MCAT CARS Question Types and Strategies
Main Point/Primary Purpose Question
Actively use the bottom line and your answer to answer these questions, watch out for too narrow or too vague Avoid lures: read all 4 choices with open mind and try to eliminate 2 go back to the passage a reread with regards to the last 2 answer choices look for what's wrong with each choice rather than what's right -watch for out of scope
New Information Questions
Apply new information to a passage, If X were to occur, what claim in the passage would be most strengthened/weakened? Relationship between the question stem and the points the author has made. Make sure to get rid of answers that don't relate to the question or to the passage. Sneakiest attractors for these are out of scope questions. Make sure new information is in line with the author's argument.
Structure/Evaluate
Author states X in order to .... What is the purpose of X? Claim X is supported strongly/weakly/etc. How well supported is claim X? Translate, figure out if the question is asking for a purpose, support, or strength of the support. Look back to the passage to locate the information and eliminate answers that don't match the strength of the reasoning. Eliminate answers that don't match or address the question task. Common attractors: will give answer choices that aren't at the core of the argument. Give decoy answer choices in which the support is there but the justification for the support is incorrect or doesn't address why the support is there. Extreme answers note the strength of the support but use things like "disprove" "indicates oppononet is wrong," etc. which are too extreme answer choices. Can provide support for a different claim that is not talked about in the question stem.
Retrieval Questions
Refer back to the passage and find the exact text in reference to what author stating
Inference Questions
What can be concluded based on the passage.... Watch for traps that use passage language but are too extreme Common traps: extreme language Must be supported in the text, no such thing as too close to the text, right answer is not always explicitly stated
Strengthen/Weaken Question
Which if true would most strengthen/weaken the authors assertion that ..... Which would most undermine X in the passage? Common attractors are answers that are not strong enough. Need substantial evidence (one student....some....few....not enough) Often have out of scope answer choices that are irrelevant to the author's claim in the passage, relevance to the issue can not be determined
Analogy Questions
Which most similar to/same logic as? Question might be ++ and answer choice -- (make sure to eliminate) Watch out for answer choices that don't respond to the task
Basic Strategy
translate question into your own words ID key words and look back to find where answers are answer in your own words (protect from attractors) PEO to choose least wrong answer, actively use your own answer DON'T CHOOSE AN ANSWER THAT "SOUNDS GOOD", THIS IS NOT AN INTUITIVE EXAMINATION, can always find evidence for or against an answer choice if look closely enough