CARS Strategy

What is the single most important rule that separates CARS from the science sections?

Everything needed to answer is contained in the passage and questions — no outside knowledge is required or rewarded. Answer only from what the passage supports; bringing in personal opinions or external facts is a trap.

What are the three CARS skills tested by AAMC?

(1) Foundations of Comprehension, (2) Reasoning Within the Text, and (3) Reasoning Beyond the Text. Reasoning Beyond the Text is the largest at ~40%.

[Foundations of Comprehension] How do you find a passage's MAIN IDEA?

Identify the central claim the whole passage exists to support — the one sentence the author would defend. It is broad enough to cover every paragraph but specific enough to exclude unrelated topics. Often signaled in the intro or conclusion and reinforced throughout.

[Foundations of Comprehension] What is the difference between a passage's main idea and its author's PURPOSE?

The main idea is WHAT the author claims; the purpose is WHY they wrote it (to argue, critique, defend, compare, explain, persuade). Purpose is captured by a verb describing the author's intent toward the reader.

[Foundations of Comprehension] How do you determine the meaning of a word or phrase used in CONTEXT?

Ignore the dictionary default and read the surrounding sentences: the author may use a word ironically, technically, or in a special sense. Substitute each answer choice back into the sentence and keep the one that preserves the author's intended meaning.