<p>This is possibly the best SAT prep technique I have found for the Critical Reading portion. It's known as "Indexing" and is used in answering questions relating to passages:</p>
<p>Turn to the questions before reading the passage. Don't read the questions. Rather, note the line references (with tick marks or brackets) in the margin to the left of the passage's text. After you've done this, begin reading the passage (including the italicized introduction, which can clarify a lot) at a reasonable pace, not at top speed.</p>
<p>Several lines before each tick mark, read the relevant question. Then, as you read, find the restatement of one of the answer choices. Be patient, though, as the test maker will designate say lines 9-12, and the answer will show up in line 15. As you move through the passage, answer each subsequent line reference question as you come to it. </p>
<p>When you finish reading the passage, go after the "big picture" questions, which will always show up first/last.</p>
<p>i dont know if my strategy works, but what i do is quite similar.
I first see the questions that have the page numbers. And as i read, i answer those questions with page numbers first. After finishing those, you can see the big picture and answer the rest.
I wonder if it is a good strategy?</p>
<p>I use your strategy as well, HMC; while it didn't significantly raise my scores, it did make the CR sections considerably less stress-inducing and time-taxing.</p>
<p>
[quote]
i dont know if my strategy works, but what i do is quite similar.
I first see the questions that have the page numbers. And as i read, i answer those questions with page numbers first. After finishing those, you can see the big picture and answer the rest.
I wonder if it is a good strategy?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I use this strategy, too. I usually miss between 1 and 4 out of all 3 CR sections.</p>
<p>My sister told me in her Kaplan GMAT class they taught her EVIDENCE + ASSUMPTION = CONCLUSION and that assumption is never stated in the passage.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Be patient, though, as the test maker will designate say lines 9-12, and the answer will show up in line 15.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm confused...I use a similar strategy but I thought you should stick to the line references the question states.</p>
<p>ie...from your example, I would have crossed out the answer choice that referred to something in line 15 because that is outside the designated lines 9-12</p>
<p>R-Kom, remember that in the "index" strategy the test-taker is reading the entire passage. I've found that, on occasion, the designated lines are used primarily as a reference tool for something that appears a bit further in the text.</p>
<ol>
<li>Read the italicized header</li>
<li>Read the line refs and do a 'wide read' of the area, ~5 sent. before and after the line refs</li>
<li>Answer the line refs.</li>
<li>Skim any unread section</li>
<li>Tackle the non line refs->big picture</li>
</ol>
<p>the tips are great, guys! i wasted half my time searching for the lines after reading the whole thing......i'll try this way on a practice test.</p>
<p>The best way to do well on the CR is to . . . </p>
<p>1) read
2) Practice (use CB blue book)</p>
<p>In no. 2, what you have to do is interpret what the question wants you to do. Learn all of the styles of questions asked in order to figure out exactly what needs to be found. My best tool is elimination. If I can't get a question STRAIGHT UP then I just skip it, circle it, and go back after I've answered all of the questions I can instantly. After that, I return to the ones in dispute and cross out wrong answers. I can usually eliminate three . . . then for the last two, figure out which one is more justified based on information that can actually be found in the passage.</p>
<p>this seems like a genius technique
i used to use the grammatix technique which only made u read bits and pieces of a passage and i usually feel more comfortable by reading the whole thing</p>