From low VR to HIGH VR

[doc_911]

Has anyone had an experience of moving from 6 VR to 10VR?? What is the secret? I have been getting a low score on VR consistently, however I have been trying to "enjoy" and undertsand each passage that I am reading. Still no improvement. It almost seems like there is something that I am REALLY doing wrong and I can't seem to pinpoint it:mad: After each practice VR test I feel like I did well and then... I am in tears:mad:

 

Please... help:( I am freakimg out, cause I am writing in 10 days...

[arctic_monkey]

what is your strategy? i used kaplan's mapping strategy, which i am sure u can find online somewhere...it really helped me to understand the passage and increase my score...

[doc_911]

My strategy is so far: invisoning the athour, identifying the main idea and mostly comprehending the material in the passage. I studied EK for it and did extermely well on the practice passages. But once I immersed into an hour long VR I have desperately failed. What would you recommend? What do you think are the strongest and the most important strategies to use?

[bigfootspartan]

It sounds like you are using the examkrackers strategy? So far I'm in the same boat as you are. My PS and BS is good enough, but my VR is <7 every time... What I've been trying is reading the passages without a time limit and really concentrating on the main idea. Sometimes this can take quite a long time (haha I'm not sure how long, but longer than an hour per test). I heard someone say that VR is like math homework, the more you do, the faster you get.

 

Haha I'm just hoping that I do actually get faster, and quick. I write August 9, and am already pretty anxious lol.

[doc_911]

I just feel like I am doing something fundamentally wrong if I am scoring in such a low percentile;-(( I think I should try and read each passage as an argument that an "opponent" is presenting" - may be that will help me to look at it more critically.... People with great VR scores - any advice??? please help....;-)))

[Tree]

This post really hits home with me. I went from a 6 to a 10 in VR, by taking a huge risk and implementing a new strategy the day of the exam. In my practices with AAMC material I noticed that I was able to consistently eliminate the choices to leave only two, to choose from. For the most part, I would consistently pick the wrong answer when choosing out of these two. So on the real exam I decided to implement a new strategy, everytime I went through the though process to pick an answer like I did in my practices, I would then immediately change my answer to the other choice. I thought I bombed the VR afterward. But I got a 10 so it worked out.

[Addy K]

Hey there, I kind of formed a 'hybrid' between EK & Kaplan strategy - I found the former too vague and the latter too detailed-oriented (leading to me going over the time limit). So what I do now, and has been scoring me 12s on practice AAMC tests, is essentially reading for the main idea, painting a picture of what the author is like, following those other EK tips (confidence, etc) and after reading each paragraph I also summarize the main argument/conclusions in my head (note: mapping a passage in your head takes a bit of practice). When it comes to the questions, I CAREFULLY read the question stem and INTERPRET it (i.e., look for relevant text IF you know where it is (this is from EK - don't go back to passage unless you know where to look), make sure you know what its asking before looking at answer choices). Finally, I make a prediction (in most cases) of what I think the answer should be like and even if something doesn't exactly match my prediction, 90% of the time there is something close to it. Hope that helps.

[doc_911]

Thanks guys, your advices are really great;-))) I will incoroporate them into my practice;-))) I trully believe that there is a right way to do VR for everyone - it just takes some effort and time to figure it out. So thanks again for revealing your " secret strategies":D very helpful:D

[Sutler]

So on the real exam I decided to implement a new strategy, everytime I went through the though process to pick an answer like I did in my practices, I would then immediately change my answer to the other choice. I thought I bombed the VR afterward. But I got a 10 so it worked out.

 

That's the best piece of advice I've ever heard

[zombiegirl1979]

I mostly use ExamKracker's strategy except I read slow, and answer questions fast.

 

I find if I read slow, I retain and understand the passage waaaay better, I see the main point of the article clearly. I don't miss anything trying to rush through.

 

And then when I answer the questions, I pretty much never go back to the passage and I answer the questions quickly. I also don't second guess.

 

I give myself usually 3 mins to read the passage. Sometimes even little more!

 

I've been pulling 10s on this method.

[doc_911]

I think part of my problem is that I second guess myself or overthink, because last night I scored an 8 with waaay less effort than what I put into a 6;-))) So I can totally see why answering questions fast works so well for you;-)) I will try it too:)

[Dr.Mash]

This post really hits home with me. I went from a 6 to a 10 in VR, by taking a huge risk and implementing a new strategy the day of the exam. In my practices with AAMC material I noticed that I was able to consistently eliminate the choices to leave only two, to choose from. For the most part, I would consistently pick the wrong answer when choosing out of these two. So on the real exam I decided to implement a new strategy, everytime I went through the though process to pick an answer like I did in my practices, I would then immediately change my answer to the other choice. I thought I bombed the VR afterward. But I got a 10 so it worked out.

 

 

It's funny, but it's exactly what I'm going thru: I'm usually left with two choices and I consistently pick the wrong one.

The people who write VR are very good psychologists, so they know how a person more apt for natural sciences would reason. Majority of premeds have backgrounds in natural sciences, whereas VR's are written by humanities' people. Totally different mentalities... That's why VR is so misarable for many.

But you got a very interesting point. It's certainly worth of trying. The problem though is that we prefer determinism and we'll have to struggle to step over ourselves to select a seemingly uncertain answer. Mind wrecking BS!

[Dr.Mash]

BTW, it is pretty obvious that the VR is written by phylologists. It is especially clear with science-based passages, where a correct choice would sometimes be technically stupid from common sense and wouldn't even follow author's implications.

[Pantaloons]

I mostly use ExamKracker's strategy except I read slow, and answer questions fast.

 

Ms. Zombie, do you jot down notes when you read passages?

 

I've been jotting down points (usually, only 2 or 3 points per paragraph at maximum) while reading the passages, but I'm not sure if its distracting or helpful.

 

What are you guys doing? Written down, or in your head?

[Alastriss]

I never jotted down points, or even highlighted. My philosophy was read the passage slowly, understand it so well that you rarely have to go back to the passage when you hit the questions. Read a paragraph and then make sure you articulate the key point, and move on to the second. Grab the key point and link it to the prvious paragraphs point to build the main idea.

[Dr.Mash]

I think part of my problem is that I second guess myself or overthink, because last night I scored an 8 with waaay less effort than what I put into a 6;-))) So I can totally see why answering questions fast works so well for you;-)) I will try it too:)

 

Ha-ha! I wrote my very first VR (Kaplan) just for fun and I pulled 12. Later, more "serious" attempts came nowhere close.

[mvdaog]

IMHO, this is one of those sections where you cant 'study' harder or 'try' harder to get a better score. I scored very high on this section, and I truly believe its due to my passion of reading, throughout my lifetime. Others I know that have scored very well have been passionate readers also. Its so close to your test date that you can't read 100 novels beforehand, and hopefully you'll do well enough to never take it again. In case you do though, I suggest reading more in your spare time. Trust me when I tell you you wouldn't regret it anyways, most people who start reading literature just can't live without it anymore. And, not because they're necessarily "better", but because they're usually written in a more complex, sophisticated way, try to focus on novels written prior to 1950 or so. Complex sentence structure and the such will force you to become a more analytical reader as well as force you to become a more precise reader. Maybe do a search of the 'top 100 novels' and start reading the list.

For more short-term advice, all I could say is read VERY carefully and critically. Recognize words that aren't quantitative or sentences that can't be proven. Pay a lot of attention to the first sentence or two of each paragraph; thats where writers usually make their points. I never took any course for the MCAT, so I dont know what they suggest. But something I noticed, and I think this is purposeful to seek out the students who don't reach invalid conclusions from what they may read in the literature, is that the answers to the questions will a lot of the time include extremes such as 'always, never, no one, everyone' etc. In how many situations can these extremes be correct? Hardly anything fits something everytime lol. So beware, if the answer includes an extreme, go back in the passage related to that question and see if the author actually included an extreme like that. As I recall, most the correct answers were ones without the extremes. Same with answers that seem to be harsh, you can usually rule those out quickly.

Im sorry Ive gone on too long - advice is to focus focus focus on what the author is ACTUALLY saying - not what you interpret as you read but what the author said. Look for extremes in the answers and usually rule them out, or answers that seem to be harsh towards something in the paper. Cant think of anything else right now.

[doc_911]

Ok, guys, I am at 9 now on AAMC practice tests in VR;-)))) The advices really help - especially the one on reading passages slowly and carefully and answering questions fast. I notice now that my grade can potentially be higher, because I read questions stems way too fast and end up misinterpreting them a lot sometimes;-)))) xaxaxaxa:) I feel better though, considering that I have improved over a couple days. So I am trying to be optimistic

One thing I noticed though - it is more of a psychological thing: if I imagine myself as though I am in my washroom reading one of the Scientific American magazines I have stacked in the corner or a book I like- I do way better on a passage, cause I feel like I am actually "learning " something from it. The washroom part is VERY important....it is a "relaxing" addition to the test;)

Anyway, I agree that MCAT is a hughely psychological test in a way - that explains why some 4.0 people have troubles with it too;-)))

[Dr.Mash]

IMHO, this is one of those sections where you cant 'study' harder or 'try' harder to get a better score. I scored very high on this section, and I truly believe its due to my passion of reading, throughout my lifetime. Others I know that have scored very well have been passionate readers also. Its so close to your test date that you can't read 100 novels beforehand, and hopefully you'll do well enough to never take it again. In case you do though, I suggest reading more in your spare time. Trust me when I tell you you wouldn't regret it anyways, most people who start reading literature just can't live without it anymore. And, not because they're necessarily "better", but because they're usually written in a more complex, sophisticated way, try to focus on novels written prior to 1950 or so. Complex ....

 

I'd say your opinion is somewhat single-sided. Your extensive fiction reading record might have helped you pull out a good VR score without preparation. But for a guy like me whose only reading for the past ten years has been mostly textbooks and technical documents, extensive work on VR at least allows seeing how it is drawn up and what test writers expect, which is already half job done.

[mvdaog]

Good point. I was just trying to help, and thought people might be more inclined to read novels on their spare time than technical things such as you. But really reading a lot (critically and focused) of probably anything should do the trick.

[zombiegirl1979]

Ms. Zombie, do you jot down notes when you read passages?

 

I've been jotting down points (usually, only 2 or 3 points per paragraph at maximum) while reading the passages, but I'm not sure if its distracting or helpful.

 

What are you guys doing? Written down, or in your head?

 

Nope, no notes. I tried when I 1st started doing VR, but I found it took too much time.

 

I find if I read slow, I don't need to take notes, because I just understand each paragraph. But I do summarize the main point of the whole article in my head and do the ExamKracker's method of picturing the author, being confident, almost critical of the passage.