Mastering MCAT CARS: Top Practice Questions & Expert Answers

MCAT CARS Practice Question #1

Heralded as the father of existentialism, Kierkegaard’s debut work of influence Either/Or presents the categorical existence of two spheres, the aesthetic and the ethical. The hedonistic, distractible stage of aesthetic living is governed by circumstances of moment, where one fleeting event – such as the smile of a pretty girl – leads to the next and so too does the motif for the aesthetics' fantasy. The ethical sphere is entered when the nature and judgments of one’s choices are considered. Individual agency, whilst present before, truly manifests in bearing the responsibility of one’s good or bad choices.

For Kierkegaard, the ethical sphere was intimately connected with the religious sphere explored in his subsequent works. Whilst the ethical has a commitment with morality, the religious is a covenant with God. It is based on faith; Christianity is seen as truth, although Kierkegaard admits it to be paradoxical and oppositional to logic. It is through conscious choice that movement from the ethical sphere to the religious occurs – with a leap of faith. Despite a seeming progression implied in Kierkegaard’s works, the spheres are not independent entities exclusive of each other. One who lives primarily in the religious sphere, for example, will still have aspects of her being enjoying fleeting moments of beauty and have morality govern her choices.

Kierkegaard’s leap of faith is denounced by his successor, Sartre, who rejects the notion of divine orchestration, tarring such leaps as bad faith. Moreover, Sartre vehemently argues for the oppressive nature of social constructs and collectivist forces that usher the individual into rejecting his or her innate freedom for that of the greater good. It is this narrowing and limiting of choice that Sartre defined as bad faith. In a manner, any and all external influences that cause one to live in an inauthentic fashion – such as the social scripts followed on a first date, in a restaurant – are judged to be guilty and worthy of re-examination.

The core of Sartre’s philosophies hinge upon the oft quoted adage, “existence proceeds essence.” It is man who first and foremost is before he defines the parameters of that existence through conscious and deliberate choice. It is therefore of no consequence the station, nature, and parameters surrounding one’s birth when considering the nature of one’s being. Essence is defined through choice. But how can one make such a choice when the options are seemingly limitless and each has unbeknownst consequences? Indeed, it is so daunting an experience that Sartre dubbed this Existential Angst.

In an elegant application of existential philosophy, a former concentration camp prisoner, Frankl, posits that regardless of how harsh, cruel, and inhumane the external environment may be, one’s inner state and reaction is defined by agency. He defines this internal state and motivation as one’s attitude in relation to outside circumstance. Of paramount importance for Frankl is finding and making meaning of the circumstances in one’s life. The application of his philosophy in action is what gives Frankl’s narrative its power. Where Kierkegaard and Sartre’s philosophies were also deeply personal and practical, they were nonetheless born out of academia. Frankl’s insightful analysis and presentation of the prisoner’s internal state was a lived experience, lending it to be more accessible for the layperson. 

Prefer to watch a video instead? Get a pen and paper and follow along:

Questions for MCAT CARS Practice Passage #1

1. What is Existential Angst (paragraph 4)?

a. The feelings one has when confronted with a choice

b. The state of desperation when contemplating that existence precedes essence

c. The task of making seemingly limitless choices

d. The anxiety and regret associated with having made a choice

2. The author would most agree with which of the following statements:

a. Existentialism is a philosophy about agency and choice, best introduced through reading passages such as this one

b. Frankl’s philosophy is better than Kierkegaard's and Sartre’s

c. Kierkegaard's and Sartre’s philosophies were impractical when compared to Frankl’s philosophy

d. Applying the principles of existentialism to everyday life is better than just talking about it

3. Which of the following best describes the main goal of the passage?

a. To compare the different philosophies of Kierkegaard, Sartre, and Frankl

b. To show a progression of existential philosophy

c. To demonstrate how existentialism has changed with time

d. To offer an introduction to existential philosophy

4. According to the passage’s depiction of Kierkegaard, which of the following policies would he most support?

a. That students should have the choice to attend either a secular or religious school

b. That Existentialism should be taught in schools

c. That World Religions should be taught in schools

d. That public funding should be provided for religious school boards

5. Which of the following statements is least supported by the passage?

a. Sartre believed men and women were equals

b. Sartre supported laws to prevent discrimination

c. Sartre believed that a poor man could become rich if he worked hard enough

d. Sartre was denounced by the church

Answers for MCAT CARS Practice Passage #1

MCAT CARS Practice Questions #2

MCAT CARS Practice Passage #2

No matter how noble the effort, the burden of proof always lies with the reformer. Many empirically sound proposals to increase the effectiveness of elementary schools in the United States have been dismissed with the response, “If it is so necessary, why has the need not been recognized before?” To counter this response, a reformer should make clear that a problem has been identified.

If the condition addressed has not been completely and clearly established as a problem, those concerned should ensure that it is accurately measured. The appropriate instrument for measuring educational effectiveness is a test noted for its reliability and validity. If the researchers believe that no existing test is adequate, they should develop their own test. Since the burden of proof for their methods is then focused on their instrument, sincere reformers will be very serious about establishing its credentials.

When a proposed intervention is not justified in the most minimal fashion, the public has to wonder why not. It is thus reasonable to be suspicious of the promoters of the Generalized School Readiness Program. What is their motivation? Are they agents of an unfriendly power bent on “dumbing down” U.S. education? Are educational entrepreneurs trying cynically to profit from the general dissatisfaction with the nation’s schools?

Such speculations may appear to border on the absurd; however, stranger motivations have been discovered. It is more useful, however, to assume that the promoters, wishing to keep their business financially solvent, have opted not to address school-based problems from the viewpoint of children, or parents, or even teachers. They are merely following the usual practice at the professional level of education of treating learning as an abstraction that has little to do with the learner. This outlook is one that Jean Piaget, John Dewey, and A. L. Gesell-theoreticians with empirical evidence about children’s intellectual development-all worked to counter.

Piaget and Gesell, although from different schools of thought, also had direct experience with children in an educational setting, and both contributed profoundly useful principles to the field of education. Yet the conclusions of both about the need to consider developmental level are opposed by advocates of Generalized School Readiness.

One must wonder about the experience these self-proclaimed experts have had with children. Their description of a child learning to draw, for example, assumes a struggle from stage to stage. Most modern observers of children think that if a task is developmentally appropriate and has personal meaning for a child, it is approached as a pleasing challenge, not a struggle.

In the literature promoting their approach, the advocates of generalized readiness are clearly directing their appeal to school administrators. Parents who do not understand their “readiness” concept are dismissed as “uncaring.” Teachers who question it are described as “uninitiated,” in the sense that someday they will accept it. Yet this literature expresses no doubt that the administrators will cooperate with them in ensuring that their viewpoint prevails. An administrator wise enough to adopt the readiness program is promised higher percentages on standardized tests and more content teachers.

With comparative data on the results of alternative approaches as ambiguous as they are in the U.S., the odds favor acceptance by a school system of a poorly researched but slickly presented program. Readiness, although a confused approach, is easily implemented because its promoters are positioned to move immediately. Developmentally appropriate instruction, which parents are likely to judge the more reasonable approach, appears to be hard to sell to decision makers concerned with uniformity. In the long run, however, it is the forgotten parents and the children themselves who will pay for the short-sighted ambition of this policy.

Questions for MCAT CARS Practice Passage #2

1. The author apparently considers a theory of education that “has little to do with the learner” to be:

A. Practical but unethical.

B. Ethical but not generally accepted.

C. Generally accepted but ineffective.

D. Effective but impractical.

2. The author argues that the reason for the approach taken by promoters of the Generalized School Readiness Program is their wish is to:

A. To control the education of U.S. consumers.

B. To defraud the schools of a great deal of money.

C. To promote the success of a corporate sponsor.

D. To win the support of school administrators.

3. The most reasonable inference from passage statements is that administrators are relatively reluctant to institute developmentally appropriate instruction because:

A. It is favored by parents and therefore represents the views of those with little understanding of learning.

B. It is based on untested theories and therefore requires extensive research to demonstrate its effectiveness.

C. It is individualized and therefore involves an inconvenient process of changing traditional methods.

D. It is promoted in slick presentations and therefore justifies skepticism about its cost effectiveness.

4. One can infer from the passage that teaching in the Generalized School Readiness Program is to developmentally appropriate teaching as:

A. Breaking farmland with a hand plow is to preparing the fields by riding on a mechanized cultivator.

B. Sending a yearly form letter to one’s acquaintances is to sending personal notes to one’s friends.

C. Casting a line into a lake with a fishing rod is to fishing with a net behind a boat.

D. Preparing a variety of dishes in a restaurant is to cooking a family meal at home.

5. The performance of high school students on an examination noted for its reliability and validity is used to predict their success in college. The author’s views on such tests suggests that its scores could also be used to evaluate:

A. The usefulness of high school curricula.

B. The honesty of the grading in high schools.

C. The appropriateness of the testing principles.

D. The probable income of the students in later life

Answers for MCAT CARS Practice Passage #2

5 More MCAT CARS Practice Questions

How to Approach MCAT CARS Practice Questions: Tips from Our Experts

With your MCAT score being such a critical factor in determining medical school acceptance rates, you need to ensure you spend sufficient time practicing with MCAT CARS passages before taking the exam. To get a good MCAT score you must therefore incorporate MCAT CARS practice into your MCAT study schedule.

But after reading some MCAT CARS practice passages, you may find yourself a bit overwhelmed. Here are some tips from our experts on how to approach MCAT CARS passages:

1.   Make Time…and Take Your Time

The best MCAT CARS strategy is reviewing challenging passages and learning from your mistakes so you can do better with each practice run.

Our consultants believe that routine practice was the most important habit when it comes to CARS prep:

“It was important I became accustomed to reading long passages and be able to answer the questions afterwards. With repetition, I became better and better at reading, understanding, and ultimately extracting relevant information in a short period of time.” – Dr. Tony Huynh, DO

“I equate CARS to going to the gym–you can’t expect the day before a strength or endurance competition that you will suddenly perform well; it requires longevity in your training. I promised myself when I started preparing for the exam that every day (regardless of my commitments), I would read 1 CARs passage and try to struggle through it. It took several months to see this payoff, but slowly, my score started to bump up, and I started recognizing the patterns.” – Dr. Shaughnelene Smith, DO

2.    Focus on Reading Comprehension Skills

The key to scoring well on CARS is regular practice and good MCAT reading comprehension skills. Knowing how to break down and understand complex passages (in a timed setting) isn’t easy, but as we said above, practice makes perfect!

Here’s what our admissions experts want you to know:

“Reading the passage and being able to answer all the associated questions within a limited time frame was most challenging, especially since most of the passages were quite tedious and it was difficult to stay focused throughout … Summarizing each paragraph into my own words and using that to guide the main idea of the passage was most helpful …[Regular practice] helped me to become familiar with the type of questions, and concentration needed, to excel at CARS.” – Dr. Neel Mistry, MD

“I think the best habits were just to dive back into critical reading skills. Breaking down the major passage themes and working through them systematically. One of the best strategies for me was answering the question before reading the answer choices. This way I didn’t get swayed if my initial analysis had a choice I almost always stuck with it ... Learning the best strategies and moving quickly as it can often be a section where you are pressed for time will help you do well.” – Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

3. Seek Assistance to Improve Your Score

Some people are naturally disciplined and are able to succeed in preparing for their MCAT CARS with ease…but most premeds tend to benefit from working with a study group, a trusted MCAT prep professional, or even a tutor.

Pacing yourself (and giving yourself a LOT of time to prep) is key, but if you feel like you aren’t making progress, don’t be afraid to look for other resources and options to help you make the most of your practice.

But, be careful of forums like MCAT reddit that might have some biased information – as a rule of thumb, it’s best to seek advice from a trusted source.

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Source: AAMC Sample Question Guide