The Critical Analysis and Reading Section (CARS) may very well be the most feared thing any premed has to face. Do you crush your orgo exams and can rattle off every part of a nephron with ease, but your face turns pale when you see a reading passage? Then this guide is for you. I'm Evan, an MIT grad and 522 MCAT-scorer who got a perfect CARS score my first time taking the exam. Here are my five tips to turn this seemingly spooky section into something simple:
1. Try reading the questions first
For the CARS section, every passage has 5-7 or so questions about it. Do you read the passage first and then answer the questions? Or do you quickly read through the questions before reading the passage and then come back and answer? Although it's not for everyone, some people are helped by looking at the questions before reading the passage so they can be aware of what to look for while reading. Try it for a few passages while studying and see if it helps.
2. Pace yourself
The CARS section is very easy to run out of time on. There are nine passages and 53 questions to do in 90 minutes. This means you can only spend 1.42 minutes per question. I like to check my pace by multiplying my number of questions by 1.42. You should spend roughly 15 minutes on every ten questions, and if you are going slower than this pace, make sure to speed it up. You don't want 2 minutes to do the last passage and seven questions.
3. Choose the answer with the most textual evidence
Although the CARS section will usually not be as simple as finding a specific word or sentence in a passage, the test involves little inference. If you are stuck between answers, read through the passage and find sentences or words that support each answer. The correct answer will usually be the one that has clear and frequent examples supporting it. You usually won't have to go out on a limb to find the answer; don't overthink it.
4. Don't panic.
If you spend too much time on a tricky sentence or passage and start to spiral, you will lose your focus and miss other easier questions. If a question or sentence is tricky, spend a little time trying to figure it out, but no matter how well-prepared you are, there will always be a few questions that you're iffy on. Try your best, move on, and don't let it stop you from getting easier questions right.
5. Practice, practice, practice
Many of the other sections of the MCAT can be studied with flashcards and memorization. If you happen to be good at reading comprehension initially, congrats! There's nothing to memorize, and you probably don't need to study much. However, if you struggle with the CARS section, you won't be able to get better through rote memorization. More than any other section, practice is key. You want to see a lot of different types of questions and work on your intuition and critical reading skills. Use UWorld or practice tests to grind reading sections. Make sure to review the problems you missed and recognize why you missed it.
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