The Med School Pulse

When preparing for the MCAT, most people can see the reason for needing to know Biology and General Chemistry because they are considered essential for practicing medicine. A case can also been made for learning Organic Chemistry and Physics since they are the basis for biological molecules and the processes which run the body. Hands down the biggest complaints that I hear are about the Verbal Reasoning section. Everyone wants to know: “How does my Verbal Reasoning score show my ability to be a good physician?” or “How does analyzing a passage about poetry make me a better doctor?”…

I recently received an email from one of my Kaplan MCAT students:

“Hey Alex, I have been doing practice exams and I am still a little confused on the most effective way on how to go about handling the Verbal Reasoning section. I have found out that it is near impossible for me to fully read the passage and answer the questions for each passage and have time for all the passages. Is there a more effective way to read each passage and understand them so that I have time to read each passage and answer all the …

By Sam Asgarian, Kaplan Elite MCAT Instructor

Physicians are mainly scientists by training. Ask a typical pre-med what classes they’re taking and they’ll probably name a slew of science classes that most undergrads would cringe at. The MCAT too is unique in the amount of science it includes; while most standardized tests are composed of a language section and a math section, the MCAT has very little direct math and lots of science instead. The exam does, however, have a language section. It might come as a surprise to many people that this section, Verbal Reasoning, is considered by …

By Carleen Eaton, M.D.

This week, I am focusing on the section of the MCAT that is most often dreaded by test takers: verbal reasoning. After years of science classes, formulas, calculations and memorization, you are up against a section that flashcards simply cannot help you with. For some test takers, this section comes naturally; the English majors among you may not see what the big deal is. However, for many test takers, VR is the most challenging section. As a result some myths have developed regarding this section of the test, such as:

“Med schools don’t care …

By Carleen Eaton, M.D.

This week, I am focusing on the section of the MCAT that is most often dreaded by test takers: verbal reasoning. After years of science classes, formulas, calculations and memorization, you are up against a section that flashcards simply cannot help you with. For some test takers, this section comes naturally; the English majors among you may not see what the big deal is. However, for many test takers, VR is the most challenging section. As a result some myths have developed regarding this section of the test, such as:

“Med schools don’t care that …