Reading comp

lpadr009

For anyone who has ever had a huge jump in reading comp...what changed? I am struggling a lot with this section. I get like -12 in the section (

brna0714

Things clicked for me after reading Manhattan Prep's RC guide. It's a short book and a quick read. The main strategy that helped me immensely was pausing briefly after paragraphs/sections to solidify what I've read thus far and chaining ideas together as the passage progresses.

lpadr009

Thank you

c.janson35

Great advice from @brna0714 here. I also pause between paragraphs to connect the ideas between them, note how the graphs relate to each other, and to summarize what I just read. Give this approach a try and you'll see that you're better able to remember and understand what you've read.

aincao

Reading comp is easily my best section, and I always am trying new techniques (sometimes at the expense of my score in PT's) to see what works best. For me, a combination of the Power Score way (noting if there is a list, loaded language, distinguishing between arguments of author, subject and whatever else have you) and JY's method of active reading while summarizing each paragraph, noting referential phrasing help a lot. Now I use a highlighter on this section for definitions/big ideas and I think it is fantastic, but I am a pretty quick reader and have a pretty good short term memory, so if you are both of those I recommend it.

lschoolgo

@aincao how many are you missing in new RC (pt 60+)? how fast you read the passage and do the section?

jimenezja.jj

@aincao what methods do you use for science passages. I hate them !! lol

harrismegan

I'm currently struggling with this too. My entire mark hinges on whether I have a good RC day or a bad RC day (how sad is that!)

I am incorporating RC section drilling into my daily routine. I use the Cambridge packages and use them without timing for now. I'm doing without timing because I want to get my skill set down - reading for structure, connecting the passages, using the questions to guide where I look.... instead of doing it under timed pressure and panicking and just producing the same result!
I'm also reading on my daily commute to work (I train not drive lol!).

I also read through some Reading Comprehension notes I made based on the Trainer in the morning!

Pacifico

Science passages usually aren't that hard, it's the lack of familiarity with the subject matter and certain terms that makes them intimidating and more convoluted than they need to be. Anything you can read or listen to on the topics of biology, chemistry, physics, cosmology, etc. will really help you to just generally be more comfortable with what you're reading, especially if you currently see a science passage and think you're totally screwed. With that kind of mindset you're just creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

lpadr009

@Pacifico science passages are a walk in the park compared to anything dealing with economics ((

aincao

@jimenezja.jj @lschoolgo sorry just saw these! To answer the first question in the new PT's I am getting on avg a -2,(sometimes I can accidentally glaze over a passage and then I panic when answering questions, then kick myself when I do a BR lol) and logic games has replaced RC as my best section. I usually take 3-4 min to read the passage and annotate it, and then 5-6 min to answer the questions. I definitely do not recommend the highlighter anymore. Through consistent practice it just takes way to much time, and the things you highlight and think are important tend to be misleading when it comes to the harder passages. It also makes your eye want to automatically jump to the things you've highlighted. Working on the short term memory is much better for you.

For science passages, I have a slight advantage since I was a pre-med student for two years in undergrad so a lot of the language makes sense to me, but as @Pacifico said, it could literally be anything like physics, cosmology, or whatever. They will tell you the definition for a word that you are not expected to know, which are the majority on a science passage (and its a great way to take up space) so in my opinion science passages are easier because they do tend to have a little bit less "testable material" in them. Honestly, the hardest ones could be any one of the section, it just depends on how convoluted they want to make the writing, or how subtle they want the inferences to be. Diversity passages have the advantage of always putting minority groups in a positive light so that mindset is an easier way to approach those, and Law passages will almost always see the law as potentially flawed but always positive.