Huge CR improvement because of a "revelation"... and questions about it

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>Since my previous long posts seem to say "don't read it unless you have too much time to prep for SAT," I'll make this one as short possible.</p>

<p>Basically, after going into a $400 class, I had a "revelation" about CR passages. Last time I took the SAT in March I got 550. I only missed a couple on Sentence Completion. Skipped like 20 questions because of reading too slow (I'm Asian and not born here. ) On the questions I did answer I got like 60-75% right, all with doubts as I answered them.</p>

<p>But after two passages of exercise in the SAT prep class, I suddenly realized that I could answer <em>all</em> the passage based questions correct with almost 100% confidence because they're so easy! Answers are right in the passage and wrong answers doesn't seem close to the right ones anymore, if I understand the passages to the fullest extent instead of rushing through it. I still could see how each choice is just slightly different so that you can only answer it if you pay enough attention to the passages. </p>

<p>Of course this presents the time problem (I figured I'd have to spend about 45 minutes to actually answer all the questions correct)... and it was only two passages anyways. But today, I've tried to do the test the fastest speed possible, while still maintaining my 100% accuracy. As I said for the other two passages I tried to understand everything single thing about those passages, now I just try to understand enough to get all the questions correct. My results:</p>

<p>about 2-3 minutes over for each section. Missed 1 for the first one, two for the second one, and three for the third one O.o lol</p>

<p>but by the third one I was a little excited and more worried about getting all correct that two of which I missed are actually really easy, and I was just being careless. So I really just missed four as in "knowledge-based". </p>

<p>My question is, since now I "know" how to answer CR questions, should I still read a lot of CR strategies to help me? I figured out why I have gotten the 4 wrong, and with practice, I could do them right. </p>

<p>The only strategies i've read is Barron 2400 which I crammed through before the march test and got a 550 on CR... other than that it's something in SAT I and Kaplan's PSAT book I've read almost two years ago.</p>

<p>Thanks for any replies</p>

2

<p>Just practice more. Don’t worry about other people’s strategies since you have your own, and it works for you.</p>

3

<p>What is the strategy that you are using kyoko?</p>

4

<p>yeah…i need a CR “revelation” before the Oct test lol…I’ve been getting 500s on practice tests and (520 on June one which is HORRENDOUS) share any of your techniques please :P</p>

5

<p>SAME HERE Voodoo…the exact score on the last one. and i know that is below my level. I know I can improve it. </p>

<p>to let you in on what I am going to do voo doo..</p>

<p>Buy Rocket Review
Take all the collegeboard practice tests
Read my AP english books
try reading the articles they say to read around here (NY times, TIME) even though I am not an avid reader.</p>

<p>But I want to get my score up to mid 600s hopefully..even higher would be great.</p>

<p>You think I can do it? anyone?</p>

6

<p>I recently had a CR “revelation” as well. I got like a 590 on CR when I took my PSAT sophomore year. However, after some intensive summer study I found I was doing one thing wrong. I was taking things from the passage and making “assumptions” about them and trying make inferences based on those assumptions. However, all the answers (yes, even inference questions) are always in the passage. The only possible exception is tone questions. In addition, I found that reading only a paragraph at a time and then answering questions about that specific paragraph was by FAR the best way to do CR (at least for me). By just doing those things, my CR has reached 700+. In addition, I reviewed PR hit parade and Direct Hits Vocab. </p>

<p>Robbie</p>

7

<p>^Wow that’s great.</p>

<p>I wanted to try the paragraph and question thing. But how do you know or not if there is going to be information later in the passage that you might need to answer the question in the beginning of the passage? or if it would help more if you knew more information from later in the passage? you know what i mean?</p>

<p>But anymore strategies you can give me cuz i would love to increase it this much as well</p>

8

<p>i’ve had a similar revelation</p>

<p>similar to the SAT math multiple choice questions (but where the answers are in the answer choices), all the answers to the CR questions are IN the passages</p>

<p>woohoo!! (:</p>

9

<p>Yes, I got a 61 on CR on my first PSAT. On my SAT, I got an 800.</p>

<p>My “revelation” is that the answer is THERE. RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. In fact, you don’t even need to read the passage unless a question asks you to. Because of the nature of the way they write the question, you only need to deal with EXACTLY where they tell you to read. (I knew this before I read Grammatix, but after reading that book it confirmed it for me).</p>

<p>I didn’t miss a single passage based question on the real thing.</p>

10

<p>^ ooh woww</p>

<p>first it’s your advice on the physics/chem SAT II, now its how you scored an 800 on the CR, what’s next? ;D</p>

<p>good job lolcats4! i hope to achieve a high score like that too when i take it (:</p>

11

<p>@ IDonatlovesat : dont worry about whether informations later in the passage might help you or not. Just stick to the info provided in the paragraph with the cited parts because usually, there are some tricky choices which intentionally involve stuff from later on in the passage (which are incorrect) to trap students.</p>

12

<p>^ hah, i didn’t know that</p>

<p>thanks keeprolling (:</p>

<p>(btw i’ll pm you RR’s 14 rules tomorrow ><)</p>

13

<p>Yeah can you send me those rules as well, please? :)</p>

14

<p>haha if you dont mind can you send me that as well too?</p>

<p>these are great tips. i guess ill try allof them and see which works best. my teacher told me to read the passage slowly in order to grasp all the info. not to slow tho, so that way ill still have some time on the quetions. she said to divide them up around 8 mins or so for the passage adn 4 for questions. also as you read, after each para summarize it in 2-3 words. my score did jump but not that much, still 560 :(</p>

15

<p>reading the passage slowly is !@@#$%^&*.
honestly, readng at an ok speed is enough; it’s either u get it,or u dont.
reading 1 paragraph at a time can be a good strategy, i’ll try out =D</p>

<p>ye i start to realize the right/wrong answer patterns, i can now reason out things,im getting better, i will be there.
^_^</p>

16

<p>yeah i had a revelation, i used to score like 500’s
now i can do 600 ror 700’s, it’s really just don’t read the whole passage, you’ve got to do the questions first. just read like the last paragraph or something.
i’ve asked a lot of 800 people, they all say that they don’t read the passage.
idk, of course, it depends on you, but i’ve been reading the whole passage for like 6 practice tests and didn’t improve much. but after i tried a new method, it started out sucky, but then it was really great. hopefully i’ll be in good sat-shape in no time.</p>

17

<p>what are RR’s 14 rules? Can you send me that too? please? :)</p>

18

<p>haha omg you guyss…</p>

<p>hold on, i have to see how long these rules are, and if they’re able to be typed up and sent in a PM or not XD</p>

19

<p>can you send me RR’s 14 rules too?
thanks! =p</p>

20

<p>if you could send me RR’s rules as well that would be great!! thanks
PM it up</p>