What are these "test taking skills" you speak of

[Etorphine]

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[enTropeeeeeeeee]

I'm pretty much at the point right now where my content review is over, with about 2 months to spare (I started wayyy early, and know every TBR content book inside and out). I want to dedicate the rest of the time to perfecting these test taking skills I keep hearing about with passages + FL's, but don't exactly know what "skills" I should be focusing on.

Right off the top of my head, and after having done ~10 FL's, I reckon it is important to specifically focus on:
-passage timing
-mental stamina that allows you to focus for 5 hours
-knowing how to forget a question that's driving you crazy and move on
-VR passage mapping

what else should I consider?

It's almost like a RPG video game like Final Fantasy or Fallout III....every time you do a practice question or passage you get +1 stamina lol.

I'm in a very similar place in my studies, and transitioning to all-day practice passages. To build +1 stamina (as you say), I'm going to do 10 passages (7-8 min each) at a time. I heard in past threads that if you do this...you'll never feel burnt out by the FLs. By then, hopefully the FLs will feel like half-lengths, or low level noob mobs w/ lowbie drops.

 

[tttgo]

just curious, how early did you start? The points you listed are good. Find out which area's you're weak in. Are your sub scores balanced? If say you were weak in verbal, than try other strategies besides mapping. You could look at tprh and ek for more practice if you've finished BR. I would also do as many practice tests as I can. You've finished 10, so there should be at least 5 left (8 aamcs+7 BR). You could burn through gs and save the better fl's for that last month. Do like 1 every week. Don't lose intensity or burn out during this time. Just like in rpgs, it's harder to level towards the end. good luck

 

[hiyaman]

I'm pretty much at the point right now where my content review is over, with about 2 months to spare (I started wayyy early, and know every TBR content book inside and out). I want to dedicate the rest of the time to perfecting these test taking skills I keep hearing about with passages + FL's, but don't exactly know what "skills" I should be focusing on.

Right off the top of my head, and after having done ~10 FL's, I reckon it is important to specifically focus on:
-passage timing/ speed
-mental stamina that allows you to focus for 5 hours
-knowing how to forget a question that's driving you crazy and move on
-VR passage mapping

what else should I consider?

It's almost like a RPG video game like Final Fantasy or Fallout III....every time you do a practice question or passage you get +1 stamina lol.

You forgot POE-process of elimination
You should be poe'ing the **** outta passages and problems.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

The big five testing skills (I sound so lame saying it like that, but it's the way we say it in class) are:

• 1) Get quick at simple math, such as ratios, logs, multiplication, etc... Learn to use the answer choices via POE to find a calculation-based answer without actually calculating (at least not to the exact number).

• 2) Learn to look at data tables and immediately know what the passage and/or experiment are about. Be able to extrapolate and interpolate from the data and be able to explain any outliers.

• 3) Learn how to process graph questions systematically. Know your common graphs and what causes the intercepts and curves from math relationships.

• 4) Master the art of translating the question into simple concepts and then apply POE to whittle the answer choices down to just one.

• 5) Learn how to pick a best answer even when you don't fully understand the question by comparing the answer choices to one another.

In addition to these, you should minimize your careless mistakes and learn how find your common mistakes during the time you have between when you complete a section and when time for that section expires.

 

[hiyaman]

The big five testing skills (I sound so lame saying it like that, but it's the way we say it in class) are:

• 1) Get quick at simple math, such as ratios, logs, multiplication, etc... Learn to use the answer choices via POE to find a calculation-based answer without actually calculating (at least not to the exact number).

• 2) Learn to look at data tables and immediately know what the passage and/or experiment are about. Be able to extrapolate and interpolate from the data and be able to explain any outliers.

• 3) Learn how to process graph questions systematically. Know your common graphs and what causes the intercepts and curves from math relationships.

• 4) Master the art of translating the question into simple concepts and then apply POE to whittle the answer choices down to just one.

• 5) Learn how to pick a best answer even when you don't fully understand the question by comparing the answer choices to ona another.

In addition to these, you should minimize your careless mistakes and learn how find your common mistakes during the time you have between when you complete a section and when time for that section expires.

wow this is gold!

 

[apumic]

These aren't really "skills" in the sense of "throwing a ball." They're more like intuitive abilities. You need to practice and look at where you are making mistakes. A targeted approach is good but keep in mind that targeting intangible things may be somewhat unproductive. I would suggest practicing w/ tests and looking at what you are making mistakes. Additionally, make sure you absolutely understand things. If you cannot explain the passage in terms a 5-year-old would understand you don't know the topic. Period. I've seen far too many students go through classes, get As and Bs and think they "know" the topic but when you ask them about it, the response is some esoteric-sounding b*llsh*t. Just the other day, I was tutoring a smart student taking a biochem class. He was studying enzymes, so I asked him what an enzyme does in general terms. The response was some garbled, confusing mess of crap that made me want to grab a rope and a knife and hang myself off the nearest balcony while simultaneously slitting my throat for good measure. If a 5-year-old doesn't understand the way you explain a concept, you're thinking too hard. In the case of an enzyme, for instance, you can give a pretty complete response by using two objects that fit together (e.g., a pen and pen cap) and bumping them into each other a few times in random orientations. You can explain heat and kinetics (more collisions=higher chance of the right orientation occurring during a given period of time); mechanisms (proximity would be easiest, but you could find creative ways of covering the others); and so forth this way. If your understanding of an enzyme is some sort of ambiguous "molecule that makes reactions go faster" and all you really know about it is that "kinetics and thermodynamics are separate" you're going to be easily thrown off-guard by questions about concepts in the topic that you've never heard of before.

 

[tttgo]

That's really good advice. I guess that's why they say studying in groups and explaining to others is a good way to learn. I think that you're at the point where you're pretty much done with content and don't have time to learn much more. I would combine the above advice. Analyze and try to improve your test taking strategy/timing. At the same time, try to solidify your concepts since you probably can't explain every topic clearly to a 5 year old. Do as much of this as you can, but tailor it to your needs.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

The response was some garbled, confusing mess of crap that made me want to grab a rope and a knife and hang myself off the nearest balcony while simultaneously slitting my throat for good measure.

Wouldn't you risk cutting through the rope around your neck and defeat the whole purpose of your rope/knife combo, thereby subjecting yourself to further regurgitation of a biochemistry book's glossary?

Seriously though, as always, you've got a brilliant insight into what it takes to do great on this exam. If you can explain a topic in multiple ways to multiple people, then you can answer MCAT questions on it.

 

[TXKnight]

The big five testing skills (I sound so lame saying it like that, but it's the way we say it in class) are:

• 1) Get quick at simple math, such as ratios, logs, multiplication, etc... Learn to use the answer choices via POE to find a calculation-based answer without actually calculating (at least not to the exact number).

• 2) Learn to look at data tables and immediately know what the passage and/or experiment are about. Be able to extrapolate and interpolate from the data and be able to explain any outliers.

• 3) Learn how to process graph questions systematically.

• Know your common graphs and what causes the intercepts and curves from math relationships.

• 4) Master the art of translating the question into simple concepts and then apply POE to whittle the answer choices down to just one.

• 5) Learn how to pick a best answer even when you don't fully understand the question by comparing the answer choices to one another.

In addition to these, you should minimize your careless mistakes and learn how find your common mistakes during the time you have between when you complete a section and when time for that section expires.

point 3--How would you process a graph question systematically? I guess what I'm trying to say is how do you attack it? I, personally, first and foremost look at the axes labels (what they are measuring and units) then look at the shape of the graph and go from there...I guess that's pretty much universal, am I wrong?
point 5--By picking the best answer by comparing refers to looking between answer choices and maing sure units/dimensions make sense? any ideas?
Anybody? Thank you!

 

[apumic]

Wouldn't you risk cutting through the rope around your neck and defeat the whole purpose of your rope/knife combo, thereby subjecting yourself to further regurgitation of a biochemistry book's glossary?

Seriously though, as always, you've got a brilliant insight into what it takes to do great on this exam. If you can explain a topic in multiple ways to multiple people, then you can answer MCAT questions on it.

Haha! Possibly!

'Though this reminds me of an urban legend Darwin Award:

In France, Jacques Lefevrier left nothing to chance when he decided to commit suicide. He stood atop a sheer cliff and tied a noose around his neck. He tied the other end of the rope to a large rock. He drank some poison and set fire to his clothes. He even tried to shoot himself at the last moment. He jumped and fired the pistol.



The bullet missed him completely and cut through the rope above him. Now freed from the threat of hanging, he plunged into the sea. The dunking extinguished the flames and made him vomit the poison. He was dragged out of the water by a kind fisherman and was taken to a hospital, where he died of hypothermia.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

point 3--How would you process a graph question systematically? I guess what I'm trying to say is how do you attack it? I, personally, first and foremost look at the axes labels (what they are measuring and units) then look at the shape of the graph and go from there...I guess that's pretty much universal, am I wrong?
point 5--By picking the best answer by comparing refers to looking between answer choices and maing sure units/dimensions make sense? any ideas?
Anybody? Thank you!

For 3, your method seems perfect. For me, I look at the axes as you mentioned and decide whether the variables increase together or if it's a case of as one goes up, the other goes down. That typically eliminates a choice or two. I then look at the shape, plug in numbers, and check the intercepts systematically until POE leaves one choice standing.

For 5, you are right. Units can help eliminate choices. there are several tricks. For me, I usually look for complementary answers and eliminate them or look for opposing answers and see if they fit the question, whereby if they do, I can eliminate the other two answers.

POE is an art developed from practice.

 

[Etorphine]

Haha! Possibly!

'Though this reminds me of an urban legend Darwin Award:

Epic fail lmao.

Tttgo- I started about 4.5 months ago, with half of the day dedicated to reading the content and the other half to doing relevant passages. Now I am doing all passages/FL's/using spaced repetition software to keep it fresh. I'm scoring consistent 34's-37's, but want to grow vertically.

POE is great. I think all of the skills that BRtech mentioned are crucial. The math tricks in the BR gen chem book are great for speeding things up, I suggest you all pick up a copy.

Apumic - I wholeheartedly agree many of these skills are intuitive and kind of esoteric; but I think any skill on earth can be learned through deliberate effort. Practice as you say is definitely key.

 

[sdsoccer]

aamc7 PS 14 VR11 BS12
aamc8 PS 12 VR13 BS12
aamc9 PS15 VR9 BS14

i mean i guess my score is pretty stable but... my verbal is whackkkkk

any suggestions to stabilize?? i kinda screwed myself on aamc 9 with verbal as i had 10 minutes left with 2 passages to go and my guessing was spot off lol.... sooooo..... hmm yeah i dont know... it would be nice to get into the 12 range for verbal.....

any of you other guys taking these right now see any discrepancies in the difficulty of the vr passages??