Explore every episode of the podcast The MCAT CARS Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 121: Understanding Passage Structures and Interpreting Tone | 31 Mar 2021 | 00:22:39 | |
Tone provides a deeper sense of one's attitude. Understanding tones and structures in a CARS passage will help you get a better sense of the passage and author. Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 120: Exploring Hypnosis in Comparison to Psych Experiments | 24 Mar 2021 | 00:20:40 | |
If you want more free practice for MCAT CARS, visit jackwestin.com. Today, Jack and I focus on learning as we read this passage about hypnosis. Listen now! Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 119: How to Discern Facts, Assumptions, and Opinions in CARS | 17 Mar 2021 | 00:20:34 | |
Today, we talked about the difference between facts and opinions/assumptions that sounds factual. Understanding the differences can help you score high in CARS. Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 118: Practicing Empathy With MCAT CARS Passages | 10 Mar 2021 | 00:23:15 | |
In this episode, Jack and I discuss how to find article passages that are similar to MCAT CARS passages. Links:Link to the article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2020/oct/28 | |||
| 117: How to Critically Think When Reading Deep Passages | 03 Mar 2021 | 00:27:28 | |
MCAT passages are all about giving a message. You don't have to understand everything, but you can't make just assume or predict things that aren't there. Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 116: Taking MCAT CARS to Outer Space and Beyond | 24 Feb 2021 | 00:18:18 | |
The recent landing of the Mars Perseverance rover reminds us that our universe is vast, as are opinions on the MCAT. What are my thoughts? Listen to find out! Links:Link to the article: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/10/rogue-planets-milky-way/616897/ | |||
| 115: Experiments and Observations: Media Multitasking | 17 Feb 2021 | 00:17:32 | |
Experiment-based passages are found all over the MCAT. Today, we focused on following the details of the passage, and keeping track of the different ideas. Links:Link to the article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/media-multitasking-disrupts-memory-even-in-young-adults/ | |||
| 114: Social Media Polarization, Influencers, and Echo Chambers | 10 Feb 2021 | 00:25:04 | |
We all think of the world in specific ways. However, success in CARS requires you to keep an open mind. Leave your biases at the door and question everything. Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 113: What's Up with App Users, Data Abuse, and Exploitation? | 03 Feb 2021 | 00:17:04 | |
This week, we look at the consequences of using apps that exploit user data. We discuss how to determine the author's tone from keywords throughout the passage. Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 112: How to Deal With an Author's Questions Within a Passage | 27 Jan 2021 | 00:17:01 | |
Today, we discuss how to approach questions within MCAT CARS passages. Don't insert your own answers! Let the author convince you with evidence and examples. Links:Link to the article: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/10/gas-stoves-are-bad-you-and-environment/616700/ | |||
| 111: Voting Prediction: Finding Trends in an MCAT CARS Passage | 20 Jan 2021 | 00:17:50 | |
Today we look at trends in the author's voice and context specifics. Join us as we dive into this passage on elections and voting outcome predictions. Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 110: Is Charity Crowdfunding Just A Game of "Would You Rather?" | 13 Jan 2021 | 00:19:06 | |
Does charity crowdfunding create similar choices to "Would You Rather?" That's what Jack and I discuss in today's thought-provoking MCAT CARS practice passage. Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 109: Where to Find the Main Idea in an MCAT CARS Passage | 07 Jan 2021 | 00:15:54 | |
Finding the author's main point in an MCAT CARS passage takes practice. Today, we'll give you a few tips for how to sift through the details to find it. Join us! Links:Link to the article: https://harpers.org/archive/2020/10/reason-not-the-need-self-storage | |||
| 108: How to Find Clues in the Details of an MCAT CARS Passage | 30 Dec 2020 | 00:24:15 | |
Today, we examine an MCAT CARS practice passage about Google Earth and discuss the importance of reading a passage and paying attention to the details. Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 107: How to Approach "Easy" MCAT CARS Passages | 23 Dec 2020 | 00:16:20 | |
What should you pay attention to when you come across straight-forward passage on the MCAT? Jack gives us tips for how to tackle deceptively-easy passages Links:Link to the article: https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2046694228515/pleasant-dreams | |||
| 106: Does the AAMC Ask Polarizing Questions on the MCAT? | 16 Dec 2020 | 00:17:21 | |
Our passage today is about a topic that might be considered controversial—QAnon. Will you see these types of passages on the MCAT? Listen and find out. | |||
| 105: How Does Individual Adaption Contribute to Evolution? | 09 Dec 2020 | 00:16:11 | |
Today we talk about assumptions and the connections we make as we tackle this MCAT CARS passage about adaptability and evolution. Join us! Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 104: Does Training Your Brain Help You in the Real World? | 02 Dec 2020 | 00:20:18 | |
Today's passage is all about brain training. Maybe it will help you with your MCAT CARS prep! Don't forget to read the text first and then come back and listen. Links:Email jack@jackwestin.com Link to the article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-brain-training-actually-work/ | |||
| 103: A Philosophical Passage About Memes and CAPTCHAs | 18 Nov 2020 | 00:26:36 | |
What do memes and CAPTCHAs have in common? That's the question we hope to answer in today's MCAT CARS passage. Follow along! Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 102: Understanding an Article about Surveillance in Nature | 11 Nov 2020 | 00:18:55 | |
We practice our critical reading skills with an article about surveillance in nature and rural areas. Listen as we break down the author's perspective! Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 101: How to Handle Words You Don't Know in a CARS Passage | 04 Nov 2020 | 00:26:09 | |
We read a passage about how language and culture are commonly conflated. And we discuss what to do when you're confronted with words you don't know! Links:Link to the article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/were-french-people-born-to-speak-french | |||
| 100: The Importance of Contrast Words Like "However" in MCAT CARS | 28 Oct 2020 | 00:19:55 | |
Today we read a passage about England that exemplifies the importance of contrast words like "yet," "but," and "however" in MCAT CARS passages. Links:Link to the article: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200724-colonial-countryside-facing-up-to-britains-murky-past | |||
| 99: A Passage about Ideologic Bias | 21 Oct 2020 | 00:26:30 | |
Dr. Gray and Jack Westin unfold a passage about ideological corruption and contemporary science. Join us in dissecting this CARS passage. | |||
| 98: What To Do When You Get Lost in a CARS Passage? | 14 Oct 2020 | 00:26:44 | |
As we dive further into CARS prep, this passage is a doozy. We get down and dirty with a philosophical passage and how to breakdown a confusing passage. Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 97: A Passage About Ellen DeGeneres and Being a Nice Person | 07 Oct 2020 | 00:31:28 | |
In the CARS Practice Passage, Dr. Gray and Jack Westin unfold this passage about Ellen Degeneres and always having to be a "nice person." Links:Link to the article: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/ellen-degeneress-relatability-crisis | |||
| 96: Picking Up Topics in the Passage You Do Not Know Much About | 23 Sep 2020 | 00:19:11 | |
What do you do when you get to a passage that you have no clue what it is talking about? We dive into how to break it down and defeat the passage. Links:Link to the article: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/08/accidental-creation-hybrid-fish/614974/ | |||
| 95: Beginner Level CARS Passage to Understanding Tone | 16 Sep 2020 | 00:23:18 | |
Are you just beginning CARS prep? We take a look at a fundamental passage to understanding tone in CARS passages. The deed is done and what that means. https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/cancelling-flannery-oconnor Links:Link to the article: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/cancelling-flannery-oconnor | |||
| 94: Breaking Down an Article about Robots Taking Over | 09 Sep 2020 | 00:25:59 | |
In this CARS practice passage, Jack and I take a look at a great article about the robots taking over the world. Come learn how to better our MCAT CARS score! Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 93: A CARS Passage about Clueless. Hopefully you won't be. | 02 Sep 2020 | 00:23:23 | |
The movie Clueless is a classic. In our passage today, we learn about the makeover storyline and how Clueless was also a makeover movie. Read and follow along! Links:Jack Westin’s CASPER strategy course Link to the article: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200716-how-clueless-transformed-the-movie-makeover | |||
| 92: CARS Passage Breakdown: Glass vs. Porcelain | 26 Aug 2020 | 00:25:27 | |
Come explore another article to understand the author's views as they write about why glass is so popular. Try pre-reading and then listening to us discuss. Links:Link to the article: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200714-why-glamorous-glassware-is-booming | |||
| 91: MCAT CARS Investigates Violence in Movies | 19 Aug 2020 | 00:34:26 | |
In this MCAT CARS practice passage, we look at how the author views violence as a form of entertainment. Join us and see if you can pick up on the author's view! Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 90: MCAT CARS Asks: Who's Really Leading the Conversation? | 12 Aug 2020 | 00:28:02 | |
UX writers play a critical role in driving how we interact with technology. In today's MCAT CARS practice passage, we look at what they do and why it matters. Links: | |||
| 89: MCAT CARS Asks: Accurate Portrayal or Cinematic Betrayal? | 05 Aug 2020 | 00:35:23 | |
What should you do when you encounter a conversational MCAT CARS passage? What about topics with which you are unfamiliar? Follow along and find out! Links: | |||
| 88: MCAT CARS: What Constitutes Identity? | 29 Jul 2020 | 00:26:43 | |
How should you handle MCAT CARS passages with which you don't agree? Jack and I break it down for you as we look at the role of technology in creating identity. Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 87: MCAT CARS Asks: A Beautiful Synchrony or Lovely Loners? | 22 Jul 2020 | 00:20:12 | |
Science and society are captivated by the inexplicable synchrony of the natural world, but are we missing the evolutionary significance of the outliers? Links:Link to the article: https://www.quantamagazine.org/out-of-sync-loners-may-secretly-protect-orderly-swarms-20200521/ | |||
| 86: MCAT CARS Asks: Fintechs: Friends or Foes? | 15 Jul 2020 | 00:23:47 | |
Are financial technology startups leveraging technology to ameliorate the economic crisis, or are their motives more duplicitous? Follow along and decide! Links: | |||
| 85: MCAT CARS Asks: What's Driving U-Haul's Tobacco Policy? | 08 Jul 2020 | 00:23:39 | |
Is U-Haul really trying to create a health-conscientious culture, or do they ulterior motives? Follow along in today's MCAT CARS passage and find out! Links: | |||
| 84: MCAT CARS: Taking Control of the Natural World | 17 Jun 2020 | 00:35:44 | |
Today we talk about finding common themes in sporadic passages as we look at this MCAT CARS passage that leaps from COVID-19 to zoos and beyond. Follow along! | |||
| 83: MCAT CARS: Penetrating Radios and Podcast Passivity | 10 Jun 2020 | 00:28:30 | |
The advent of podcasts offered listeners the opportunity to have thoughts without having to think. But is that a good thing? Let's discuss! Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 82: MCAT CARS: Celestial Bodies and Mundane Afflictions | 03 Jun 2020 | 00:30:27 | |
In this MCAT CARS passage about planets, pandemics, and unpredictability, we investigate the subtle nuances that bring long, mundane passages to life. Links:Link to the article: | |||
| 81: MCAT CARS Asks: Can Computers Learn Common Sense? | 27 May 2020 | 00:20:20 | |
Some of the smartest machines on earth can't tell you what would happen if you dropped a match on a stack of logs—so, are they really that smart? Let's discuss! Links:Jack Westin’s Chrome extension Link to the article: https://www.quantamagazine.org/common-sense-comes-to-computers-20200430/ | |||
| 80: MCAT CARS: An Affectionate Nostalgia for Vines of Old | 20 May 2020 | 00:29:32 | |
In this MCAT CARS passage, we investigate what it is about our nostalgia for Vines from the past that endures in a world driven by novelty and innovation.
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| 79: MCAT CARS: Chalking to Raise Awareness of Urban Flora | 13 May 2020 | 00:21:09 | |
How should you approach MCAT CARS passages about random topics? We analyze a passage about rebel botanists to show you how to uncover the point of the passage. Links: | |||
| 78: The New MCAT Format: What Does It Mean for Premeds Now? | 29 Apr 2020 | 00:36:37 | |
The AAMC just dropped a BOMB on the premed world — a shorter MCAT. What does this mean for you? How should you go about studying? And more! Don't miss it! Links: | |||
| 77: MCAT CARS Asks: Does Power Illuminate Your Character? | 22 Apr 2020 | 00:17:28 | |
Easy CARS passages are often accompanied by tough questions. We'll show you how to interpret the author's message and what types of questions you might expect. Links:Link to article: http://nautil.us/issue/46/balance/why-power-brings-out-your-true-self | |||
| 76: MCAT CARS: Finding Folklore In Scary Stories | 15 Apr 2020 | 00:16:57 | |
Are scary stories little more than folktales and urban legends told in the dark? How has folklore contributed to the rise in their popularity? Let's dive in! Links:Link to article: https://daily.jstor.org/the-folklorist-behind-scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark/ | |||
| 75: MCAT CARS Asks: Can Statistics Be Used to Predict Behavior? | 08 Apr 2020 | 00:34:50 | |
Using our CARS skills, Jack Westin and I tackle this TOUGH practice passage and learn about how social physics can be used to predict human behavior. Join us! Links:Check out our YouTube channel on Premed.tv Jack Westin’s YouTube videos Link to article: https://www.realclearscience.com/2019/07/10/can_physics_be_applied_to_society_286658.html | |||
| 74: MCAT CARS Asks: Are Human and Animal Emotions Similar? | 01 Apr 2020 | 00:22:59 | |
What kinds of emotions do animals feel? Are they similar to human emotions? How should we address personal biases when answering CARS questions? Let's discuss! Links:Link to article: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_kind_of_emotions_do_animals_feel | |||
| 73: MCAT CARS Investigates the Cultural History of First Words | 25 Mar 2020 | 00:25:57 | |
Using our CARS skills, we'll look at the cultural significance and history of first words. What types of questions might students see from this passage? Links:Link to article: https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/07/26/a-cultural-history-of-first-words/ | |||
| 72: MCAT CARS Asks: Is Nutrition Science Broken? | 18 Mar 2020 | 00:16:59 | |
When so much of what we are told about diet, health, and weight loss is inconsistent and contradictory, can we believe any of it? Follow along and find out. Links:Link to article: | |||