Read Self-Confidently

The MCAT VR demands assertive, self-confident reading. Read passages twice. But don't worry about completely memorizing every word. 
 

In fact, feeling obliged to memorize everything they read is the downfall of many MCAT VR test-takers. 
 

That's because such a needlessly meticulous approach takes quite a lot of time to finish. 

There are two ways to read the MCAT Verbal Reasoning passages and question sets. We'll call  these First Pass and Second Pass reading styles. 

On the first pass assess whether you will work on that particular passage/question set at that time or skip it and save it for later. Your decision to complete the passage/question set at that time would be based on how easy it looks. If the questions are mostly of the fact-checking type and there are only one or two of the more difficult Big Picture type Infer questions, then you probably would decide to work on that passage right away--on the first pass. 
But if you don't like the topic or the writing in the passage seems  particularly dense, then don't do that passage then. Mark it and save it for later. Move on to the next passage and assess how difficult or easy it looks. Then, after you have gone through all the passage/question sets and completed the easy, comfortable ones you can  go back on the second pass and do the ones you skipped. They will actually be a little easier this time around (on the second pass) because you have already skimmed and learned a little bit about and what to expect from them. 

(Later in this MCAT VR Guide I'll explain a last resort guessing tactic that will help increase your odds of guessing correct answers. But you shouldn't need to resort to this after you become proficient in effective MCAT VR reading.) 

While you read a passage be aware of the locations of important facts. Don't worry about or get hung up on words you don't understand. There won't be too many and you'll learn how to understand what you need to about them through strategic context awareness and practice.  

Also, get yourself solidly grounded in the passage author's actual language. Don't read things into what the passage author actually wrote. That way you can accurately infer from or about it. 

Getting Oriented To A Passage:

• What do you have to remember?
• What do you have to understand?
• What can you afford to ignore?

A typical VR passage contains about 20-30 facts. 

Do you need to remember every single fact? 

No!

A typical passage's question/answer set is only going refer to 3 or 4 of all the facts in the passage. These are the facts you'll need to use to correctly answer the ‘Detail” or "Fact-Finding" types of questions. These are similar to those which make up many standardized test. 

The rest of the questions are going to be “Big Picture” questions of one kind or another. They test your ability to infer and answer “Main Idea,” “Author’s Tone” and “Function” questions. Sometimes a Big  Picture question may be two-tiered: first you'll have to find pertinent facts. Then you will need to use those facts to infer, or identify an author's tone or answer some other Big Picture question.

A test-taker trying to memorize all the facts in a passage, every single one, is doing way too much work.

All MCAT VR questions are either Fact-Finding or Big Picture questions.

TACTICS FOR CORRECTLY ANSWERING FACT-FINDING AND BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS.

Fact-Finding Questions: The quickest and easiest way to find facts in a passage is called “using the eyes” instead of memory. As you read the passage the first time (on the “first pass”), just note in passing the general locations of important-looking words—capitalized (names), unfamiliar big words and italics, for example. Then,, on the second  pass, when you are looking for evidence to support an answer choice you think is correct, you will know where to look. Use words and ideas in the surrounding context to make sure you understand the fact you are going to use.   

Big Picture Questions: Also on your first pass skim, be especially aware of “Signal Words.” These words show whether the passage author is continuing a line of thought or offering a different contrasting line of thought. Here are some Signal Word examples:

Adding More: also, again, as well, further, moreover, in addition.

Comparing: similarly, likewise, in the same way.

Concluding: thus, therefore, then, hence, finally, in summation, in conclusion

Giving Examples: for example, for instance, as an example, in other words.

Contrast: however, nevertheless, but, on the contrary, on the other hand, although, despite, regardless, nonetheless. 

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THE BIG PICTURE

To choose correct answers to Big Picture questions, you need to understand a passage’s structure and movement.

Structure is the passage’s logical organization.

Movement is how the passage flows from one organized segment to the next. 

Signal words will help you keep track of how the passage author moves thoughts and ideas. Words such as “for example” signal that an upcoming sentence or paragraph is going to provide support for and continue the same side of the author’s argument, for example. 

Phrases such as “On the Other Hand” or “In Contrast” signal movement from one side of a passage’s argument to another. (Obviously enough here, but watch for them when skimming passages.)

The fundamental structure of many MCAT VR passages generally involves two contrasting theories or ideas. Continuation or Contrast signal words are placed to help you keep track of the Big  Picture as you read the passage.

As you skim through the passage on the first pass try to identify the Big Picture and its components. For example, this could include a "Main Idea" and supporting evidence or examples.

MCAT VR Big  Picture elements are predictable. The Signal words help you predict upcoming movements in the passage, don't forget.

Most VR passages are built around some type of conflict between two opposing opinions, theories or ideas. There’s a contrast or tension between the two sides. There’s something “On the one hand” and there’s something else “on the other hand.”

In other words, two things are either compared and contrasted. There may be similarities but on a fundamental level there will be an essential “dichotomy” or difference of opinion.  This can be a problem to be solved, or obstacles to achieving the solutions, a dilemma, a paradox, or irony. 

Some of these dichotomies may be presented with the use of Literary Techniques. We'll deal with those later in this blog. 

Here is an obvious fundamental dichotomy (no distractions): “Because the supply of oil is steadily decreasing, we are going to need increasingly more alternative sources of energy in the future."

Dichotomy (Conflict) – The Fundamental Big Picture Passage Structure.

Passages establish the dichotomy and then build up a structure around or based on it. Elements used by passage writers to do this include: definitions, explanations, clarifications, and/or examples.

But be careful, a passage author may not bring the dichotomy to your attention (if you're paying attention!) until the second, third or even fourth paragraph. The first paragraph of a passage may not relate at all to the dichotomy.The first paragraph may even contain facts you can't use to choose correct answers.

But, sooner or later the dichotomy is introduced.

Then there are only 2 ways the passage can go from there. Either the defense with supporting evidence/examples holds up. Or a problem with the theory, belief or solution is revealed after it is challenged. (Generally in MCAT VR passages, the theory or belief holds up and the opposition does not. But not always.)

Ends of passages are very important. Something new might be introduced in a passage's last paragraph that could change what came before in the passage. 

Or the passage author can give critical insights into his or her “Main Idea” at the end of the passage that were not previously presented or discussed. 

Endings can confirm the correctness of the Main Idea, or present some qualifications to it (by, for example, giving specific examples). 

Endings can also, rarely, disprove the “Main Idea.” Perhaps the ending may conclude by suggesting what further investigation could be necessary. Or the ending can provide a synthesis of the conflicting elements, or alternatives and resolve them. 

Note: re: Dichotomies—Facts Are Not Dichotomies. (Facts are indivisible.)

Why is it important to identify dichotomies and figure out Big Picture structure? 

First, you can’t answer Big Picture questions without having grasped the Main Idea, etc. Second, many questions are specifically designed to confuse you by presenting facts that falsely support the opposite side of a Big Picture Main Idea. If you don’t understand the Main Idea, you could choose an answer that looks a lot like it supports the “Main Idea” but really doesn’t. In other words, a question could ask you to choose the answer containing a fact that supported the “Main Idea.” But you could be in danger of choosing a “Distractor” answer with a fact that actually disproves the “Main Idea.” If you chose the Distractor, then you just got that answer wrong!

More about Distractors and how to avoid them later in this blog.

It might help to, as soon as you understand the passage’s conflict, write it down in a few words. Don’t try to just remember it in your head. There are so many twists and turns in MCAT passages and questions, it’ll help to glance back at and ground yourself in the conflict you wrote down.