what to do if there's 5 min left and you still have 1 passage to go??

[E216]

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what do you do in that situation?
1. Should you read the questions and possibly seek out those problems which would be easiest to find in the passage i.e ("what does the word "bla bla" mean in the passage?)
2. Do you read as much as you can up until 2 min left and just try and get what you can
OR
3. Do you simply guess on those questions and use the 5 min to go back and review previous questions you were not sure about?

thanks for the help...I've been doing AAMC practice VR problems and I never seem to have time @ the end...and I just dont know the best way around it...Im trying to speed up answering the questions but im always down to 2 answers and those are killer...

 

[deleted74029]

I usually split it up, so if have 5 minutes left I will spend 2.5 min reading the passage and leave the rest for anwers. That usually works out fine for me but I'm a pretty fast reader.

 

[Libtech]

I usually split it up, so if have 5 minutes left I will spend 2.5 min reading the passage and leave the rest for anwers. That usually works out fine for me but I'm a pretty fast reader.

If that doesn't work then you would have to ask the REAL question:

WWJD?

But seriously, try to force yourself to move on from previous passages or stay with ~8 min per passage. I sucked at verbal but if you keep up that discipline, you can finish safely on time!

 

[Thornwalker]

I always finished with at least 10 mins for verbal. But this is what my friend suggested and it might work for you.

When you're timing yourself for verbal set your clock to 5 minutes before your time is 'officially' up. Try to practice finishing the verbal sections with -5 mins that way, when its the real deal you have an extra 5 minute buffer which may help with your nerves.

Just a suggestion. Good luck!

 

[SN2ed]

First off, you need to learn how to manage your time better. This skill largely comes with practice (i.e. taking TIMED verbal passages till your eyes are red). Next, NEVER spend more than one minute on any given question. Again NEVER spend more than one minute on any given question. If you can't figure it out by then, give it your best guess and move on. Spending any more time on it will be a waste. Only go back to that problem if you have time left over. Next, try to spend ~7 minutes per passage and question stem. I might be wrong on the exact number. To get the right amount of time, subtract 2-3 minutes off the total and then divide equally between each passage. Finally, do NOT constantly refer back to the passage, that will kill your timing.

 

[onb2014]

i'd definitely skim the passage to at least know the subject matter of the passage, then go straight to the questions. a good number of the questions can be answered with minimal/no knowledge of the passage, so it's important to pick up those questions that you'll have the best shot at answering correctly.

i guess the most important thing to do is NOT PANIC and think about how bad your score is going to be if you don't finish the section. that'll quickly drain off another minute of time.

hopefully, you'll make sure this situation doesn't happen and be smart to just move on if earlier passages get you stuck to make sure that you give equal time to every passage.

 

[unperturbed]

don't panic.
it's your 5 minutes in the real test, you won't just let that time go and leave 5~7 questions blank.
split the time to read at least the first and the last paragraph. read the questions and see if you can answer some of detailed fact questions.
once again, it's your time. just don't waste it.
on the "harsh" side, one question in verbal usually governs 1 point when determining, say 11 to 12, 12 to 13. so try to get 1 question right than guessing 3 questions.
Also, on a rather "relieving" side, guessing is an important part of MCAT. you cannot get EVERYTHING right.that's jus the reality.