Know the content. struggle with passages

[jeff.anderson]

like the title says. I know the content pretty well in most sections. Ive taken all required courses and received a's done extensive content review but I struggle with getting questions right on practice problems. Its like the information is presented in such a way that I have no idea what the passages are talking about most times. How do I improve this?

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[TakotsuboOkazaki]

I believe the best thing you can do is continue to expose yourself to passages of similar informational density/complexity. MCAT practice passages, research articles, review articles on PubMed, etc. Try outlining and summarizing (not time efficient for the real deal but it may get you digesting these passages more promptly).

Practice, practice, and more practice. It is the only way.

 

[NextStepTutor_1]

Hi @jeff.anderson -

This is a big question, and hopefully you can find some useful advice within the forums, because it is an issue that has come up several times (such as here, here, and here) and various people have chimed in with their perspectives. However, based on what you've shared, it sounds like the #1 thing to do would be not just to review the questions in your practice material, but to rehearse them -- that is, specifically practice the steps of:

1. Reading the question
2. Determining what it is actually asking for
3. Deciding whether you need passage info or outside info to answer (or a combination thereof)
4. If you need outside info, determining what exactly you need and how to apply it to distinguish the answer choices from each other
5. If you need passage info, finding the necessary info and deciding how to apply it
6. Eliminating incorrect answer choices
7. Finalizing your choice of the correct answer

(These steps are not intended to be a universal guide, but you'll probably find that if you break down how you answer any given question, you'll do at least some of the steps listed above).

By rehearsing how to get the right answer, you will internalize lessons about how to connect the passage info w/ what the question is specifically asking about and with the content that you have studied. This process will be slow and gradual, but it will help you overcome the hurdle that you're describing.

Best of luck!!