You should aim to spend about 8-9 minutes per passage, including reading and answering all questions. The section contains 6 passages with 6-7 questions each, giving you roughly 60 minutes total. Many students struggle with timing because they read too slowly or get stuck on difficult questions. An effective strategy is spending 3-4 minutes on the initial read, then 4-5 minutes answering questions. A tutor can help you practice this pacing with actual AAMC materials and teach you to recognize which questions to tackle first versus which to flag for review.

The section tests three main question categories: comprehension questions (asking about main ideas, supporting details, or tone), reasoning questions (asking you to apply passage concepts, draw inferences, or identify assumptions), and vocabulary-in-context questions. Most students find reasoning questions hardest because they require deeper engagement with the text rather than simple fact-retrieval. Understanding the exact wording of each question type helps you avoid trap answers—for example, "most likely" questions differ significantly from "most strongly supported" questions. Practicing with categorized question sets and reviewing why incorrect answers are tempting helps you develop the critical reading skills this section demands.

Inference questions require you to distinguish between what the passage explicitly states and what logically follows from it. Start by reading passages actively—annotate the author's main claim, identify supporting evidence, and note the tone and structure. Then, for inference questions, practice asking yourself "What must be true based on what the author said?" rather than "What could be true?" Many students choose answers that sound reasonable but aren't actually supported by the passage. Working through practice tests with detailed explanations, or getting feedback from a tutor on your reasoning process, helps you calibrate your inference skills and avoid over-interpreting the text.

A typical preparation schedule includes 4-5 focused study sessions per week, with each session lasting 60-90 minutes. In the early phase (weeks 1-4), focus on learning question types, reviewing challenging passages, and building speed. In the intermediate phase (weeks 5-8), take full-length practice tests under timed conditions and analyze your mistakes by question type and passage topic. In the final phase (weeks 9-12), take practice tests every few days and focus on weak areas. Most students benefit from spacing study sessions across multiple days rather than cramming—this helps with retention and reduces test anxiety. A personalized study plan from a tutor accounts for your starting score, target score, and availability, making your preparation more efficient.

After each practice test, track your mistakes by passage type (sciences, humanities, social sciences) and question category (main idea, inference, vocabulary, etc.). You'll likely notice patterns—for example, science passages might feel denser, or inference questions might be consistently tricky. Use AAMC's official practice materials and their feedback tools to see your performance breakdown. Many students discover they rush through questions, misread what's being asked, or struggle with specific passage topics. Once you identify patterns, you can focus your study time strategically—e.g., if humanities passages slow you down, read more of them until you build comfort. A tutor can accelerate this diagnostic process by analyzing your practice tests and targeting exactly where you lose points.

Test anxiety often manifests as rushing through passages, second-guessing correct answers, or freezing on difficult questions. Build confidence by taking multiple timed practice tests under realistic conditions—the familiarity reduces anxiety significantly. During practice, deliberately work through difficult passages slowly to prove to yourself that careful reading leads to correct answers, even on dense material. On test day, use calming techniques like deep breathing between passages, and remember that the MCAT is adaptive, so harder passages might actually indicate you're scoring well. If you tend to overthink or panic, working with a tutor in the weeks leading up to your exam helps you develop a personalized test-day strategy and builds the confidence that comes from genuine preparation.