RC transformation

shane.mcglashen

Hey Guys,

I just started using much more recent PT's as my test date nears and I wanted to see if anyone felt the same way about RC passages and LR.

Has it seemed as though the RC passages became incredibly more difficult around the mid 2000's? Or is it just me getting in my own head because I've spent more time on LR recently?

The questions even seems somewhat 'different', there seems to be much more inference involved rather than pulling enumerated pieces from the passage.

Maybe Im wrong ive only done a few modern PTs, just wanted to see everyone elses opinion on the matter. The pre 2000 RC seems like a cakewalk now haha

pjanderson5

They are definately harder, especially after preptest 54!

turnercm

Absolutely. My average scores dropped for a bit after around PT54. You can adjust though!!!

Afterthought

@turnercm do you have tips on how you've adjusted? The later RC's have been really killing me. Everyone seems to rec things a little differently too. So been trying everything I can to see what works!

msmith85

hi guys. I took in september, after only having practiced with the newer RC very minimally. on tests in the 1990s I can go -2 or -3, whereas on tests from the 2000s and on it is much more difficult to attain that level of success. I paid the price on test day and went -8 on the RC of the test, killing my score.

Now I'm studying for february and am implementing some new strategies to ensure I'm ready for the notched up RC. My biggest tip is to drill passages, even ones you've done before, and to really consider WHY wrong answers are wrong and WHY right answers are right. for questions I struggle with I write out my reasoning, with line numbers from the passage as support, for eliminating each wrong answer. This has really helped me in my drills and PTs.

shane.mcglashen

@msmith85

I totally agree, same thing has happened to me. I was knocking the earlier RC passages out of the park, however now seem to find this as a more difficult section. Funny enough that's exactly what I've been doing, drilling the passages. I did it with the pre 1990's until I became attuned, hopefully I can do it with the 2000's. I might be wrong, but I'm testing out a strategy of marking down generally only what I anticipate will be presented as questions later. This worked on the 1990's but I think the particular questions have changed a tad!

Has anyone worked this way?