A Simple 130 CARS Scorer Tip For When You’re Stuck Between 2 Answer Choices

February 20, 2024

minute read

Get more top scorer strategies like this to improve your CARS score in the CARS Mastery Course!


You know the struggle:

Getting stuck between two answers in CARS...

And always choosing the wrong one!

This was a constant frustration for Serena Luke,
519 scorer and a mentor here at MCAT Mastery.

Her CARS score wasn't improving so she invested time in analyzing why she kept choosing the wrong answers...

Turns out one simple shift in what she was looking for in the passage, was all she needed to finally start identifying the right answers!

Which also led Serena to 
improve her CARS score to a 130 by test day!

Today she teaches this strategy to the students she tutors, and now she's made a short 3 minute video to share it with you too 🙂

Keep in mind this is a counterintuitive strategy - it doesn't come naturally to most.

In fact, our natural tendency is what keeps us getting stuck and choosing the wrong answers.

Learn the strategy here - this one simple trick can be a game changer.

If you enjoy this video and want more CARS strategies from strictly 130+ CARS scorers to improve your score, check out our
CARS Mastery Course if you haven't already!

130 CARS Scorer Tip: Stuck Between 2 Answer Choices? Try This Strategy

For pre-med students, CARS can be very frustrating and hard because it’s not something that we’re used to and we’re not comfortable with it.

But one of the most important things to remember about CARS is that it’s all about strategies, and implementing them well.

Before we get to the strategy part, here are three things to remember when approaching CARS:

  1. Always enter CARS passages with a blank slate.

  2. Refrain from using any outside judgments or assumptions.

  3. Trust that there’s always enough information in the passage to help you answer the question.

Now let’s proceed to…

Getting Stuck Between 2 Answer Choices

In a CARS passage, there will always be answer choices that get us stuck halfway through our exam. Our 130 CARS scorer helped us clarify this and advised that you have to…

Look for what is wrong instead of what’s right.

Why?

Because we have a tendency to look at a statement or an answer choice and over justify and manipulate it to fit an answer choice. Don’t fall into that trap. In reality you’ll find that the answer choice you were trying so hard to bend to your will to fit a statement isn’t the correct answer at all.

Why The Strategy Works

This strategy of looking for what’s wrong instead of what’s right works for a lot of people because it’s a lot harder to manipulate a statement and convince yourself an answer choice is wrong versus manipulate a statement and convince yourself an answer choice is right.

So once you cross out an answer choice, you may be left with another choice which is not wrong and not right—it’s kinda like in-between—that’s the best answer choice.

Remember, When Stuck…
  1. Go back to the passage
  2. Try to find a statement that confirms an answer choice was wrong
  3. Rule the wrong choice out and find the right answer


We hope this method works out for you! And if you’re still finding CARS difficult and frustrating, we might have more CARS strategies and tips for you here that can help you approach CARS the right way so you’ll feel confident during test day and increase your CARS score.

Don't Get Discouraged, Get Disciplined.

Lastly, remember that it's normal to feel your motivation drop when MCAT prep gets tough, when scores don't improve, when you KEEP choosing the trick answer choices after narrowing down to two...

We felt it.

We don't think there's anyone who has non-stop 24/7 motivation to keep going towards their goals. 

Motivation will come and go during MCAT prep, when you're in med-school, and throughout life in general...

But we need to remember that even though we'll never always be motivated...

We must learn to always be disciplined.

Discipline is in our control. 

If you can instill productive habits to study each day, take scheduled breaks, incorporate consistent practice, keep your mindset healthy, keep your body healthy, and constantly reflect on how you can be learning smarter and more strategically...

You will reach your physician dream

And we can't wait for when you do.

You got this,

The MedLife Mastery Team
Your MCAT Success Mentors

Your MCAT Success Mentors

About the Author

We're a team of future doctors passionate about giving back and mentoring other future doctors! All mentors on the team are top MCAT scorers and we all are committed to seeing you succeed in achieving your physician dreams ???? To help you achieve your goal MCAT score, we take turns hosting these Live MCAT Courses and are also available for 1:1 private tutoring!

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