Reading Comprehension Advice? Forum

[kcho10]

Hey guys,
I've been struggling with the reading comprehension section...what's weird for me is on 3 passages I always nearly score perfectly, but I always completely bomb 1 passage and get nearly all of it wrong. These tend to be the harder passages. How do you guys approach and identify difficult passages? Thanks in advance!

[fazzvm56]

RC is my most difficult section too. When I'm timing myself, I get a bunch wrong. When I'm not timing, I usually get them right. In PowerScore, it suggests if you're having trouble to try only doing three passages, then guess quickly on the last with your time left. Only doing three allows you more time for each one, while still allowing you to get ~20 points (depending on your accuracy) and a shot at a few right by guessing on the last. Just something to think about. I'm going to try this strategy later this week.

[mjsjr]

RC is my most difficult section too. When I'm timing myself, I get a bunch wrong. When I'm not timing, I usually get them right. In PowerScore, it suggests if you're having trouble to try only doing three passages, then guess quickly on the last with your time left. Only doing three allows you more time for each one, while still allowing you to get ~20 points (depending on your accuracy) and a shot at a few right by guessing on the last. Just something to think about. I'm going to try this strategy later this week.

This can be useful advice, depending on what one's goals are.

But something I've been doing that has contributed to very promising results is slowing down (something I've mentioned before, and something other 180-ers have suggested to me). Going through the Manhattan RC book helped me develop a basic strategy that did improve my performance, but slowing down while reading the passage has made the greatest improvement by far. I used to blaze through the passage trying to create a "passage map" and identify the author's position and scale. This was helpful, and I still try to do it in a way; but instead of hurrying through the passage to spend more time on the questions, I go through the passage slowly enough so that I can fully understand almost all, if not all, of the components of the passage. On easier passages, I gain SO much time on that passage in general because I spend extra time knowing for sure what the topic is all about; when I get to the questions, sometimes they only take a couple minutes if I'm in a groove. On harder passages slowing down becomes even more paramount, and, again, I save time overall because I go through the questions so much more quickly than I otherwise would have.

It took me a couple of attempts to really understand how slowly I needed to read the passage. I kept slowing down to the point that I wouldn't even need to refer back to the passage for many questions. If I kept having to flip back to the passage to better understand what was going on, I knew I didn't understand the passage and that I should probably have gone slower. Slowing down goes against every test taker's instinct, but you actually have more time than you think on the passage. Have you ever timed how long it takes you to read certain passages on a per-line basis? I can spend multiple seconds on each line of the passage; most people blaze through paragraphs spending less than a second on each line, just because they assume they need to spend most of their time on the questions and less on the passage itself. For me--and I recognize other people have had a ton of success using other methods, so I in no way attempt to suggest that my method is best or useful to all-- the extra time spent up front allowed me to finish each passage quicker than if I would have hurried through it instead to spend more time on the questions.

My advice: spend more time reading the passage and see how that affects how quickly you can finish the questions. While you go through the passage at a slow pace, try to create a "passage map," summarizing the relationships between each paragraph and noting the author's attitude whenever present. Take the time and create the habit of consciously doing these things, because, at least for me, my initial intuition was to rush through things and create a haphazard understanding of the passage. Take a deep breath and say "I have more time. I should understand how this passage actually works." Maybe try one or two untimed, but don't be afraid to transition to timed sections fairly quickly; you should be going through timed sections doing blind review anyway, so you can "kill two birds with one stone" by doing the section timed first and then reviewing it after untimed.

Good luck!

[kcho10]

RC is my most difficult section too. When I'm timing myself, I get a bunch wrong. When I'm not timing, I usually get them right. In PowerScore, it suggests if you're having trouble to try only doing three passages, then guess quickly on the last with your time left. Only doing three allows you more time for each one, while still allowing you to get ~20 points (depending on your accuracy) and a shot at a few right by guessing on the last. Just something to think about. I'm going to try this strategy later this week.

Hey fazzvm56, thanks a lot for you advice. I saw the same thing as well from Powerscore, and I'll definitely keep that in mind worst case scenario, but I'm trying to build up enough speed to get through all the passages, even if I don't get a perfect score. Thanks again and I hope your studies are going well...let's kill this RC section!

[kcho10]

RC is my most difficult section too. When I'm timing myself, I get a bunch wrong. When I'm not timing, I usually get them right. In PowerScore, it suggests if you're having trouble to try only doing three passages, then guess quickly on the last with your time left. Only doing three allows you more time for each one, while still allowing you to get ~20 points (depending on your accuracy) and a shot at a few right by guessing on the last. Just something to think about. I'm going to try this strategy later this week.

This can be useful advice, depending on what one's goals are.

But something I've been doing that has contributed to very promising results is slowing down (something I've mentioned before, and something other 180-ers have suggested to me). Going through the Manhattan RC book helped me develop a basic strategy that did improve my performance, but slowing down while reading the passage has made the greatest improvement by far. I used to blaze through the passage trying to create a "passage map" and identify the author's position and scale. This was helpful, and I still try to do it in a way; but instead of hurrying through the passage to spend more time on the questions, I go through the passage slowly enough so that I can fully understand almost all, if not all, of the components of the passage. On easier passages, I gain SO much time on that passage in general because I spend extra time knowing for sure what the topic is all about; when I get to the questions, sometimes they only take a couple minutes if I'm in a groove. On harder passages slowing down becomes even more paramount, and, again, I save time overall because I go through the questions so much more quickly than I otherwise would have.

It took me a couple of attempts to really understand how slowly I needed to read the passage. I kept slowing down to the point that I wouldn't even need to refer back to the passage for many questions. If I kept having to flip back to the passage to better understand what was going on, I knew I didn't understand the passage and that I should probably have gone slower. Slowing down goes against every test taker's instinct, but you actually have more time than you think on the passage. Have you ever timed how long it takes you to read certain passages on a per-line basis? I can spend multiple seconds on each line of the passage; most people blaze through paragraphs spending less than a second on each line, just because they assume they need to spend most of their time on the questions and less on the passage itself. For me--and I recognize other people have had a ton of success using other methods, so I in no way attempt to suggest that my method is best or useful to all-- the extra time spent up front allowed me to finish each passage quicker than if I would have hurried through it instead to spend more time on the questions.

My advice: spend more time reading the passage and see how that affects how quickly you can finish the questions. While you go through the passage at a slow pace, try to create a "passage map," summarizing the relationships between each paragraph and noting the author's attitude whenever present. Take the time and create the habit of consciously doing these things, because, at least for me, my initial intuition was to rush through things and create a haphazard understanding of the passage. Take a deep breath and say "I have more time. I should understand how this passage actually works." Maybe try one or two untimed, but don't be afraid to transition to timed sections fairly quickly; you should be going through timed sections doing blind review anyway, so you can "kill two birds with one stone" by doing the section timed first and then reviewing it after untimed.

Good luck!

mjsjr,
Thanks for your thorough advice! After trying this are you getting a good score on reading comp now, if you don't mind me asking? I definitely see your point about slowing down...This strategy definitely helped me out A LOT in logic games and logical reasoning. I've tried that same tactic in reading comp but ironically I ended up understanding the passage less when I slowed down. I think I am gonna keep trying the slower method though because I think you're right, if I can know the answers before I even tackle the questions I should be set. Just out of curiosity, what would you set the target time to be to read the passage, and what would it be to answer the questions? I found when I took my time reading I would typically take about 5 minutes and some times more because I would end up reading the same line over and over again lol. Thanks again!

[fazzvm56]

RC is my most difficult section too. When I'm timing myself, I get a bunch wrong. When I'm not timing, I usually get them right. In PowerScore, it suggests if you're having trouble to try only doing three passages, then guess quickly on the last with your time left. Only doing three allows you more time for each one, while still allowing you to get ~20 points (depending on your accuracy) and a shot at a few right by guessing on the last. Just something to think about. I'm going to try this strategy later this week.

This can be useful advice, depending on what one's goals are.

But something I've been doing that has contributed to very promising results is slowing down (something I've mentioned before, and something other 180-ers have suggested to me). Going through the Manhattan RC book helped me develop a basic strategy that did improve my performance, but slowing down while reading the passage has made the greatest improvement by far. I used to blaze through the passage trying to create a "passage map" and identify the author's position and scale. This was helpful, and I still try to do it in a way; but instead of hurrying through the passage to spend more time on the questions, I go through the passage slowly enough so that I can fully understand almost all, if not all, of the components of the passage. On easier passages, I gain SO much time on that passage in general because I spend extra time knowing for sure what the topic is all about; when I get to the questions, sometimes they only take a couple minutes if I'm in a groove. On harder passages slowing down becomes even more paramount, and, again, I save time overall because I go through the questions so much more quickly than I otherwise would have.

It took me a couple of attempts to really understand how slowly I needed to read the passage. I kept slowing down to the point that I wouldn't even need to refer back to the passage for many questions. If I kept having to flip back to the passage to better understand what was going on, I knew I didn't understand the passage and that I should probably have gone slower. Slowing down goes against every test taker's instinct, but you actually have more time than you think on the passage. Have you ever timed how long it takes you to read certain passages on a per-line basis? I can spend multiple seconds on each line of the passage; most people blaze through paragraphs spending less than a second on each line, just because they assume they need to spend most of their time on the questions and less on the passage itself. For me--and I recognize other people have had a ton of success using other methods, so I in no way attempt to suggest that my method is best or useful to all-- the extra time spent up front allowed me to finish each passage quicker than if I would have hurried through it instead to spend more time on the questions.

My advice: spend more time reading the passage and see how that affects how quickly you can finish the questions. While you go through the passage at a slow pace, try to create a "passage map," summarizing the relationships between each paragraph and noting the author's attitude whenever present. Take the time and create the habit of consciously doing these things, because, at least for me, my initial intuition was to rush through things and create a haphazard understanding of the passage. Take a deep breath and say "I have more time. I should understand how this passage actually works." Maybe try one or two untimed, but don't be afraid to transition to timed sections fairly quickly; you should be going through timed sections doing blind review anyway, so you can "kill two birds with one stone" by doing the section timed first and then reviewing it after untimed.

Good luck!

mjsjr,
Thanks for your thorough advice! After trying this are you getting a good score on reading comp now, if you don't mind me asking? I definitely see your point about slowing down...This strategy definitely helped me out A LOT in logic games and logical reasoning. I've tried that same tactic in reading comp but ironically I ended up understanding the passage less when I slowed down. I think I am gonna keep trying the slower method though because I think you're right, if I can know the answers before I even tackle the questions I should be set. Just out of curiosity, what would you set the target time to be to read the passage, and what would it be to answer the questions? I found when I took my time reading I would typically take about 5 minutes and some times more because I would end up reading the same line over and over again lol. Thanks again!

I'm also interested in knowing what your slowed down rate is. Cause I find I generally take about 5 minutes to read and then rush through the questions. I'm interested in trying this tactic as well.

[mjsjr]

RC is my most difficult section too. When I'm timing myself, I get a bunch wrong. When I'm not timing, I usually get them right. In PowerScore, it suggests if you're having trouble to try only doing three passages, then guess quickly on the last with your time left. Only doing three allows you more time for each one, while still allowing you to get ~20 points (depending on your accuracy) and a shot at a few right by guessing on the last. Just something to think about. I'm going to try this strategy later this week.

This can be useful advice, depending on what one's goals are.

But something I've been doing that has contributed to very promising results is slowing down (something I've mentioned before, and something other 180-ers have suggested to me). Going through the Manhattan RC book helped me develop a basic strategy that did improve my performance, but slowing down while reading the passage has made the greatest improvement by far. I used to blaze through the passage trying to create a "passage map" and identify the author's position and scale. This was helpful, and I still try to do it in a way; but instead of hurrying through the passage to spend more time on the questions, I go through the passage slowly enough so that I can fully understand almost all, if not all, of the components of the passage. On easier passages, I gain SO much time on that passage in general because I spend extra time knowing for sure what the topic is all about; when I get to the questions, sometimes they only take a couple minutes if I'm in a groove. On harder passages slowing down becomes even more paramount, and, again, I save time overall because I go through the questions so much more quickly than I otherwise would have.

It took me a couple of attempts to really understand how slowly I needed to read the passage. I kept slowing down to the point that I wouldn't even need to refer back to the passage for many questions. If I kept having to flip back to the passage to better understand what was going on, I knew I didn't understand the passage and that I should probably have gone slower. Slowing down goes against every test taker's instinct, but you actually have more time than you think on the passage. Have you ever timed how long it takes you to read certain passages on a per-line basis? I can spend multiple seconds on each line of the passage; most people blaze through paragraphs spending less than a second on each line, just because they assume they need to spend most of their time on the questions and less on the passage itself. For me--and I recognize other people have had a ton of success using other methods, so I in no way attempt to suggest that my method is best or useful to all-- the extra time spent up front allowed me to finish each passage quicker than if I would have hurried through it instead to spend more time on the questions.

My advice: spend more time reading the passage and see how that affects how quickly you can finish the questions. While you go through the passage at a slow pace, try to create a "passage map," summarizing the relationships between each paragraph and noting the author's attitude whenever present. Take the time and create the habit of consciously doing these things, because, at least for me, my initial intuition was to rush through things and create a haphazard understanding of the passage. Take a deep breath and say "I have more time. I should understand how this passage actually works." Maybe try one or two untimed, but don't be afraid to transition to timed sections fairly quickly; you should be going through timed sections doing blind review anyway, so you can "kill two birds with one stone" by doing the section timed first and then reviewing it after untimed.

Good luck!

mjsjr,
Thanks for your thorough advice! After trying this are you getting a good score on reading comp now, if you don't mind me asking? I definitely see your point about slowing down...This strategy definitely helped me out A LOT in logic games and logical reasoning. I've tried that same tactic in reading comp but ironically I ended up understanding the passage less when I slowed down. I think I am gonna keep trying the slower method though because I think you're right, if I can know the answers before I even tackle the questions I should be set. Just out of curiosity, what would you set the target time to be to read the passage, and what would it be to answer the questions? I found when I took my time reading I would typically take about 5 minutes and some times more because I would end up reading the same line over and over again lol. Thanks again!

No problem!

5 minutes is pretty lengthy. I would say that would be at the tail end of the amount of time I spend for a difficult passage. To answer OP's question, my scores have been averaging around -1's, with about an 8-section sample size. This isn't a ton of verification, I know, but it seems really encouraging to me seeing as I was missing 3-6 questions pretty consistently. Right now, I'm actually going through the process of drilling all of the RC passages, so it's reasonable that the overall increase in exposure to the sections is responsible for my score increase, and not the above method, but I doubt it. I have only just started to drill RC a lot more, and when I started slowing down, I had that epiphany moment where things seemed to click for me. And the more and more I use this method, the more comfortable I become and the more I see -0's on multiple sections. Sometimes there are those questions that are just worded really difficultly or that I just had a mental lapse for, but, regardless of those singular questions, the overall method seems very successful.

I think it's important to mention that I don't just take 3.5-4.5 minutes to slowly read each line one by one. Slowing down means reading so that you know you understand what the author is getting at, but also taking the time after each paragraph to analyze what you just read, to see how it relates, and to use it to help build an overall scale and map of the passage. Sometimes, when I get tripped up by the questions in a passage, I'll check back over things to see what made it so difficult. In almost all of these cases I end up notating "you should have used more setup time," because I remembered rushing through the passage and I realized a little more "setup" time would have made things a lot easier. I spend the extra time trying to do everything I can to help me understand the passage and answer the questions more quickly than I otherwise would have. Sometimes this means going back to the top and getting a quick overview of everything; going back over certain dense paragraphs; clarifying a couple relationships between paragraphs; or noting how the author felt towards certain ideas. Practice with RC just in general helps too, because then you can effectively use this extra time to help pick out bits of the passage that you have a feeling will be tested on. Sometimes I get to certain questions and recognize that I had picked out the information to specifically answer that question earlier.

So, if you're rereading multiple lines and slowing down because of that, I would say don't do that, haha. We've all had that day where we read an LR stimulus 10 times and thought "what did I just read?" But that's a focus/stamina issue that needs to be resolved on its own so that if you do increase the amount of time you spend on passages, you're not using that extra time to fix a focus issue; you're using it towards understanding the material better so that you can answer the questions more quickly. If you're spending a lot of extra time because you have to reread lines over and over again, I'm sure it actually will help you understand things better, but why not also attempt to focus a bit more so that you don't have to reread things so often and can spend more time putting all of the information together?

If you agree that focusing is somewhat of an issue for you, then I would say try to 1) realize when you're not in the appropriate studying frame of mind so that you're not wasting material while you're brain is fizzled, and 2) work on increasing the amount of time you can maintain effective brain power by incorporating more sections and drills into your study routine (sort of contradictory, I know; you have to push through a bit of work while you're not necessarily in your "prime" mental capacity to increase your stamina). Those are just a couple thoughts, but you know yourself better than anyone here, so do what you think is best!