<p>Hey, for those of you who have had success on the critical reading section, could you help me out? Is it better to read the whole passage before doing the questions or doing line reference questions first, so that you get a good idea about the passage, without wasting time to read it? When I read the passage first, i seem to get more into the story and understand it better, but i am bad with time. What works for you guys? Thanks!</p>
<p>I read the passages first QUICKLY, then do line references, then do the harder ones. I'm no expert at all, my CR is in the 740 range, and I'm still working on it, but I do think that a quick skim of the passage first, especially on shorter paragraphs, can help you avoid SAT question traps. If you are bad with time, then practice reading quick, and reading to get the knowledge that you know the SAT is prone to ask about. While skimming, think "Oh, the tone is ironic. Oh, this word is in quotes. The author really supportes blahblahblah, but is critical of people who <em>_". Take practice tests and see what types of questions they are going to be asking for each passage. For example if there is two connected passages by two different authors, you bet there going to ask how author1 will respond to 2, so while you are skimming, make a mental note of differences. If you have time problems, consider learning to take out the vocab really quickly, then always answer the "this word used here means _</em>". </p>
<p>Keep in mind, I still have work to do on the CR, so this is just opinion.</p>
<p>questions first. i look for the 1st line reference, then read the passage to that point - look for the place where the next question is talking about, and read there. the only reading i do before i read the questions is reading the blurb. reading straight, not skimming, gives u a much better idea on the general questions (caveat - i'm a fast reader). the only time u should skim is when ur really short on time or there's like 20+ lines between references for each question. mark up the passages helps up too. like Nick said, do line references and vocab first. </p>
<p>i used these strategies and got a 800 in march (don't kno how many i missed yet tho)</p>
<p>I read the entire passage, then do line references. I find that by doing this I generally end up reading the passage at least twice and catch the important words or details I may have missed for tone/theme questions. I am a fast reader, so this may be tough if you have more trouble with time, but it really helps to have some sense of the passage as your reading all of those references.</p>