How to Improve Your MCAT CARS Score

To improve your MCAT CARS score, practice passages daily, review every miss until you can name why you chose the wrong answer, and fix the specific cause: how you read the passage, how you read the question, or which answer trap caught you. More passages alone won't move your score. Better review will.

CARS can feel like the section you can't study for. There's no content to memorize, and two passages in a row can feel completely different. The good news is that CARS is a skill, and skills can be learned.

Here's a step-by-step approach to finding where your CARS points are disappearing and building a practice routine that fixes it.

What does the MCAT CARS section test?

Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) tests how well you understand, analyze, and reason about passages from the humanities and social sciences. You don't need outside knowledge. Everything you need is inside the passage.

The AAMC groups CARS questions into three skills: Foundations of Comprehension, Reasoning Within the Text, and Reasoning Beyond the Text. For a full breakdown of the section, read How to Approach MCAT CARS.

Why isn't your CARS score improving?

Most CARS plateaus come from one of three patterns:

• You practice without diagnosing. You finish a passage, check the answers, read the explanations, and move on. You see the right answer, but you don't learn why you didn't choose it.
• You fix the wrong problem. You work on speed when the real issue is accuracy, or you read more slowly when the real issue is answer choices.
• Your practice isn't consistent. CARS improves with frequent, focused repetition. A few long sessions a month won't build the same skill as a passage or two every day.

The steps below address all three.

Step 1: Find out why you're missing questions

Before you change anything, collect data. For every missed or guessed question, ask which of these caused it:

• You misread the passage. You missed the author's main point, confused who held which view, or skipped a shift in the argument.
• You misread the question. You missed a word like NOT, EXCEPT, or LEAST, or answered a different question than the one asked.
• You fell for a trap. You chose an answer that was too strong, too weak, out of scope, or true but not responsive to the question.

Try to find your own error in the passage before you read the explanation. That small habit turns review into skill-building instead of answer-checking.

Track every miss in a simple CARS log:

After two or three weeks, your log will show a pattern. That pattern tells you what to work on.

Step 2: Fix how you read the passage

If most of your misses come from the passage, focus on understanding the argument, not the details.

• Reset before each passage. Take one slow breath to clear the last passage before you start the next.
• Skim the frame first. Read the first sentence of each paragraph and the source to get a sense of the topic.
• Read with engagement. Slow down at key arguments and shifts in tone. Move faster through examples.
• Map as you go. Summarize each paragraph in a few words and note whose view is whose.

Before you look at the questions, pause and check: can you state the author's main idea in one or two sentences? If not, that's your first fix.

Step 3: Fix how you answer the questions

If most of your misses come from the questions or answer choices, use a three-step process for every question:

• Categorize. Restate the question in your own words. Is the answer stated in the passage or implied?
• Predict. Go back to the relevant part of the passage and form your own answer before you read the choices.
• Eliminate. Cut every choice that doesn't match your prediction. If any part of a choice is wrong, the whole choice is wrong.

Stay inside the passage. If you find yourself choosing an answer because it's true in the real world, check whether the passage actually supports it.

Step 4: Build timing after accuracy

Aim for about 10 minutes per passage, but don't start there. Speed built on inaccurate reading just produces faster wrong answers.

Start with untimed passages until your accuracy holds. Then add the clock and work toward the 10-minute pace. When a question stalls you, give it about 30 more seconds, eliminate what you can, choose your best answer, flag it, and move on.

If you're consistently running out of time, look at where the minutes go. Rereading the passage, rereading answer choices, and second-guessing a confident answer are the most common time drains.

Step 5: Practice CARS every day

Consistency matters more than volume. Here's a simple progression:

Spend at least as long reviewing a passage as you spent completing it. If you're building a full schedule, our 3-month MCAT study plan shows where daily CARS fits week by week.

Prioritize official AAMC CARS practice materials, which are closest to the real exam. You can find official and free options through the AAMC's free planning and study resources.

What CARS mistakes should you avoid?

• Using outside knowledge. The correct answer is supported by the passage, even when you disagree with it.
• Skipping review on correct answers. If you guessed or felt unsure, review it like a miss.
• Switching strategies every week. Give one approach at least a few weeks before judging it.
• Saving CARS for the end of your prep. Start CARS practice early and keep it in your schedule every week.

Frequently asked questions about improving your CARS score

How long does it take to improve your CARS score?

It depends on your starting point and how consistently you practice. Many students see their accuracy stabilize after several weeks of daily practice with careful review. Use timed sections and full-length exams to track whether your score is moving.

Can you really improve your CARS score?

Yes. CARS is a reasoning skill, and you improve it the same way you improve any skill: deliberate practice, honest review, and specific fixes for the mistakes you keep making.

Should I read outside material to get better at CARS?

Reading challenging articles in the humanities and social sciences can help you get comfortable with dense writing. It won't replace CARS-style practice, because CARS also tests how you answer specific question types.

How many CARS passages should I do a day?

Start with one passage a day and review it thoroughly. Add a second passage once your accuracy holds. Closer to test day, practice full timed sections to build stamina.

What is a good CARS score?

A good CARS score depends on your total score goal and your target schools. Use MSAR and your advisor to see which section scores are typical for the schools on your list.

Get support with CARS strategy

Your next step is to start a CARS log this week and track the cause of every miss.

If you'd like a coach to review your CARS work with you and build a plan around what's actually costing you points, explore 1:1 MCAT Coaching. CARS and passage strategy is a core part of how we coach.

Happy studying!