Increase verbal in 2 weeks?

[duke101]

Im looking for some advice.. I really need to increase my verbal score from the 6-8 im sitting at right now in the next two weeks!! I have done most of the EK passages and also some of the AAMC exams but im am still not improving on verbal! Just wondering if theres anything i can do to improve my score in the next two weeks.. Kind of in panic mode!!! thanks for the advice.

[12321]

Before offering a suggestion, I would like to know a bit more: what aspect of the verbal section do you find more challenging? Comprehension or Speed?

 

In other words, do you currently find that you are finishing the section comfortably within the time limit, but are getting questions incorrect due to misunderstanding the passage..... OR ...... Do you currently find that you fully understand all the passages and that you answer correctly most of the questions that you attempt, but simply run out of time at the end?

[duke101]

Before offering a suggestion, I would like to know a bit more: what aspect of the verbal section do you find more challenging? Comprehension or Speed?

 

In other words, do you currently find that you are finishing the section comfortably within the time limit, but are getting questions incorrect due to misunderstanding the passage..... OR ...... Do you currently find that you fully understand all the passages and that you answer correctly most of the questions that you attempt, but simply run out of time at the end?

 

Thanks for the reply!

After thinking about this, i honestly feel its both. I definitely have a hard time completing all the passages in the alloted time and i often start to loose concentration near the end. I also think i dont really understand most of the passages and have a hard time being consistently correct on questions. For example, i will get the first three passages fairly correct and screw up the last 4 very badly! Im just getting more and more frustrated since my test date is so soon!

[Thomas86]

Thanks for the reply!

After thinking about this, i honestly feel its both. I definitely have a hard time completing all the passages in the alloted time and i often start to loose concentration near the end. I also think i dont really understand most of the passages and have a hard time being consistently correct on questions. For example, i will get the first three passages fairly correct and screw up the last 4 very badly! Im just getting more and more frustrated since my test date is so soon!

 

Im in the same situation as you. I dont believe 2 weeks would be enough to improve verbal reasoning skills, however 4-5 months may be possible

[12321]

Thanks for the reply!

After thinking about this, i honestly feel its both. I definitely have a hard time completing all the passages in the alloted time and i often start to loose concentration near the end. I also think i dont really understand most of the passages and have a hard time being consistently correct on questions. For example, i will get the first three passages fairly correct and screw up the last 4 very badly! Im just getting more and more frustrated since my test date is so soon!

 

It would have been a bit simpler if it was one or the other. A combination of both is trickier to manage. Don't get too discouraged though. Here are suggestions to tackle speed and comprehension issues separately (maybe you can find some combination of the suggestions that may be applicable in your case):

 

1) comprehension: various MCAT prep books have tips and tricks to help one better understand the passages as one goes along. These include things like underlining or taking note of certain types of words and phrases. Are you using a prep book at the moment? What tips and tricks do they suggest? You can scan through tips suggested by various books to see which might help with your comprehension.

 

2) speed: my own personal experience with the verbal section was that I understood the passages and was getting most answers correct, but was not finishing on time. I was using the tricks suggested by various books, but that turned out to be a bad idea for ME because they ended making me over-think passages that I already instinctively understood, thereby wasting my time. I actually started scoring as low as 6-9, just like you, until about 2 weeks before the test. Then I realized that I was better off just reading plainly (without using underlining or word-search tricks).

 

I paid careful attention to how much time I ought to spend per passage (divide total time allowed by # of passages). I focused on improving the time it took me to complete EACH passage versus the time for the entire verbal section. This helped me keep a good pace through ALL passages and neither lose concentration toward the end of the section, nor blow a good start by wasting too much time on say.....passage 5.

 

I ended up scoring 11. Which was fine since I did very well on the other sections. I wish I had changed my tactics earlier.

 

 

 

 

_____

I hope some combination of the above are applicable for you. Don't lose all hope. Two weeks may not be too late to gain a little improvement.

[lalab]

I'd check the thin Examkrackers booklet with tips on VR. This really really helped me. I basically didn't study, but just utilized their tricks and tips (just took practice exams and noticed I kept getting over 11).

 

I think if you only have 2 weeks that's the way to go!!!!!!

[duke101]

thanks for the advice guys! So far, I have read the examkracker books (about a month ago) and found it pretty helpful. So i will definitely go back and look at it again.

 

As for other sources, i will look at some different strategies and test them out asap so i can see what works the best and then narrow it down in the next week. Im probably going to focus on time first, and then when im comfortable with that see how comprehending the passages go. (any other suggestions about this?) I started using the hyperlearning workbook by TPR, anyone else find this helpful!?

[BlurstOfTimes]

Im probably going to focus on time first, and then when im comfortable with that see how comprehending the passages go. (any other suggestions about this?) I started using the hyperlearning workbook by TPR, anyone else find this helpful!?

 

Based on my experience this seems counter-productive, but of course everyone's different. Still, my two cents:

 

The best way to cut down on time is to improve your comprehension. If you understand the passages the first time you read them then you won't have to re-read sentences (or entire paragraphs) that don't make sense, and you'll also have to go back to the passage less often when you're answering questions. All of that will shave time off of your score.

[NontraditionalMDHopeful]

Based on my experience this seems counter-productive, but of course everyone's different. Still, my two cents:

 

The best way to cut down on time is to improve your comprehension. If you understand the passages the first time you read them then you won't have to re-read sentences (or entire paragraphs) that don't make sense, and you'll also have to go back to the passage less often when you're answering questions. All of that will shave time off of your score.

 

I agree with BlurstOfTimes advice that a strong comprehension of the passages, and strategies on how to approach them, will reduce the amount of time it takes to answer passage Qs.

 

A few strategies I picked up from TPR and found to be helpful as I work through TPR and EK VR books include:

 

- ranking the passages: as easy, moderate or complex (based on how difficult it is to paraphrase the first paragraph) and completing easy passages first, moderate ones second, and allowing for one complex passage that, if time is running short, I can guess on. I find it counter-productive to spend a lot of time on one complex passage (and getting frustrated) if I can (correctly) work through two or three easy passages in the same time frame. I use the 'mark' function and scratch paper to help keep track of moderate and complex passages that I need to revisit.

 

- reviewing the Q stems (but not the answers) before working the passage: to get a general sense of the passage, and what to look for. As I read through the passage I (sparingly) highlight key terms, skim over examples, and try to comprehend the main point of each paragraph and bottom line of the passage.

 

- grouping each Q in the passage into one of 3 categories: specific (based directly on the passage); general (main point/idea of the article; author tone/attitude) and complex (evaluation, new info, analogy, strengthen/ weaken). I then work through specific Qs first, general second, and complex last.

 

- eliminating incorrect answers helps a lot (especially for roman numeral Qs), and being aware of 'attractors' (wrong answers that look right).

 

I write in early September, but already noticed that my score's improved after about 2-3 weeks worth of dedicated studying. That said, I hope you find these strategies helpful as well, and best of luck on your test!

[nkn2012]

^ just curious, dont you find it difficult finishing all passages using the TPR method of ranking, etc?

[duke101]

so after doing the practice passages in the hyperlearning Princeton book, i feel like my score started to improve (9-10 consistently) however, then i did some passages from the EK 101 book and my score went back to around (7-8) .. did anyone else have this problem? is the EK book significantly more difficult or was it just a mess up on my part?

[advair250]

EK for me has always been WAY easier than TPRH. I usually get 9-11 on EK, but then 8-9 on TPRH.

 

Stick with AAMC material closer to test date, more representative. Buy the Verbal Self Assessment. It has 120 questions(3 tests worth) over 20 passages. Do them timed and see what % you get. I found these passages to be much more straight forward, and hopefully more representative.

[duke101]

Okay great! Thanks for letting me know, didnt even know about the self-assessment.

[BlurstOfTimes]

Yeah, I would definitely recommend doing as much official AAMC material as possible. The prep companies all try to mimic the actual VR style, but none of them are as good as the real thing. For what it's worth, I found that the EK passages were the closest to the real thing; I thought the Princeton Review & Kaplan passages seemed to be designed to fit well with the particular "strategies" that those companies teach, but weren't necessarily representative of the actual test. Of course other people's experiences may be different, but I found it best to stick to the official tests & EK passages, and ignore the rest.