<p>How can I do better at CR? I'm just HORRIBLE! I get 700s on math, 650 on the verbal, but my CR is at a measly 450! My SAT is in 2 weeks(the 14th) Advice? I always try to follow the "answers are always in the text" YET I CAN NEVER FIND THEM!!</p>
<p>I’m assuming you mean verbal as in writing,</p>
<p>CR is a whole new animal and it takes time and practice to get down right, unless you’re a natural. But I can give you some advice to maybe push you into the 500s.</p>
<p>You need to find a gameplan that works for you. And that plan is not written anywhere in any prep book, its hardwired into your though channels and information processing. Your job is to just exploit this to your advantage in approaching the questions and passage in a method that lies in tandem with those pathways.</p>
<p>Also, take advantage of these 4 things
- The questions are in chronology with the passage
- The questions usually give you the lines they are referring to
- There are only a few question types, word-in-context, inference, main idea, passage to passage comparison (and there may be one more, blanking on that)
- There’s an excerpt in the beginning</p>
<p>So what do you do? Learn about yourself first- do not just jump into practice, as even limited real CB questions are valuable and quite sparse. Ask yourself, whats my reading speed? Do I have really short term memory when reading? Long term memory? Can I keep many ideas in my head at once? What are my thought organization skills? </p>
<p>Here’s an example, putting it all together- you realize you read with considerable speed, however, you cannot for the life of you remember what you read 30 seconds ago. So, you first open the passage, read the excerpt- it will give you your setting. Now, skim all the questions and make a tick mark everywhere the lines are referenced. Then, start reading- as you are reading keep the ideas active in your mind, do not fall into a lull. When you reach your first tick mark, read a little past it, then look at your question. If you have read actively, scanned the area and read the question properly, you shouldn’t have a problem ruling out at least 3 choices. And do not worry about time, you read fast. </p>
<p>That is an example.</p>
<p>Things you do not want to do,
- If the passage is about quantitative chemical analysis, and you happen to be an analytical chemist, do not bring in your own knowledge. Why? College Board has all the knowledge you need, try competing them and you are already on thin ice. All the information you need, wither direct or implied, is there, in a box.</p>
<p>2)If you find your reason for one answer is based on a stretched comprehension of the passage, meaning many things not explicitly stated must be true for you to have your way, chances are its not the right answer- so don’t conjure up overly inferred ideas</p>
<p>3) Lesser of two evils- there’s no purpose in challenging whats in front of you. The sooner you realize the testmakers know all, the sooner you will do well. So, if you cannot agree with some of their answers because they don’t make the most sense, always pick the closest. Even though there are better answers out there, what the CB gives you is what you get.</p>
<p>And do not panic, approach it as if you are learning something about a new subject. Do not dread the passages, start to treat them like you are refining yourself by learning more (I know its hard). The better your mood, the better your output.</p>
<p>And of course, good luck!</p>
<p>What has helped me in CR was to read the passage slow enough to retain information, but no so slow that you waste time. Try it, and see if it works.</p>
<p>Also, all the answers are in the passages or simply inferred from them; you shouldn’t jump to conclusions and such as if it were AP English.</p>
<p>you’re not alone dre101,lol</p>
<p>SO I took another practice test on Collegeboard…
CR: 420-480…
W: 600-670
M:700-770</p>
<p>im just like you…</p>
<p>Here’s my progression of CR scores through the years:</p>
<p>Jan 05 SAT - 450 CR
Jan 06 SAT - 580 CR
Oct 07 PSAT - 54 CR
Oct 08 PSAT - 66 CR</p>
<p>I’m getting around 670 - 760 in CR in the BB tests because of a few things:
- Your answers are DIRECTLY IN THE TEXT. You must find textual support for each and every answer. This is why your teachers force you to use quotations & support from the text in your essays - they’re indirectly helping you to find evidence in the text.
- If there is any line reference UNDERLINE that phrase or word and as soon as you come across that as you’re reading the passage, immediately answer the question. If the answer isn’t obvious, read a few lines past that. But answers are almost always within that paragraph of the line reference.</p>
<p>The answers are pretty much in the answers. I’ve just started using this, but it has worked. I usually skip reading the passage to the questions that give you exact lines and go straight to the passage at lines x-y. I read the lines specified as well as the sentence before. Sometimes the sentence is 3-5 lines long…just deal with it. I haven’t actually practice tested with this method yet, but it has worked when i practice the question. You have to understand that it isn’t restated word for word. They will change a few words up. The wrong answers are the ones that are never mentioned. Afterward, i answer the non line reference questions.</p>
<p>I’m similar to you guys, although it’s not as big a problem for me. My CR was originally 50-100 points lower than the other two sections for me, but with practice tests I’ve managed to get it up into the 750ish range, which I’m happy with. I don’t think there’s much more you can do than read a lot and practice. And memorizing vocab helps for SC.</p>