Improving Your MCAT VR Score – Part 3 – My Easy Method in Action
In my last post I told you exactly how I approached each and every MCAT Verbal Reasoning passage. Now I want to show you the method in action. Finding a VR passage that I could legally use as an example was an ordeal, but I finally decided on one that is already on the internet and completely free to access at anytime. The AAMC actually provides the free sample passage here. Ideally, you should take 10-15 minutes and test yourself on this passage before reading any further.
The sample passage is roughly 680 words, so it should take you no more than 5 minutes to actively read the entire thing. There are 10 questions provided, which is more than you will see on any given VR passage on the real MCAT, but it works for our purposes. If you are working on timing, you should be completely done with this practice exercise in 15 minutes. As a reference, it took me almost 10.5 minutes to finish.
I am providing my annotated version of the Verbal Reasoning passage with answers here: MCAT_VR_Answers
The yellow highlighting is where I would have used the actual highlighting feature on the computer based test, it also marks the correct answers. I used the black pen to strikethrough what I thought were really bad answer choices, and the red pen is used for a couple annotations and random notes to consider.
Quick Summary
100. Correct Answer: C Difficulty – Easy Did I refer back to the passage? NO
101. Correct Answer: C Difficulty – Moderate Did I refer back to the passage? NO
102. Correct Answer: C Difficulty – Easy Did I refer back to the passage? NO
103. Correct Answer: B Difficulty – Easy Did I refer back to the passage? NO
104. Correct Answer: A Difficulty – Moderate Did I refer back to the passage? NO
105. Correct Answer: D Difficulty – Easy Did I refer back to the passage? YES (paragraph #2)
106. Correct Answer: A Difficulty – Hard Did I refer back to the passage? NO
107. Correct Answer: B Difficulty – Easy Did I refer back to the passage? YES (last paragraph)
108. Correct Answer: D Difficulty - Moderate Did I refer back to the passage? YES (6th paragraph)
109. Correct Answer: C Difficulty – Moderate Did I refer back to the passage? YES (1st paragraph)
I am not going to explain each answer. I can’t help you pick the correct answer, I can only help you with your approach. If you actively read, understood the main point of the passage, and created a mental map of where in the passage certain details are discussed, than you shouldn’t have had too many problems. I think 7 or 8 correct answers should be your low on this practice passage. If you scored lower, what happened? What did you highlight? Were you able to cross-through and eliminate some of the same answer choices that I did? Did you refer to the passage too much? Not enough? Was timing an issue? Did you understand the questions?
In part 4, the final post about improving your VR score, I will discuss miscellaneous hints and tips for MCAT Verbal Reasoning.
Let me know what you think in the comments. What question did you have the most difficulty with?
hey,
I have literally 2 weeks left for my mcat and my verbal scores are really inconsistent…am really getting nervous….i range from 8-11…it really depends on whether I understood the passage or not …if I don’t …I end up getting most of the questions wrong…in these two weeks? what else can i do to make sure am consistent? this is a retake for me. I cannot afford to take the exam again …..will have no support
any tips or advice on how else I can approach the passages…
thanks!
What is the difference between a passage you understand and one that you don’t?
Well, if the passage is more dense and written in a more complicated way. I just get stuck and don’t seem to get the main idea. Mostly passages that talk about paintings and fossils. I am not sure how to tackle these.
This is helpful… thank you! My MCAT’s on the 19th (3 days from now). This is basically the strategy I use for verbal too, but I’m just hoping to get a 9. Anything more would be miraculous!
I’m not sure I totally agree that we should go at the passages in order. But I don’t think we should order them at the beginning either. I just look at the passage and if my eye catches words like “Freud”, “Nietzsche” or “msieugfshodfnsf theorem of psyche” haha I skip it and come back to it in the end. So, generally I skip only one passage and return to it in the end. Otherwise, time is wasted on it and I don’t get the questions right either.
I’m not the one to advise anyone by ANY means (seriously though), but I just wanted to share.
I appreciate your input! I just feel that if you skip a question, you mentally are worried about saving time to go back (for me) it is better to just do give your best answer starting with number 1 and finishing with number 40. However, whatever is working for you is great.
Hey!
Great great blog! I must say! thanks for the effort.
I wanted your advice on tackling with some of the qs/passages that i find to be very hard. The passage that you referred to here, I got the incorporation qs wrong…the one where they brought in outside info (the location one and ambassador one). I always have trouble with these kinds of qs, and was wondering if you had some input as to how to go about these qs. And, also some of the passages in areas of economics and may be politics are the ones I feel I generally lack on, and was wondering if you had some suggestions/resources I could use to tackle these.
Thanks for your help
and good luck in Med school!
MH
Hey MH,
Thanks for the kind words! I think that part of your problem with economics and politics passages is the fact that you dislike them. You really don’t need “outside information” to do any VR passages (I am sure you know what an ambassador does). Honestly, I would try to change your mindset towards these types of passages, that way you don’t see them as any different from any other type of passage.
Secondly, I would perhaps start to read the newspaper everyday. This won’t help you with any content on the MCAT, but it will get you more comfortable with the subjects that you find difficult.
Let me know if this helps,
A
hey! thank you so much for this great post. I am passing my MCATs in 3 weeks and I am scoring very very low for the verbal reasoning. I don’t know what goes wrong…
I’ll try your tricks tomorrow and hopefully it’ll help
When are you posting the part 4?
Thanks,
Mariam
Mariam,
Post 4 is already up. Check it out here: http://www.theherocomplex.com/mcat-verbal-reasoning-tips-and-tricks/
Hi A
Thanks so much for the post!!
I have my MCAT in 2 weeks. I have practiced the whole summer but I dont see any improvement on my Verbal score. It is very low – 7. I find myself rushed as timing is a big issue for me. I also use Kaplan strategy of mapping (writing the main idea of each para on paper) but it takes even more time. In your highlighting, I observed that u just highlighted 4 times throughout the passage. However, if I highlight, I do for each paragraph and sometimes do the unimportant stuff.
What suggestions do you have so that I can improve from my score of 7 to atleast a 9??
Thanks a lot!!
Why do you highlight the unimportant stuff? I was never a fan of mapping, because as you said, it takes up too much time. However, with only 2 weeks left it may be unwise to completely change up your strategy. Besides what I wrote in the 4 blog posts, I don’t have too many other suggestions. Try to completely focus and look for main ideas, and read like an editor. Check out the other blog posts, and good luck to you!!
I really liked the post. It was informative and very applicable. I did the question set and made an 8/10. Not bad since I had been struggling with VR in the past.
I missed 101 and 107. I should have gotten the dance question (107). I had it narrowed down to the the last two answer choices of A and B and selected A. I could not decide if dance was methodical or calm. I figured both.
I look forward to more post about verbal.
These posts about verbal have been really insightful. I know you said you wrote that you wouldn’t elaborate on the correct answers any further, and I don’t know if you really could, but would you mind explaining the reasoning behind 104 and 106 a little bit more? I picked the wrong answer choices in both and fell for the traps you referred to as tricky. In 104, I understand your reasoning, that the passage is about arguments rather than debates. But I don’t understand how a debate is still not a form of an argument, where even though you may be more receptive to opposing views than in an argument, are you not still trying to WIN the debate (And wouldn’t statements such as “We attack his positions and we defend own” and “We gain and lose ground” also apply to a debate?)
For 106 I am completely lost. When you answered this question, did you remove yourself from the quote and think of a bigger picture possibly? I took the quote literally, and chose one of those traps referring to driving. When answering this question did you have to sit and contemplate this bigger picture meaning, which left you with a haunch at most that it was referring to “location”? Or did you immediately see the traps for taking the quote too literally?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Or is that quote in #106 a common expression for something else that I am missing and unaware of?
Honestly #106 was the hardest question in the set. I narrowed it down between “location” and the “road” and basically guessed correctly. I think it is somewhat common expression, but I don’t have a great reason for explaining the answer between the two.
-A
Thanks for sharing this passage. Where did you find it? I’ve been trying to search for more AAMC docs than what is provided for purchase through the website. Do you know of any of links?
~ M
Hey M,
I don’t know anymore links, this was just a free sample on the AAMC website.
-A