Examples of Valuable Strategies?

[sv3]

Hi,

 

I've been reading up on a few forums and it seens some prep material is just content review while others actually give you valuable strategies and "tricks" in approaching the MCAT. I was just wondering if anyone could give me an example or two of what these strategies and "tricks" might be? Are they just common sense (i.e finish on time, eliminate wrong choices, etc) or do they really provide value?

 

I ask b/c I've been using TPR and have finished Chem and Orgo and I just feel like I've read textbooks. There isn't a mention in the books of how to approach the test so I am curious as to what I might be missing out on had I used another company's prep material.

 

thanks,

 

sv3

[bigfootspartan]

Hey! I've used EK and for the most part it seems they just give general test taking strategies.

 

Some things that pop in my head:

 

When there are two multiple choice answers that say the same thing, eliminate both of them, as they can't both be right.

 

Make sure that the answer actually answers the question. Many times there will be "true" answers, but they will dance around what the question is asking.

 

Don't spend too much time on 1 Q or 1 passage. If you don't get a passage come back to it after.

 

Make sure the answer makes sense in light of the passage. I found sometimes background information makes one answer seem better than the others. However, if that's not supported in the passage, then it's probably not right. (One example I can think of had to do with the destruction of T cells, which was true, but not supported in the passage)

 

Anyways that's all I can think of. I hope that helped.

[Jochi1543]

 

When there are two multiple choice answers that say the same thing, eliminate both of them, as they can't both be right.

 

Also, if there are 2 answers that contradict each other, one of them is wrong.

[sv3]

sometimes i've found this too......perhaps its a trick to make you think one is right since there is an opposite answer there.....but in fact both are wrong

 

thanks bigfootspartan - the trickiest part is when there are a few correct answers but only one applies more to the question - i'll keep an eye out

 

cheers

 

steve

[supafield]

Watch out for absolutes....

 

Generally a trap answer in verbal is.... This is ALWAYS the case, This NEVER will be the case.... and so on.

 

A common trick is to take an answer that has the right idea but make it too definitive which makes it false but still an answer that sounds right.

 

That said, you also have to watch out when an absolute may be right. More often than not absolute answers are a trap, but once in a while they can be right.

 

 

That, and take a 5 second break between passages, close your eyes and forget about the last passage and move on..... especially when you hit a bad passage early in a section. You don't want it in the back of your head the entire section. It sounds like silly non-material advice but I really found it to help.

[sv3]

any tips are appreciated - VR, BS, PS, WS

I think its a decent thread to keep alive

like i said i just feel like i've been reading textbooks and not uncovering any "Strategic approaches" to answering questions on the MCAT.

 

sv3

[Jochi1543]

any tips are appreciated - VR, BS, PS, WS

I think its a decent thread to keep alive

like i said i just feel like i've been reading textbooks and not uncovering any "Strategic approaches" to answering questions on the MCAT.

 

sv3

 

Check out "MCAT 45" by Kaplan from the library. It's ALL strategy.

[supafield]

Sorry I didn't fully read the first post.

 

The difference between the first and second time I wrote was I read the science passages more carefully....

 

It depends on how your timing goes, but the tpr class taught me to skim science passages which got my by on PS, but screwed me on Bio Sci.

 

While I read the PS a little quicker, I treated a BS passage almost like a verbal passage as I read for the second time.

 

As for verbal, I took the EK approach.... a solid 3-4 minute first read through, keeping the main idea (no crazy annotating) in mind and then limiting the amount I went back to the passage to search for.

 

If you looked at my passages in 2006 on paper, there were marks everywhere, underlines and circles.... in 2008 on the computer I barely highlighted at all.... I think I was actually focusing more on what I was reading versus worrying on how to highlight and summarize each piece of info.

[sv3]

Check out "MCAT 45" by Kaplan from the library. It's ALL strategy.

 

I looked it up on chapters.com. It's 320 pages and says it includes a lot of very difficult passages which seems to be the M.O. of the book. I figure only a small portion of this is actual strategy? Am I wrong with this assumption? I just have so many practice materials already I don't think I need/can do more. While it would be nice to go at some of these killer passages, I'm using TPR and heard/read that is slightly more difficult than the AAMC tests as it is. I just don't want to take the easy-moderate questions for granted either.

 

thanks for the tip though, perhaps I will end up getting it just for the strategy section anyhow

 

steve

[Microbiodude]

I've seen that book and tried to use it...overall, it's got a few more strategies but the Princeton book covers it well enough. It also does have a few advanced passages for you to work on and practice your new strategies. I really never ended up using the book and wouldn't personally recommend it, if you already have the Princeton book.

[sv3]

is that the one you speak of? Cause Its just a text really..........perhaps I'm asking for too much from these prep materials......

 

thanks

[bigfootspartan]

Yeah I grabbed the Kaplan MCAT 45 book with EK. As far as I can tell it only had 2 sections of questions per subject with the rest strategy. However, I found that the questions were so hard that it wasn't really worth practicing unless you feel confident on all the other stuff. It basically teaches you strategies so you can get that 1 or 2 really hard questions per test correct.

[sv3]

well im no superstar so i'll worry about the majority of it and hope to apply what i've learned to the killers. Afterall, they are all worth the same and i rather ensure correctness on those that can be had........

 

So the strategies.....did you find them helpful for questions that weren't very hard? Cause then it could be worth it to get the MCAT 45 book. I just don't care about getting more practice material b/c i have a ton to go through already!

[deeman101]

Most important tip (imho): practice. 7 days before the test write a practice MCAT under test conditions everyday. Analyze your wrong answers after writing. Learn the conditions under which you make the wrong choices and what you were thinking while making those wrong choices. Then recognize these conditions and don't repeat your mistakes on the real thing.

[astr1x]

Most important tip (imho): practice. 7 days before the test write a practice MCAT under test conditions everyday. Analyze your wrong answers after writing. Learn the conditions under which you make the wrong choices and what you were thinking while making those wrong choices. Then recognize these conditions and don't repeat your mistakes on the real thing.

 

You think it's a good idea to write a mock the day before the exam? I have 3 mocks left with 5 days before my exam... debating when to write them.

[deeman101]

You think it's a good idea to write a mock the day before the exam? I have 3 mocks left with 5 days before my exam... debating when to write them.

 

I'd say go for it. Theres always more that you can get (as a free trial) online. In fact its beneficial imo if you practice CBT versions right before the test. Gets you in the reading-from-a-screen state of mind.