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There are many myths about the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) section, one of which is that your score depends on luck. If you happen to get “good” passages, all is well, but if you don’t, you are in trouble. Thankfully, this is entirely untrue. It’s practice not luck that will help you conquer the MCAT CARS section.To do well on this section you will need to fundamentally change how you read the passages and go about answering the questions.
Check out our online MCAT CARS prep courses or keep reading to discover an effective MCAT CARS strategy that will help you improve your CARS score.
Step 1: Tackle passages out of order
MCAT verbal reasoning passages are not necessarily, or even usually, presented in order of difficulty. Don’t waste time on the hardest passages, only to skip or rush through the easy ones. Instead, decide if a passage is a
Do Now (an easier passage)
Do Later (a harder passage)
Killer (one that you will randomly guess on or do last)
Skim a few sentences of the passage and see if you can easily paraphrase it. If you can, it’s most likely an easier passage to understand.
Step 2: Read the questions first
Knowing what topics show up in the questions will help you work the passage more quickly and effectively. Before working the passage, read through the question stems from first to last (not the answer choices), identifying and highlighting any words or phrases that indicate important passage content.
Step 3: Read with a highlighter and scratch paper
As you read through the passage, use the highlighting function (sparingly) to annotate the most important references in the text. This would include things like:
question topics
topic sentences
shifts in direction or continuations
the author’s tone
different points of view
conclusions
Use your scratch paper, especially on difficult passages, to jot down the main point of each chunk of information. Think about how these chunks relate to each other. Track the logical structure of the author’s argument.
Step 4: What’s the bottom line?
After you have read the entire passage, sum up the bottom line: the main idea and tone of the entire passage. For particularly difficult passages, write this down on your scratch paper to make sure that you have a reasonably clear idea of the point and purpose of the passage as a whole.
Step 5: Translate, paraphrase, and eliminate
Translate the question task into your own words. What is the question asking you to do with or to the passage?Go back to the passage to find, read, and paraphrase the relevant information.Then, with the question firmly in mind, think about what the correct answer will need to do.
As you go through the choices, use process of elimination. Look for reasons to strike out incorrect choices, and select the “least wrong” of the four. Remember, if you hit a particularly difficult question, skip over it for the moment and complete the other easier questions first.
At or before the 5-minute mark (ideally, before you begin your last passage), double-check to make sure that you haven’t left any incomplete questions. Do NOT rethink questions you have already completed. Your goal in this step is simply to make sure that you have selected an answer for each question.
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The hardest part of the MCAT is usually the CARS section, according to a majority of test-takers. This is because the CARS requires intensive reading of complex and verbose passages and it covers a variety of disciplines you may not have any background knowledge.
The hardest part of the MCAT is usually the CARS section, according to a majority of test-takers. This is because the CARS requires intensive reading of complex and verbose passages and it covers a variety of disciplines you may not have any background knowledge.
To be efficient, dedicate a few months to studying before you take your test. That being said, the CARS section of the MCAT is more difficult to study for. It tests your ability to comprehend and analyze text, which is a skill that's built over time.
In the CARS section with 53 questions, you can usually get: 5 wrong answers (90% accuracy) and score 130 (top 5%) 10 wrong answers (83% accuracy) and score 127-128 (top 25%)
You need a 125 or higher to be competitive for a majority of MD schools (assuming your other section scores are all 127 or higher). You need a 127 or higher to be competitive for most medical schools in Canada (regardless of other section scores).
In terms of test sections, the average scores of accepted applicants in 2019-20 was 127.8 (83rd percentile) for Physical Sciences, 127 (82nd percentile) for CARS, 128.1 (83rd percentile) for Biological Sciences and 128.6 (84th percentile) for Behavioral Sciences.
+15 POINTS ON AVERAGE. Winter 2022 Blueprint MCAT Live Course students averaged a 15-point MCAT score increase from the diagnostic to official MCAT exam.
How to Breakdown a CARS Passage. The CARS Section is 90 minutes long, with 53 questions and nine passages, so you should spend no more than 10 minutes per passage (about five minutes to read and five minutes for questions).
In the CARS section with 53 questions, you can usually get: 5 wrong answers (90% accuracy) and score 130 (top 5%)10 wrong answers (83% accuracy) and score 127-128 (top 25%)15 wrong answers (72% accuracy) and score 125 (top 50%)
As mentioned earlier, in the 2023-24 med school admissions cycle, the average scores for admitted students on each MCAT section were as follows: CPBS: 127.8. CARS: 127. BBLS: 128.1.
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