I second this! If you spend enough time understanding the passage, you should be able to fly through the questions, especially if you know how to approach each question type.

I think a lot of people say this, but it really can’t be overstated, imo! The speed WILL come with time. Focus on accuracy first, and speed will just happen naturally. I didn’t even really focus on speed, tbh—it was just a natural progression!

You just have to trust yourself and the process!!! Foundations are key and should be the priority, if you ask me!

I know your BR is pretty high, which suggests that the foundations are already there. Does it take you a while to review your work, or do you usually see your mistake right away? I find that to be pretty telling, too.

I think doing a PT every couple of days might not be the most beneficial. It seems like you don’t do significantly worse in the latter half of the test, based on your other posts, so I wouldn’t be too concerned about stamina right now.

Arguably, the greatest benefits are going to come from focused and intentional drilling. Look at which questions you’re spending a lot of time on. If you’re gunning for a 170+, you ideally want to be able to do the first 10 in 10 minutes and the first 15 in 15 minutes, or around there, while rarely missing anything below a Level 3. If you get anything between Levels 1–3, you want to “perfect” those as best as possible.

You also want to get very familiar with the traps you fall for and what makes a question difficult. For example, this test has made me SO wary of strong language. It always takes me a second to get grounded in an SA question because those usually require a strong answer choice. Or, for MBT, they’ll add every quantifier known to man, and for Flaw questions, they’ll throw in other things to distract you. But if you focus on the structure, you’ll generally be okay.

You should have an approach for every question type, and if someone were to ask you how to approach a particular question, there should be no hesitation in your response.

I recognize that some of this may sound intense, but it truly is a marathon. You’ll get to a place where a lot of this becomes second nature, and you’ll begin to anticipate the traps before you even see them.

Anyways, I’m by no means an expert, but these are some of the things that helped me bridge the gap between my actual score and my BR score. Take/leave what works for you! Good luck with everything — you got this!!

I'm writing this Friday too!! I am a Taurus at my core, so these are kinda sensuous, but maybe something will resonate:

• prioritizing sleep (8-9hours)

• eating food that also fills my soul

• eating sour candy bc it can be grounding during heightened moments of anxiety

• I use a lavender body wash and lotion at night, and that's super soothing

• I really like the guided meditations on the great meditation YouTube channel

• journaling

• chatting with friends

• reading affirmations on Pinterest bc I have no other social media (don't clown me pls lol)

• I'm in the process of making a playlist to hype me up lol (open to reccs hehe)

• treating it like it's just anything else, ofc I don't want to rewrite, but it's okay if that happens; I deserve to give myself the best shot and that's not going to happen if I mull or lament over an outcome that's out of my control

I hope something sticks or that there's some solace in knowing you aren't going through this alone! We got this :) rooting for you!!

thats what I've been doing for now, was just wondering if theres another way! Tyy tho :)

that shows the timing for sections (as far as I know), I am talking about the timing between sections. I don't see any other accommodation options besides extended time.

i read "adding fuel" quite negatively. Defs let my personal bias in here ..

@superchillasian i did the sameee thing

honestly it was so validating that JY was like i only understood 50-60% bc same LOL

@TeklaCo thats what tripped me up too rip :(

oh man, i thought "fully reflected" was too strong rippp. This test has made me TOO skeptical

bro wdym ALLLL cultures.

lmao the way i thought this was a MSS adjacent question and not as a strengthener rip

@D.LuluDeNyer i still think percentages are relevant here! Lets say 10 local people applied and 1000 non local people applied, the top 10% for the former is 1 and the top 10% for the latter is a 100 BUT there is a chance that all 10 local people outperformed many of the non locals, but because of the pool they are in they would not receive the scholarship. Thats how I reasoned through this question anyways.

@wylangao frrrr why is this even a question

for 27, i chose A initially and get why its wrong which is why i chose C during BR. I thought this "In principle, a cohesive group—one whose members generally agree with one another and support one another's judgments—can do a much better job at decision making than it could if it were noncohesive." supported it .. idk did i conflate "much better job at decision making" and " less likely to reach a sound decision".

ahahah i feel so called out but i truly needed this

lmaooooo tell me how i understood the assumption and still couldnt get the right answer .. JY's explantion was solid tho.

@SLT220 yeah, I have developed a process for most question types but a lot of it has come from mistakes I've made. Its kind of like a comprehensive WAJ but with action items for the mistakes I continuously make. So I write out how i approach each question and how I evaluate all the AC's. Like this is an example for MBT questions:

Approach: 

1. Just read the stim. No need to identify the premise / conclusion or even figure out if there is one 

2. Paraphrase –highlight key points 

3. diagram 

Tips:

1. Draw out timelines if necessary 

2. When mapping and you have an an/or statement, make sure you understand what the necessary condition is applied to 

3. Allwayyssss chain when you see the link 

4. YOU CANNOT COMBINE 2 SOME CLAIMS 

5. Pay attention to descriptors changing from stim to ac.. ie) whipped in blender vs just whipped 

6. Answers introducing a new concept generally aren't correct 

NOTE: with some arrows, you can read both ways BUT that doesnt mean you flip them…. 

Banker → Athlete

Banker → / Lawyer 

Then some athletes are not lawyers OR some people who are not lawyer are athletes

I hope this helps :)

this is so basic but:

1. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast

2. Trusssttt yourself

3. 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

@SLT220 Have you created tip sheets for each question/rc passage type. I find reviewing those before doing a section to be helpful but i think your'e doing everything you can with what you have going on. I'm rooting for you !!

@SLT220 may I ask what typically goes? Do you not remember how to approach a question? Do you misunderstand the question stem? Ofc you know yourself best, but maybe 2 days is too much and maybe just 1 would be better? (idk, I'm just throwing things out there)Do you have a ritual or routine before you start studying ? Does it shift during time of day or other external factors ?

@SLT220 I wonder if it could be helpful to take more consistent breaks instead of extended ones? I was studying 6 days/week but recently changed to studying for 3 days, taking a day off, then studying for 3 days again, and have found that my accuracy, focus, and attention to detail have improved. Progress isn't linear, and I know this process can feel so inaccessible, but I hope you give yourself your flowers !! You're doing amazing, and I'm sure you will continue to.