Guest punjabimed Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Hey, its been a while since I posted last, but I guess this is pretty important... Just wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation, and if they had any advice: I've been in sort of a slump for VR, scorin a raw score of about 37-39 on pretty much all types of VR tests (kaplan, MCAT A/B (princeton MCAT A-D book), and a few examkrackers) I have went back and analyzed my mistakes countless times, and there is never any consistency in the types of errors i make, making it difficult to focus on one particular question type. I find that it comes down to me missing a key sentence(s) that lead me to the wrong choice... Does anyone have any tips at all that would just give that one final push, I think its something like ~6 more points in the raw score till that magical 10... Any help would be appreciated, Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest archchivalry Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Wow.. I was here to post the same question about vr, as I'm one of those vicitims of vr as well. My problem is that sometimes, I don't understand the passage at all (not even getting what it's talking about)-maybe because English is not my 1st language- and when I try such passage even with unlimited time, I still get 3~4 wrongs/passage. and I need to look up the dicitonary quite often. Does any one share same issue with me?(I don't think anyone will tho..I tried to find this kind of problem but was unsuccessful) or anyone have the solution for this kind of problem? For me it seems like developing tactics for vr will be useless as long as I don't understand the passage wholly. and that's why I'm frustrated..I can't "practice" by applying tactics because I don't know anything about the passage! Any help will be greatly appriciated. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest darlaa Posted June 22, 2006 Report Share Posted June 22, 2006 Would an English Literature tutor be an option for either of you? They might be able to walk through the passages with you-if you try to "translate" what you think it is and let them correct/support you along the way. Reading journals from the university library might be helpful too as practice for how to pull information from written works. Anything from English and History to Microbiology and Engineering will be helpful. As far as the dictionary-use it now and learn those words, but practice reading for context as well as content-can you guess what the word means by what is surrounding it? Then check and see how close you were. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest anvah Posted June 22, 2006 Report Share Posted June 22, 2006 And read, read, read. Many people say it -only by reading challenging material will you get better at it. Many people gloss of journals, but when you read each point carefully you'll get much more out of it. Sometimes glossing over is just fine. But when trying to improve, you just need to force yourself to be intense. And unfortunately, it'll take time. Find a subject you like (ethics - bioethics, pure ethics, meta ethics; pedagogy - theory and practice; nanotechnology, . . . etc.), then find a book on the subject that is written for an advanced beginner. Read a chapter every other day. Repeat. In a year or two, you'll be doing much better. p.s - I guess not a help for the Augest timeframe, but it's like learning to play Beethoven when you're playing Vivaldi. It'll take years of practice - no way to force it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest piratefan Posted June 22, 2006 Report Share Posted June 22, 2006 Do you think that you might be missing key words/phrases in the passages on a regular basis? If vocab is an issue, maybe it would help to try and come up with a list of common words that suggest key elements of the passage (such as "primarily, arguably, debatable, etc)... I found that there were certain words that came up very frequently, and that identifying them usually earned me those extra few points. Perhaps sitting down with an english student, and searching for words that you consistently misinterpret or fail to notice would be helpful... Good luck to you... verbal is a b**ch, but the hard work'll be worth it. ~pf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paulchemguy Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 I find the Examcracker's verbal questions have a huge focus on DETAIL, whereas Kaplan's verbal focuses on general idea. Am I the only one getting this impression? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ADD100 Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 Wow, I have the exact same opinion. In Examkrackers 101 Passages, they go nuts about the smallest details; and for most questions the answers can be found by reading just a few sentences in the essay (although the wording is very different so its not easy to find). Ironically, if you read the Verbal Reasoning study guide from Examkrackers Complete McAt Study Package they highly emphasis on focusing on general ideas and not on details. Sadly though people say that Examkrackers 101 book provides the best estimation of the real test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SevenAges Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 Paulchemguy, I've definitely noticed the same thing. I find Kaplan passages to be easier because they don't focus as much on the small details. The best idea would be to purchase the actual exams because no company can simulate the actual exam. The ExamKrackers company recommends this as well, which is amusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paulchemguy Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 yay! good to know it's not just me :b if my memory serves me right, i think my VR score on actual MCAT (i wrote it once last summer) is exactly as the one predicted by Kaplan verbal pratices.... The reason I bought Examcrackers Verbal is only because many people on this forum said it has the best verbal pratices. I ain't so sure anymore... Anyone else found the Kaplan VR to be a good predictor of actual MCAT VR scores? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest foos101 Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Hey Paul, When I did Kaplan material last year I scored between 9-10 for verbal. I was in for a shock when I ended up with a 7 >: for the real thing. I looked at the conversion scales for Kaplan and I'm not sure how accurate it can be. For example, for the full length 9 test, you can get 17 questions wrong for a scaled score of 11, thats like 72%. It just sounds fishy to me. My theory is that they inflate the scales so as you progress through the verbal on the full lengths, to give you the sense that you are improving when your not. On the first full length you will need 54-55 to net you a scaled mark to 11. On the 5th full length its 46-49 and the 9th full length, it was 43-48. Is this just a coincidence? or is it just me. Keep in mind this is only for the verbal sections that I have noticed this. The science passages from Kaplan accurately predicted my actual score on the real exam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SevenAges Posted August 4, 2006 Report Share Posted August 4, 2006 Heh. That's neat if it's true, and not too bad of a marketing ploy if they purposely do it. For all of you having trouble, go here: forums.studentdoctor.net/...ge=2&pp=25 There are a variety of different tips worth reading about that just may be your key to success. I hope it helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ccharms Posted August 4, 2006 Report Share Posted August 4, 2006 i don't think kaplan is an accurate representation of the real mcat vr section. i practced from kaplan last summer and was easily getting 12s and 13s with extra time.. imagine my suprise when i got a 9 on the actual test.. they say expect ~ 2 pt drop from practice scores due to pressure and what not.. but anyways, i found the passages on the test to be MUCH harder. i'm using ek this year, and i got a 9 on the first practice. but after doing a few more tests, i'm getting 11s. so yay ek =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chowchilla Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 does anyone have any extra tips besides what's listed in the prep books? i've hit a plateau (so to speak) on my verbal and can't seem to break past it. it's really frustrating. i'm also scared as hell because there are only two weeks left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gloria Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 One thing that helped me was to do many practice tests, not just passages. I struggled with verbal, and in August I was doing a full verbal section every other day, and a full MCAT on the alternate day. (This was two weeks before the MCAT) I found that doing this each day really helped me 'get into the groove of the test.' Having become comfortable with the test I was able to find extra time, feel less stressed during the exam. The thing that helped me personally was realizing that VR is about arguments and logic. I know that is obvious when you say it, but my mark jumped 3 points when I changed the way that I viewed the test no longer as 'read a passage, answer questions' to 'this is a premise, which is connected to this idea, which is together with this makes that conclusion, which is an alternative to that conclusion.' Mapping out the passage in my head as an argument, instead of just reading through to get the mail idea meant that I got a more complex mental picture in my head. I have no idea if that makes any sense to anyone, but bottom line, even slight paradigm shifts can change the was you approach and score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SevenAges Posted August 6, 2006 Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 A friend of mine told me pretty much the same thing. It has helped a lot. My personal problem was not really getting "into" the passages. Now that I try to really focus on them and really understand what they're saying, read them critically and summarize each paragraph in my head, I'm doing much better and the amount of time it takes me is about the same because focusing more helps with really remembering the passages and, as a result, eliminates a lot of the looking back to the passage for an answer. In summation, I definitely agree with the mapping out the passage in your head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avenir001 Posted August 6, 2006 Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 You guys are so lucky you can map out the passages in your head...I've been practicing lately, but I'm not having much luck...maybe it's lack of a photographic memory that's my problem eh? To be honest though, I haven't practiced as much as I should've, concentrating instead on the sciences, which has paid off since my science scores have progressed up to ~12. But my VR score has dropped from 9-10 (on 2 Kaplan tests I did 2 months ago) to 7-8 (on EK & aamc tests)...and I'm now having second thoughts about going through with the mcat which would be an easier decision if I was getting 7's on all the sections. To make matters worse, I'm not even sure if I could improve on VR for next yr with the computerized testing technology taking away my chance to do the only thing I'm good at on VR--ie circling words. Sooo much to think about...so little time...and no real solutions:\ :\ Anyways, sorry to rant...just venting my frustrations. I hope everyone else is having better luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SevenAges Posted August 6, 2006 Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 As far as I know the computerized MCAT has a "highlight" feature... I could be wrong. But you may want to check it out. In any case, if you've spent all this time preparing then it seems a waste to NOT go. Try to see a pattern (if there is one) with questions you get wrong and focus on fixing those mistakes? I'm kinda at the opposite end of you. I don't think my science scores are all that hot. Mind you, I haven't done any "real" exams. I've just been working through passages dealing with chapters I wanted to review. I'm hoping that since they're so focused that doing a real exam will be much easier because they'll (hopefully) be slightly more broad, but we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulchemguy Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 man, i have been praticing on Examcrackers verbal and i have been getting a consistent score. then I just did a real AAMC verbal, and i did so horribly on it. i found that some passage has so many more questions than others, screwing up my timing, causing me to panic and lose focus.... and end up not finishing. omg this is scary any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daryn Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 I find that I usually have pretty good accuracy for the first half of VR. Then around the middle I start to make mistakes, usually in a series. How do you keep focused? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulchemguy Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 omg me too! the first 3 passages I get very few wrong. then as it goes on, the mistakes are more common.... and when i look at the answers later, i would go "duh that's so obvious, why didn't i notice earlier". and i start slamming my head against the wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darla Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 I find that I usually have pretty good accuracy for the first half of VR. Then around the middle I start to make mistakes, usually in a series. How do you keep focused? I've been stopping after the third or when I notice I'm getting fuzzy and I stretch my arms and take a deep breath with my eyes closed b/f I turn back to the page. Who knows, I've been so exhausted lately, it might just be I"m actually getting micro-sleeps, but it works for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daryn Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 I still have difficulty retaining all the information! Ahhh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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