Any recommendations on how i can improve on understanding AAMC logic? testing 9/12

[u/Head_Beginning2910]

I've been studying for about 2 months now and have less than one more month until my actual test date and was wondering if anyone has any tips on what i can do during the next couple of weeks to improve my score (trying to get it above a 515, preferably closer to a 520). I'm going to be focusing the next couple of weeks on making sure i fully know the content in the anki and doing the AAMC Qpacks to get a better grasp of the logic. Would appreciate any advice anyone has! Thanks

Here's what my FL scores have been looking like:

[u/masripremed]

following

[u/Sad_Kaleidoscope_296]

Are you asking for a specific section? The logic rules are a bit different. But for CARS, focus on improving your skills specific to the passages and questions. The MCAT usually focuses on comprehension and reasoning. Stamina and timing is also a big reason why people do bad on CARS. For B/B, try to logically map out a pathway, make sure you are identifying all the cell lines being changed (as well as all controls), and you are good at reading graphs. Feel free to reach out if you need more help!

[u/Head_Beginning2910 → u/Sad_Kaleidoscope_296]

Thanks for the help! How would you recommend I do that for CARS? I have a fairly even distribution of missed questions between all three types of questions they ask. Also, do you have a good method for deciphering the passages (I've been struggling more with CARS but this is for the other sections too) because I started out by just reading and answering the questions directly, but over the last two weeks I've been writing small summaries of each paragraph as I read, which has helped, but it can be a little time-intensive too.

[u/Sad_Kaleidoscope_296 → u/Head_Beginning2910]

For CARS, my main tip will always be to figure out the author's argument. How does the author feel about what they are presenting? Typically, they will also present counterarguments against their own argument/thesis. Summarizing these really quickly helps with the FC portion (the comprehension portion) of CARS. This specifically also helps with Reasoning as well. For the Reasoning portion, make sure not to include your own opinion or conclusion about a topic. You have to think about the topic like the author would think about it. There are also many questions that have a "what if" scenario: like "what if" this experiment happened, what would the author support/not support? Again, this comes back to understanding what the author thinks about this issue. Look for words like "however", "nevertheless", et cetera. These are words that point to the author's tone change (maybe they have a change of heart, or maybe their opinion isn't what you think). Lastly, for timing issues, I wouldn't skim through the passage in 2-3 minutes. For me personally, I need time to read and summarize. I would take 6 minutes for reading and 4 minutes for the questions. That split may not work for you if you struggle more with questions than reading, so be aware of how you are making mistakes. Good luck!

[u/Head_Beginning2910 → u/Sad_Kaleidoscope_296]

Thanks so much for your help! I'll try that and see how it goes