MedNerd Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 Hey guys, I've been doing alot of VR for now, even had EK 101 for practice.. However, for my kaplan full lengths and aamc so far (i've done only aamc 3), i got three 8s, three 9s (one 9 on the aamc), and one 10 on the kaplan... I am so worry as my test date is soon.. and i'm not getting consistent 10s... I was wondering if there is any thing that i can do to improve it to a 10? (i actually need like 2 - 3 points to hit 10..), or is this like a flutuating thing that u nvr know wht happens till test day? Thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 You need to analyze your strategy. You have to fine-tune it a bit to improve. Each person is different in verbal and I wish that I could say do: A, B, and C and you will be fine - but reality is that verbal is a very difficult section and we each have our own strengths and weaknesses when reading. For example: Do you find you spend too much time on questions and then run out of time at the end? If so, you'd probably benefit by forcing yourself to stick to a time limit (I benefitted from this strategy). I also suggest reading as many diverse texts and possible, as much as possible. Read philosophy magazines, artsy journals, business stories, etc... just diversify the quality of the writing you're surrounded by all the time. It'll help you analyze the text better because you'll be more accustomed to it. I'd also analyze the type of questions you're getting wrong. WHY are you getting those wrong? Are they simple, "find in passage" before picking answer? Are they "total theme" type questions? Maybe, if you find the type of questions you are getting wrong, you can try to undertand why you keep making those mistakes and find a strategy to lessen the likelihood of you getting those wrong. Verbal is ALL SKILL based. You have to analyze your mistakes to try to improve... and also, get LUCKY! It's not a precise test, so anything can happen sometimes, it's a tough skill to improve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedNerd Posted July 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 Hey Law! Thanks for you great reply! Yes, I guess after reading your post, I have found some problems with my VR.. I tend to rush the last passage, even though i have around 9 minutes left... I think i should leave myself with more time at the end.. and also, i'm pretty weak with those "strengthen" and "weaken" statements... Thanks again for your insight! I will take another aamc and see how it turns out.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 To get those weaken/strengthen statements, you need to make sure you understand the author's argument and how each statement affects that. Sometimes they seem so unrelated, so it's really difficult, but think about each statement and what it means to the author's argument directly. How would it change it (if at all)? Personally, in my strategy, I gave myself 8 minutes/passage. When time ran out, I could spend a few more seconds on it, but I would force myself to move on. It's better to lose 1 or 2 points, than to doom yourself for an entire passage. I remember on my MCAT, I got this disgusting passage on groundhogs, and I was so confused while reading it and fell about 1 minute behind my 8 minute time limit with 2 questions still remaining. What did I do? I just guessed on the last 2 questions, and continued with the passages. At the end of everything, I had ~3 minutes to go. I went back to those 2 questions, one was a simple find which of the following is not mentioned directly in the passage questions, so since I had time, I was able to actually look at the passage and luckily found the answer with just a few moments to spare. It's small things like that which can really make or break the day. Had I just continued to spend time on the groundhog passage, I would have run out of time on the final (and much easier) passage and definitely gotten lower than a 10. Sometimes there is not much we can do, and it does depend on our luck. Other times, tiny things like this can help us improve our situation a bit. It's tough, but don't give up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutler Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 it all depends on the passages I went from scoring anywhere from 8-9 to 11 overnight...not doing anything different...the passages were just easier MCAT is a luck of the draw at some points...that's why some ppl have to write it multiple times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedNerd Posted July 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 Hey Law! Thanks again for your encouragement and pointers. Yea, I think, the timing of the passages and triaging skills are important.. I think I need to work on that.. since I nvr have 3 minutes left in the VR that I do... Probably need to look back less at the passages @ Sutler, yea probably, this whole MCAT thing is a "luck" thing lol.. This is my second time taking it, I have no problems with the sciences... Just trying to break a 10 on VR.. hopefully if i could 11 >< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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