<p>I am continually scoring 650-670 on the critical reading section, i dont have too much trouble with the sentence completion but the passages are where i generally mess up. What is the best way to improve your score on this section? Are prep classes worth it in my case? Any personal examples out there of going from a 650 to a 720+?</p>
<p>Depends.
I find this approach best.
If you are running out of time, skim the passage and head for the questions.
If you find the passages difficult, go straight to the questions. Usually the first questions will ask about the first paragraph of the passage. So read this paragraph and then answer these few questions. Move onto the next paragraph and answer the questions that relate to that paragraph. You may have to read one or two paragraphs before answering a question. Repeat these mini-readings until you finish the passage, by now you can easily answer the "main point" questions, e.t.c. This approach works because you focus on "chewable" lengths of text and are not inundated with the whole thousand words or so.</p>
<p>^I use that same approach also. Pegasus, what you get on CR? (my first sat is this jan)</p>
<p>i've had the same problem as you asiachi. my main problem were the passages and not the SC, but my verbal score raised from 650 to a 740 in a matter of three months. and my writing raised from a 650-720 likewise. the secret? if you still have time to prep, you should binge on literature books. In that period of three months i read over 20 books and amazingly the verbal section seemed to become much more easier and the passages lucid.</p>
<p>schoolismylife, how do you read 20 books in three month? seems impossible to me. I read really slow, i don't get to finish the CR section most of the time even if I only skim the passage. do you have any suggestions?</p>
<p>practice reading faster...pace urself (get a literature w/ a fixed amount of words) and time urself 2 c how many words u read per minute.</p>
<p>alot of times on the SAT they dont ask for details so u can usually read the 1st and last sentence of the passage. u really only have 2 read the passages they tell u 2 go bak for. (the q's dat say "in lines XX-XX...")</p>
<p>for main idea questions u can usually get from reading the intro / conclusion and the 1st / last sentence of each paragraph.</p>
<p>I used to have the same problem...I would consistently score in the mid 600s on CR on practice SATs, which would bring down my composite score because I did better in writing and math. </p>
<p>I took the SAT I in June 2005 and got 640 on CR, so I focused on improving my CR score and took the exam again in October. I used the Collegeboard book at first, which helped but then I bought the Barron's Verbal Workbook for the New SAT and started doing practice problems in that book. At first, I got the same result, but then I remember reading a tip about reading carefully out loud. That really helped. I used to find the passages confusing, like I would read the passage and think that I understood it, but the questions were confusing and I couldn't find the right answer (there would usually be 2 that I thought were both right), but suddenly after reading the passages aloud I found most of the questions really easy. For me, it was either I got the passage or I didn't. That Barron's book was really helpful though, because it provides 3 levels so that you can start working from the easier passages. Here's a link to what it looks like...</p>
<p>When I retook the SAT in October, I scored 740 on CR. I didn't expect to do that well, seeing as how I didn't really get one of the passages, but I guess I just did really well on the other ones. </p>
<p>Well I hope that was of some help to you!!</p>
<p>Im scoring around 660-690 on CR. I've done 5 practice tests from the blue book and a couple of quizzes off the online course. I'm aiming for a 720+ on CR on January 28th SAT. Does anyone have any suggestions where I should go if I run out of practice tests from the Blue Book? I have PR's 11 Practice tests and Barron's Verbal workbook but I don't really want to use those books since a lot of ppl on this board say do only tests issued by CB. After each test, I thoroughly review my answers and I understand the logic behind the right answer but I seem to forget everything when I start another test. Any suggestions? Is Grammatix a good option for CR?</p>
<p>quickflood, for my ap lit class my teacher forced us to read about 24 books in 4 months. (i was sorta exaggerating in my previous post). my point is, reading helps and it helps a lot! you may look for strategies and quick study methods to improve your score rapidly, but the most surest and dependable way of improving your score is by reading! if you have a year to prep, i advise you read a lot! it'll help both your CR and writing. </p>
<p>Also, i used to never finish CR on time. one of the quickest way to grasp the meaning of an analytical (non-literature) passage is to read the topic sentences of each paragraph and the last sentence of the conclusion paragraph. after doing so, do all the line site problems. don't simply read the lines referred in the question, read a little above and below. Afterwards, you should be able to do all the questions that relate to the main idea, tone, general questions without having to read anything else.</p>
<p>good luck odin64x (my average is in the mid 700s)</p>