Developing a core method

Many of the ideas in this module's CARS lesson will be covered in greater detail in later lessons. The purpose in CARS 101 is to introduce you to a set of general methods for approaching passages, questions, and pacing. The CARS section is a kind of performance. Practice your core method to make steady, confident movement through the CARS section reproducible.

For approaching passages, approaching questions, managing time, our advice might be different than something you read elsewhere. For example, you won't find us recommending annotating or highlighting passages. We believe it turns passage reading into puzzle solving and disrupts immersion. We don't advocate watching the clock by passage (except in certain modes of practice). Our opinions about CARS are strongly held, but individuals can have very different reading styles. One of our students from a few years ago highlighted so much in CARS you felt like suggesting she just highlight the things not to highlight. Highlighting didn't impede her. It helped her engagement. She eventually scored a 132 in CARS. One reason she had a great MCAT score, both in CARS and the other sections, was that she was thoughtful and independently minded about what worked for her.

Put the ideas of this lesson into practice and see how they work for you. Judge for yourself. You are likely to see improvement right away. The methods in this lesson were arrived at through years of experience working with many students. They are tried and true. As a core method, CARS 101 will not let you down, but don't be satisfied with the initial improvement, even if it's large. You will continue to improve by being independently minded, making adjustments and refinements to your core method based on your own experience.