RC Strategy

meletzyosher

Hey everybody!
I had this idea for RC that I wanted to run by the community and get some input. After all is said and done, the gist of the RC is to actively read so that after every sentence, you are constantly building a puzzle and applying it back on the previously read sentences. At the end of the day, it isn't so simple to keep all that new info neatly filed away in your brain. A powerful tool that is missing here is review. The thing about reviewing is that you need downtime in between the material studied and the actual review for your brain to settle. Just skimming over the selection real quick after the initial read won't do it. So I was thinking, what if you read all four paragraphs in succession and then return to the first selection, skimming it in about two minutes and then doing the questions on it and continuing for the rest of the selections? I have tried it twice. Both times I finished by the skin of my teeth (not much improvement from doing the questions right after an initial read). However, I answered most questions more confidently and quickly than before although my overall score didn't improve much. Has anybody been doing it this way? I figured I could improve in this strategy but I'm still not convinced it is the best way.

MissChanandler

By reading all four paragraphs in succession, do you mean all four passages? So you're reading all four passages and then coming back and reviewing and doing the questions? Personally, this sounds like it would make RC way more stressful. Here's the thing- we aren't studying these passages the same way we would study, say, a textbook for a history class. You don't really have to keep a bunch of info filed in your mind, you just have to get the argument structure and pay attention to the author/viewpoints. Yes, there are some questions that include specific line references etc., but for the most part we aren't just trying to remember facts from the passages. I think that if you read them all before answering the questions, it might be harder to focus on tone and author attitude as well as general structure. If it works for you, it works for you and that's awesome! But I think that most people wouldn't like this approach for themselves. With RC, time is often the biggest factor and as you mentioned this makes you finish my the skin of your teeth, which seems like added pressure for little to no payoff.