@ said:
The only issue with that recommendation is that there are times in which the mp will not be in the first paragraph. As other people above have mentioned, being able to see the mp of each paragraph will help you either reinforce the identified mp or overall mp of the author (if it is found in the first paragraph) or see whether the author is taking a shift from the mp in the paragraphs that follow.
This is true and I agree with you.
My suggestion for the MP drilling strategy weighs time spent per passage vs. exposure to MP questions. Given that each passage only has 1 MP question (if at all), I found that to practice MP questions it was important to cut down on time spent per passage as a tradeoff to answer more MP questions.
I think trying to identify the MP in the first paragraph (when it's there) and answering the MP question with 80% confidence -- rather than reading the entire passage and answering the MP question with 95% confidence -- can be useful for rapid-fire drilling MP.
I would not recommend only looking for the MP in P1 on an actual test, only for drills. Instead (as you described) -- find the MP in each paragraph and then find an AC that summarizes all of those paragraph MPs into a passage MP.
I was struggling with MP questions and have recently gotten better. Here's how:
I drilled MP questions specifically. I took ~40 passages and only read the first paragraph then tried to answer the MP question. The MP is (generally) found in one sentence in the first paragraph, and if you can find this question - you can take a guess at the main point. It was helpful for me to realize that I can actually drill MP questions specifically without having to read the entire passage and answer all of the questions.
I try to find the MP in the first paragraph as I said, then use that to guide my understanding of the remainder of the passage. After I've read the passage, I go into the MP question looking for something that does two things: (a) it aligns with the main point stated in the first paragraph ("why did the author write this?") and then look for an AC that fills in the remaining gap from the other paragraphs. So I identify what I think is the MP then I make sure the AC is descriptively accurate and sufficiently addresses all parts of the passage.
I haven't taken an official test yet or a proctored exam. I'm hoping someone can answer a few questions about what I can and cannot use on the exam.
1 - Can I have my laptop connected to an external monitor?
2 - Can I use a external mouse & keyboard?
Confirming:
Are there any other significant constraints that I need to be aware of?
@ could you send a new Discord link? That one expired.
Interested! Let me know how to get involved
Pro-tip from the academics that teach people how to learn best (not just my own). It’s called “Spaced Repetition.”
The idea is straightforward: You learn something best when you have to remember it.
So what does this look like in practice? You do some learning now, pause, then come back and do some more later. Most of us do something similar, but we take a more difficult approach. It’s easy to think that we should finish an entire lesson, take really good notes, and promise ourselves that we’ll study those notes later. These are still good practices, but there’s a way to make it more effective.
Just leave one or two lessons incomplete and finish them later. Then you’re forced to remember all that stuff at a later date.
For instance, I’m going through the CC in order, but I’ve left two or three problems in the grammar section incomplete. I’ll finish those next week. This way, I’m forced to go back and remember (and implement) what I previously studied. This doesn’t mean I can’t or won’t review my notes anymore, just that I’m creating a system where I have to space out the learning process and force myself to practice recall.
TL;DR Recommendation: Leave 1-2 lessons incomplete in each section to force yourself to practice Spaced Repetition.
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It makes the lessons shorter in a meaningful way; allows you to skip back-and-forth while still completing sections in order; and break apart the learning process so you’re giving your brain time to internalize what you learn.
You're the richest man alive.
NA: Your heart is beating.
SA: You have more money than anyone else.