MDCAT English and Logical Reasoning: the 18 marks students neglect

English and Logical Reasoning are the two smallest sections on the MDCAT. They are also the two sections students most often leave until the last month. That is a mistake in arithmetic: 18 marks count the same as 18 Biology marks.

Eighteen marks that are easy to leave to chance

English is 9 questions and Logical Reasoning is 9. Together they are 18 of 180 marks, or 10 percent of the paper. A student who loses 10 of those marks has given away 10 marks, the same as losing 10 Biology questions.

The sections feel optional because they are small and because the content does not look like the rest of the syllabus. There is no chapter to finish and no diagram to label. That makes them easy to postpone.

They are also efficient. A daily 20-minute block is enough to build the habits, and the habits transfer to reading every other subject. Treat the 18 marks as a scheduled part of the week, not as filler for a free evening.

What the exam actually tests

English tests vocabulary in context, grammar and sentence structure, reading comprehension, and a small amount of writing mechanics. Logical Reasoning tests pattern recognition, logical puzzles, cause and effect, syllogisms and course-of-action questions.

The exact mix can change. Use the official syllabus for the list of examinable skills, and use our archive counts to see which skills have appeared most often in the papers we hold. The archive covers six boards and papers from 2000 to 2026. It is a guide to past attention, not a forecast.

Neither section rewards cramming. Both reward a short, regular drill.

The question formats are predictable even when the content is not. English items usually ask you to choose the best word, correct a sentence or answer from a passage. Logical Reasoning items usually give a short set of conditions or a sequence and ask for the next step. You can rehearse the format without knowing the exact question.

English: vocabulary is the largest single count

Vocabulary and Contextual Meaning has 700 questions across 94 papers in our archive. Grammar Fundamentals and Sentence Structure has 657 across 92. Reading Comprehension and Analysis has 56 across 26. Writing Mechanics and Editing has 9 across 8.

The vocabulary count is the largest single count in the whole archive. That does not mean you should memorise a dictionary. It means you should learn words in sentences and check how the context changes the meaning.

Keep a word log with four columns: the word, the sentence you met it in, your guess, and the dictionary meaning. Review the log twice a week. Ten words a day with context beats fifty words without it.

Grammar: a short list of rules, drilled

Grammar questions are finite. Learn subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, articles, prepositions, pronoun reference, modifiers and parallel structure. Those seven areas cover most of what the archive shows.

Do not read a grammar chapter and stop. Answer ten sentences a day and write the rule beside each error. A rule you have applied is easier to recall than a rule you have recognised.

When two options sound correct, look for the one that keeps the sentence parallel or the modifier next to the word it describes. Sound is a poor guide in a language test. Structure is a better one.

Keep a one-page rule sheet. Write each rule as a test you can apply: "Find the subject. Find the verb. Do they agree in number?" A rule written as a question is easier to use under time than a rule written as a label.

Reading comprehension: passage discipline

Read the passage once for the subject and the argument, not for detail. Then read the question, find the line that answers it, and paraphrase that line before you look at the options.

Wrong options usually repeat a word from the passage but change the relationship. Eliminate the option that answers a different question. Eliminate the one that is too broad or too narrow. Choose from what remains.

Do not bring outside knowledge into a comprehension question unless the question asks for it. The passage is the evidence. If two answers are supported, choose the one that needs fewer assumptions.

Practise one passage and its questions in ten minutes. Review the evidence for every answer, including the correct one.

Logical reasoning: sequences, puzzles and deductions

Pattern Recognition in Sequences has 37 questions across 20 papers. Logical Puzzle Solving has 30 across 20. Causal Relationships and Reasoning has 22 across 18. Syllogisms and Venn Diagrams has 19 across 15. Situation Analysis and Problem Resolution has 10 across 10.

Sequences reward a written list of differences, ratios and alternating patterns. Do not stare at the numbers. Write the gaps.

Syllogisms reward a diagram. Draw the sets, mark what must be true, and separate that from what may be true. Most errors come from treating a possibility as a certainty.

Puzzles reward a table. Write the categories and fill the cells you know. A table turns a paragraph of clues into a small number of deductions.

Cause and effect questions ask you to separate a correlation from a mechanism. If two events happen together, ask whether one caused the other or whether a third factor explains both. Course-of-action questions ask for the most practical next step, not the most dramatic one. Choose the option that solves the stated problem with the fewest new risks.

A 20-minute daily routine

Spend five minutes on vocabulary, five on grammar and ten on one reasoning set or one passage. Do this six days a week. The block is short enough to keep and long enough to matter.

Once a week, replace the block with a timed set of 9 English and 9 Logical Reasoning questions in 18 minutes. Mark it, then review every answer. The timer teaches pace; the review teaches accuracy.

Use practice for mixed sets and flashcards for the word log and grammar rules. Keep both short. A card that asks for a definition without a sentence is a weak card.

How to review a wrong English or logical reasoning answer

For English, classify the error. Did you not know the word, not know the rule, misread the sentence, or choose before reading all options? Each cause needs a different fix. A vocabulary gap needs a card. A rule gap needs a written rule. A reading gap needs a slower first read.

For Logical Reasoning, classify the error as diagram, inference or time. If you did not draw the diagram, the concept may be fine and the method weak. If you drew it and still missed, the rule is the gap.

Rewrite the rule in one sentence, then reattempt the question after 48 hours. If you get it right, keep the card. If you miss it again, the rule is still unclear.

The week before the test

Do not start a new vocabulary list in the final week. Review the log you already have. Do one timed 18-question set, then spend the rest of the time on review.

In the exam, do not leave these sections for the last five minutes. Give them about 18 to 20 minutes and protect that time. If a passage is taking too long, mark the question and return after the shorter items.

One more rule for the final week: keep the routine, but reduce the volume. Twenty minutes a day is enough to keep the vocabulary and grammar warm. The goal is not to learn a new rule on the last night. It is to arrive able to apply the rules you already have.

Read the exam strategy guides for the wider timing plan, and use past papers to test the 18 marks under real conditions. The 2026 papers are free and do not use your 500 free attempts.