Need advice.

inactive

Hey guys! A 7Sager had a question I thought you could help out with. Here it is:


I’ve been studying with your 7sage ultimate+ package for about 3 months, and I took this February test after finishing almost all your core lessons and about 7 timed PTs. I knew I wasn’t ready and I only got a 157. So I’m gonna take another test this June.

I was wondering if you can give me some advice on how to study for the coming three months.

My main problems were RC and LG.

1. Since English is not my mother tongue, I can only manage to finish 3 passages in the 35mins RC section, and the correction rate was horrible.

2. I can’t finish all 4 games within 35mins most of the time. (But I was less worried about LG than RC, because I feel I can get faster by keep practicing the ’10-clean-copies’ method you suggested.)

I feel like I can’t deal with these two problems by simply keeping doing timed PTs set by set for the next three months, because it seems I’ll just keep not being able to finish them again and again from the experience of those 7 complete PTs I did do (I just wasn’t getting any better!).

So would you please give me some advice on how should I train myself to get a 170+ for the next 3 months (especially for these two main problems I pointed out)?

Thanks a lot for your help!

Cant Get Right

First, if you're aiming for 170+, I just don't see June happening. Postpone until September at the very least.

For logic games, you need to master every game. It's actually good that you're struggling there because of all the sections, the language barrier will be a smaller factor on games than any other section. Great opportunity for points. If you want 170+, you really need to aim for -0 here. Master every game available until anything they can throw at you is just laughable.

Reading is tougher with the language barrier. The best advice I have is basically my reading advice for everyone who struggles with it, but goes doubly for non native speakers. The only way to improve on reading is to read. Read anything, read everything, read constantly. And it doesn't matter if it's something as difficult as a hard science journal or something as easy as a young adult novel. Just read. And read with a pencil. Notate. Then reread. If you catch yourself picking up on new information the second time through, ask yourself, why didn't you recall it from the first read? Do any patterns emerge? Is there any way to adjust your notation strategy to compensate for these patterns? The most important thing with reading is to accept that it takes time to develop, and that, to reiterate, you've got to read read read.

jeff.wongkachi

I think one important tip for RC is to remember you are not reading for the content. Sometimes difficult/uninteresting subject matter is hard to follow, but remember that the goal isn't to UNDERSTAND. As you continue doing RC, there are patterns (for example, 99% of the time there being a main point question). You are reading purely for matching purposes. There's going to be the odd question that requires more content synthesis, but at the base level it's about A) checking for details and did the author even talk about it. It's probably worth getting the few "deeper understanding" questions wrong in favour of the more common answer types.

MrSamIam

I really don't like offering advice when given a time limit. You shouldn't be scheduling the test, then studying in hopes that you'll be ready in time. Study first, then when you're ready, schedule the test.
That said, I would use the next 3 months to PT, BR, and drill anything that you haven't mastered yet. RC and LG scores tend to improve with practice.
For RC: Learn how to predict what the author is going to say. Learn how to link ideas. Most importantly, stay engaged with the passage.
For LG: Drill drill drill. Keep drilling until a once difficult game seems like a cakewalk. If you can't do it in under the recommended time limit, then you're not ready to move on from that game. It may take 2 tries, or 20. Just keep at it.

Most importantly...be realistic. What is your target score, and at the pace that you are currently going can you achieve it by June? If not, reschedule and take the test at a later date.

Sprinkles

These responses are too legit....

Nicole Hopkins

@MrSamIam said:
Study first, then when you're ready, schedule the test.

Word.