Distractions and overthinking during RC

lady macbeth

I find that in RC (my worst section), I get a heinous amount of answers incorrect because I am overthinking and trying to absorb every single detail of the passage into my mind rather than just reading for the overall structure, argument, (aka what the questions are asking) etc. and end up losing myself. Does anyone else have a problem with this? And if so, how did you combat It? Did you just try to keep on reminding yourself to zoom out? Cause that's what I do but It definitely takes getting used to since I've been reading the same way for like 20 years now....

Also, I was wondering if you guys ever get distracted whilst studying? Haha so I don't feel alone. What distracts you? Sometimes I read magazine articles or take my phone off airplane mode and respond to texts. Sometimes I check Twitter. Sometimes I try to do some online shopping/browsing.

Alex

RC is all about maintaining focus. There's a reason they use passages that most people find dull, they are out to distract you. I force myself to pretend I'm interested, and over time I've tricked my mind into thinking RC is a great way to learn! So I just read the passages like I'm trying to learn something from them. When you force yourself to stay focused, your score can improve dramatically, just as a result of doing so.

No, I never get distracted while studying. I leave my phone on my bed, study at my desk, and put in noise cancelling headphones (no music, just helps block out traffic/noise outside). I also set a really low threshold for how much studying I aim to get done each day. 1-2 hours. If I can do that, I'm happy. Infinitely better to get in 1 hour of quality prep than to try to do 4 hours distracted by texting and twitter.