MCAT CARS: Tips for Answering Inference Questions
Inference questions make up 16 percent of the CARS section
- April 23, 2025
Inference questions make up 16 percent of the CARS section, which is about one question every eight or nine questions. Some keywords to identify an inference question are imply, guess, assume, or infer.
Some inference questions are passage-wide (related to the central thesis of the whole passage), and some are idea-focused (only referring to one idea in the passage.)
Some passage-wide examples include:
How can we assume the author feels about ____?
Which of the following underlying assumptions is implied by the passage argument?
Idea-focused inference questions can look like this:
What can we infer about ______ given the information in the passage?
What does the author imply about ___?
The author implies what by saying _____?
The author says ______. We can infer that he/she chose this fact to:
Inference questions can be tricky because you are being asked to use the text to make an assumption, but you have to be careful not to assume outside of the passage information. To successfully answer an inference question, you’ll need to avoid bringing in outside knowledge or drawing conclusions not found in the text. Inference questions can also be very time-consuming relative to other questions if you don’t know what you’re looking for or don’t rule out answers quickly.
1. First, determine the author’s central thesis.
Break down the passage paragraph by paragraph, looking for the main theme of each. Generally, the introductory paragraph will be used to define terms and introduce ideas, while the author’s main argument can usually (but not always) be found in the last paragraph. Once you’ve determined the central thesis of the passage, any answers that don’t agree with the central thesis can be easily ruled out.
2. Next, look at how the author connects other quotes and viewpoints with the main theme of the passage.
The author will almost always provide other sources, experts, or schools of thought. The author used these for a reason, and it’s up to you to determine whether it is to: 1) refute the point, 2) use the point to support his/her argument, or 3) consider the point (partly agree, partly disagree). Look at the vocabulary used and note the tone. Mocking, disdainful, praising, admiring, or otherwise, non-neutral language are giveaways as to how the author feels about the information.
3. Now, rule out answers that don’t work.
Generally, a wrong answer for an inference question falls into one of two categories:
* Faulty wording. Incorrect CARS questions can often be wrong because of a single word. If an answer or an element of an answer mentions a specific word, phrase, or idea, go back to its paragraph in the passage and check to make sure the answer is consistent with what was being expressed in the passage. When you choose your answer, make sure there isn’t even one errant word that doesn’t agree with the author’s central thesis.
* Unevidenced assumptions. Remember, don’t stray far from the text. Often, wrong answers will make assumptions about themes tangentially related to ideas in the text, but with no support. Unevidenced broad generalizations or “extreme” answers can also usually be ruled out in favor of a more specific answer that has evidence in the passage. Rule out answers based on hypothetical scenarios that the passage does not address.
With these three tips, you’ll be able to find the author’s argument and easily rule out answers that don’t fit with the central thesis. And, as with all other question types: If inference questions are your weakness, remember to mark them to review later, and to read the answer explanations after the test.
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