI read your PDF, and I have a serious question.
Is this the way you methodically answer the questions, or is this a very detailed explanation of the innate and automatic processes in your mind?
When I read your work, it was easy to see your general "verbal" skill. Although you describe your thought processes very well, I think the time that would be required to use such a schematic wouldn't be effective for someone with a weaker "verbal" skill than you. If they were already strong in that skill and could fully absorb your thought process, they would be scoring at least a 10 by now.
Forgive me if I'm wrong.
I'm also not knocking you. This method is one of the most thoughtful presentations of someone's strategy, but the MCAT is scaled, so people will eventually fall within their natural range no matter what they do within a realistic time constraint.
Thanks for the feedback! It sounds like you're doing well, and I'm glad to hear itHey @DoctorInASaree
Okay, so I've barely started getting back into doing passages today.
So far I've tried your methods and have gotten decent results. Your ideas on using logic over emotion has really helped make the correct answers stick out much more. I've been practicing my "if and then logic" and it seems to have really help my thinking so far. Timing now is my biggest problem. I'll need to quicker at reading questions and getting the crux, but I think that will come with the practice.
Quick Questions:
About how many passages would you practice at a time or on a daily basis? When would you do the analysis: right after or the day after?
For others:
I highly recommend these methods! Knowing a little bit about basic logic can really expose wrong answers fast! This is the antidote for those who subconciously bring outside information to your answering process..
Thanks Saree, I'll try to keep you updated on progress
@MinervaMcGonagall
Hello Professor!
Verbal SA -
Timing? A bit of both actually. I would split this up into at least 3 blocks. First block not timed, only several passages Second block timed session (8min per passage minimum) with review immediately after. What were the differences between the 1st and 2nd block? Any mistakes? If so, why? Third block Solve remaining passages Fourth block if required to finish remaining passages
The 8minute time constraint will almost always be present, and that is something that you will have to adapt to. I never look at the timer when I solve passages (regardless of the subjection section). I never think about how much time I have left, or how much time I have to spend per passage.
Verbal SA objective: To acclimate yourself with Verbal PoE and question types. By the time you are ready to write the MCAT; you want your PoE to be lightning quick. At that point, you won't be worried about time.
Predictive value? I don't know. To me, it's practice. If you are scoring well in non-timed sessions, I think it boils down to one thing: you need a faster PoE, and that will only come through practice!
---------
I'm going to be overhauling this guide with a lot of goodies next weekThank you so much to those who have sent me PMs and posted in this thread; your input has been quite valuable
This time I will be posting an abbreviated version
On that note, is there anything specific that anyone here would like to see?
So....Edit Oct 6th: Download PDF at the bottom of this post. Please read the methodology and example section!
Introduction
Hello. You can call me Saree.
Like you, I am studying and preparing to write the MCAT with little time to spare. I have devoted the past several months to the singular pursuit of attaining a high score on the MCAT, and I hope that you, my dear reader, share a similar fervent desire.
I will not do you the dishonor of preaching to you about the difficulty of the MCAT. I believe that you are all too aware of the arduous task awaits you. However, one cannot expect to enter the battlefield with a defeated mindset and expect victory. One's psychological disposition is of utmost importance, and I recommend approaching the MCAT with an unflappable confidence.
I believe that the Verbal section of the MCAT has been received as the most difficult section test, and therefore as a corollary, we test-takers devote an inordinate amount of time seeking to master the Verbal section. The question before us, then, is precisely how to achieve our goal.
I would like to propose one such method – the Draupadi Method. My verbal strategy is based on how I think, and it is informed by my previous experiences. Therefore, my "process" - my strategy - is unique to me. It may or may not work for you! I sincerely believe that life, and the progression of knowledge is cumulative – we are constantly adding to our knowledge base. So, please, if any part of my primer is of value to you, use it! If you can adapt it to your existing methodology all the better!
There are many ways to reach the mountain-top, and this primer simply offers one perspective.
All the best,
DoctorInASaree
Section 1: Procedure
0) Flow of Information [constant - given]
-Your methodology. Your framework.
- As you move from passage to passage this is the singular constant. My methodology, as stated above, is based upon my own unique experiences and perspectives. I will edify several indispensable methods as you progress through this primer.
1) Read the Questions[<20 seconds]
- Read them in numeric order
- Do NOT read the answer choices
- Before immersing yourself into the passage, imagine for a moment that you are cooking a feast for a large banquet hall. People have ordered meals X, Y, and Z, and your task as the chef is to figure out a) the requisite ingredients & b) the procedure in which to mix them all together (quantities, etc.) in order to produce a meal.
My technique employs a similar methodology. By reading the questions first I am doing two things:
1. I am extracting the theme (crux) of the passage. I can map out the structure of the passage and what the author has argued simply by reading the questions.
2. Most importantly, like the chef, I am figuring out which details (ingredients) I must attain or understand in order to answer the questions (produce a meal).
- Lastly, this will stop you from thinking about previous passages. You will be turning your brain's focus to the current passage as you begin to focus on the passage's content before the passage itself is read.
2) Read the passage [<3 minutes]
- Fairly obvious...read the passage!Each and every word! DO NOT speed-read - no matter how skilled you believe yourself to be. There is no reason to rush through the verbal section. Be calm and pay attention to each and every word the author has written on the page, for they have done so for a reason. Do not miss out on vital details!
- Read with purpose: you know what the passage is demanding of you (the questions), so read with the intent of answering those questions.
- Your duty is not to engage in an academic quest of figuring out some deep mystery about the subject matter. Your duty is to answer the questions - that's it. Everything else is irrelevant.
3) Deduce the crux of the passage[<10 seconds]
- I cannot stress how important this step is.
- Ask yourself the following question: how can I best summarize the contents of the entire passage into one statement. What is this passage truly about? What is the author conveying to the reader about topic Z?
Intro/concluding paragraphs -> contain the crux of the passage - what the author believes. In the “sandwich paragraphs” one will find supporting and/or contrasting arguments which reveals how and why the author agrees or disagrees. How does the author reach his/her conclusions? Premises! How does the author validate their premises?
- How does one go about testing the value of premises? By employing logic, and testing the validity of statements by identifying the presence of logical fallacies, or lack thereof.
- Take a deep breath of air because it is time to begin answering passage questions.
4) Answer the questions[<3.5 minutes]
- At this point, you know the methodology, the crux of the passage, arguments that support or weaken the author's position, the premises that underlie the author's conclusion, etc. Have no fear, and answer the questions!
Aside: I apply my Verbal strategy to the other two sections of the MCAT. Instead of reading the passage (and their wasteful two paragraphs which contain an introduction to the mechanisms of a toilet - looking at your TBR Ch7), look for key equations, tables of values, and graphs.
Looking at my Verbal strategy is like gazing upon the night sky for the very first time. What are those lustrous objects in the sky? What am I, a little child, to make of this grand cosmic universe? In the next section, I will edify the tools I use to analyze and synthesize passages, as well as how and when to precisely apply those tools.
Section 2: Dual Modes of Thinking [see pdf version]
Section 3: Verbal Methodology - ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SECTIONS [see pdf version]
Section 4: Logic [see pdf version]
Section 5: The Anatomy of an Argument [see pdf version]
Section 6: Fallacies [see pdf version]
Section 7: Spotting Arguments [see pdf version]
Section 8: Application (Saree solves passages) IMPORTANT [see pdf version]
Section 9: Verbal Tips
Oh my, where to start?!
Sherlock Holmes’ Process of Elimination
· Question: why is a basic process of elimination strategy not sufficient?
· One of Sherlock Holmes most notable quotes is the following:“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”
· In my opinion, people tend to get carried away with feel-good premises, and end up choosing the incorrect answer choice. The Sherlock Holmes’ PoE strategy is demanding in so far as it requires the test-taker to prove that the premise that is being advocated is IMPOSSIBLE. What do I mean by impossible? That means one of two things (a) that nowhere in the passage can one find a single data point or any type of evidence to prove the premise true (b) the author would not agree with the premise.
· This is an exhaustive technique of approaching premises, but it is one, that in time, (through developing intuition) is one of the most rewarding MCAT Verbal strategies that I know of.
· For example, refer back to the passage concerning Social Darwinism (Example #3); I was not comfortable with the conclusion regarding homosexuals. However, I eliminated the other three answer choices as IMPOSSIBLE, and therefore, even though I was not comfortable with the answer and I didn’t think it was a probable answer (from my perspective) it was the right one to choose.
· The Sherlock Holmes’ PoE strategy divorces your experiences and therefore your biases from the MCAT Verbal passage. Yes, it is an exacting strategy, but well worth it.
Time Management
· Practice, practice, practice. This is the only way that I know of that one may begin to develop an intuition for MCAT Verbal passages. I recommend getting your hands on any resource available to you!
· Confidence (more on this later). Earlier on in my MCAT studies I had developed a troublesome habit of second-guessing my answer choices, and therefore, invariably, I would spend more time than desired on a single question. You must learn to trust yourself, and your intuition. Once you mistrust yourself then you end up with the following problem…
· Over-Analysis! Remember this line: over analysis leads to paralysis! Focus on what is relevant and do not analyze more than you have to. You see a man across the street from you, and you begin to analyze his character: his age, gait, weight, oh is he my Prince Charming? This is a classic high-school example of over-analyzing a situation. What is the relevance? None. If you deliberate for too long on answer choices not only are you improperly managing your time, but you are also confusing yourself. Do not hesitate to act! Do your duty and solve the question. Find pertinent information that will allow you to do your duty.
Post-Passage Analysis
There is nothing complicated about “post-game analysis”, and there need not be anything scary about it either. As stated earlier, there are two types of arguments: inductive and deductive arguments. Let’s review!
A deductive argument has three stages: 1. premise(s) 2. inference 3. Conclusion. If it is invalid or has one or more false premises, it will be unsound. An inductive argument: the premises actually provide the required degree of support for the conclusion, and then the argument is a good argument.
Summary: A valid argument transmits truth from the premises to the conclusion. All of the premises must be true for the truth to be transmitted.
· Therefore, an incorrect answer choice is selected because the test-taker has selected an incorrect premise and/or conclusion. This is why the Sherlock Holmes method is important!
· For a deductive argument: you must test premise(s) and inference(s)! If you review my example passages, you will see that I often make statements such as:
o Wild assumption!
o Not supported by evidence in the passage.
o Inference that is not supported by premises
· Always be sure to review your answers in the context of your methodology – inductive and deductive reasoning.
· An author once posed the following question at a book club meeting she attended: John Watson is Sherlock Holmes’ assistant and good friend. He wrote all of the detective cases the Mr Holmes worked on. Question: Why doesn’t Mr Watson display a mastery of deductive reasoning? Answer: He makes unfounded assumptions, because it is easy. Don’t think like Mr Watson, think like Mr Holmes!
· There are other ways of incorrectly answering a question such as:
o Misreading a question
o Lack of knowledge
· However, all of those cases invariably lead where one has selected an incorrect premise and/or conclusion.
Summary: To analyze why you selected an incorrect answer choice, you must first analyze where your inductive or deductive reasoning lead you astray. Which premises did you take for granted?
In Closing
Scoring well on the Verbal Section of the MCAT is no easy feat, and there is no singular way to score well. I’ve encountered, in the past several months, several people who sought out miracle stories, of individuals who scored 14 or 15 on the VR section due to some inherent advantage. I’m here to tell you there are no miracle people. To paragraph Mr Feynman - there’s no talent or special miracle ability. There is no special MCAT Verbal gene, hormone, or potion that one can make use of it to achieve a better score. It comes through practice, studying, reading, learning, being curious, and devoting a great deal of time.
There is no royal road to knowledge – Euclid
Therefore, the potential to score well resides in every single test-taker. Whether you realize that potential or not is up to you.
![]()
In Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow wanted a brain, the Tin Man a heart, the Lion courage and Dorothy to return to Kansas.
The Wizard solved the first three (with a diploma, a testimonial and a medal) but it took the Good Witch of the North to explain to Dorothy that all she had to do was click her heels while repeating “there’s no place like home.”
So why the need for the flying monkeys, talking trees, dissolving witches and munchkins before Dorothy’s enlightenment?
The Witch explained that, while Dorothy always had the power to go home, she had to learn it on her own.
Dorothy vowed that “if I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard.”
The solution resides within you. I hope that my method is of value to you.
All the best,
Saree
![]()
She already did on Dec 6. From what it seems, she was scoring in the 13-15 range for VR on her AAMCs so I don't doubt her credibility. Before deciding to bash someone for giving useful advice do a little research on the forums.So....
Has anyone else noticed that this 'expert' here has yet to actually take the MCAT....
That's pretty rude.So....
Has anyone else noticed that this 'expert' here has yet to actually take the MCAT....
That's trueThat's pretty rude.
Regardless of whether she did or didn't, who cares?
I found her opinions quite helpful and really appreciate the time she took to make the write up.
It would probably be best if you left the thread without anything constructive to say.
You are obviously in here looking to improve your verbal score. . .
sorry I don't search through forums looking for people....She already did on Dec 6. From what it seems, she was scoring in the 13-15 range for VR on her AAMCs so I don't doubt her credibility. Before deciding to bash someone for giving useful advice do a little research on the forums.
You have the luxury of choosing which advice to take.That's true
I do think it's fine to ask where advice is coming from that's all. I think we all are (obviously) looking to improve verbal scores but I personally like to hear from people who have already written the exam
not to say this person won't get a good score, who knows
Yeah, I just read the questions, not the answer choices.I found this method to be very helpful as well.
I'm getting a lot more confident with my answers, but timing is still some concern.
Just curious, are you guys really spending only 30 seconds skimming the questions?
Did you just call me...??? Thank you so muchThanks, Draupadi!
I applaud your skepticismSo....
Has anyone else noticed that this 'expert' here has yet to actually take the MCAT....
I'm glad the method is working for youI've found this method helpful by sticking to the basics of...read questions, read passage, think about the author's message/POV, answer questions.
AAMC FL 3 - 8 on VR
(started this technique)
EK1001 passages I, II, III - 9 on all of them
AAMC 4 - 10 on VR.
Advice for more improvement?
I'm so happy to hear that!I have not taken the exam yet but I must say practicing this method has helped me tremendously! I am more focused and reading more actively than I can say before. I won't lie, I haven't done my passages timed yet but I hope to keep the momentum going and the scoring up. I start to get nervous when I am going to time myself (I don't know why). Any way so far I just wanted to say thanks for the insight. It helped me to look at the passages and questions differently. It's almost like the cloud was moved away and now I can see the rainbow. HAHA! Any advice with timing myself? I will be taking this exam in 4 weeks.![]()
Priority: AAMC Verbal SAThis method works. Thanks a lot for sharing this. I have the verbal sections from AAMC self assessment left. What other verbal practice passages should I use outside of TPR?