Free Downloads MCAT Verbal Practice: 108 Passages For The New CARS Section

                
              
Free Downloads 
MCAT Verbal Practice: 108 Passages For The New CARS Section
Revised for 2016! All of Next Step's books have gotten a full review and update.  More Free Stuff!: We are now offering a free full-length exam in addition to the free half-length diagnostic test. Anyone who purchases one of our books can register for the free exam here:  http://nextsteptestprep.com/mcat-diagnostic/   Need lots and LOTS of practice for the MCAT CARS section? This book has over one hundred practice passages arranged in a dozen timed practice verbal sections to help you hone your critical analysis and reasoning skills.This book is meant for a student who has already gotten a start with different reading strategies and now needs to hone their skills with lots of practice.If you're looking to get an introduction to the CARS section and strategies to master it, pick up Next Step's MCAT CARS: Strategy and Practice book in addition to this book.
Paperback: 516 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (April 21, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1511766697
ISBN-13: 978-1511766692
Product Dimensions:  8.5 x 1.2 x 11 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:  3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #79,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)   #16 in Books > Education & Teaching > Higher & Continuing Education > Test Preparation > Graduate School > MCAT   #197 in Books > Education & Teaching > Schools & Teaching > Education Theory > Assessment   #245 in Books > Education & Teaching > Higher & Continuing Education > Test Preparation > Professional > Medical
I am testing on 6/22, and was out of CARS practice. It's already May but NO ONE else has such a dedicated CARS only book out yet. I have plenty of science practice but, like many need more CARS and I'd rather pay for this than for another full length exam. I decided to give this a try because I liked the NS MCAT strategy books too. The passages are tough but they resemble the AAMC CARS stuff incredibly well, not too long, not too short. Very little of the subjective ambiguities that plague the Kaplan and EK verbal practice. Plus, they got rid of all natural science passages just like the real MCAT.I am 1 full section in and here's what I got so far:The explanations are really helpful. Unlike some other books/tests, with each Q they tell me why each wrong answer is wrong, which is is WAY more helpful than just having the right answer explained. The sections all have at 1 sample passage from each AAMC topics (Art, History, Social science etc...) so you can get varied practice. I don't know if this was done intentionally but I like it. Sometimes I don't quite buy their right answer but that's inevitable and it's never due to contradiction,just some subtlety I guess I missed (again, just like the awful AAMC :-).When you are doing the passages there is space for note taking and in the explanations there are recommendations on what terms should have been highlighted. They also provide a quick summary of key terms and relationships (in note form) with each paragraph, along with a concise summary of the main idea for each passage in the explanations. Flipping to this has been really helpful in allowing me to figure out if I read the passage right before I went on to the questions (Do this early in your studies!!!).-----------------Update on 7/13--------------------------------Overall a good purchase. 9/10. This was a resource that is sorely needed in the MCAT 2015 landscape so thank you to Nextstep for finally getting something out there. If you need more CARS or are running low and need more AAMC like verbal, get this one. Ended up with a 85-100% on my preliminary score report.CONS: Some of the answer explanations I just don't buy. I feel this is a problem with all the cars material I used (except for the AAMC stuff). It's not as bad as EK 101's tortured logic, but not as clear cut as the AAMC stuff. The questions tend to ask about detail more often than the AAMC does, but each apssage also has 7 Qs, while the AAMC passages only have ~ 5-6 so it's understandable I guess. It did teach me to read more carefully but I'd like to see more Qs on complex ideas, incorporating outside info into the passage (AAMC skill 3) because that was my toughest CARS area to improve on.
It's a mixed bag. Some are AAMC like, and some are just outright different from the style of AAMC passages and questions. Honestly this book should only be used as "burn through" material and save EK101 and TPRH verbal passages and AAMC closer to your test date.
I finished the first round of passages and I am extremely disappointed by this book. There are NUMEROUS errors throughout. For example: it will ask you to look for a keyword in paragraph 2 and describe it using contextual clues. Well, that would be doable if the word were actually present in the passage. Further, the explanations are extremely poor and vague. Essentially, you cannot learn from your mistakes.I wish Kaplan would create a practice book, such as this, because while the idea is great, Schnedeker's quality is miserable.I don't care how brilliant this author is. If he doesn't have the decency to proofread his book or hire someone proficient enough to do it for him, he isn't worth is salt in producing further publications.
This book is decent, and provides a lot of extra CARS passages. However, I wouldn't make this my first book; some of the questions in this book do not seem similar to the real AAMC-type MCAT questions. The bigger test prep companies provide much better CARS passages that actually resemble the real AAMC test.However, once you run out of passages to do, this book does indeed provide the necessary practice. It's a pretty good book, but make sure you've completed other books first before you switch to NextStep.
I really such at cars section. And I never really understood/comprehended the passage. So having a real guise that annotates key terms, cause and effects, paragraph summary, and main point really helps to check whether I got the juice out of each paragraph. The question answers that are reasoned and supported from front to back really help me fine tune why I'm getting this question wrong. I love this book for doing its best for explaining everything . Worth buying if you are not a native speaker.
I bought this book for practice, hoping that it would consist of quality material. Unfortunately, I have been disappointed so far, to the point where I feel the need to write this review. Some problems I have with the book:1. Some answers do not give thorough explanations. Reason for why choice A is wrong? A is wrong.2. Compared to actual practice tests, the questions and answers are unpolished and appear to be made by amateurs.That being said, the book has many passages, which is good for quick practice and warming up. For that it gets 3 stars. I would definitely use a different book for thorough CARS review. I don't want to compromise my thinking skills by reviewing their ambiguous and sometimes illogical answers.
Definitely helping me do better in CARS. I know a majority of Pre-Meds have trouble with this particular section on the test, and the only way one can get better is by practicing more and more. I took a practice test and scored a whopping 3 points higher than prior to reading this 108 passage book. Lots of practice and definitely worth the money spent.
For its price this is an amazing resource for practicing for the MCAT. The passages are a little harder than what you will see on the actual MCAT exam (though maybe a little shorter). Some of the questions are not representable of the actual test so I would suggest also getting a supplement. The key to acing the reading section is practice and this book definitely gives it to you!
MCAT Verbal Practice: 108 Passages for the New CARS Section (More MCAT Practice) MCAT Verbal Practice: 108 Passages for the new CARS Section MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills: Strategy and Practice: Timed Practice for the New MCAT Verbal Section Examkrackers 101 Passages in MCAT Verbal Reasoning MCAT QBook: Over 2,000 Questions Covering Every MCAT Science Topic (More MCAT Practice) The Doctrine and Covenants Made Easier-Part 2: Section 43 through Section 93 (Gospel Studies) MCAT Chemistry and Physics: Strategy and Practice: Timed Practice for the Revised MCAT MCAT Psychology and Sociology: Strategy and Practice (MCAT Strategy and Practice) Kaplan GRE Exam Verbal Workbook (Kaplan GRE Verbal Workbook) Ace the GMAT Verbal: Master GMAT Verbal in 20 Days Sterling MCAT General Chemistry Practice Questions: High Yield MCAT Questions Sterling Test Prep MCAT Physics Practice Questions: High Yield MCAT Physics Questions with Detailed Explanations Sterling Test Prep MCAT Organic Chemistry & Biochemistry Practice Questions: High Yield MCAT Questions Barron's New MCAT with CD-ROM, 2nd Edition (Barron's Mcat) MCAT Psychology and Sociology Review: New for MCAT 2015 (Graduate School Test Preparation) MCAT Physics and Math Review: New for MCAT 2015 (Graduate School Test Preparation) MCAT Biology and Biochemistry Review: New for MCAT 2015 (Graduate School Test Preparation) MCAT Organic Chemistry Review: New for MCAT 2015 (Graduate School Test Preparation) MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Review: New for MCAT 2015 (Graduate School Test Preparation) Princeton Review MCAT Subject Review Complete Box Set: New for MCAT 2015 (Graduate School Test Preparation) 