Get more top scorer strategies like this to improve your CARS score in the CARS Mastery Course!
You know the struggle... Getting stuck between two answers in CARS, and always choosing the wrong one!
This was a constant frustration for Serena Luke, 519 scorer and a mentor here at MedLife Mastery.
Her CARS score wasn't improving so she invested time in analyzing why she kept choosing the wrong answers...
Turns out one simple shift in what she was looking for in the passage, was all she needed to finally start identifying the right answers!
Which also led Serena to improve her CARS score to a 130 by test day!
Today she teaches this strategy to the students she tutors, and now she's made a short 3 minute video to share it with you too 🙂
Keep in mind this is a counterintuitive strategy - it doesn't come naturally to most.
In fact, our natural tendency is what keeps us getting stuck and choosing the wrong answers.
Learn the strategy here - this one simple trick can be a game changer.
If you enjoy this video and want more CARS strategies from strictly 130+ CARS scorers to improve your score, check out our CARS Mastery Course if you haven't already!
Start Every CARS Passage With a Blank Slate
Before you use any answer choice strategy, make sure you're entering each passage with a blank slate.
CARS is not asking for your personal opinion, your outside knowledge, or your judgment about the topic. It's testing whether you can follow the author's reasoning using only the information in front of you.
So three things to hold onto every time a passage starts:
- Enter with a blank slate. Whatever you know or believe about the subject stays outside the passage.
- Refrain from outside judgments and assumptions. Even if you know the topic well, or strongly disagree with the author, that cannot determine your answer.
- Trust that the passage has enough information. It always does. Your job is to go find it.
That last point matters most when you feel stuck between two answers. The instinct in that moment is to reason from what "sounds reasonable" in the real world. The fix is to go back to the text.
Why Hunting for the Right Answer Backfires
Here's what Serena noticed when she reviewed her own missed questions. Every time she got down to two choices, she was scanning the passage for a statement that would prove one of them right.
The problem is that it's incredibly easy to overjustify an answer choice. When an option sounds attractive, we stretch a line, manipulate its meaning, and force it to fit. We tell ourselves a sentence kind of supports the answer, even though it doesn't actually match what the choice claims.
This is especially dangerous in CARS, because the wrong answers are engineered to sound plausible. A distractor will borrow familiar wording from the passage while quietly distorting the author's point, adding too much certainty, or making a claim the text never supports. It's built to reward exactly the kind of bending you're doing.
So when you're stuck between two answers, stop asking, "Which one can I make work?" That question invites overthinking, and it's the question the test wants you to ask.
The Strategy: Look for What Is Wrong Instead of What Is Right
Ask which one the passage can rule out.
That's the whole shift. Instead of searching for a vague sentence that might possibly support an option, you go looking for clear passage evidence that contradicts it. Find the contradiction, cross the choice out, move on.
Here's how to run it:
- Pause when you reach two choices. Do not rush into the one that sounds more appealing.
- Return to the relevant part of the passage. Focus on the author's claims, reasoning, and tone.
- Test one answer choice at a time. Ask whether the passage gives you a reason to eliminate it.
- Look for a contradiction. If a passage statement conflicts with the option, cross that option out.
- Choose the remaining best answer. It may not feel perfectly worded, but if it isn't wrong and the other option is contradicted, it's the better choice.
This isn't about lazily picking whatever is "not wrong" without thinking. It's about recognizing the nature of a multiple choice test. When one choice can be eliminated with passage evidence, the remaining option is the best answer available, even if it sits in that uncomfortable in-between zone where it's not obviously right and not obviously wrong.
Why This Works When You're Stuck Between Two Answers
It is much harder to manipulate a passage statement into proving an answer wrong than it is to manipulate that same statement into making an answer seem right.
Contradiction is concrete. Support is squishy.
When you look for support, you can convince yourself that a vaguely related line validates a choice. When you look for what's wrong, you have to identify an actual mismatch between the passage and the option. That higher standard is what makes it so much harder to rationalize a tempting distractor into your answer.
Your goal is not to find an answer that feels perfect. Your goal is to identify the choice that best matches the passage once the clearly flawed alternative is removed.
What to Look For When Eliminating an Answer Choice
As you go back to the passage, stay focused on whether the answer choice conflicts with the text. You're looking for evidence that the option does one of the following:
- Contradicts the author's stated view.
- Claims more than the passage supports.
- Changes the author's reasoning or conclusion.
- Relies on an assumption that is not provided in the passage.
- Uses language that does not fit the passage's point.
Do not bring in outside knowledge to reject an answer. The contradiction has to come from the passage itself. This is why that blank slate matters so much. A choice can be inaccurate in real life and still be fully supported by the author's argument. For CARS, the passage is the authority.
This elimination mindset also fits naturally with a strong review process. If you miss a question after being stuck between two answers, review exactly what made the wrong option wrong. For more help building that habit, use this guide on how to review CARS questions effectively.
Practice the Strategy Until It Becomes Automatic
CARS feels uncomfortable for premeds because it isn't like memorizing science content. It's a skill section, and skills improve through strategy implementation, not through doing more passages on autopilot.
So test this deliberately. Each time you're stuck between two answers in practice, write down (or at minimum say out loud) the specific passage evidence that eliminates one choice. If you can't find that evidence, be careful. You may be crossing out an option simply because you don't like how it sounds.
Over time, you'll get faster at noticing the difference between forcing a connection and finding a real conflict with the author's message. For a broader approach to passage reasoning, these CARS passage strategies from 130+ scorers will help you build a more consistent process.
The CARS section is designed to assess critical analysis and reasoning skills, as outlined by the AAMC's overview of the MCAT exam. That's exactly why an evidence-based elimination strategy is so useful. It keeps your reasoning anchored to what the passage actually communicates.
Build a CARS Plan That Fits You
Not every strategy clicks immediately for every student. The important thing is to test strategies deliberately, keep the ones that improve your reasoning, and use them consistently. If getting stuck between two answers is a recurring issue for you, make it your specific focus for the next several practice sessions.
If you want more CARS strategies like this one, taught exclusively by 130+ CARS scorers, explore the CARS Strategy Course. And if you want personalized feedback on how you're approaching passages and answer choices, one-on-one MCAT tutoring can identify the patterns holding your score back.
You can also use a free MCAT practice test to put the strategy into action under realistic conditions. For study tools, notes, and additional practice materials, access the collection of free MCAT resources.
FAQ
What should I do when I am stuck between two answers in CARS?
Return to the passage and look for evidence that directly contradicts one option. Rather than trying to make one choice sound correct, identify the choice that the passage makes wrong. Then select the remaining best answer.
Should I use outside knowledge to eliminate a CARS answer choice?
No. Enter the passage with a blank slate. CARS questions should be answered using the author's argument and the information in the passage, not personal opinions, assumptions, or outside knowledge.
What if the remaining answer choice does not feel perfectly right?
If one choice is clearly contradicted by the passage and the other is not, the remaining choice is the best answer. Do not reject it simply because its wording does not feel perfect.
How can I improve if I keep getting stuck between two answers?
Practice this elimination method consistently and review missed questions closely. Identify the exact sentence or idea that disproved the wrong choice, then look for patterns in the distractors that keep pulling you in.
Additional Resources
- Download the free 515+ Scorer MCAT Master Map to organize your preparation and track your progress.
- Join the 6-Week Score Accelerator live MCAT course for strategy-focused preparation.
- Read MCAT success stories for examples of students who persevered through challenging score improvements.
- See student ratings and reviews on Trustpilot.
Don't Get Discouraged, Get Disciplined
Lastly, remember that it's normal to feel your motivation drop when MCAT prep gets tough, when scores don't improve, when you KEEP choosing the trick answer choices after narrowing down to two...
We felt it.
We don't think there's anyone who has non-stop 24/7 motivation to keep going towards their goals.
Motivation will come and go during MCAT prep, when you're in med-school, and throughout life in general...
But we need to remember that even though we'll never always be motivated...
We must learn to always be disciplined.
Discipline is in our control.
If you can instill productive habits to study each day, take scheduled breaks, incorporate consistent practice, keep your mindset healthy, keep your body healthy, and constantly reflect on how you can be learning smarter and more strategically...
You will reach your physician dream.
And we can't wait for when you do.
You got this,
The MedLife Mastery Team
Your MCAT Success Mentors
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