Questions about PT

Samcandoit!

I first need to thank you all, the members in 7sage, some of you encouraged me a lot 3 weeks ago when I just finished my first PT. As a result, I registered for December 2015 for my first shot.

As I finished my fifth PTs, some questions have arise. I really need your help and suggestion. My first PT, ( I think it should be too horrible to record the credit score. actually I didn't figure out how to record the credit and blind review score at that time), I got 150 as blind review score, the credit score is missing. PT 37, my second one, I got 147 and 150 for BR. PT 38, 150 and 152 for BR. I got 145 and 157 (BR) for PT 39. And the most recent one, which I just finished blind review 2 minutes ago, PT 40, 148 and 159 (BR). It seems like I have improved a little bit. However, I wonder if I am left behind.

I feel "time" is really a big issue for me currently. For logic, I usually have no time for 4 questions, sometimes when I skipped some "hard" ones, I end up with having no time to do them. For reading, I usually have only 5 minutes when I heat the last article. For games, I usually have 5-6 minutes for the last game of that section. Is this normal for a newbie?

How you guys do blind review for Reading? I usually have 1-2 articles which I feel totally lost in a single section.I would re-read all the four articles and do all the questions again for blind review without taking time. And then I look at the video for each article when I just finish blind review of that article. But I quite dislike this way. I feel I need to force myself speeding up, for which this type of BR will not helps. So today, I use the timer to redo all the reading for blind review according to the time J.Y. suggested in the video explanation. I feel this is helpful. I feel is quite real, because I correct 9 questions even under time stress. Don't laugh at me. I used to hate taking time so much, since it gives me so much pressure. But I figured out this week: how I practice will really pay-off at the day I am taking the test; worrying and avoiding is totally useless, the problems and weakness will always be there.

Another question is how you guys circle the bubble sheet. I feel like it is better for me to circle each question once I just finish that question, cos if I circle all of them after I finish the whole section, I probably would run out of time.

I will really appreciate your responses, and have a nice weekend.

inactive

Bump

Pacifico

Are you doing clean copy BR? If your BR scores are under 160 you really need to revisit some of the curriculum or possibly consult the Trainer. The general closeness of your timed and BR scores indicates to me you are using the copy you tested on which is a bad idea because you are just fighting your ego to change answers rather than going through the reasoning/argument structure.

For the bubbling thing I think you just mean filling in the scantron sheet. I used to have some issues with my approach but then after a recommendation from @nicole.hopkins I started just bubbling in each page. So go through all the questions on a single page (usually anywhere from 1-6 depending on section) and then bubble them all in before moving on to the next page. I think this is the fastest strategy and is easy to remember.

For RC BR I just go look at the questions I circled and if I need to Read the passage again I do. Otherwise I just use POE and look for the justification or evidence in the passage until I find the right answer. Also, BR is not about speeding up. It is about taking the time to develop skills and understanding. Don't rush it because it short changes your prep. Speed will come with skill development and understanding, not by doing BR quickly.

Finally, if your scores are that low it means you're not maxed out on LG so you need to get that on point before worrying too much about other areas.

Samcandoit!

@Pacifico As you notice, I am doing the BR on the copy I tested on. I did not know that this is a bad idea, thank you for pointing this out. You are also right that I am very bad at LG, usually I get the lowest percentage at this section. I have followed the method to practice LG all the time, but it seems I have not improve much in LG. Any suggestion?

nye8870

@Samcandoit! One suggestion I would give to you is when you start working on a LG and it quickly turns into a convoluted nightmare and you do not recognize any kind of familiar structure developing, "jump ship". I have found that there is one of these per LG section and if it comes up early in the series, you can sink all your time on it and leave too little or none for the friendlier types that you may be used to. I have learned to suck it up and get out with enough time not to ruin my whole section. Who knows you may blow through the others and have time to retry the mean one, with fresh eyes and more confidence.

Samcandoit!

@nye8870 Thank you, I tried this once, and it really helps me to have more time to finish those whose patterns are quite familiar to me. What bothers me a lot is that when I watch the video explanation, things become much clear and I can easily recall the inference when I redo those games; however, when I do new PT, I will encounter at least 2 games which I have no idea. It seems I still have a lot of to do to max up my LG. I am quite worried about if I can improve enough before I actually take the test.

nye8870

By Dec? You have plenty of time to improve significantly. Keep at it & good luck!