<p>^ For you:</p>
<p>Critical Reading:</p>
<p>Sentence Completion:
• First, read the sentence carefully to get a feel for its meaning.
• Before you look at the choices, think of a word that makes sense.
• Look at all the possible answers, before you make your final choice.
• Watch out for negative words and prefixes: “No, not, none, non-, un-, in-“
• Use your knowledge of context clues to get at the meanings of unfamiliar words.
• Break down unfamiliar words into recognizable parts.
• Watch out for signal words that link one part of the sentence to another: “Although, but, despite, even though, however, in contrast, in spite of, instead of, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand, rather than, still, yet, furthermore, additionally, also, likewise, moreover, besides, and” etc.
• Look for words that signal the unexpected: “Abnormal, ironic, anomalous, odd, curious, paradoxical, illogical, surprising, incongruous, unexpected”
• In double-blank sentences, go through the answers, testing the first word in each choice (and eliminating those that don’t fit).</p>
<p>Passage-Based:
• Make use of the introductions to acquaint yourself with the text.
• Use the line references in the questions to be sure you’ve gone back to the correct spot in the passage.
• When you have a choice, tackle passages with familiar subjects before passages with unfamiliar ones.
• In tackling the short reading passages, try this approach: first read a question; then read the passage.
• In tackling the long reading passages, mark line references in the passage as you go through the questions quickly before approaching the passage.
• Try to answer all questions on a particular passage, before moving on to another passage.
• Learn to spot major reading question types: 1) Main idea, 2) Specific details, 3) Inferences, 4) Tone/Attitude, 5) Vocabulary in context, 6) Technique.
• When asked to find the main idea, be sure to check the opening and summary sentences of each paragraph.
• Familiarize yourself with technical terms used to describe a passage’s organization: “Abstract, analogy, antithesis, argumentative, assertion, cite, concrete, evidence, explanatory, expository, generalization, narrative, persuasive, rhetorical, thesis.”
• When asked about specific details in a passage, spot key words in the question and scan the passage to find them or their synonyms. Important words on specific detail: “Aesthetic, allusion, assumption, attribute, divergent, fluctuate, hypothetical, incompatible, indicative, inherent, innate, innovative, misconception, phenomenon, preclude.”
• When asked to make inferences, base your answers on what the passage implies, not what it states directly. But remember, don’t go too far. The answer is always supported by the text.
• When asked about an attitude, mood, or tone, look for words that convey emotions, express values, or paint pictures.
• When asked to give the meaning of an unfamiliar word, look for nearby context clues.
• When dealing with double passages, tackle them one at a time.
• Remember: Any answer you choose must always be supported by the text. Any ambivalence towards an answer choice should be absent. You should be 100% sure with your answer, and be able to support it with an excerpt from the passage.</p>
<p>Here is a delineation of my process for approaching passages on the SAT:
• I go immediately to the questions and find any line numberings.
• Very quickly, I mark these lines in the corresponding passage. These first two steps should not take more than 10-15 seconds.
• I then begin to read the passage—focus and speed are crucial here. Obviously, you need to move very quickly, but do not go so fast that you cannot comprehend what you are reading.
• When you begin to approach a marked section, go to the corresponding question and read it. Then read the marked section and see whether you can answer the question at that time. If not, move on.
• Continue this until the end of the passage. At that time, go to any unanswered questions; these are usually general tone or purpose questions, or ones that require comparing or contrasting aspects of two passages. Because you have read through the entirety of the passage, you should know exactly where to look.</p>
), and my score dipped for awhile.</p>
May I ask how long you studied to get this score? As in weeks/months/years haha.</p>
but my CR and Writing hovers around 600-650 
I just hope that I can improve as much as you…</p>