bored Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 Wow must be the lack of sleep I meant to say EK is easier than TPR, I think you got what I meant to say though haha.How's your studying going Legion? LOL I reread your post. I can't believe I misinterpreted it. I think it's the lack of sleep on my part that allowed me that lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Field87ven Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 I hope to god the aamcs are like TPRH . I am killing TPRH and find it much more fair question wise even if the passages are much harder to read. EK uses too many dirty tricks; getting even an 11 or a 12 required pure luck IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGo1990 Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 IMO EK = harder than TPR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost&Found Posted July 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 I hope to god the aamcs are like TPRH . I am killing TPRH and find it much more fair question wise even if the passages are much harder to read. EK uses too many dirty tricks; getting even an 11 or a 12 required pure luck IMO. Wanna share your secret? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Field87ven Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 Wanna share your secret? Haha well that depends; are you having trouble with understanding the passage, TPRH style questions, or both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecobeco Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 Anyone know where I can find TPRH? An obscure torrent somewhere perhaps? I've been giving myself 8 minutes for all passages on test VIII and so far I've got 36/41 correct so this might be the reason for my previous low(er) scores... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondansetron Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 I am looking to trying new strategies to improve my score. I have been doing Kaplan 9passage/85 minute full lengths from old exams ( my logic is that it will build stamina). I have been scoring 44-48 out of 60 consistently. I really want to take it to the next level. Looking through the answers extensively and in detail, I can't find any explicit patterns. I am just getting more and more frustrated everyday (sorry for whining) lol. Any of you guys would suggest any reasonable/ alternative strategy that has worked for you? I would greatly appreciate some advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost&Found Posted July 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 Haha well that depends; are you having trouble with understanding the passage, TPRH style questions, or both? I feel like I'm having more trouble understanding the passage. Some of the questions are tricky, but overall I feel like if I really understand the passage, it'll help me with the questions. Like you said, the TPRH passages tend to be tougher to read. Any advice? Also, I've done a few Kaplan passages as well and I find that Kaplan verbal is easier. I don't know, maybe its the passages they choose or the way they write the questions but I tend to do better on Kaplan (albeit not perfect -__-) Have you by any chance noticed this too? Anyone know where I can find TPRH? An obscure torrent somewhere perhaps? I've been giving myself 8 minutes for all passages on test VIII and so far I've got 36/41 correct so this might be the reason for my previous low(er) scores... What have you been using so far Lexo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecobeco Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 Just EK101 though I do have BR verbal as well seems like its not that good by tbe general consensus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Field87ven Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 I feel like I'm having more trouble understanding the passage. Some of the questions are tricky, but overall I feel like if I really understand the passage, it'll help me with the questions. Like you said, the TPRH passages tend to be tougher to read. Any advice? I would say that as far as the questions go EK is far harder in terms of difficulty and trickery, I think we can all agree on that. As far as understanding the passage, i'm sure you've tried many things but here are a bunch of things I have picked up by reading countless comments off forums and some of the things that worked best for me. Try and visualize what you are reading - This works extremely well when you visualize a paragraph. Understandably, some of the TPRH passages are very hard to visualize, but the more I feel you train doing this you can attribute any kind of wording to any kind of image. When you are thinking of images and connecting them to words, you retain the paragraph so much better. My reading speed also increases slighty as well when I do this. There will be times when you cant visualize a paragraph, this usually is during a crazy philosophy passage or something that is incredibly wordy with complicated language. Often times I get a passage where one paragraph is really hard to visualize but the next 2 or 3 are easier to visualize, this gives me a greater sense of the passage even though I had no ****ing clue what the previous one said lol. Pay attention to the main points of the paragraph - Well im sure everyone has heard this stupid tip but its quite true. Often a really ambiguous paragraph can easily be deciphered by paying attention to that ONE sentence in which you are like "ohhh, so this is what he/she was talking about?". I usually find them at the start or the end or paragraphs, OR i will find them surrounded by supporting examples. For instance, sometimes a paragraph will give me "X happened, and Y happened, because blah blah blah blah" at the start of the paragraph, so I KNOW that while these are important points they are really not what I should focus on. I should focus on "because of..." and any thing which sums these examples up to SUPPORT the main idea. Once you get good at fishing the main idea sentence out of a paragraph it is rather easy to figure out what they are talking about, even in the most difficult passages. Finding the main idea in the question stems - Probably the most overlooked aspect of any of the strategies (this one I got the idea from EK, its basically their strategy). A lot of people will keep fishing for the main idea and if they can't find it in the paragraphs, they panic. However, if you look at the questions and go through them one by one you can POE a **** load of stupid answers that are too negative, positive, too short description wise or are too non-sensical (have nothnig to do with the actual question stem). By answering a couple questions with POE, you get a good grasp on the main idea! I can't tell you how many times I will go in to a question stem with only a partial idea on the passage only to realise "holy ****, this is the main idea", and then it all comes together. The answers summarize it for you! All you have to do is have a fairly decent sense of the main idea, even if it is small, and use your test taking skills to reason it out from the question stem. I think one of the reasons TPRH is so much easier is because a lot of the questons ASK you about the main idea of the passage (whereas EK asked you about stupid small details and supporting examples a lot), and usually you can narrow it down pretty well to get a good answer. From there, you should refer back to what you read and try to thread things together. Often just going through the questions after reading can really help, but you have to look for the proper clues. Remember, all of the questions while tricky as **** will give you a ton of information as to the authors main idea, tone, and intentions. All of this will help you I guarantee it, but if you do get that one passage which is ridiculous and the stems still dont tell you anything, well POE and guessing are your best friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balster Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 If this makes you feel better, I'm an English major and humanities minor who most frequently scores between 6-9, with a maximum score of 10 (but that was Kaplan FL 1). I feel like a fraud >.< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Field87ven Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 If this makes you feel better, I'm an English major and humanities minor who most frequently scores between 6-9, with a maximum score of 10 (but that was Kaplan FL 1). I feel like a fraud >.< Nah the verbal is just messed up dude, its the one section where everyone ****s up, with a select few who its made for. I feel like i could score anywhere from a 7 - 12 on the real thing, who friggin knows lol.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost&Found Posted July 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 I would say that as far as the questions go EK is far harder in terms of difficulty and trickery, I think we can all agree on that. As far as understanding the passage, i'm sure you've tried many things but here are a bunch of things I have picked up by reading countless comments off forums and some of the things that worked best for me. Try and visualize what you are reading - This works extremely well when you visualize a paragraph. Understandably, some of the TPRH passages are very hard to visualize, but the more I feel you train doing this you can attribute any kind of wording to any kind of image. When you are thinking of images and connecting them to words, you retain the paragraph so much better. My reading speed also increases slighty as well when I do this. There will be times when you cant visualize a paragraph, this usually is during a crazy philosophy passage or something that is incredibly wordy with complicated language. Often times I get a passage where one paragraph is really hard to visualize but the next 2 or 3 are easier to visualize, this gives me a greater sense of the passage even though I had no ****ing clue what the previous one said lol. Pay attention to the main points of the paragraph - Well im sure everyone has heard this stupid tip but its quite true. Often a really ambiguous paragraph can easily be deciphered by paying attention to that ONE sentence in which you are like "ohhh, so this is what he/she was talking about?". I usually find them at the start or the end or paragraphs, OR i will find them surrounded by supporting examples. For instance, sometimes a paragraph will give me "X happened, and Y happened, because blah blah blah blah" at the start of the paragraph, so I KNOW that while these are important points they are really not what I should focus on. I should focus on "because of..." and any thing which sums these examples up to SUPPORT the main idea. Once you get good at fishing the main idea sentence out of a paragraph it is rather easy to figure out what they are talking about, even in the most difficult passages. Finding the main idea in the question stems - Probably the most overlooked aspect of any of the strategies (this one I got the idea from EK, its basically their strategy). A lot of people will keep fishing for the main idea and if they can't find it in the paragraphs, they panic. However, if you look at the questions and go through them one by one you can POE a **** load of stupid answers that are too negative, positive, too short description wise or are too non-sensical (have nothnig to do with the actual question stem). By answering a couple questions with POE, you get a good grasp on the main idea! I can't tell you how many times I will go in to a question stem with only a partial idea on the passage only to realise "holy ****, this is the main idea", and then it all comes together. The answers summarize it for you! All you have to do is have a fairly decent sense of the main idea, even if it is small, and use your test taking skills to reason it out from the question stem. I think one of the reasons TPRH is so much easier is because a lot of the questons ASK you about the main idea of the passage (whereas EK asked you about stupid small details and supporting examples a lot), and usually you can narrow it down pretty well to get a good answer. From there, you should refer back to what you read and try to thread things together. Often just going through the questions after reading can really help, but you have to look for the proper clues. Remember, all of the questions while tricky as **** will give you a ton of information as to the authors main idea, tone, and intentions. All of this will help you I guarantee it, but if you do get that one passage which is ridiculous and the stems still dont tell you anything, well POE and guessing are your best friend. Wow thanks so much! I'll definitely try it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost&Found Posted July 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 God, its so depressing when you screw up one passage really badly...like I just did -__- Completely messes up morale. How many questions on average do you guys get wrong per passage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecobeco Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 God, its so depressing when you screw up one passage really badly...like I just did -__- Completely messes up morale. How many questions on average do you guys get wrong per passage? I know the feeling only too well. Just gotta keep going through them. As for the number wrong, since I started giving myself 8 minutes/psg, i've been averaging 1-2 wrong per passage as opposed to 2-4 with 7 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecobeco Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 Well I just finished my first test at 8 min/psg and got 49/60 according to the old format which is an 11 Hopefully, these kinda marks will stick around and I dont see anymore 8's and 9's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Field87ven Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 God, its so depressing when you screw up one passage really badly...like I just did -__- Completely messes up morale. How many questions on average do you guys get wrong per passage? On TPRH, 0-2 wrong being max wrong, on EK? You don't even want to know... And lexxo, good job with the 11! Heres hoping we all get 11's and a ticket straight to a western interview . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecobeco Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 Hahaha thanks a lot hope you guys are finding imporvements as well! Now if only my PS was around an 11 I'd be set lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balster Posted July 21, 2012 Report Share Posted July 21, 2012 I especially hate that feeling when I see a big wall of text and am like "ohhhhhhsnap!" and know already I'm going to mess it up because it's all convoluted philosophical bullroar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Field87ven Posted July 21, 2012 Report Share Posted July 21, 2012 I especially hate that feeling when I see a big wall of text and am like "ohhhhhhsnap!" and know already I'm going to mess it up because it's all convoluted philosophical bullroar. damn i know what you mean, but I've been telling myself to go in thinking im going to get a 7/7 , or I do worse than i'm capable of. and **** physics, these damn TBR passages ruin my confidence, every other subject ive got down pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecobeco Posted July 21, 2012 Report Share Posted July 21, 2012 Have you guys done any writing practice? I feel like it's time I did some, considering I still haven't started the FL's... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proteinaceous Posted July 21, 2012 Report Share Posted July 21, 2012 Thought I might share my experience since it may give hope to others. I did about 10 practice tests and did not ever score higher than a 10 (at that was a rare occurrence). I averaged about a 9 and I was surprised to find that I scored an 11 in VR on the actual test. Just remember, you are being graded against other test takers who are writing the same test. If you feel as though you aren't doing well just keep pushing through because chances are, if you're struggling, so is everybody else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyDLuffy Posted July 21, 2012 Report Share Posted July 21, 2012 How does AAMC 11 compare to the actual MCAT since it is the most recent one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tms Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 Hey everyone, Hope your studying is going well! I have started to do FL's and my VR score is horrible. I perform decently when doing EK and TPR passages on paper but for some reason when I switch to doing FL's on the computer, I feel very nervous and with the timer ticking on the screen, I make many mistakes that I know I normally would not. I also tend to focus more on strategy when doing passages on the computer which diverts my focus away from the passage's bottom line and by the time the last 2 passages come, I feel that I have lost focus. My verbal score is horrible as a result and it took me a few FL's on the computer to figure out my weaknesses. I don't know what to do to help calm the nerves. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost&Found Posted July 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 You may just be freaking out cause you're trying to simulate the real deal. Try to avoid looking at the clock, especially as you read through the passage so you don't break flow. If you find yourself getting super stressed out, close your eyes for a second and take one deep breath before continuing. Its something that generally helps me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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