<p>Hey. I took a practice PR SAT earlier and didn't do that well, but I guess it's okay for my first time practicing. I got:</p>
<p>W: 800
CR: 600
M: 650</p>
<p>I'm a beast at the writing section. I'm pretty good at math. My only errors were careless mistakes and I know that if I take a few more practice tests I'll be able to score much higher.</p>
<p>However, I feel hopeless with critical reading. Vocabulary is not a problem for me at all, but I loathe passage-based reading. I can never focus, all of the answers always seem right, the choices are ambiguous, etc. I hate it. It's not black-and-white like math. And I don't know how you prepare for passage-based reading. </p>
<p>What's the secret to scoring high on the CR section?</p>
<p>There isn’t a secret. Everybody works in different ways, and that’s the truth. You’ll find that a combination of strategies will work best for you. To get you started, here’s my strategy that works for me (emphasis on ME). Undoubtedly other people will post their strategies as well.</p>
<ol>
<li>Skip the passage</li>
<li>Read the first question based on the passage.
a. Does it refer to line numbers? If yes, continue
b. Does it ask for vocabulary I already know? If yes, answer it right away.
b. If it doesn’t refer to line numbers, skip question, move on. (e.g, What is the meaning of this passage or the author’s viewpoint, etc.)</li>
<li>Read lines mentioned</li>
<li>Go back to question, answer question if possible.</li>
<li>If I can’t answer the question, go back to passage, back up a few lines, read down to the lines mentioned, try again.</li>
<li>If I cannot answer, skip question, move on</li>
<li>After doing all the questions possible, Go back to the questions from 2c. Answer those. You should have a better understanding after answering all the specific questions.</li>
<li>Go back to the questions skipped in 6. Try them again. If I can’t eliminate enough choices (usually 2-3 can be eliminated), go with best guess.</li>
</ol>
<p>I rarely, if ever, read the entire passage. It’s a waste of time and distracts me from the questions themselves. If you can focus on what the questions ask for, the rest of the passage is irrelevant. Don’t waste your precious time reading everything the godforsaken author has to say.</p>
<p>@thesmiter
I’m absolutely breathless by your strategy. Even though I abhor the idea of not reading the passage at all - I have to say you make a great point
“Don’t waste your precious time reading everything the godforsaken author has to say.” It is a test after all - and not a text you chose to read because you are interested in the subject.</p>
<p>I circle key words as I go on. It stimulates your brain and increases short-term memory for the circled content. Also, I box names and refer to them as needed.</p>