MCAT: Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills

Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills, or CARS, tests your ability to read an excerpt about humanities or social sciences, interpret this information, and answer passage-based questions. This verbal reasoning test determines the analytical skills necessary for medical school. The MCAT CARS section comprises 25% of your MCAT score and is often considered the most challenging part to study for. This is because CARS measures critical reasoning and comprehension skills, unlike the sciences and math, in which many pre-medical students are stronger. 

CARS has nine passages and approximately 20 humanities and social sciences disciplines. You will have 90 minutes to answer 53 multiple-choice questions. For reference, a solid score for this section is 127-132. The examined skills of CARS are the foundations of comprehension, reasoning beyond the text, and reasoning within the text. About 30% of CARS will consist of testing your foundations of comprehension, which is determining whether you understand the information from the passage. Keeping in mind the tone of the passage, the passage's structure, such as cause or effect or chronological order, the author's purpose (persuasive, instructive, or entertainment), and the rhetorical devices can help you answer many of these questions. Reasoning within the text is another 30% of CARS and builds on the previously examined skill by seeing if you understand distinct passage components and the author's intent. For instance, consider whether the author makes a logical argument, how the thesis is supported, what parts of the text support the author's message, and what the author's main message to readers should guide your reading. The last examined skill is 40% and requires higher reasoning than previous skills. It tests your ability to come to a conclusion based on inference. 

General tips for acing this section include carefully reading the question, practicing daily, completing the passages in order, timing yourself to complete each passage within 10 minutes, and summarizing paragraphs and questions in your own words. The last tip is especially relevant because questions are often formatted to confuse readers. Hiding the answer choices before reading and coming up with your answer based on your summaries of the questions and passages can reduce some of the confusion and ensure your answer is accurate. 

Use the link below and sources from AAMC to practice this section daily. You can excel in CARS! 

Thank you for reading, 

Siri Nikku 

Source: 

https://gradschool.uworld.com/mcat/sections-subjects/cars/