How To Answer CARs Questions
When it comes to answering CARS questions, there are three main types you'll encounter. You can read about the CARs types from the AAMC themselves here.
Please watch the video on "How to Read a CARs Passage". Watch this video demonstration of the strategies we'll discuss:
CMP (Foundations of Comprehension), RWT (Reasoning Within the Text), and RBT (Reasoning Beyond the Text).
Each requires a slightly different approach, but they all build on the scaffolding strategy we discussed in the previous post. Please be sure to watch the video on Picasso first. Let's break down each type:
CMP
These are your basic comprehension questions. They test whether you understood what you read. Here's the strategy:
- First, identify if it's a main idea or contextual question
- Restate the question in your own words
- If needed, go back to the relevant section (your scaffold helps here!)
- Eliminate answers that:
- Contradict the passage
- Are irrelevant to the question
- Go beyond what the passage states
- Between two close answers, choose the one with stronger passage support
RWT (Reasoning Within the Text)
These questions require you to connect different parts of the passage. The strategy:
- Again, identify if it's main idea or contextual
- Summarize the relevant sections (your scaffold helps locate them!)
- Read those sections specifically in terms of what the question asks
- Eliminate answers that:
- Contradict any part of the passage
- Only use one part when multiple are needed
- Make connections the passage doesn't support
- Choose the answer best supported by ALL relevant sections
RBT (Reasoning Beyond the Text)
These are the trickiest - they ask you to apply the passage's logic to new situations. Here's how:
- These usually relate to the main argument
- Compare the new scenario with your critical truth
- Eliminate answers that:
- Don't follow the passage's logic
- Introduce new arguments
- Contradict the passage's principles
- Choose the answer that best applies the passage's reasoning