Scratch Paper Strategies

hunter3littleton-1

What are some beneficial strategies for using scratch paper? Currently, I only use my scratch paper for LG diagramming and the occasional conditional that pops up on the LR section.

However, I am wondering if there are any other ways to use my scratch paper for the non-games sections. It seems like it could help digest certain passages in these sections. I would love to hear how others employ their scratch paper to its fullest potential.

Matt Sorr

Your current usage is similar to many high scorers, so don't be concerned that you're "not using enough paper" or anything along those lines. The only purpose of the paper is to help you figure stuff out when you can't do it in your head. Therefore, if you're able to do something accurately in your head, it's almost always better because nine times out of ten it's far quicker.

With this being said, it's certainly possible for you to start using your scratch paper in RC if you aren't seeing the results you like there. In LG it sounds like you're using your paper a bunch (like 99% of people do in LG), and in LR it sounds like you're only using your paper when presented with dense, conditional language (like I expect 99% of high scorers do). So that's good. In RC, however, you could try doing something like a low res summary. If you haven't watched the video on it in the core curriculum, I'd encourage it. While you may write a bit more during practice, on tests low res summaries are generally writing about 1 to 4 words to sum up a paragraph before moving to the next paragraph. If you do this for each paragraph of the passage, you'll have a very loose outline of the passage. When I do low res summaries, it typically takes up about 1/3 to 1/2 of a sheet of paper by the end of the RC section. Anything more than that, and you're probably writing too much. RC is generally a highly time-restricted section for people, so you don't want to get in the habit of writing a ton on your scratch paper.

I hope this helps some! And remember, if you don't need to write to get the results you want, then don't worry about it!

hunter3littleton-1

Thank you for the detailed reply! I used to do the low res summaries when I was going through the CC, but I stopped doing so after realizing RC was one of my strengths.

However, lately I have regressed some on RC, with MP and INF questions being the weaker areas, so I think I am going to start doing the low res method again to see if that helps with mental organization.

Matt Sorr

@hunter3littleton-1 it’s definitely worth a shot! And don’t be afraid to experiment with multiple strategies on RC. One may just “click” with you.