Self-study
I keep getting the same scores on my practice tests (all around 165), but when I do Blind Review, I always get around 180 -- so I can see that when I go back through, I know and can understand the right answers. I know that I keep running out of time on the test, and when I look back, I see that I missed a lot of answers because I rushed and skipped important key details. Despite this, I'm still a little discouraged and confused! Does this difference mean I just actually don't understand the concepts, or am I just not quick enough? How can I work on my timing and actually get a score closer to my blind review score? Does anyone have any suggestions?
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6 comments
Hello!
I asked a similar question a few weeks ago and got some helpful insights. One that stood out to me (from user TylerBird) was that with BR, you have most likely already eliminated all but a few answers when you first answered a question, meaning that when you are BRing, you are down to fifty/fifty, and are likely to then choose the correct one. As Tyler said to me, this isn't meant to discourage but rather to point out you probably are narrowing it down to 2 close options, and just sometimes picking the wrong one. That means you likely are close to hitting the scores you'd like to hit!
My biggest advice here is to use your wrong answer journal (or start to make one if you haven't) to get an idea of what types of questions you are missing. Then, review the core concepts behind those questions. Additionally, take a look at timing. Do you typically end a section with time still on the clock? If so, then it may be good to slow down to avoid missing the key details you mentioned.
If you typically don't have time left over, then maybe practice speed for the question types you typically get right, to give yourself more time to spend on those you struggle with.
My personal favorite method is to flag any question I'm not 100% certain of. I could sit on a question for ages debating between two similar answers, but then shortchange myself on time for others.
With this method I tend to finish with a few minutes still on the clock, and I use that to go over the ones I was uncertain of. Sounds like we are in similar score ranges and BR scores, so not sure if this will be helpful, but I hope it is!
Best of luck!
@alk2001 Thank you!!
I’m in the same boat. I consistently PT around 165 and then BR in the high 170s. I’ve been trying timing drills for LR which has been helping me finish sections better, but my RC score is always a mess because I can never consistently finish the fourth passage. Would love any tips folks have!
@NatalieManley I am also early in my journey, but I have heard that slowing down on the RC to avoid rereading can help for some people. Have you tried that?
@Relay I think my problem is that I read too slowly at the outset… I spend 4-6 min on just reading the passage alone.
@NatalieManley oh okay, not sure then. Good luck! I'm sure you'll figure it out. Seems like practicing speed reading might help.