Struggling with Science Passages

cornfield.x

Hey Friends, I'm now pretty discouraged. I'm taking the coming June test. Usually I get around -4/5 on RC, -2/3 on LR per section, and -1/2 on game, so around high 160s,170s sometimes. I just did a timed section on RC, and got almost all questions wrong on a science passage, and -2 on the left three ones, a total of -9 on a single section. This happened a number of times before. Honestly, I am really scared of science passages, especially the ones on biology and physics. Any advice? Can I make any improvements on Science passages in the next two weeks?

strive2b313

Hmm -- maybe you're afraid of the topic and that impacts how you perform. Try really annotating and talking aloud about every idea in every sentence in the passage -- familiarity breeds trust.

Qualia88

Perhaps practice your pacing so you can bank a little extra time for these passages. Not sure if you have the core curriculum but it has a good overview of science RC and a number of practice science passages. In any case, I think just do as many of these type of passages as you can and practice seeing patterns. Just remember, while it never hurts to have some knowledge of the topic you're not expected to be a science person. Focus on structure and the general picture and don't get bogged down in the wonky terminology. If you understand the general outline and where in the passage you should be going back to look for specifics you should be OK.

keets993

Listen to some biology and physics based podcasts. Read some articles or books on those topics to familiarize yourself and get rid of your anxiety. I recently read "The Grand Design" by Stephen Hawking and while I have not become a physicist overnight, it was helpful in helping me get a layman's understanding of some things. I think your past underperformance in those topics probably makes you hesitant about it and might cause you to deviate from your good RC habits. Are you spending more time trying to figure out the details while you normally focus on structure?

jurisprudent

Science passages are not hard. You just think that they are hard. This mindset is easy to overcome by simply increasing your exposure to them. Just take 10-15 minutes out of your day every morning to read one dense, scientific article from The Economist. I had to do this in order to fake my enthusiasm (and effort) for science passages. Once you get over your mental block, you'll be able to treat them as any other passage in the section. Good luck!

tringo335

I ditto The Economist suggestion. They have articles that are very much similar to RC passages. I have the free app downloaded on my phone and they allow a few free articles daily. Good luck!