How To Study For MCAT Verbal

Map the Main Argument for each Passage

1. Identify each passage’s MAIN ARGUMENT (the purpose / overall point of each paragraph). The goal is to see each passage as not just a bunch of information, but rather supporting a central theme.
2. Map in your head each passage’s “central theme” in one sentence/phrase. Again, if you can't come up with something for this step, then you haven't done a good job of reading of reading the passage.
   
3. Do not focus on the detail(s) supporting the argument. Details build on the central idea, but it is background information, supporting opinions, and a list of examples. Once you understand the point, and you can make sense of it in context, you can forget it and move on.
4. Goal is to analyze each passage for clues to tell you what the author’s overall “bias” is. The author must have some sort of interest, or he wouldn't bother to sit down and write the essay.

• What is his purpose for writing each Passage?
• What is his purpose for writing the Essay? What is he trying to convince you of?
• What is his overall attitude ((positive, negative, or neutral?)

Circle Key Words

1. "EMPHASIZING” key words. Is he stressing it to support his general argument?
2. “OPINION” key words: "I think" or "personally", also: clearly, obviously, on the contrary, simply, everyone, no one, pervasive, etc. These can help you find out what the author thinks.
3. “TRANSITION” key words. These help you follow the structure of an argument. Some of these overlap with the above set, but here you’re looking for ways to follow how the author builds his case, more than what exactly the case is. Some of these might be: then, however, also, but, primarily, further, in contrast, etc

Tricks

1. Speed read – use fingers/pen to follow words
2. Pause after each paragraph, make sure that you’ve understood the overall gist
3. Summarize each passage’s “central theme” in one sentence/phrase.
4. Don’t just pick an answer because it sounds good. Wrong answer options are designed to be tricky. They're written to look like right answers. The final answer must fit the overall central theme of the passage/essay.
5. The main thing to remember for inference questions is that the right answer MUST be true based on the passage. If it may or may not be true, then it is not correct.
6. Use process of elimination to reject weak answer options that does not fit the central theme of the author’s argument.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=223930