<p>Help!, I am taking my first SAT I in January, and I'm doing fairly well on Math/Writing mock tests (around 760/740 respectively), but my CR falls short of 700 (I get between 630-680).</p>
<p>I read a fair amount of books, and I memorize about 10 vocabs a day (but vocab isn't my biggest problem in CR...). However, I always seem to get a few problems wrong, mainly because of poor time management skills (weirdly, for Writing and Math, I almost never run out of time).</p>
<p>Please help, and any help is truly appreciated!</p>
<p>Wow! It seems like we have exactly the same problem. I'm also trying to break the 700 Cr barrier but I always end up with roughly the same scores as yours and guess what? Im also taking my first SAT in January!
Someone suggested vocab and lots of concentration. I feel I concentrate well enough but I always get at least 3-4 questions wrong. Please, those who made 750-800 on the CR should tell us how they did it. Im quite desperate. I really do not want to take the SAT again.</p>
<p>to do well on CR you have to read as fast and as accurately as possible. usually the killers are the long passages or the double passages. here's a few tips</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Not everyone of us has long enough attention span to read the whole passage at once. Instead, read in chunks. By this I mean 2-3 paragraphs at a time then do the questions associated with those paragraphs. The move on to the next set. Leave out the questions that ask about the entire passage first. Don't misbubble while doing this though. Hopefully this will help you concentrate better.</p></li>
<li><p>Most correct answers are usually a rephrasing of the original content mentioned the passage. Don't try to read between the lines. The answers must be in the passage. Sometimes the reason you miss the answer is because you read too quickly and missed out the answer lines</p></li>
<li><p>Make real good use of the elimination tactic for vocab related questions. Usually you will be able to eliminate 2-3 answer choices. If you feel any doubt about a choice, most likely it is wrong. Don't try to force that answer choice to fit the sentence. However, there is a difference between being doubtful of an answer choice and not actually knowing what it means. Don't cancel the words that you don't know! </p></li>
<li><p>Review your practice tests. Ask yourself why choice A is correct and choice B is wrong. Some people do alot of practice tests but do not review them thoroughly. I hope you are not one.</p></li>
<li><p>Read, read, read! Anything except pleasure reading. Maybe newspaper articles? Try to read it as fast as possible</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Wow the exact same thing is happening to me.. I consistently get around 670 on the CR section and am also taking my first SAT in Jan..I always go over the questions I get incorrect but still I have experienced minimal improvement.</p>
<p>Dunno if my advice would still be helpful, but I'll tell you my story:</p>
<p>I went from a CR score of 600 in May to a 700 in Oct to a 730 in December. Vocabulary aside, I think all you have to do is speed read and ALWAYS ask yourself on the questions, "which is most logical?" I assure you, if you can do that, you'll be taking out the majority of stupid answers every time. And since your CR score is pretty decent, I think you'll have no trouble breaking 700. Also, try not to get side-tracked. I think it happens to the best test-takers. If you get bored, just keep saying "800" in your head or whatever your target score is.</p>
<p>well, I am no expert at CR (740 Score) -- but here's what I do:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Vocabulary (to be honest, I never really reviewed for it): there are two ways of studying for this:
A. Flashcards, or some form of route memorization -- it's an effective short-term memorization skill I guess.
B. Read! Whether it is the newspaper, a magazine, or a book -- reading well and often is the key to success on the CR Section of the SAT. By reading, you are exposed to new (and possibly SAT) words, figure out what they mean, etc. (a more long term approach to expanding vocabulary)</p></li>
<li><p>Passages
A. From what I have gathered from other friends who have done as well or better than me in the CR section, prior to reading those long passages, quickly skim over the questions (a quick skim, as not to waste too much time). Then, I read the passage very thoroughly once -- trying to understand the author's tone and nuances, really getting a feel for what he or she is trying to convey.
B. Then I go to answer the questions, and by really 'soaking up' the text -- the questions are never too difficult. As long as you really get a feeling for the text (kind of like a Style Analysis, for those of you who have taken or are currently enrolled in AP Lang). </p></li>
</ol>
<p>I bought Barron's 2400 SAT prep book because my math and writing were good but critical reading was low. In one week of using the book before the SAT, I raised my verbal score from 620 to a 720.</p>
<p>i'm in the exact same boat:
Practice test scores: M780 W760 C660</p>
<p>I'm taking it the first time in January too. I really need a 720 in Critical and I only miss 1 or 2 vocab per SAT, so that's not my problem I just need to keep critical reading to less than 5 wrong</p>
<p>Sorry to come in like this but
@ The Individual: So if you are answering questions after you soak up the entire text, wouldn't you inevitably have to reread certain sections to answer the line-reference questions? Or is this what you do: do you answer the "broad" questions first(regarding author's tone and opinion) after you read the entire text? I'm also another person who needs real help with the CR.</p>
<p>I do questions in the order they are presented (may not be the best strategy though -- I like your idea of doing the broad questions first). But yes, I do have to flip back to the text for the 'line-reference' questions -- however, like all the other questions, if you truly understand the text (I know it's tough, but try as best you can!) then none of the questions should be 'unanswerable.'</p>
<p>hope that helps! </p>
<p>and if any of you have problems and/or need help with CR, since I am done with college applications -- I would be more than happy to help (best way to get me would probably be through PMs.)</p>
<p>When you choose an answer on some of the tougher questions, try this trick:</p>
<p>POINT to the answer within the text. You should have concrete evidence, whether through the author's word choice (connotations are key) or through a restatement of the answer you have chosen within the text.</p>
<p>Also- don't zone out. Use a pointer while you read. It helps.</p>
<p>i have this problem too. November scores:
Math - 750
WR - 760
CR - 680</p>
<p>i want to retake, but i can't seem to raise my CR significantly... Occasionally, i do well on a section, but other times, i can't seem to get the right answer! I don't think my problem is lack of focus or an inadequate vocabulary, but just seems like sometimes i can't seem to pick the answer CB wants. (i do refer to the exact line that each question deals with, but still, i seem to pick the wrong paraphrase at times... and people say CR is just reading closely and does not need require reading into passages, but there are many inference questions ) </p>
<p>cricketman: Vocab questions should be the easiest since they involve memory/concrete knowledge as opposed to opinion. Missing 1 or 2 vocab questions per test is 1 or 2 too many. Definitely work on vocab.</p>