Here's mine. After reading the stimulus and question stem, literally cover the answer choices (or look away) and say out loud what you're expecting. Even if you're only 50% right, you'll be much less likely to fall for attractive wrong answers.
It's saved me from so many trap answers. What's your best LR hack? just something that made a difference for you.
24
9 comments
When I get fatigued, I like to read the answers from E->A. Helps break up the tedium for me
this is so basic but:
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast
Trusssttt yourself
Its been important for me to tune in when an ac makes me uncomfortable. ie) im sooooo sensitive to strong language but i know you need strong answers for PSA/SA/Strengthen/Weaken
I like to read the questions in a really dramatic way in my head, as if I'm telling a friend some real gossip. It seems silly but it really helps me take in the information better
Around question 14-18 of a section my mind starts to blur a little bit and I stop being able to read the questions thoroughly; when this happens I will cover my eyes and mentally play the lyrics to the chorus of my favorite song. It only takes about 25-30 seconds of time and immediately calms me down mentally and physically. I also will always, once I'm done answering all the questions and see how much time I have left, will go back to that middle part of the set and double check that I didn't miss a question there. I know that timing can be stressful for a lot of test-takers but taking that 30 second break really does wonders and I highly recommend people try it
Reading the question stem first helps me look for the necessary information within the stimulus
The harder questions are usually at the back of a section, so to avoid feeling the fatigue that comes with getting through an entire section I will start from the back. This has gotten me better results on the latter half of each section than simply going from question one. On the whole I have only gotten about 3 more right per section doing it this way, However, I have saved several MINUTES at the end (or beginning I suppose) which I use to review my answers on the tough questions . It is hard to say whether it is because I have gotten better overall or if it is on part of the method but it helps me stay fresh.
@EmeryBeals this does make a difference!
For EXCEPT questions, I negate the question and cross out the ones that answer the negation. The correct answer is the one that is not crossed out. This prevents me from flipping the meaning of the question by mistake.
If I am stuck between answer choices. I'll re-read the question to check that I understood it properly. If I did, I'll re-read the stimulus. This has prevented some incorrect answers from reading errors. I follow that rule now when I am stuck (time permitting of course).
The biggest hack I have is noting the severity/gravity of how the words are being used. Is it too intense? Is it too weak? Is it too strong? Is the answer appropriately "most" when the stimulus says all? It is not always black and white but something I regularly check for.