When the hell did RC get so ugly and what are some strategies to help? Forum

[WiltyMIZ]

Ok, so maybe this is an obvious observation or maybe I'm just going crazy, but when I started taking PTs from earlier years the reading comp portion was easily my strongest section. Missing more than 2 upset me. Now that I have progressed in my prep I have come to notice that modern reading comp is bruuuutally brutally difficult in comparison to earlier exams and if I miss less than 6-7 I am ecstatic. I firmly believe my strong prep scores in earlier PTs was due to managing the LR/LG sections while excelling on the RC, but nowadays it's by far the most intimidating section to me.

So in summation, does anybody have any strategies/advice on handling modern RC? Is there any particular advice/drill out there that could help me manage this damn thing before December rolls around? At this point, I feel that this is the biggest obstacle holding me back from attaining a 170+ score on my actual test day.

Thanks in advance for any input

[RamTitan]

I think the RC sections have gotten progressively harder.

With that said, do the same passages over and over. Once you deconstruct enough of them, you'll see that most passages are similiar (and even have answers located in similiar places). I have had to do some passages 6+ times to really understand this section.

Search through some of Blueprint Mithun's posts; he knows how to tackle RC like no other.

[Deardevil]

Perhaps you haven't exposed yourself enough to double passages?

I've been at rock bottom with RC for a while, but been noticing that it's becoming slightly bearable due to more reading in the "right way."

[SlippinJimmy]

Perhaps you haven't exposed yourself enough to double passages?

I've been at rock bottom with RC for a while, but been noticing that it's becoming slightly bearable due to more reading in the "right way."

I don't think the comparative reading passages make the test more difficult. There's less detail and the two passages almost always relate in ways that are easily perceived and intuitive.

The passages themselves feel more abstract (the modern science based ones are always a slog), and answer choices seem trickier. That I think is the cause of the difficulty spike.

[WiltyMIZ]

Perhaps you haven't exposed yourself enough to double passages?

I've been at rock bottom with RC for a while, but been noticing that it's becoming slightly bearable due to more reading in the "right way."

I don't think the comparative reading passages make the test more difficult. There's less detail and the two passages almost always relate in ways that are easily perceived and intuitive.

The passages themselves feel more abstract (the modern science based ones are always a slog), and answer choices seem trickier. That I think is the cause of the difficulty spike.

I agree with this. Older tests might have had some tough passages to process, but the questions accompanying them were significantly less brutal. Comparative passages seem easier for me. Maybe due to the conciseness of each passage and the generally contradictory viewpoints on one aspect of the overall theme or another.