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Help! I know my problem with CARS but not how I can deal with it.


bruh

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I struggle immensely with CARS. But I have a pretty good idea as to what my problem is.

 

I do very well on "easier" passages that are not filled with complex terminology or poetic writing. Usually 5/5 or 5/6, 6/7 correct. I understand the main idea and I often get almost all of the questions correct, even if the questions are hard. 

Now, when I get a passage filled with a bunch of historical names or complex writing, I am completely lost. I usually don't understand what the author is trying to say and just end up guessing most of the questions. I do horrible on these passages. Usually 2/6, 3/7, or even none correct. Even the ones correct are probably by chance. 

How do I deal with this? I'm taking the test in 2 months and feel like I'm not good enough to even understand/comprehend tough CARS Passages, let alone learning question answering strategies. 

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Some passages are just too difficult, for everyone. The first passage on the AAMC CARS question pack is an example of that (I still remember that shit after 2 years). Google "Picasso passage" and you'll see what I mean. No context is even needed haha, here is a few people's reactions to the Picasso passage: 

Spoiler alert: another thing I remember from AAMC's sample test is having to decide between 2 options which is more abstract, a lobster telephone or a sculpture of swirly circles spinning within circles. 

Both of those examples are from AAMC's own practice, so if you're using prep company practice there's even more passages that are likely to be bullshit. The night before the real test I did some CARS practice from next step and got the equivalent of a 124. The next day on the actual test I ended up scoring 129.

So my point is, make sure the problem is with you, not the material you're using first. If you rule that out, start by reading the passages you're struggling with untimed, sentence by sentence and don't move to the next sentence until you completely comprehend what is being said. See how long that takes you and try to decrease that time to a point where you're completing any passage within 10 minutes. If you can't do that, maybe postpone your test and practice for longer.

Hope this helps :) 

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19 hours ago, Sauna said:

Some passages are just too difficult, for everyone. The first passage on the AAMC CARS question pack is an example of that (I still remember that shit after 2 years). Google "Picasso passage" and you'll see what I mean. No context is even needed haha, here is a few people's reactions to the Picasso passage: 

 

Wow I'm very glad to hear that! I just started working on CARS and decided to start with the AAMC question pack to get an idea... I fell on the Picasso passage and got very discouraged. I'm glad not all passages are like this! 

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