How to Study for the MCAT Verbal Reasoning Section
Are you a premedical student that finds it hard to study for the MCAT Verbal Reasoning Section? You're not the only one. The Verbal Reasoning Section is the MCAT equivalent of a curve ball pitch. Many students before and after you have and will say that good verbal reasoning is an ability that you either have or don't have. This is largely untrue. There are definite steps you can take in your MCAT preparation that will help develop your verbal reasoning skills and give you a score you are happy with.
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Instructions
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Buy an MCAT prep book. Kaplan's MCAT study guide contains useful information and practice passages. It costs a little over $100 at the bookstore, but you can find it for even cheaper online.
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Get used to reading about a wide range of topics. The MCAT Verbal Reasoning passages are not about science topics. Consider reading the Economist Magazine online. It's free to access the articles and you will find topics ranging from finance and economics to reviews on popular books. The articles are written for an educated audience and are similar in reading level and length to passages you will find in the MCAT Verbal Reasoning Section. And since they are online, reading the articles mirrors what it will be like the day you take the computer based MCAT.
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Buy access to the online AAMC tests. There are about 10 old MCAT exams. The passages you find in those practice MCAT tests are actual passages. You can't get any closer to the real thing. Each one costs a little over $35.
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Look at the very bottom of an MCAT Verbal Reasoning passage before starting to read the passage. Often you will find information on where the passage came from. Sometimes this gives clues about what tone, stance, or topic the author will concentrate on. It will help put your mind in the right frame.
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Time yourself as you read through the passage. Many people read at different speeds. You may be reading too slowly, or you even may be reading too fast. The only way to find out is to time yourself.
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Pace yourself. Figure out what is a good amount of time to spend on each passage and subsequent questions. You may be getting every question right, but then run out of time with one whole passage and set of questions left. This will damage you score. Performing well on the MCAT Verbal Reasoning Section is like running a marathon. You should stay steady and consistent and should be aware of what it's like before actually performing during the real exam.
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Keep a few important points in your mind as you read each passage. Pin down the author's thesis, tone, concreteness, and other general ideas. Going into the set of questions knowing these will significantly help you narrow down your choices. It is very important to do this. Some premedical students get too caught up in the details of a passage and then can't answer the bulk of analyses questions.
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Tips & Warnings
Remember that you have the passage in front of you. You do not need to remember all the details of a passage. Concentrate on the overall message, and then look back over the passage for specific details if asked for them.
Do not stress if you are not familiar with the passage topic. Chances are that you are not. But you can still perform well if you understand the overall message.
Resources
- Marilyn Brodeur
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- Photo Credit Anatoly Tiplyashin, Suto Norbert, Federico Stevanin, Suat Eman, Csaba Fikker, KMJ
