Suggestions for getting closer to BR score

ajlee993

Hey guys,

Any advice on how can I further close the gap? I score low to mid 160s timed and score mid 170s in BR. It has been like this for about a month now, and the September exam is closing in... In average, I get about 4-5 wrong in each section of LG, LR, and RC.

The weird thing is LR. During BR, 2 or 3 questions that seemed really hard during the timed conditions, were actually pretty simple, and I find the answer relatively quickly. I just have no idea why I never able to do the same thing during timed conditions. I get to the 25th question in around 30 minutes, but have around around 3 omitted and 3 I need to urgently double check on. But 5 minutes just seems so short!

I have been averaging about 8-10 hours of prep (including drilling) daily, with a PT every 2 or 3 days. But despite the time that has passed, seeing the same PT score after PT score for a month is honestly soul-crushing.

nathanieljschwartz

Have you tried to employ a 25 in 25 minute method? This means you have around 10 minutes to go around a second time. For myself, this was fantastic bc some questions that on the first round seemed dubious at best looked much mor straightforward on my second round.

nathanieljschwartz

Weird, how our brains work. A little time away from a question can really help out.

Alex

Hey,

You're always going to score higher on BR so the best way to close that gap is to raise your BR score to as close to 180 as possible. This will reflect an increase in your understanding of the test and thus will help you raise your actual score.

I think in your particular circumstance you should focus on what you know you need work on. For LG, definitely fool proof and drill games until you are a master. If difficult games are tanking your score then be sure to fool proof the heck out of any games that give you even the slightest bit of trouble. Even if you nail the games on your PT, if you can do them faster, then practice doing so. I truly believe LG is the one section that we can get consistently close to -0.

When you do LR sections try practicing being a bit more aggressive with the Qs on easier questions you feel confident on. I can't tell you how much time I used to waste because I would find an answer choice I liked but take too long to pull the trigger and move on. To see if you're doing this try using your phone to record yourself taking a section/PT. Review how you are approaching individual questions and get a better view of what some potential issues may be. Between this and the 7Sage analytics, I think you should be able to nail down where you still need a little work.

And, of course, make sure you are spending adequate time between PTs reviewing and drilling weaknesses. Taking a PT every 2 or 3 days when you're scoring in the 160s with a BR in the 170s indicates that there's probably a lot more that you can be doing in between tests to improve.

Good luck!

NotMyName

Well despite your gap to target, congrats on your current achievement.

I think you've zeroed in on your issue: timing in LR. Missing 8-10 per test in LR provides the best opportunity for improvement especially if your BR is strong. You just don't seem to have enough time to circle back. You may experiment with a more liberal skipping strategy. If you can't get to the right answer confidently in 1 minute or less, just skip it. Looks like you are averaging about 1:20 per question on your first pass. Try to knock that down to 1 minute. You may be spending too much time with answer you know are right. Or maybe you are spending too much time debating -- those questions I find myself wanting to debate almost always seem clearer when I return so why waste time?

RC improvement seems to take more time so not sure that your remaining time is best spent there.

Dude. Your study schedule is intense! You may benefit from taking some time off. I know that is the last thing you want to do leading up to this test but some witness their greatest gains following such a rest. Our brains just need time to process and decompress. Take 3 days to exercise outside, read something that interests you, whatever. It's counterintuitive but I've seen enough people rejoice after a reluctant break to confidently recommend it.

AllezAllez21

The advice from @"Alex Divine" is pretty much the exact advice I would give.

Get to BR 180 every time. Make LG -0 through foolproofing. Film self for LR.

RGiggi13

@ajlee993 I'm in a similar position--it's so frustrating! It's usually one or two bad sections that's keeping me out of the 170s, and it'll be a different section on every test...

ajlee993

Thanks for the advice everyone! Having everything laid out like this really puts everything into perspective.

@nathanieljschwartz I haven't... that seems really difficult to accomplish from where I am now haha

@"Alex Divine" Any tips on how I can reach that BR 180? LG BR isn't really an issue, but there are always 1-2 questions in each section of RC and LR that I can never seem to wrap my head around, no matter how much time I spend.

@jkatz1488 Yeah, after reading what you said, I think the timing issue is a mixture of the things you were talking about. I will definitely try to take a 3 day break (I feel so guilty...), and then try to see what is wrong.

@RGiggi13 So so true... I would be halfway throughout the PT thinking that I will finally break my plateau, and then a hard reading comp or game will then suddenly hit me in the face... the woes haha