Reading off the comp. vs reading a book

[Somethingmore]

I find I read faster and more attentively from a book than a computer. Is there a reason why all MCATs are computerized now? This could seriously hinder my abilities come test day (which should be in a year or two, but I'm still concerned here!) Maybe this preference is a result of doing much more of my reading of complex texts from books than computers since childhood. So ideally, if I practice reading off the comp I should eventually get used to it, right?

 

Does anybody else here have a strong preference towards reading from books? computers? Is it affecting them in prep for the MCAT?

[Violet]

I'm nervous about this as well! I tend to take things in so much better on paper than on the computer - I just start to skim things if they're electronic, I've always concentrated better with print. It's something I really need to work on.

[ysk1]

I'm completely the opposite. I read much faster and better from a computer. When I read from a book, my reading speed and comprehension drop so much and I even lose focus and fall asleep easily. I wonder why this is the case. In front of a computer I stay attentive all the time and it's much easier to keep my concentration.

[golfyfan]

I find I tend to skim when I am reading on a computer screen. But I concentrate so much better and actually get more "feel" for the tone of the article on paper.

[TypesWithFists]

I assume that the rationale for this is that in the future, more and more medical information will be available to a physician in electronic format, and this will entail reading from a computer screen. Look on the bright side, your medical training has already begun!

[Strauss]

I found there was a difference as well - when doing online versus paper practice tests...

 

One thing that helped me was to start reading the daily newspaper online rather than in paper format - got my eyes and mind used to reading clumpy text on screen!