TPR VR practice not accurate..?

[Aumgirl]

Hi there,

 

Ive heard rumors that the TPR VR practice questions are not up to par with the questions on the current MCAT. Ive heard that TPR questions are easier because they have more retrival based questions.. and that they dont prepare you well for the real thing..

 

Ive heard that examkrackers are better for MCAT preparation because they have more inference type questions.

 

Can anyone confirm this?

The reason why Im asking is because I'm consistently doing worse on the ExamKrackers than the TPR tests... and I just want to know what to expect so that I can practice accordingly.

 

Thanks a bunch

[Gitanjali]

I actually found EK slightly easier than TPR -

Ive heard TPR is harder than the AAMC's tho? Have u tried any AAMC's?

[funnyworld]

In my opinion, I think the Examkrackers resembles the AAMC most closely. Even if your scores are low at the beginning, just keep on going and you will see an improvement in your scores eventually - just make sure to review the questions you get wrong.

[Aumgirl]

yes, Ive tried the AAMCs, they are not bad... but ive still heard rumours that they are outdated practices...

 

i guess what im trying to get at is: does the real mcat have an equal representation of the different question types, or will a majority of them be inference based?

[Aumgirl]

Thanks funnyworld... im assuming you have written the mcat.. right?

[keith_015]

Examkrackers type questions is what you will get on the real thing. Kaplan and PR use too many questions with direct reference to the article rather than inference. If you want to know for yourself, buy some of the e-MCAT exams (not just for the VR, but for the semi-authentic experience of all sections of writing under timed conditions using the same computer functionalities as the real MCAT)

The VR section of the exam is supposed to gauge how well you can see into something and make inferences. That's why schools place heavy weight on it. If all it entailed was looking back at an article for all the answers, then it would be pretty redundant to include. Keep working on the EK exams, and study the answers if you got them wrong.

[skp1187]

I have the new version of 101 verbal passages. I think the passages are too interesting to read compared to the real MCAT. The majority of passages are interesting to read (not that many abstract/humanities passages).

[Gitanjali]

agree with skp

[funnyworld]

Thanks funnyworld... im assuming you have written the mcat.. right?

 

Oh yes, I have taken the MCAT - had to do it again just for the verbal section Like Keith 015 said, Ek has more inference type questions which will help you to prepare relatively better for the MCAT (nothing beats doing the actual mcat test though). It takes some time to see the scores rise so keep going at it:)

[keith_015]

Oh yes, I have taken the MCAT - had to do it again just for the verbal section Like Keith 015 said, Ek has more inference type questions which will help you to prepare relatively better for the MCAT (nothing beats doing the actual mcat test though). It takes some time to see the scores rise so keep going at it:)

 

Yes, I too have written the MCAT previously (2005 paper, 2006 CBT). Both times I messed up on the verbal (6 and 8). I used EK back in 2006 and consistently scored 8, giving a realistic outcome for what I was likely going to receive. I am writing this month again, and have been prepping using EK and the e-MCAT. I started focusing on VR from the late part of June. I am scoring 10-11 now which is comforting. I only scheduled the MCAT last week too after I felt confident with the VR. I think as long as you give yourself enough time to practice and come up with a solid system you should do alright.

 

What I did do this year to change my method is I started highlighting as I went along (that's something that you should practice with e-MCAT if you are actually going to do it on the real thing). I found it helped me read more thoroughly and pick up words like: except, not, nor, but. As well it helped me remember where list types questions can be found. I have stuck by this method since I scored a 9 earlier in June. I found that it helped me zing through questions much faster too.

[Gitanjali]

Impressive improvement Keith...I think Ill be following in your footsteps..writing on the 17th of this month...and i keep getting 8 on EK verbal too:mad:

I also vioded MCAT last year coz Verbal went hirribly wrong

So my love affair with VR continues...

[keith_015]

Impressive improvement Keith...I think Ill be following in your footsteps..writing on the 17th of this month...and i keep getting 8 on EK verbal too:mad:

I also vioded MCAT last year coz Verbal went hirribly wrong

So my love affair with VR continues...

 

Definitely all the best to you! I hate the MCAT so much. Three better parts of a summer of fun gone. This one for me is for all the marbles. I hope you can find your strategy very shortly! Take the week off if you have to!

[Aumgirl]

Thanks for all your help guys!!

[invincible110]

Hi guys, I am struggling horribly with VR. I have been doing the AAMC tests and have gotten 7, 8, and 6 on the three tests I have done so far, while getting 10s and 11s on physical sciences and bio. I am soo worried now about VR and I only have 3 weeks left until my exam.

 

Just wondering if you had any thoughts on what I should do. I have been following the EK advice, but I think there is a more fundamental reason for my lack of skill in VR and it is that I read slow and often have to read over things to fully comprehend texts that are not about science.

 

I am contemplating actually taking advice from the TPR and focus on just 6 passages in 60 min and then guess the last passage. Has this worked for other people? I find that when I don't put a time restraint on reading passages I do really well, but seeing the timer tick down in the bottom corner really irritates me and makes me miss details.

[sv3]

you sure you're a slow reader?

I try to limit myself at 4 minutes a passage which is a lot by most standards (most people I know do it in 3-3.5 max). The key for me at least was speeding up on questions. Try to do them in under 45 seconds. Sometimes thats tough with TPR as their questions and answers are incredibly long but get used to doing it that way.

 

if you are a slow reader, i dont got much advice except for try to read fast and see how it works out - you have to at least try this. It wont feel comfortable, but your mark may not suffer at all

[funnyworld]

Hi guys, I am struggling horribly with VR. I have been doing the AAMC tests and have gotten 7, 8, and 6 on the three tests I have done so far, while getting 10s and 11s on physical sciences and bio. I am soo worried now about VR and I only have 3 weeks left until my exam.

 

Just wondering if you had any thoughts on what I should do. I have been following the EK advice, but I think there is a more fundamental reason for my lack of skill in VR and it is that I read slow and often have to read over things to fully comprehend texts that are not about science.

 

I am contemplating actually taking advice from the TPR and focus on just 6 passages in 60 min and then guess the last passage. Has this worked for other people? I find that when I don't put a time restraint on reading passages I do really well, but seeing the timer tick down in the bottom corner really irritates me and makes me miss details.

 

If you feel that you read slow, I would suggest reading lots of written text when you have time (the kinds that are more prone to have convoluted texts like New York Times). The more you read, the more faster your reading becomes and the more vocabulary you gain. I experienced the same problem as you (can't say I got over it fully though) and I actually tried skipping one passage in my previous MCAT - I regret that decision till date. Unless you are sure that you will get 98% to 100% of your anwers correct for the rest of the passages, skipping a passage entirely without reading is not warranted. You can maybe try out two things - try doing the whole test at your fastest rate without looking at the clock for the entire test. You can also try reading the passage faster and attempt the questions to check if you are spending more time than you actually need. The best approach I find is to read and understand the passage the best you can and try to answer the questions as specific to the passage as possible. Hope I helped in some way - just keep trying!

[Albertan10]

Hi guys, I am struggling horribly with VR. I have been doing the AAMC tests and have gotten 7, 8, and 6 on the three tests I have done so far, while getting 10s and 11s on physical sciences and bio. I am soo worried now about VR and I only have 3 weeks left until my exam.

 

Just wondering if you had any thoughts on what I should do. I have been following the EK advice, but I think there is a more fundamental reason for my lack of skill in VR and it is that I read slow and often have to read over things to fully comprehend texts that are not about science.

 

I am contemplating actually taking advice from the TPR and focus on just 6 passages in 60 min and then guess the last passage. Has this worked for other people? I find that when I don't put a time restraint on reading passages I do really well, but seeing the timer tick down in the bottom corner really irritates me and makes me miss details.

 

ive been doing TPR VR practice tests so far. i usually finish the test at about 65 minutes or so. there is usually one killer passages with convoluted text and tough questions. i decided to do all the questions, however i would usually get 2-3 right on the killer passage, say out of 7 questions. so if i was to guess on that passage by, let say choosing only B i would get the same amount right, if i was to do the passage on my own. by that logic, it would make sense to just guess on that killer passage.

 

in regards to the timing, i get stressed out as well, but you just have to learn to manage that stress. through breathing techniques and concentrating on the passage and such.

[invincible110]

Thanks for your advice. My rationale is that when I take my time to read the texts I do fine (at the moment around 9-10 min per passage + questions). I am going to try to do the test and finish with say 3-4 min left for the last passage and then just read the questions and guess the answers from just the stem. Just to give this method a try. If it doesn't work I will try to read faster and see what that does. I know I can read the passages in say 3-4 min but I don't know if i will retain enough.

 

On my last test I realized that I had two passages left with around 10 min and that I began to rush on my second last passage which ended with me doing poorly on both last two passages.

 

It is really starting to get to me because I know I can do really well on all the other sections but not being successful in VR really makes me less confident and I know I need to be confident going in to write on the big day. But my spirits are still up for the moment...