Do you watch JYs explanation of every RC video?

newyorktimes

Wondering what your strategy is regarding RC review and JYs video that breaks down the passage. I understand the passage, but usually dont watch his video that reads through the passage. RC is my worst section and I wonder if I'm missing out by not watching the video. Thanks!

nicole.hopkins

No. I personally do not watch these videos, but that is in large part because I understand them when I do the tests and also have the BR groups to alleviate any lingering misapprehension.

Your mileage may vary (see I stole it, @Pacifico ).

medianplus30

I didn't do it at first, but I was kind of going through the curriculum again, and I think you could benefit from seeing what he underlines. I probably will not underline exactly like he does, but he places emphasis on certain parts of the passage, and I think I will be able to do similar when I annotate on the test.

I also think you'll be able to see there are so many trap answers. It's incredible.

nicole.hopkins

I think watching the videos of JY doing sections (like where you can see him do it live) were VERY helpful for me. So watch those for sure. The problem with the explanation videos for someone who is trying to improve as you are is that they are EXPLANATIONS and are not meant to model in-test practices/habits. Different purpose pedagogically.

jaredj229

Here's my personal experience regarding RC and JY's videos. On my initial diagnostic and the two PTs after it I was scoring -6 or -8 on RC. After working through the curriculum and watching JY do the RC passages, paying attention to what kinds of things he was looking for, the annotations he made, and how he applied these things when answering questions, my RC results improved to -1 or -2 consistently. For the last month or so, though, I've been completely focused on LGs to the exclusion of really practicing RC. I haven't watched the RC explanations after BRing, or at all actually, and my on my last two PTs my RC has dropped back to -4 and -8. Now I can't say with 100% certainty that this is a result of not watching the explanations, but I do know that when I was doing RC passages about a month ago I felt much more comfortable and directed, and anticipating the questions came much more naturally for me. I would recommend spending a week or two drilling RC passages and watching the entire explanation after BRing. At the end of that time, see if your score has increased substantially. If so, keep doing one or two a day for practice. If not, try working through the RC portion of The Trainer or try another method to see what works for you. Good luck!

Accounts Playable

I watch them during BR since it helps me compare my understanding of the passage relative to JY's. If I completely screw up a passage (i.e. the fairy tale passage in PT 39; seriously, what the hell was that passage about?), it helps to have the ability to compare your comprehension. Also, RC is a section that is pretty much all luck for me, so I need the practice.