<p>SAT CR section, AP Lang multiple choice section, MCAT verbal reasoning section? </p>
<p>Is this based on natural ability or is there some practice involved such as reading? </p>
<p>I mean, yes, I've grown passed the point of taking AP Lang and the CR section of the SAT's as i am now in my second semester of senior and done with AP Exams. However, I focus on these two exams particularly because my reading skills, as i glean from my performance on these tests, might give me some trouble come time for the MCAT verbal reasoning section. I haven't done any practice tests for the MCAT verbal but since people on here say it is a different beast, I'm going to underestimate myself and say that i will perform poorly. </p>
<p>For reference, I attained a 690 CR and I'm waiting on the AP Lang, which was self-studied, results.
So how do you improve those scores to near perfect along with the MCAT verbal scores to near perfect? </p>
<p>I read a ton of books and have never missed a vocabulary question on the SAT's. I knew all the vocab in AP Lang. So vocab is not really a problem. However, I am not a native speaker. So that may be a problem. I came here when i was little, however. I am going to continue to read alot of books. I just started reading ALOT this year. </p>
<p>But anything else i can do?
I ask because reading comprehension skills are something that are needed for essentially any task. Reading comprehension skills are critical especially in med school. I want to have these skills to the max.</p>
<p>Try things like debating, impromptu speeches, or writing. Your post has a lot of awkward sentence structures and word choices. The grammar was pretty good and it was understandable, but it’s clear from the way you word things that you aren’t a native speaker.
To really be good at reading comprehension tests, you need to be immersed in ADVANCED English. Get your family to speak only English at home. Read classics. Pure studying/taking practice tests over and over isn’t going to help much.</p>
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<p>Oh i know what you mean. I can point you my mistakes 
I’m too lazy to correct them.</p>
<p>Classics? I read nonfiction/fiction books…but not all of them are classics. How would classics help as opposed to non-classics?</p>
<p>This was not true for me in the least (reading classics, etc). Crack the MCAT verbal with examkrackers when its actually time to take the MCAT.</p>
<p>"Crack the MCAT verbal with examkrackers when its actually time to take the MCAT. "</p>
<p>-Yes, I heard this from many. I do not know anything else. Some people love to read, they willbe better in reading sections, others prefer writing they will be better in English/ writing sections. D’s verbal has been her lowest in every exam, English/writing highest. The difference between Reading and English sections of her ACT was wooping 7 points, she did not prepare for neither of them before taking ACT. MCAT is different, you have to prep. for it to do well, but D. did not improve MCAT verbal score, she was not using examkrackers, maybe using EK would have made a difference.</p>
<p>idk it’s not as easy say’ing “Crack the MCAT verbal with examkrackers when its actually time to take the MCAT”</p>
<p>People always told me to “crack the SAT verbal with the CB Blue book when its actually time to take the SAT”…it didn’t really help me to do well. In hindsight, I felt that reading over a longer period of time would have been more helpful. So i am trying to correct my mistakes.</p>
<p>I only speak from experience here, and my experience at that. However, I feel that the MCAT verbal is more like a puzzle, or a difficult word problem, compared to the SAT verbal–which to me felt like a measure of your ability to read quickly and understand big words. </p>
<p>I did not like the kaplan approach to verbal and felt that it was a waste of time, however, EK taught me how to think about the verbal as a puzzle–which for me, helped a lot. I’m not a super talented writer, I like to read, but this isn’t what helped me. I needed an analytical and more “science-like” approach to verbal, which is exactly what EK does. For what its worth, my score went from a 8 to a 13 by time I took the test.</p>
<p>There really is no way to significantly improve scores on standardized tests of verbal skills such as the SAT, GRE. LSAT or MCAT. They are primarily tests of innate intelligence which is mostly inherited with a small environmental component but by the time you are 18 these factors are largely determined and can not be changed. A score of 690 on the CR section of the SAT, which puts you well above the 90th percentile of all students who took the SAT, means you should get a reasonably good score on the Verbal Section of the MCAT. However, the MCAT is much harder than the SAT and the people taking it are a self-selected group of very high achievers compared to the population that takes the SAT.</p>
<p>In my case I took both the GRE (I took but do not remember what I got on the SATs but I think my verbal score was pretty high) and the MCAT. The GRE is also harder than the SAT and is mainly taken by above average college students who want to go to graduate school. I earned a GRE Verbal score of 730/800. On the MCAT I had a total score of 31 and a subscore of 10/15 on the Verbal section. That was good enough to get me into a U.S. medical school back in 1996 but would be marginal now it seems.</p>
<p>Maybe i should take a GRE test to see where i fall? lol jk</p>
<p>that is very discouraging to hear lemaitre. I mean if it really was about innate intelligence, then how do people improve from an 8 to a 13 as in cadriethiel’s case?
Maybe he was the exception, not the rule? Either way, the improvement couldn’t have been that much if your theory was true.</p>
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<p>I assume that what Lemaitre means is that the ceiling on these tests can hit a little bit faster than it hits on other tests, not that your diagnostic score will be your eventual score. Test-taking strategy applies to these sections – maybe not as much as it does to pure logic sections – and can boost your score somewhat.</p>
<p>But Lemaitre is right in the sense of “underlying knowledge.” If you are struggling on MCAT physics, it’s fairly easy to improve by learning physics. If you’re struggling on MCAT Verbal, it’s very hard to learn how to read better in a short period of time.</p>
<p>So you do advise reading now (senior year of high school)?</p>
<p>Well of course I advise reading now, just for general life skills. But my point was also that I think intensive test prep (e.g. Kaplan) should not ignore the verbal sections.</p>
<p>well by reading now, I meant for the purposes of doing well on the MCAT verbal sections by the time i have to take the test.</p>
<p>I am a person who hated reading with a passion forever. I have sparknoted almost every assigned reading 3 yrs in college and 3 yrs in hs. I’ve read probably like three books total. </p>
<p>The best way I improved reading was by reading a ton of magazines, newspapers, and articles. </p>
<p>In general, the problem in reading too slow most have is being a mouth reader rather than using your eyes. Look up some speed reading techniques and maybe try investing in software to train your eye tracking and reading speed.</p>
<p>FWIW, the SAT cr, AP lang, and Mcat verbal are all VERY different tests.</p>
<p>SAT = more stupid questions from what i remember. like what does “x” mean.
AP = more critical analysis. Also tests more on english devices
MCAT verbal = more about a logic test, and understanding the arguments of the author, their view. unlike the other 2 tests most deeper levels of thinking rather than “do u know what x is/means/does?”</p>
<p>^what was your verbal MCAT score?</p>