Test in 5days and problem in VR

[njell]

So I took three AAMC so far

 

AAMC5 : PS13 VR9 BS12

AAMC6 : PS12 VR8 BS10

AAMC7 : PS12 VR7 BS12

 

As you see VR is seriously a problem for me. I highly doubt 8,9,10 VR will be getting easier and I was wondering if VR on the real thing is similar to the practice test.

 

I mean I kept practicing and practicing and the scores are going lower:(.

Hope I get over a 9 to at least go over the cutoff for UofT.

[iheartmed]

Wow, I wish I had your PS score going into the MCAT. I wrote in July and scored a 33Q including a 12VR 12BS 9PS (see, I told you). This was my highest score and if you are a science student I am sure that when it's the real exam you will be extra focused. I think the trick is to use the Examkrackers method for verbal. Basically follow these steps:

 

1) Before each passage, including the first one take a 5 second break. Breath, stretch, etc... to calm yourself down.

 

2) Tell yourself that this is the most interesting thing you will ever read and attack it like you can't wait to learn what this passage has to say.

 

3) Don't read for detail, read for the main point. It's like listening to a really long and convoluted story, by trying to catch the main point you are focused and will retain all the fine details.

 

4) If you can get it down to two answers, pick one and move on. Mark it and come back to it at the end of the exam.

 

5) Go in with the attitude that this should be the easiest portion. This is reading and answering some questions.

 

6) QUIT WORRYING SO MUCH!! It's a whole new game on test day and you will do just fine.

[Albertan10]

if it helps you out, my scores are very similar in all categories. and my VR scores dipped a little in the earlier AAMC tests. i had 10's in 8-10

[BendBiker]

Hi-

 

I have almost identical scores and problems. I am also a bit freaked about my verbal since last time I did a full length I got 13-8-14!

 

A few things that I did that helped me out:

 

I find it tough because, you go from physical sciences-where I usually skim through the intense passage and answer relatively superficial questions- to verbal where the passage is the meat of it all. If you try just to slog through VR like the others, you will have problems (I did!). I literally tell myself outloud how I have to change gears during the 10 minute break.

 

I also took a day and did 3-4 verbal sections, alternating timing and no timing (an option with the AAMC tests) and my scores came back up a bit.

 

I write like 1-2 words on the basic idea of each paragraph to keep me on track

 

As mentioned by somebody else, like half the questions are about the author and what he would hypothetically say in x case, so read carefully for anything that might imply the authors opinion in the passage.

 

There is always one tough passage so make sure you skip it and come back 'cause all the questions are worth the same, no matter how hard they are.

 

I also just guess, mark a question, and come back if I can get it down to 2 options. I'm not going for more than a 10, so I figure getting to read every passage and get a decent guess is more important than agonizing over one question.

 

Some of this stuff is obvious, but hope it helps,

Good luck

 

PS....remember you are scoring in practice above the average score for a typical MATRICULANT into canadian med school. That should make you feel better....

[oohpsjin]

wait...what IS the average score for a typical matriculant for the whole MCAT?

[takashi]

Ive heard from my kaplan teachers that a score of 8 is average (each section). So anything above 24 is considered above average. Can anyone verify this?

[cling]

I just took the AAMC7 online and I found myself pushed for time a bit (never happens) and I indeed got my lowest practice score on verbal. I usually score 11 solid, but this time I got the low part of a 10 (31/40). I had 6 minutes for the last passage and I think I was refering too much to the passage for answers. I lost 2 or 3 50/50s which I originally had right (goes to tell you that the gut feel is a good feel, and you better be very positive when going against it). I searched SDN and people highlight aamc7 as having the toughest verbal.

[njell]

Wow thanx for so much advice people!!

 

I'm glad I guess to see many people found AAMC 7 VR tough and it wasnt just me:D. I had problems with timing also for this one. Unlike others I was short of time as well.

 

My biggest problem I think is that I understand what the passage is talking about but when I start the questions all the answers look so similar, which means I havent fully understood the passage.

 

Anyway all the people taking the test in this week hang in there!!! Its almost done!

[BendBiker]

wait...what IS the average score for a typical matriculant for the whole MCAT?

 

I think 32 in canada...

[Albertan10]

^i doubt 32 is the average for everyone. i think its an average of all those who are competitive med applicants, not everyone who writes the test.

[BendBiker]

Notice how i quoted him asking about the typical MATRICULANT. That means someone who is accepted and enters med school. The average matriculant obviously has an above average score, otherwise they probably wouldn't have gotten into med school.

[Wallywarp]

Goodluck to you. How has the verbal score been recently?

[BendBiker]

I got an 11 in pcractice AAMC 6 tonight! Looking forward to Sept 6th!

(I had the same verbal problem as the OP. )

[butterfly]

I have the exact same problem!! I know it gets really frustrating! but since I have been using Examkrackers method (that someone has already mentioned) I 've been able to improve...to about a 9-10. I worry though because I don't know if that'll be my score on the real deal!

 

Oh, AND my biggest problem is that I don't get to read the last passage coz i usually spend ~10 minutes/ passage, if I can get to that last one perhaps I can improve even more....how can I speed up?? any suggestions??

[gamma]

I wish I was even close to where you guys are I know one of my problems is that when I start reading the first paragraph, I don't get anything. If I persevere with it, I get a vague idea but that hampers my complete understanding. I retook one of my aamc verbal portions and because I had been familiarized with the passages before, I was THEN able to get a 10 :cry: any tips fellas?

[cling]

To get quicker on VR:

I find this is rather counter-intuitive, but to get through passages quicker you should read slower. What? Yeah, I know. It seems I can understand the passage in its entirety if i read slower, checking my understanding roughly every 2 or 3 sentences. By doing this, I find I can answer more questions "on the fly" without refering back to the passage, which I believe is my biggest time sink.

[OneDay]

i really found reading a novel before I did my practice tests was helpful. My eyes got used to the reading, so when I got to my passages, I was able to read through them quickly and understand them. I had huge problems with verbal, because I never read anything other than textbooks. Once I started reading about 1/2 hour a day, my understanding of the verbal passages as well as the science passages improved.

[Albertan10]

verbal is the toughest section and my scores are all over the place from 8-11. i dont think there is any universally accepted technique. there are few tips you can do, but for time constraints you'll have to find the right balance that works for you. for instance reading to quick, you might not retain the necessary info to answer the questions most accurately. while reading to slow, you might not have enough time, or forget certain things by focussing on things you shouldn't which might clog up your memory or over complicate things.

 

try different techniques out, most of all i think its the reading skills that have to improve, you;ll have to force yourself to get in the groove, and get accustomed through making your eyes move ahead the quickest while retaining the most info.

 

my own technique, which by no means is perfect and probably needs some tweaking, involves previewing the questions for 30 seconds or less just so i can see key words to look for. this also provides me with what the questions will be asking and whether or not they will focus on the overall passage or just little specific sections. then reading the passage in less than 3 minutes.

 

for time limit i use tpr's formula, for max 3 minutes for reading and 1 min/question. usuallly there are many questions you can answer in less than 1 minute which gives me the time needed to preview the questions.

[butterfly]

Yea I totally agree that reading the passage slower rather than speeding through it really helps you understand the main points, however counter intuitive it might be..lol

And i have tired the TPR strategy of looking over the questions but it somehow doesnt really help me. i guess it is usually helpful for those who can read fast, I find that I waste time doing it that way...

 

I also find highlighting names of people, places, theories/hypothesis really helpful, its almost always that there will be at least one question concerning it.

 

In conclusion, I cannot wait till this thing is over!

[njell]

To get quicker on VR:

I find this is rather counter-intuitive, but to get through passages quicker you should read slower. What? Yeah, I know. It seems I can understand the passage in its entirety if i read slower, checking my understanding roughly every 2 or 3 sentences. By doing this, I find I can answer more questions "on the fly" without refering back to the passage, which I believe is my biggest time sink.

 

Yea I totally agree that reading the passage slower rather than speeding through it really helps you understand the main points, however counter intuitive it might be..lol

And i have tired the TPR strategy of looking over the questions but it somehow doesnt really help me. i guess it is usually helpful for those who can read fast, I find that I waste time doing it that way...

 

I also find highlighting names of people, places, theories/hypothesis really helpful, its almost always that there will be at least one question concerning it.

 

In conclusion, I cannot wait till this thing is over!

 

++

 

I tried the method of slow reading but fast pace method and it seems much better. I'm getting 9 or 10 now originally 7. I hope I get over a 9 in the real thing as well though...

[gamma]

do you guys end up having time to read the killer passage? or do you just guess on it?

[butterfly]

I simply just cross my fingers and guess

[BendBiker]

lately I have time to read them, but if not I just read the first and last paragraph carefully and guess away with that info en tete. I can usually get 1 or 2 right this way off guessing.

[cling]

Hey, if you can, do AAMC8 VR. I am extremely shocked when my score came up...5 wrong = 12

 

I found this test to start off slow (the 1st passage was about 700 words when I checked), but there were a couple extremely easy passages like the last one. The lesson is: don't freak out as there are bound to be some gimmies which you are only bound to miss if you are hyperventillating from the "Killers".

 

By the way, I find AAMC does not have "Killers" in the same view as Kaplan or TPR. TPR and Kaplan killers are incredibly convoluted and dense. AAMC has a more "buttery" feel to it. AAMC passages seem more like a conversation, although it might be a conversation between two academic painters or literary critics. The prep company definitions of tough passages are definitely not conversation-like. They involve a severe amount of fluff, which although is very elegant, usually holds little information and trying to understand it is impossible. MCAT writers take out the fluff of actual articles (this is well documented on various forums). Therefore, I believe the whole skip the "Killers" (don't do it, they are a decent band ) strategy is bound to flop. Read slowly, breathing deep (turns out your breathing becomes shallower the more stressed you are) and checking your understanding of how each new sentence structures author's story.