Improve your MCAT Spoken (CARS) Score with the Newspaper Strategy
Newspaper Strategy For Enhancing your MCAT Spoken (CARS) Score
The MCAT’s Critical Analysis and Reasoning Abilities (CARS) section is a challenge for many pre-med students. You may have spent your undergrad studying the sciences without much time for casual or academic reading.
Also, unlike the sciences you are used to, you can’t examine cold hard facts to improve your spoken (CARS) score.
As an MCAT tutor, I find my students fight with the following in spoken:
- Not reading the passages quick enough
- Not understanding what they are reading
- Not understanding passage questions
But like any challenge, these problems can be mastered.
Inject the Newspaper Strategy
I recommend for my MCAT students what I call the “Newspaper Strategy.” The objective of the Newspaper Strategy is to get you in the habit of reading different types of articles, particularly on topics you find tedious and boring. (Doesn’t that sound arousing?)
Visit your local newsstand and pick up a fat and reputable newspaper such as the Fresh York Times or Wall Street Journal.
You specifically want the printed version rather than the online version.
The purpose is to get you reading more fluently without mental distraction, and most online newspapers contain a lot of moving or colorful ads. Those won’t help you concentrate the way you need to; The MCAT doesn’t have flashing sidebars.
Give the newspaper a fresh home on your nightstand, then set your alarm to go off forty five minutes earlier than usual. As soon as your alarm goes off, turn on the lights and open that paper. Read article after article on various topics, especially if they don’t interest you.
Run to the bathroom if you need to, but then go right back to bed as if you just woke up. Don’t leave this for later in the day because you may give way to procrastination and not do this as often as required.
If you’re anything like me, your brain will absolutely hate you the very first few times you do this. While your mind is attempting to rest, you’re forcing it to concentrate on something it truly doesn’t want to.
You may read the very first paragraph 2-3 times without truly processing it. Your mind will wander and you’ll find yourself thinking about the beautiful shimmer of your morning coffee.
You’re training your mind to pay attention and concentrate on the reading task at mitt.
Each time you begin a fresh article, take a few seconds to clear your mind. Remind yourself that you’re working on speed and concentration for the MCAT
Have forty five minutes to spare? Attempt it right now on this Fresh York Times Article
Think of yourself in that white lab decorate!
Read just a lil’ bit quicker than you normally would, but be sure you’re still paying attention.
Once you finish the article, take a few seconds to think about what you just read.
Ask yourself a series of quick questions:
- What was this article about? (Just a general idea)
- Why did the author bother to write this article?
- What was his point of view and objective?
That’s it- just a few seconds, then stir on to the next one.
I recommend doing this exercise at least four days a week. Do it more if you’re looking for a drastic wordy score improvement (you may need to embark taking naps), and less if your wordy score is nearing your target range.
Based purely on my MCAT tutoring practice, it takes approximately Three weeks of diligent newspaper reading to see an improvement in your wordy score.
As you proceed reading 3-4 times a week, you’ll notice not only your reading speed increase, but also your comprehension! Not only will you find yourself getting through more spoken passages, you’ll also have an lighter time understanding the material and applying what you’ve read to the passage-based questions.
But the Newspaper Strategy is only a contraption to increase your capability in this section.
The real practice and improvement will come from doing actual MCAT practice questions.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
Your practice should come from two sources only. The very first will be your actual utter length practice AAMC exams. Every time you take a practice test, you will encounter a accomplish wordy (CARS) section.
Once you receive your score, take the time to review your wordy section as I explained in my article How To Review Your Utter Length MCAT Practice Test.
Your 2nd source of practice will come from practice passages.This is where you want to be careful. There are many test-prep books out there, and attempting to work through too many will only lead to confusion. I recommend choosing one set of practice books and sticking to it.
Erin, my two thousand fourteen MCAT student, scored a thirty six (
516 on fresh exam), and talks about how she found the Examkrackers one hundred one passages (amazon referral link) to be most realistic. Click for the entire interview.
This has been confirmed by many of my other tutoring clients. The Examkrackers spoken book has over a dozen wordy practice tests.
Don’t attempt to cover too much in one day; instead, spread them out so that you’re taking just 1-2 tests per week in the final seven weeks leading up to your exam.
In Conclusion
The wordy (CARS) section can be a challenge to premed students. The Newspaper Strategy will help you improve your reading speed, concentration and comprehension. Coupled with regular review of AAMC total length practice tests and VR practice material, your spoken scores will improve leisurely but surely.
Comments
Hello Leah4sci my MCAT CARS percentile for this year’s exam is presently at 25% my target is to make at least a 45% percentile. I will not be retaking the MCAT till January 2017. Prior to taking the exam, my spectacle plummeted from 70th/80th percentile to 20/30th percentile in the practices that I did… And I think it might be because I switched my treatment (note taking to highlighting method) in an attempt to accomplish the section quicker… But it was too late to switch back by the time I realized my error. What would be your suggestion this go around? And do you think it is too early to begin preparing for the CARS section using your strategy? Especially since the newspaper strategy seems to be a three to six week schedule. What would be your suggestions at this point? I will also be in a rigorous post-bacc program from now till May 2017. Any suggestions would be much appreciated and sorry for the length information.
It’s never too early to begin preparing for CARS because its something that you have to work on continually. If you’re testing in January 2017, I recommend doing The Newspaper Strategy two to three times a week. Mix it up inbetween boring newspaper articles and scientific journals so that you’re improving your capability to read both the CARS section and the sciences section.
Thanks for the strategy, Leah! Do you have a similar strategy for the science section? For example, I spend too much time reading the details about a reaction pathway that was used in an experiment or not fully comprehending the experiment. Any suggestions?
Same strategy applies. I recommend reading scientific journals
Hi, Leah! I’m not sure if you still reaction comments in this article but I was just nosey as to how much improvement you see after a month or so? I have about two months until my MCAT. Thanks!
Bobby: I’ve seen students improve within three weeks, how are you scoring in CARS?
Hi, Leah. Thank you for replying! I’ve only taken one utter length so far (planning on taking one once a week) but my very first one was a 122. I usually do 2-3 passages a day for practice and my scores are sort of all over the place, I would get 30% on a passage and then get around 83% on another. Been using your newspaper technology for the past four days and noticed a swifter reading speed on passages 🙂
You need to figure out why you’re losing points and how you’re tackling passages differently to get more consistent.
I’m not a newspaper kind of chick, but I’m willing to give this a attempt.
Even MORE reason to give it a attempt, get yourself used to reading passages you dislike
Thank you for your tips! Is there a preference in terms of what kinds of passages I should be reading from the newspaper (or the kinds of passages I should be reading for practice in general)? For example, concentrate more on the “economics” section rather than the “sports and entertainment” section?
PC: Your objective is to increase your stamina and concentration when reading material that bores you. If you find the topic arousing you’re likely reading the wrong passage.
Apart from times, can you please suggest other newspaper we can read ?
Anything reputable. WSJ, Economist, your local state paper… You can also read journal articles and more
This sounds like a fine strategy going to embark it the moment I get my arms on a magazine. One question, how long do you read before you can go back to bed?
Don’t go back to bed 🙂 read to wake up. Or read at night before passing out. 30-45 minutes is a good commencing point
Hey! Love your site!!
but I ended up in the Newspaper strategy.
Is it the same link?
Thanks so much for pointing that out Dee. My mistake, fixing now
Could I read the newspaper at night before going to sleep? or is it better to do it in the morning because we are more alert and awake?
I have students doing this at night, in the morning, on their lunch break… the key is to DO IT REGULARLY!
Would this strategy help even if i only have two weeks left to investigate for my mcat? I’ve been scoring average on my wordy reasoning score but it would be nice to give it a boost by a few points. I can do this activity six days a week. Also I have a indeed difficult time concentrating on the passages for physical and biological sciences. Any strategies for that?
Every little bit helps. Will you see the same results as students doing this long term? no, but you’ll still see some results. Good luck on your exam
Thank you, Leah! This looks like it’ll help my spoken! I’ve taken the MCATs numerous times but my spoken is the only one that won’t budge from a pathetic five 🙁 (I’m terrible at reading…) Hopefully this will work! There’s always two answers that I seem to choose from when it comes down to the final…. but I always get it wrong. Any tips? Thanks!
It’s all about practice, strategy, review, understanding, more practice, more review… It’s a slow and constant process
Improve your MCAT Wordy (CARS) Score with the Newspaper Strategy
Newspaper Strategy For Enhancing your MCAT Wordy (CARS) Score
The MCAT’s Critical Analysis and Reasoning Abilities (CARS) section is a challenge for many pre-med students. You may have spent your undergrad studying the sciences without much time for casual or academic reading.
Also, unlike the sciences you are used to, you can’t explore cold hard facts to improve your spoken (CARS) score.
As an MCAT tutor, I find my students fight with the following in spoken:
- Not reading the passages quick enough
- Not understanding what they are reading
- Not understanding passage questions
But like any challenge, these problems can be mastered.
Inject the Newspaper Strategy
I recommend for my MCAT students what I call the “Newspaper Strategy.” The aim of the Newspaper Strategy is to get you in the habit of reading different types of articles, particularly on topics you find tedious and boring. (Doesn’t that sound titillating?)
Visit your local newsstand and pick up a fat and reputable newspaper such as the Fresh York Times or Wall Street Journal.
You specifically want the printed version rather than the online version.
The objective is to get you reading more fluently without mental distraction, and most online newspapers contain a lot of moving or colorful ads. Those won’t help you concentrate the way you need to; The MCAT doesn’t have flashing sidebars.
Give the newspaper a fresh home on your nightstand, then set your alarm to go off forty five minutes earlier than usual. As soon as your alarm goes off, turn on the lights and open that paper. Read article after article on various topics, especially if they don’t interest you.
Run to the bathroom if you need to, but then go right back to bed as if you just woke up. Don’t leave this for later in the day because you may give way to procrastination and not do this as often as required.
If you’re anything like me, your brain will absolutely hate you the very first few times you do this. While your mind is attempting to rest, you’re forcing it to concentrate on something it truly doesn’t want to.
You may read the very first paragraph 2-3 times without truly processing it. Your mind will wander and you’ll find yourself thinking about the beautiful shimmer of your morning coffee.
You’re training your mind to pay attention and concentrate on the reading task at arm.
Each time you begin a fresh article, take a few seconds to clear your mind. Remind yourself that you’re working on speed and concentration for the MCAT
Have forty five minutes to spare? Attempt it right now on this Fresh York Times Article
Think of yourself in that white lab decorate!
Read just a little bit quicker than you normally would, but be sure you’re still paying attention.
Once you finish the article, take a few seconds to think about what you just read.
Ask yourself a series of quick questions:
- What was this article about? (Just a general idea)
- Why did the author bother to write this article?
- What was his point of view and aim?
That’s it- just a few seconds, then stir on to the next one.
I recommend doing this exercise at least four days a week. Do it more if you’re looking for a drastic spoken score improvement (you may need to embark taking naps), and less if your spoken score is nearing your target range.
Based purely on my MCAT tutoring practice, it takes approximately Three weeks of diligent newspaper reading to see an improvement in your spoken score.
As you proceed reading 3-4 times a week, you’ll notice not only your reading speed increase, but also your comprehension! Not only will you find yourself getting through more wordy passages, you’ll also have an lighter time understanding the material and applying what you’ve read to the passage-based questions.
But the Newspaper Strategy is only a instrument to increase your capability in this section.
The real practice and improvement will come from doing actual MCAT practice questions.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
Your practice should come from two sources only. The very first will be your actual total length practice AAMC exams. Every time you take a practice test, you will encounter a finish wordy (CARS) section.
Once you receive your score, take the time to review your wordy section as I explained in my article How To Review Your Utter Length MCAT Practice Test.
Your 2nd source of practice will come from practice passages.This is where you want to be careful. There are many test-prep books out there, and attempting to work through too many will only lead to confusion. I recommend choosing one set of practice books and sticking to it.
Erin, my two thousand fourteen MCAT student, scored a thirty six (
516 on fresh exam), and talks about how she found the Examkrackers one hundred one passages (amazon referral link) to be most realistic. Click for the entire interview.
This has been confirmed by many of my other tutoring clients. The Examkrackers wordy book has over a dozen wordy practice tests.
Don’t attempt to cover too much in one day; instead, spread them out so that you’re taking just 1-2 tests per week in the final seven weeks leading up to your exam.
In Conclusion
The wordy (CARS) section can be a challenge to premed students. The Newspaper Strategy will help you improve your reading speed, concentration and comprehension. Coupled with regular review of AAMC utter length practice tests and VR practice material, your wordy scores will improve leisurely but surely.
Comments
Hello Leah4sci my MCAT CARS percentile for this year’s exam is presently at 25% my target is to make at least a 45% percentile. I will not be retaking the MCAT till January 2017. Prior to taking the exam, my spectacle plummeted from 70th/80th percentile to 20/30th percentile in the practices that I did… And I think it might be because I switched my treatment (note taking to highlighting method) in an attempt to finish the section quicker… But it was too late to switch back by the time I realized my error. What would be your suggestion this go around? And do you think it is too early to embark preparing for the CARS section using your strategy? Especially since the newspaper strategy seems to be a three to six week schedule. What would be your suggestions at this point? I will also be in a rigorous post-bacc program from now till May 2017. Any suggestions would be much appreciated and sorry for the length information.
It’s never too early to commence preparing for CARS because its something that you have to work on continually. If you’re testing in January 2017, I recommend doing The Newspaper Strategy two to three times a week. Mix it up inbetween boring newspaper articles and scientific journals so that you’re improving your capability to read both the CARS section and the sciences section.
Thanks for the strategy, Leah! Do you have a similar strategy for the science section? For example, I spend too much time reading the details about a reaction pathway that was used in an experiment or not fully comprehending the experiment. Any suggestions?
Same strategy applies. I recommend reading scientific journals
Hi, Leah! I’m not sure if you still response comments in this article but I was just nosey as to how much improvement you see after a month or so? I have about two months until my MCAT. Thanks!
Bobby: I’ve seen students improve within three weeks, how are you scoring in CARS?
Hi, Leah. Thank you for replying! I’ve only taken one total length so far (planning on taking one once a week) but my very first one was a 122. I usually do 2-3 passages a day for practice and my scores are sort of all over the place, I would get 30% on a passage and then get around 83% on another. Been using your newspaper mechanism for the past four days and noticed a swifter reading speed on passages 🙂
You need to figure out why you’re losing points and how you’re tackling passages differently to get more consistent.
I’m not a newspaper kind of doll, but I’m willing to give this a attempt.
Even MORE reason to give it a attempt, get yourself used to reading passages you dislike
Thank you for your tips! Is there a preference in terms of what kinds of passages I should be reading from the newspaper (or the kinds of passages I should be reading for practice in general)? For example, concentrate more on the “economics” section rather than the “sports and entertainment” section?
PC: Your purpose is to increase your stamina and concentration when reading material that bores you. If you find the topic arousing you’re likely reading the wrong passage.
Apart from times, can you please suggest other newspaper we can read ?
Anything reputable. WSJ, Economist, your local state paper… You can also read journal articles and more
This sounds like a good strategy going to begin it the moment I get my mitts on a magazine. One question, how long do you read before you can go back to bed?
Don’t go back to bed 🙂 read to wake up. Or read at night before passing out. 30-45 minutes is a good embarking point
Hey! Love your site!!
but I ended up in the Newspaper strategy.
Is it the same link?
Thanks so much for pointing that out Dee. My mistake, fixing now
Could I read the newspaper at night before going to sleep? or is it better to do it in the morning because we are more alert and awake?
I have students doing this at night, in the morning, on their lunch break… the key is to DO IT REGULARLY!
Would this strategy help even if i only have two weeks left to explore for my mcat? I’ve been scoring average on my spoken reasoning score but it would be nice to give it a boost by a few points. I can do this activity six days a week. Also I have a indeed difficult time concentrating on the passages for physical and biological sciences. Any strategies for that?
Every little bit helps. Will you see the same results as students doing this long term? no, but you’ll still see some results. Good luck on your exam
Thank you, Leah! This looks like it’ll help my wordy! I’ve taken the MCATs numerous times but my spoken is the only one that won’t budge from a pathetic five 🙁 (I’m terrible at reading…) Hopefully this will work! There’s always two answers that I seem to choose from when it comes down to the final…. but I always get it wrong. Any tips? Thanks!
It’s all about practice, strategy, review, understanding, more practice, more review… It’s a slow and stable process
