CARS tip

 

MCAT CARS Tip: Highlight Key Transitions, Not Everything

In the CARS section of the MCAT, many students make the mistake of highlighting too much—entire sentences, random facts, or anything that seems important. However, this often leads to cluttered passages and confusion during review. Instead, a smarter strategy is to highlight only key transition words and author opinions.

Transition words like however, therefore, in contrast, for example, and moreover signal shifts in logic, contrasting viewpoints, or supporting evidence. These are critical for understanding how the passage is structured and how the author builds their argument.

Focusing your highlighting on these words serves three major benefits:

1 It keeps you actively engaged as you read, helping you follow the author’s reasoning rather than passively absorbing text.

2 It makes it easier to answer questions about the author’s main point, tone, or logical structure—since you’ll know where the key shifts happened.

3 It avoids over-marking, which can overwhelm your brain during review and waste precious time during the exam.

Think of these transitions as guideposts that map out the flow of the passage. When used strategically, this technique can significantly boost both your comprehension and speed.