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MCAT: How to find the Main Idea in a CARS Passage

Writer: Meenakshi Gopakumar
Meenakshi Gopakumar
Sep 11
2 min read
A man concentrating writing an exam

If you are the type of person to read a MCAT CARS passage, but you also did not understand anything that the passage was trying to say, and felt that you could not absorb the "main idea" or underlying theme of the passage, this post is for you!

The number one thing to understand with CARS is that the MAIN IDEA isn't the TOPIC of the passage. The passage could be about "modern architecture", or "taxes on unhealthy food", or "renaissance art". These are TOPICS. This is not the MAIN IDEA. The main idea is the author's opinion/underlying thesis on this topic. For example, if the topic is "taxes on unhealthy food", the main idea of the passage could be that the author SUPPORTS these taxes because they are beneficial for the greater good of the population.

So, how do you find this Main Idea? Keep track of three things:

  1. What is the TOPIC? The topic is often described in the first or second passage. This tells you what the passage is broadly about. Identify this topic right away.

  2. How does the author FEEL about this topic? This is where CARS actually begins. Pay attention whenever the author:

    -criticizes something

    -praises something

    -disagrees with another viewpoint

    -introduces a problem

    -proposes an alternative

    -qualifies a previous claim

    -contrasts two perspectives

Words like however, although, unfortunately, instead, yet, nevertheless, surprisingly, and but can be incredibly useful because they often signal a shift toward the author's actual position. These transition words help you understand the author's true feelinngs on this topic, and the author's opinion is almost always the MAIN IDEA of the passage.

  1. Why did the author WRITE this passage?What is the author trying to convince you, the reader, of? Why did they write this entire thing? Your answer should be a claim, not a topic! For example: "the author wrote about renaissance art" is not a good answer here. "The author wants me to think that renaissance art is better than modern art" would be a great answer, if that was the author's opinion! There you go, you have isolated the main idea of the passage.

 
 
 

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