Timing Strategies to Use for the next few weeks (160+)

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  NotMyName Alum Member Sage ⭐

  November 2017 5320 karma

  Here's my strategy: skip the question and move on if I can't answer it in ~60 seconds (maybe less for RC). Some questions do take longer but by now I should know the difference between investing the necessary time to answer a question and falling down a rabbit hole -- they just feel totally different. If I can't answer a question in ~1 minute and it doesn't feel like I am on the right path, then 1 of 2 things is likely happening: it's a very difficult question or something has gone wrong. If it's a difficult question, I'd rather just come back to it after getting all the easier ones. That way, I can properly triage this question in relation to other questions I need to return to. I know I'm not going -0 in LR so I want to choose 1-2 questions that aren't worth my time. If something has gone wrong (misread for example), then I want to give myself space and return fresh. I find that I am WAY less likely to spot my error when I become stubborn and refuse to move on.

  For RC, would it make sense to really focus on three passages and guess on the last one? Especially for those aiming around between 160-165.

  I don't think so. Easy questions/passages are spread throughout. Read the passage, answer the questions, skip after 60 seconds. The strategy you list is an attempt to "hack" the test but it's just as likely to backfire on you. What if the 3rd passage is an absolute beast and the 4th passage is a cake walk?

  For LR, I know some people do the first 15 questions and then the last 5 on the section. Or aim to finish 25 questions in 25 minutes?

  Same as above but even more true. In LR, there is a discernible, general distribution but easy questions are scattered throughout and there are probably some difficult questions which you'll find easier than some others. There will also be easy questions which you misread. I see these strategies of avoiding entire RC/game passages and specific numbered LR questions as ineffective short cuts.

  For LG, I say fool-proof the most recent games. They will be more representative of the newer games, which include double layering/substitution questions.

  The danger here is that you burn through recent material and you have nothing to use for another sitting. Maybe it would be best to only foolproof what you take in a PT and not games sections without the full pt. It's always good to have a contingency plan.

  In reality, the skipping method I laid out above is only effective if I do it consistently. If it's done inconsistently in a section, it can really fuck me because I won't have time to return to questions or I spend too much time upfront before skipping. It's also taking me awhile to implement.

  With the December test just 2 weeks away, I can't say suggest anyone trying to learn a brand new strategy in this time. If you have a method that is delivering a consistent PT score in your desired range, stick to it. If you don't, then I don't recommend learning a new one for this cycle and would instead recommend to that person that they delay.