1.1 CARS section guide

Achievable MCAT

1. CARS

CARS section guide

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What this prep section covers

Specific abilities tested in CARS
What the passages and questions look like
Strategies to use for each passage
Sample passages and questions to apply chosen strategies

What does the CARS section look like?

9 reading passages with questions
5–7 questions per set (passage)
No stand-alone questions

This means the section tests critical reading and reasoning, not outside content knowledge.

Students who score well in CARS

Utilize reading strategies
Develop strong reasoning skills through careful practice
Embrace the “best answer” concept (sometimes the best option doesn’t feel perfect — it’s simply the one most supported by the passage)

What happens at the end of this section?

After you learn the key CARS strategies, you’ll move into a series of practice sets. Each set includes one passage with multiple questions.

These sets are designed to be manageable and flexible. You can do one passage at a time or complete several in a row — choose what fits your study flow best.

CARS section structure

9 passages, each with 5-7 questions
All questions linked to passages (no stand-alone questions)
Focus on critical reading and reasoning, not prior content knowledge

Keys to high CARS performance

Use effective reading strategies
Build strong reasoning skills through practice
Apply “best answer” approach:
- Choose the answer most supported by the passage, even if not perfect

Practice sets

Each set: one passage with multiple questions
Flexible practice options:
- Complete one or several sets per session
- Adapt to personal study pace