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Bear with me, verbal help please :(


Wanabedoc12

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Hey guys,

 

Although this is a new account, I've been on this forum more times then I can count xD. I have read a copious amount of threads pertaining to the verbal and how people improve and study. I've recently picked up my own copy of the EK Verbal and Reasoning, 7th e. The book itself provides a plethora of strategies that one should follow, and alot of it seems rational.

 

The problem that I have currently encountered is that when I try to apply this on my own, I fail MISERABLY. The passages seem so broad and complex to read, some of the content is just incomprehensible, seriously, it sounds like the author is paranoid and decided to whip out a thesaurus to confuse the world. It may be just me, but this entire "verbal" is starting to seem a bit esoteric. To spill my own beans, I JUST started, 3-4 days ago, and I know I might be jested at, but I'm not sure how people started and was wondering if everyone else started off on a "bad note" per say.

 

The main problem is that when I read the passage, I attempt to extract the main idea, after doing so, the questions sometimes have NOTHING to do with the actually main idea, I know it sounds weird, but I swear, maybe Im not formulating the right note intended? Is it because my main idea probably doesn't encompass the main aspects noted in the passage? And then after that, attempting to extracting information from the questions seems like an impossibility, one of the examples that EK showed tripped me out so hard, he pulled a rabbit out of the hat, I swear.

 

Pun aside, I really really need help, I know I JUST started, so this is probably just me hyperventilating as always, but I would LOVE to welcome suggestions and what not. How do I get all the practice? the EK 101 doesnt look it it has enough passages for someone to practice on. What should I do, am I doing everything right just need more practice? I would appreciate all non-trolling input, thank you so much guys, and best of luck with the MCAT writers for this summer!

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I think Erk has some verbal tips in his signature... I may be wrong though. Check those out.

 

As for EK passages and verbal strategies, they seemed to work well for me. However, I have always done quite well when it comes to essays, verbal reasoning and comprehension so my past experience may have come into play.

 

In your case I would suggest reading over the passage (they are typically less than 600 words if I remember correctly) and pick out some (more than one) of the ideas that are presented. Underline, high-light or cirlce the key points that you see and then you can use those as guides when answering the specific questions.

 

A lot of it depends upon past experience and practice... you will start to see the pattern of the questions asked and should be able to answer the questions correctly on a more regular basis if you practice the questions and actively reading the passages. From what I recall, some of the strategies out there can show you tricks to answer questions without actually reading the passage, but I wouldn't recommend that for everybody.

 

The difference between a 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 is usually quite small... ie. 1 or 2 questions right can boost you up from an 11 to a 12. Anything above a 10 is in the top 15% so also use that as a gauge as you may feel like you are doing poorly, but a 10+ is a solid score to get on VR.

 

Good luck and remember that you have to practice in order to get where you want to go.

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Firstly, I would like to thank you for your response, I appreciate that confidence boost and hope that all of this is true. I just was wondering, if you have done the verbal, and what stratedgies did you use, did you happen to use the EK. Also, can you varify this myth that if the IDEAL main idea is down, you can answer 90% of the questions without referring to the passge? Is there a way of simplifying the phrases of questions and what not while attempting them? Any further advice is something I would greatly appreciate :)

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There are threads just below yours that discuss similar topics and concerns...

 

Just keep practicing. EK's strategy is favoured by many who have had good results. Personally I'm writing this year, so I don't think I can offer much "seasoned advice" but I do think there is merit in going back to see why you got the questions wrong as well as why you got them right.

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Wannabedoc, when I was preparing to write the MCAT, I couldn't follow the strategy guides at all. The problem with me was that i had trouble verbalizing the main idea. However, I relied on my years of reading as a hobby, and some practice passages to find a way that worked for me.

I also found that the more I know about a topic, the more likely I'll get it wrong! Like Pagan said, read strictly what is there, and not what you know/can infer.

For me, I usually read the passage in detail first, then sort of get an idea of what the author's opinion is on the topic, and remember where concepts are in the passage. Then, when I look at the questions, I can usually pinpoint where the author talked about what is being asked, and go back to confirm/find out the answer

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Regarding your problem with the overly literate wording in some VR passages, two things to note. First, the actual MCAT is not all that hyperlexic (note: erk is), although you will have to deal with words you don't understand. More importantly, here are two words you need that will help you deal with such passages.

Don't panic.

It worked for Arthur Dent, and it will work for you. The thing is, 99% of the time, if you don't understand a word in a VR passage, you probably *don't need it*. Don't panic if you don't understand a word... just keep on going and forget about it. One of three things will almost always happen.

Thing 1: you will figure out what the word meant from the sentences around it.

Thing 2: you will go through the questions, the word and the sentence it was in will never come up, and you'll forget about the whole thing.

Thing 3: a question will specifically ask about the word and, because you remember it being a tough word, you'll be easily able to run back to the part of the passage with that word and read the context around it. You'll realise that you can answer the question just fine without knowing what "bildung" means.

 

I'm an extremely literate person, and I run into words on VR I don't know quite often. It's an intentional part of the test, to see if you can handle a minor speed bump or if you are thrown from your vehicle. Don't get thrown.

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I swear I could shed a tear, you guys are amazing, serisouly, thank you SO much for replying you have no idea what this actually means to feel like im not alone. I will practice every other day, and attempt to improve, ill keep things posted, if anyone else woud like to share, please please feel free to do so, much love guys, thank you!

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