what is the best way to study for reading comprehension and verbal ability ?

[pharmacistforever]

---

Members don't see this ad.

English is my second language so i know those two section will be extremely challenging and could destroy my dream of getting to pharmacy school. i know even if i got a good score on the science and the math , those two section could possibly ruin my composite score. i am taking the pcat on in two months and i need some advice. thank you

 

[Jibby321]

It's very difficult to study for these sections. You could try reading scientific journals, or other literature like that. It's really luck of the draw on the reading sections as to what passages you get. My first time taking I had 77 in reading and then the second I got 96%. I didn't study for reading the passages were just more up my alley the 2nd time.

As for verbal..... Dr Collins had a nice vocab collection. You could try some GRE flash cards.

 

[tehshield]

I just found a list of top 200 GRE vocabulary words and I made my own flash cards. It helped me to internalize the words by both writing them down and thus spend more time with it. Helped me to get a 99% on verbal section.

 

[pharmacistforever]

wow congratulations. okay i have few more questions. did you have a good background with the English background ? and did you study from any other sources besides the GRE words for the verbal ability and the reading comprehensions. and if you get 99 on one section do they add the extra points to your composite. like for example if i get more than i need to get a 99 on one section do they add these extra points to my composite percentile.

 

[Thestrugglez]

if you get 99 on one section do they add the extra points to your composite. like for example if i get more than i need to get a 99 on one section do they add these extra points to my composite percentile.

Yes your composite score is the average of all your scores. So if you score absurdly high in one section, your comp score will increase by a lot.

 

[tehshield]

wow congratulations. okay i have few more questions. did you have a good background with the English background ? and did you study from any other sources besides the GRE words for the verbal ability and the reading comprehensions. and if you get 99 on one section do they add the extra points to your composite. like for example if i get more than i need to get a 99 on one section do they add these extra points to my composite percentile.

I only studied for the verbal section based on the flash cards I made. I was probably accustomed to vocabulary/verbal questions because I had many influences from different sorts of literature from scientific sources (my biology degree) and from various literature from the vast amount of reading and writing I did for my art, history, and anthropology classes I took for fun.

 

[pharmacistforever]

well i guess i don't have that strong background on vocabulary as a non native English speaker so i am a bit scared that the reading and the verbal ability section will mess me up even if i did well on the science and the math sections

 

[NejixRockS]

well i guess i don't have that strong background on vocabulary as a non native English speaker so i am a bit scared that the reading and the verbal ability section will mess me up even if i did well on the science and the math sections

that happened to me... I did well in Bio/Chem/Math, but reading and verbal brought down my score by a lot... Reading was especially hard for me, but also think that if you do well in the science/math part, it will raise your composite. I have known people that got a 20 or less percentile in reading or verbal and still got a 80+ composite. I got a 26 in reading 🙁 and still got a 76 composite. Don't use Dr. Collins to study for reading!!!! That was my big mistake, the passages in Dr. Collins are way too easy, I was getting all the questions right, and on the actual PCAT I was destroyed LOL...

 

[kies89]

cant really improve in those sections but definitely do dr collins verbal.
i got like 39 writing, 29 verbal but still got 93 composite due to high science.
I guess just try to do well on other sections. but still prepare for those two sections!

 

[MGM921]

that happened to me... I did well in Bio/Chem/Math, but reading and verbal brought down my score by a lot... Reading was especially hard for me, but also think that if you do well in the science/math part, it will raise your composite. I have known people that got a 20 or less percentile in reading or verbal and still got a 80+ composite. I got a 26 in reading 🙁 and still got a 76 composite. Don't use Dr. Collins to study for reading!!!! That was my big mistake, the passages in Dr. Collins are way too easy, I was getting all the questions right, and on the actual PCAT I was destroyed LOL...

Yup, same issue w/ Dr. Collins w/ me. It was way too easy. I scored 47%ile on reading (eek!), but did well enough on the other subjects to score 98%ile composite.