<p>This is probably a redundant topic, but is there any way to improve on the Critical Reading section (minus the sentence completions)? Or is doing well on the CR section just something that develops within oneself and therefore cannot be modified? If there is a way to improve, what do you guys suggest? As of now, I'm pretty much taking some tests from 10 Real SATs and working my way from there on out. I do the questions, check answers, and try to comprehend why it is a certain answer.</p>
<p>Read.</p>
<p>(oh, pwned)</p>
<p>It's not like I don't read, but yeah, you're right. Whenever I started to get my hands on anything that could be read, my reading comprehension gradually improved. Besides that, the only other tip I received was to avoid "extreme" answer choices.</p>
<p>Yeah, this is something I really need to do, as well. I've been trying to read more outside of school, but it's difficult to find the time - or, I'll admit, the will - to do that (although I've certainly read more in school this year than ever before).</p>
<p>Go grab a Kaplan/PR/Sparknotes book and read the strategies. Then, read everything else.</p>
<p>Hi! Critical reading passages seems to be d's weakest area too. We're talking scores in the 450 range. Math & writing are better so she's hoping for an ok score overall. She's taking Kaplan course so she has taken 2 practice tests already. She's realizing that the CR portions are truly exhausting her as she's not a strong reader and the portions are long-tedious and boring. (But you all know that already). Since she's not going to turn into a strong reader overnight, we've suggested that she doesn't allow the critical reading portion to exhaust her causing her to do badly on the math portion. She felt the CR was causing her to do worse on the other parts of the test as she was losing her concentration. I looked at the "Barrons- Verbal Workbook for the new SAT" and they seemed to also suggest you concentrate your efforts on your stronger portions. They suggest you look at the reading passages quickly and go to the one that seemed more interesting to you. Their strategies seemed to make sense for a kid like my d. She is not going to start reading Moby Dick and learn 1000 vocabulary words (though that would probably be helpful). She takes another practice test this week and I'll get her to read the Barrons strategy. Hopefully it will help a bit. We tell her that she has to stay in control of the test-if it means she does less of the test but stays more alert to concentrate on what she does best-so be it. Good luck to all of you--</p>
<p>As I said in an earlier topic:</p>
<p>"Yeah, when you read the CR passages, you have to almost "be one" with the passages, not just so that you can answer a 'line question,' but so that you know what the author was trying to accomplish when he/she said certain things. When I do these CR's halfway through the test, I'll start the passage and read one paragraph, and in my head I'll honestly ask myself if I'm absorbing what I'm reading or if I'm just looking at words on a page. When I say to myself that I'm not getting what I'm reading, I'll start the passage all over again until I get the tone. For me, I'll clean up on extra points because I realize that every question is worth the same thing. No need to rush. I seriously don't read like a "madman", unless it's 11PM the night before English Class and I need to have 3 more chapters of Invisible Man read by 9:00AM the next morning. Practice absorbing what you read instead of practicing reading a lot of stuff fast without absorbing, if you truly want to impove your CR score."</p>