40 min sections Forum

[nodummy]

I'm taking the Oct exam and still scoring about 6 points off my target (current: 158, target: 165). With the test only a week away I was thinking of taking a PT tonight with 40 minute sections to see if timing is my issue. Is there a downside to doing this? Should I just take the PT in regular time and hope for improvements?

My biggest problems are with RC...I'll usually do really well on the first LR section and bomb the second one. LG is usually pretty good. I'm thinking timing is my main problem but I wanted to verify. Any thoughts on this?

[sanetruth]

What do you mean by "LG is usually pretty good"? If you're not consistently scoring -0 or -1 on LG, then I would say this is your best bet to recover some points before test day.

I would not encourage 40 minute sections. You should be able to tell if timing is your issue based on whether you're not getting to all of the questions or are rushed at the end. Also, if you took a 40 minute section you would know you have more time and would probably unintentionally slow down, meaning you'd get the same amount done with longer time.

[Blumpbeef]

I'm taking the Oct exam and still scoring about 6 points off my target (current: 158, target: 165). With the test only a week away I was thinking of taking a PT tonight with 40 minute sections to see if timing is my issue. Is there a downside to doing this? Should I just take the PT in regular time and hope for improvements?

My biggest problems are with RC...I'll usually do really well on the first LR section and bomb the second one. LG is usually pretty good. I'm thinking timing is my main problem but I wanted to verify. Any thoughts on this?

Drill RC passages and try to do each one in under 8:45.

That's what I'm going to be doing the rest of the week.

[2014]

I'm taking the Oct exam and still scoring about 6 points off my target (current: 158, target: 165)

??????

Regardless, don't step up the time at this point. You should just push through and work efficiently through tests analyzing all of your mistakes. If you decide that by test day you have no hope of hitting your target, consider cancelling.

[JJDancer]

40 minute sections is way too much time. If you had 2 months to test day, I would say ok, do an untimed PT. But right now, you need to get as many points whereever it is easiest to get them. Do the LGB for a few hours for 2-3 days and try to get LG to where you can do them in 9 mins each and get them correct. Look over LR questions you get wrong. Don't say "oh i get it, it's C because bla bla" rather don't look at the answer - just look at the fact that you got it wrong. Now you know it's not B, you are left with 4 choices. Try the question again and see if there's anything else you see. See if you got it right this time.

[09042014]

I'm taking the Oct exam and still scoring about 6 points off my target (current: 158, target: 165). With the test only a week away I was thinking of taking a PT tonight with 40 minute sections to see if timing is my issue. Is there a downside to doing this? Should I just take the PT in regular time and hope for improvements?

My biggest problems are with RC...I'll usually do really well on the first LR section and bomb the second one. LG is usually pretty good. I'm thinking timing is my main problem but I wanted to verify. Any thoughts on this?

Drill RC passages and try to do each one in under 8:45.

That's what I'm going to be doing the rest of the week.

This worked for me.

[Mike12188]

I'm taking the Oct exam and still scoring about 6 points off my target (current: 158, target: 165)

??????

[Sandro]

Why would giving yourself 5 minutes extra help? It wont push you to go any faster which seems to be your problem, it will just give you 5 extra minutes of slowness that wouldnt be there on test day. Bad idea.

[JJDancer]

I'm taking the Oct exam and still scoring about 6 points off my target (current: 158, target: 165). With the test only a week away I was thinking of taking a PT tonight with 40 minute sections to see if timing is my issue. Is there a downside to doing this? Should I just take the PT in regular time and hope for improvements?

My biggest problems are with RC...I'll usually do really well on the first LR section and bomb the second one. LG is usually pretty good. I'm thinking timing is my main problem but I wanted to verify. Any thoughts on this?

Drill RC passages and try to do each one in under 8:45.

That's what I'm going to be doing the rest of the week.

I drilled RC Passages 2 weeks before my sept 09 exam for a few days and it helped. But RC had been my best section (less than 2 wrong) when I started studying so I was just trying to get over a drop I experienced later in my PTing.

[nodummy]

Would you say doing RC and LG sections to improve accuracy is more important right now than doing PT's? I'm supposed to be doing a PT every other day but am considering taking two days off to review RC and LG.

[JJDancer]

Would you say doing RC and LG sections to improve accuracy is more important right now than doing PT's?

Definitely. PTs are used primarily to build endurance and see around where you are scoring. You already know where you are scoring and your bigger problem is the material rather than endurance. It will help you A LOT more to spend today to Friday even drilling LG and getting a better handle on RC than it will doing 2 PTs during those days. Drill+review and do a PT on Saturday and see if you can hit 160-162.

EDIT: of course over time, PTs give you exposure and familiarity with questions and help you improve but you will improve much more by drilling than PTing right now.

[Jeffort]

Would you say doing RC and LG sections to improve accuracy is more important right now than doing PT's?

Definitely. PTs are used primarily to build endurance and see around where you are scoring. You already know where you are scoring and your bigger problem is the material rather than endurance. It will help you A LOT more to spend today to Friday even drilling LG and getting a better handle on RC than it will doing 2 PTs during those days. Drill+review and do a PT on Saturday and see if you can hit 160-162.

EDIT: of course over time, PTs give you exposure and familiarity with questions and help you improve but you will improve much more by drilling than PTing right now.

Study and review time is crucial. Space out taking timed tests. They are meant to be endurance builders and diagnostics to check your scoring ability the day you take each one. The learning and improvement part happens during careful slow motion review and analysis of the stuff, not while powering through a test watching 35 minutes tick down.