<p>So, I just got my scores back today and I got a 700 in both math and writing. BUT, in CR I got a 590! -_-
Is it possible to raise my score from a 590 in CR to at least a 660 in a little less than 2 weeks?
If I could get a 700 that'd be perfect. Have any of you guys ever raised your score by 50+ on one section in just 2 weeks? And any test-taking strategies are appreciated! I remember giving up on the CR cause it was giving me a headache; I'd like to stay focused this time..</p>
<p>I used to score 540-580 in critical reading section. Then i read this thread <a href=“How I got an 800 on the SAT Critical Reading (A Story and Guide) - SAT Preparation - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/1024138-how-i-got-an-800-on-the-sat-critical-reading-a-story-and-guide.html</a> which taught me 2 things: when i only have 2 options left, i play devil’s advocate - Why is one of those obviously wrong?. Secondly, I changed my way of approaching the long passages. I read first the words in italics, then skip the first question (Which usually requires you to read the whole text) and answer them in the order they appear in the text. At the end, i try to answer the first one. These strategies help me to get almost all of the single and double passage questions right.As for the short excerpts, i first read the questions and then the texts. The vocabulary in context always kills me, so i cannot give you any advice.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>You’re welcome! Post if you could actually raise your scores!</p>
<p>@kikibrit: I am in the same situation 
I got a 580 in CR and my December exam will be my last try before I send my applications. I’m going to follow talawyd’s advice. Anyways, Good luck :D</p>
<p>Critical reading I didn’t improve, but I got a 790 first try. I would suggest quickly looking at the questions, marking lines they refer to, then reading through the passage, answering those questions as they come, then the remaining questions after you finish. Worked for me, good luck!</p>
<p>Have you tried skipping the really difficult questions? If you don’t need a perfect 800, skipping the most difficult questions can boost your score as the SAT penalizes guessing.
Personally, on the Critical Reading section, I read the summary (in italics, as someone mentioned earlier) and quickly skim through the passage. This is usually sufficient to answer the “concept questions.” Then read the more detail-oriented questions and hunt for the answers in the passage.
Study and take practice tests, but don’t worry yourself sick. I took a practice SAT and got a 700 in CR, but once I took the actual test, I got an 800 CR score.
And congratulations on the 700s!</p>