- Joined
- Nov 19, 2005
- Messages
- 171
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 4,591
- Location
- California
- Attending Physician
VR Sucks
- Thread starter DrKendrickLamar
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2007
- Messages
- 74
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
- Medical Student
verbal blows...I'm doing the same. Nothing else seems to be working as well and even though my verbal score is not so great (6-8), but Im hoping mapping does have its benefits.
So I'm one of those people who looks fairly smart when it comes to math and science, but my verbal reasoning skills usually indicate the abilities of a blind, highly functioning chimpanzee.
I am doing Kaplan as well. I totally committed to their strategy, and then one day I decided to try a different technique. I started out with 6/7 on VR and I am now scoring 9/10 (at least, I have on the past 3 tests I've done).
I found mapping took too much time because I would get caught up in trying to figure out the idea of "each" paragraph and then the passage as a whole and blah blah blah.
I stopped mapping completely. instead, I tried reading slightly faster and paid more attention to author keywords rather than the usual howevers, but, yet, etc. For example, I'd still note those howevers and stuff, especially if it came at the beginning or end of a paragraph, but I found that, for me, paying attention to when the author says things like "...a clear benefit over..." or "her brilliant prose indicate a woman author...." and stuff.
I guess it sort of helped me think about the overall idea better, and I was able to incorporate the author's attitude as well. Kaplan's method does work, and I found it to be a great starting point. But on the real mcat there are 7 passages, not 6. also something to think about.
Lastly, reading the passage through and noting the words I mentioned above helped keep the passage together. Mapping forced me to stop and "chop up" the passage, so I think that, for me, it interfered with my overall understanding.
Also, Kaplan is good about emphasizing outside reading. I think this did in fact help me. I'm not one who usually reads the Economist or Atlantic or New Yorker and such, but I started to and the writing style is long and boring enough that I got more used to it, which helps in VR passages.
But something that will never improve for me is: I always think I bomb VR when it ends.
I am doing Kaplan as well. I totally committed to their strategy, and then one day I decided to try a different technique. I started out with 6/7 on VR and I am now scoring 9/10 (at least, I have on the past 3 tests I've done).
I found mapping took too much time because I would get caught up in trying to figure out the idea of "each" paragraph and then the passage as a whole and blah blah blah.
I stopped mapping completely. instead, I tried reading slightly faster and paid more attention to author keywords rather than the usual howevers, but, yet, etc. For example, I'd still note those howevers and stuff, especially if it came at the beginning or end of a paragraph, but I found that, for me, paying attention to when the author says things like "...a clear benefit over..." or "her brilliant prose indicate a woman author...." and stuff.
I guess it sort of helped me think about the overall idea better, and I was able to incorporate the author's attitude as well. Kaplan's method does work, and I found it to be a great starting point. But on the real mcat there are 7 passages, not 6. also something to think about.
Lastly, reading the passage through and noting the words I mentioned above helped keep the passage together. Mapping forced me to stop and "chop up" the passage, so I think that, for me, it interfered with my overall understanding.
Also, Kaplan is good about emphasizing outside reading. I think this did in fact help me. I'm not one who usually reads the Economist or Atlantic or New Yorker and such, but I started to and the writing style is long and boring enough that I got more used to it, which helps in VR passages.
But something that will never improve for me is: I always think I bomb VR when it ends.
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2004
- Messages
- 276
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 4,591
- Resident [Any Field]
Don't use Kaplan's methods, its terrible for VR. I use the EK strategy, which is read the passage carefully and throughly. Get your mind focused 100% on what you're reading. Don't let your mind wander, don't think about how glad you''ll be once this is over, read, with 100% focus. This is very important. Do not read the VR passage to remember every detail. Instead, see how the author's main point is revealed, and how each sentence adds to the next to develop the overall main theme. While reading you should be trying to figure out the author's main point. You should be able to know why the author wrote the passage, and what the main point of the passage is. This is critical to verbal. Then once you're done reading, close your eyes and quickly summarize the author's main point in your head. Then answer the questions. Try to not look back at the passage, but do so if you must. If you're running out of time, try avoiding looking back. If you get a question about a detail in a passage look back. Because you have read the passage so throughly, you will be able to quickly locate the detail. In your mind you'll be able to remember what the passage looks like, and locate it quickly. This may not happen at first, but it happens with practice.
In short, verbal reasoning is about READING COMPREHENSION. Passage mapping is useless and time consuming. It is designed to aid your memory and help you quickly locate details. You don't need to do this if you read carefully. Kaplan's VR section tests and examines are designed to be used with passage mapping, but you can do very well on these tests w/ out passage mapping. Read and answer. Also look for answer choices that are too extreme, either b/c they use extreme words like "only" or b/c they take the author's point too far.
Get Ek verbal 101 passages and do them. Your score will rise with practice. Verbal reasoning can be very frustrating, but your score will rise.
In short, verbal reasoning is about READING COMPREHENSION. Passage mapping is useless and time consuming. It is designed to aid your memory and help you quickly locate details. You don't need to do this if you read carefully. Kaplan's VR section tests and examines are designed to be used with passage mapping, but you can do very well on these tests w/ out passage mapping. Read and answer. Also look for answer choices that are too extreme, either b/c they use extreme words like "only" or b/c they take the author's point too far.
Get Ek verbal 101 passages and do them. Your score will rise with practice. Verbal reasoning can be very frustrating, but your score will rise.
