<p>I agree with the first part, but not the second. As I also stated in my article, extreme statements are hard to prove and rarely true. I don’t believe the SAT is about nothing but knowing how to take it - it (as in SAT CR) requires strong understanding (and empathy) of the author’s viewpoint, quickness on your feet as you adjust to various sections and passages, and stamina. Though one might hate the SAT, one shouldn’t unnecessarily demean it - the ACT is available as well. It’s probably my personal bias that I find complaining counter-productive (not that likalika is complaining, but I’m just saying).</p>
<p>Noitaraperp when you refer to the “short” passages, are you talking about the small paragraph ones or the semi-long ones? Also what would you do for the questions that has passage 1 & passage 2 and you need to compare the two?</p>
<p>this might seem kinda off topic but…
in order to improve the SAT math section, do you just have to continuously take the math practice tests from the review books from Princeton Review, Kaplan, Barrons, etc.
or…
should we practice with the Barrons math workbook for the New SAT and other math workbooks, along with practice tests from review books?</p>
<p>to any of u who got an 800 in any of the sections on the real test, what was the highest u scored on a practice test in wat book. and wat were u scoring consistently right b4</p>
<p>I was talking about the small paragraph ones. The semi-long ones I consider long passages because you have to utilize the same strategies (I call the semi-long section a 6-9, because its two passages with six and nine questions). That reminds me that you should understand the mold of each CR section. There’s are three basic molds that you see the most in one SAT (if my memory is correct): </p>
<p>8 completion - 4 small p - 12 long p (25min)
5 completion - 4 small p - 6 long p - 9 long p (25min)
6 completion - 13 double p (20 min)</p>
<p>There are some variations on this, but this is mostly what you will encounter. For the long paired passages, as I explained, the method is very useful because it helps you tackle a passage that looks daunting. Go through passage 1, answering the questions as you go, and when you finish, attack the general passage 1 questions. Go through passage 2, answering the questions as you go, and when you finish, attack the general passage 2 questions. Then you can attack the questions concerning both and I usually find it’s not too hard to keep tabs on everything. </p>
<p>One last note, since those passage types reminded me. It always feels more approachable when handing a “5 completion - 4 small p - 6 long p - 9 long p (25min)” section to go attack the 9 question passage before the 6 question one. Get the harder one out of the way. Afterwards, it’s much smoother sailing and you’re more confident and relaxed. Remember that the 6 long p and the 9 long p can be in either order, so sometimes you’ll have to skip, and other times you won’t.</p>
<p>awesome guide! It immediately helped me
been bothered about how to tackle CR for a long time,
so thx Noitara!!!</p>
<p>one question tho, any chance you be talking about Grammar(Writing @_@) section soon?
I find I know most the possible errors, but still I get tons wrong when practicing… just can’t really remember them by heart.
Is a lot of practice(say 30 wring sections) gonna help? Or should I focus on comprehending the problem etc.?</p>
<p>That is absolutely erroneous. Not only do I not own the book anymore, but I also wrote the entire article from my head. I’d like to see your proof that I either extensively paraphrased, or in your mistaken idiom, copied “word to word,” anything from that outdated book.</p>
<p>I am currently reading the book and about 80% of the tips in it are very close to yours. Unlike you, I dont have much time on my hands, but when I do, I ll make sure to provide some quotes from the book and pages so people can see for themselves.</p>
<p>noita, did you practice for the math section with only the SAT review books or did you practice with other workbooks, like Barron’s SAT workbook, too?</p>
<p>Also, do you know if Direct Hits (volumes 1 and 2) is a really good SAT vocab book to study from? Currently, I’m using WordSmart I, but I don’t know if I should do WordSmart I and II and Direct Hits volumes 1 and 2 or just continue to only use WordSmart I (and maybe WordSmart II).</p>
<p>I’m really looking forward to your “direct quotes,” because I don’t take an accusation of plagiarism lightly at all. I don’t know why you’re angry, but I’d rather stay on the issue. Many of my suggestions do overlap with books because they’re bound to get something right.
</p>
<p>I practiced for the math section only with the practice tests. Math wasn’t a hard point for me, but regardless, the practice tests, especially the real ones, are most helpful for math. This is due to the repetitive nature of the math questions - if you really understand all your math mistakes for the BB tests, you should do well. I’ve seen the difference of squares factorization question many times, as well as the absolute value inequality question. You start to recognize trends in what they emphasize.</p>
<p>I used WordSmart, not Direct Hits (though others vouch for it). Make sure you are really absorbing the vocabulary - just going through it won’t do. I made hundreds of flashcards which I extensively reviewed (perhaps 3-4 times in total) and I made sure I could recall each word’s definition and be able to use each word correctly in a sentence - the two basic things WordSmart gives you.</p>