This is because CARS is a test of Critical Analysis and Reading Skills. Emphasis on the “Critical Analysis” part. Students are expected to make multiple subjective inferences about the passages and find the subjective “best” answer.
Then they are graded objectively
on having a SINGLE “correct” answer.
Thanks AAMC.
Unlike the other MCAT sections CARS has no objective data to justify answer choices. In C/P if two students choose “B.20” instead of “C.40” it's probably because both used the wrong equation, forgot to divide, or multiply etc.
In other sections students make the SAME mistakes
to get to the SAME wrong answers.
In a CARS passage two students can pick “C. A wondrous opportunity” because they both feel that it is the best answer. The answer was actually “B. A fortunate occurrence”, but here is the issue:
In CARS students make DIFFERENT mistakes
to get to the SAME wrong answers.
Huh? Remember CARS answers are based on subjective interpretation of passages and attribution of that understanding to questions(refer to the “Four Foundations of CARS Growth”). Two students could easily have chosen “C.” because for DIFFERENT reasons they felt it best answered the question asked.
This is important because students might have the correct PROCESS to get an answer but their logic doesn't line up with the answer key and this can lead to significant frustration for the student despite above average skill level.
Subjectivity is a huge part of why students consider CARS impossible to study for and have a nightmare reviewing questions. After our work with thousands of students we know that you cannot iron out the “subjectivity” in CARS by giving students “objective” solutions.
That's why MCATSavior is focused on giving students a fundamentals based approach to maximizing their score on the CARS section by using flexible strategies that work with them in a constantly “shifting subjective” CARS environment.
If you want to learn more about why students pick the wrong answer for the right reason feel free to check out our free lesson here.
If you want to read more about the secrets to the CARS section feel free to check these out too!
