MCAT Skills
The MCAT, apart from testing the content and its applications, also tests a few requisite skills: statistical reasoning, deducing a conclusion and analytical thinking. And before I get into the details, this is written specifically for a Thai audience as I have had experiences teaching students in Thailand.
So, let’s get to the skills: (there might be more but I believe that these are the most important) **I am basing this only on Biology and Biochemical Paper as I teach only this paper**
- Statistical Reasoning: basically, students have to be able to read and more important – understand the graphs, figures and the numbers. You must understand WHAT the graph is trying to say, what it has NOT included and which part of the passage does it resonate with? Once this skill is accomplished, we move on to the next:
- Analytical thinking and Deducing a conclusion: once we have read the graph, we can analyze and come to the conclusion. Literally, common sense right? (See, the steps are something that you use in your everyday life!). Now, you use that information to analyze (what goes up, what goes down, then what happens and what not) to arrive to a conclusion (when this variable increases, this variable decreases as an example). Once, we have arrive at such a conclusion, we can then look for a similar pattern in the answer to choose the correct choice. **(Again, this is just the way I do it, I don’t force my students to follow my way if they can come up with a faster and better way)***
I believe that even before the content is started, students must be acclimatized to these skills for scientific studies. These skills can then be applied with the content to increase your familiarity with the thought-process and repetitions will increase your accuracy. Now that we are done for scientific studies, let’s move on to CARS.
I have had numerous inquiries regarding how to learn CARS and to answer honestly, and also from the POV of my CARS tutor, it is to do as many papers as possible with the correct foundational skills already perfected. What I mean is first develop a few basic skills then move on to do the questions.
First and foremost, learn to read in academic English. Remember, CARS is one whole paper, therefore, it makes up one whole part of your total MCAT score. And the reading skills gained in CARS can be applied to ALL papers. So it is worth it to learn to read and automatically understand academic English.
Secondly, there are certain skills needed such as drawing a conclusion, finding the assumptions and predicting the future thoughts of the writer. Again, these skills should be laid before the CARS question bank and developed with the CARS question bank.
These skills are vital to your making it to above the 505 in the MCAT scores. And remember, that most of the skills are based on logic. You don’t need to have a statistical background nor be a great English reader but what is needed is your ability to connect the dots, analyze them and draw a conclusion. Just like how you perceive information in your everyday life and make decisions based on that. To repeat, these skills are already in you, you just need a nudge in the right direction.
I hope this has helped you, if not much, then at least laid down a process for your preparation.
I believe in you!
Good Luck!!
Rani 🙂
