Verbal Reasoning – Deeper We Go

03May10

What did I mean by all of this?

• VR tests your ability to understand what the author is thinking and doing at the time they wrote this particular section of text.  Therefore, focus on the author, not the content.
• That being said, as you read each passage, take note of the topic of the paragraphs rather than the content of the paragraph.
• Details in the passage are only there to illustrate what the author has in mind. Instead of asking yourself “What is this?”, ask yourself “Why?”
• Read over details quickly and go back and read them more carefully only when questions demand it.

Let’s go over this one by one.

• VR tests your ability to understand what the author is thinking and doing at the time they wrote this particular section of text.  Therefore, focus on the author, not the content.

This is all about what the test writers want you to do.  They want you to be able to look beyond what’s written on the page and draw conclusions about why the passage was written, and how that comes across in the test.  VR isn’t concerned with the details of the passage.  It’s only concerned with why the passage was written and how the author puts it all together.  Detail questions are rare in VR.  But questions regarding the why and how are everywhere.  You’ll be asked about the main idea of the passage, what’s implied by certain excerpts from the passage, any inferred arguments you can make from the words on the page, logical questions, and how the author’s words can be applied to other works.  This whole section will stretch your critical thinking skills rather than your memorization skills.

• That being said, as you read each passage, take note of the topic of the paragraphs rather than the content of the paragraph.

As you practice for VR, keep asking yourself “Why is this paragraph here?  What is the purpose of this paragraph in the bigger picture of the passage?”  Is the paragraph the main idea of the paragraph or is it merely illustrating a supporting argument of the main idea?

• Details in the passage are only there to illustrate what the author has in mind. Instead of asking yourself “What is this?”, ask yourself “Why?”

The author had a specific purpose in mind when they wrote the piece of work you will read on test day.  You should be constantly asking yourself why the author has written what they have.  Why is this detail here in this particular place?  Why is the author citing a particular opinion?  Why is the author discussing a specific theory?  Keep in mind that every passage you read in VR is essentially a persuasive argument.  The author wants you to choose their side of the argument and is going to lay out their ideas to you through the text and ask you to accept their ideas.  This is true even in more objective passages.  You still have to ask yourself why and how rather than what.

• Read over details quickly and go back and read them more carefully only when questions demand it.

This is probably the hardest thing to get around as a pre-med student.  In a lot of your science classes, you’re constantly being pushed to remember the details of every process and reaction that’s thrown up at you through your years of coursework.  All that emphasis on detail is actually detrimental to you on the MCAT.  Trying to memorize and internalize all the detail and content in a given passage is a waste of time.  You’ll be hard pressed to make it through the section, let alone a passage.  What you should be trying to do is boil each passage down to its basics.  This is where a passage map comes in handy.  If a question asks for a specific detail, you’ll know the basic idea of where it resides in the passage.  I’ll cover passage maps in a later VR-related post.  For now, just think “Remember the basics, not the details.”

That should be a good start to your practice on Verbal Reasoning.  But remember there are 3 other sections that require your attention as well.  Next post I’ll start testing science knowledge with some General Chemistry.  Hopefully your review materials have been up to snuff.

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