Reading Comprehension Startegies Forum

[SunDevil14]

I am interested in different approaches, strategies, and review processes that strong RC performers use (consistently -2 or less), and why they found them beneficial.

[Blueprint Mithun]

I am interested in different approaches, strategies, and review processes that strong RC performers use (consistently -2 or less), and why they found them beneficial.

I've found myself writing about RC strategies on TLS pretty frequently. Here's a writeup a did a while back for someone who was struggling to complete RC on time with reliable accuracy. It's pretty long, but outlines my whole approach to the section pretty comprehensively.

I think it comes down to being less about how much time you split between reading the passage vs. doing questions, and more about how effectively you're actively reading, i.e. analyzing the passage as you read it for the first time.

As you read the passage, you should be trying to do two things at once. First off, obviously enough, you should be able to follow the essay and understand the issue(s) presented. Don't get lost - if you do, go back a sentence or two and get back on track. If a minor detail confuses you, as it may likely do, especially in a dense science or law passage, it's usually not important as long you understand the general idea. Reading at a brisk pace can be helpful in terms of time, but it's important not to rush.

While you're reading, you have a second job - to actively look out for certain elements that you're likely to be asked about. These include: the main point of the passage, the opinions of any major POVs on the issue, and the author's attitude. Before you start doing the questions, take a moment and see if you can describe those three things.

While this step may seem unnecessary and overlong at first, it's incredibly useful, especially you've practiced it and it becomes an instinct. Certain questions will become much easier. You'll find that you won't have to go back and re-read chunks of the passage to figure these "big-picture" concepts out. And the more passages you exercise this technique on, the more you'll start to see how similar RC passages are.

Another piece of advice is to wean yourself off of underlining/circling/writing summarizing notes in the margin. While these techniques are useful when you're starting out practicing Reading Comp, they can add up and take a sizable chunk of your time. It's fine to do them to an extent, of course, especially if you find it helpful. However, RC passages aren't very long, and you should be able to hold most of big picture ideas in your head. As for the detail-oriented questions, as long as you have an understanding of the passage's structure, and know where to look to find your answer, then you'll be fine.

These are some excellent tips. Active reading is really the key to doing well on the RC section. If you read the passage passively, you're going to end up spending a lot of time returning to the text when you're trying to answer the questions. Given the 35-minute time limit, you want to limit this back-and-forth time as much as possible.

There are several RC question types that you can save time on by actively looking for those concepts during your first reading of the passage. In particular, I'm referring to the "big-picture" ideas, the central concepts which exist in every passage: the main point, the author's attitude, the opinions of any major perspectives on the issue, and the structure of the argument.

If you're willing to experiment with a new approach, try this one - it's akin to what we teach Blueprint students. As you read the passage for the first time, keep an eye out for those four concepts. Each passage is full of cues, and the more you practice looking for the same ideas, the better you'll get at noticing them. When you finish reading the passage, before even looking at the questions, you should attempt to define the main point, define the author's attitude (whether it was neutral or opinionated), define all the major sides to the argument, and loosely describe the structure/flow of the argument. At this stage, it's not a bad idea to actually write this info down, though as you continue to prep, you should try to do this mentally, to save time.

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't also be reading for content. If you find that you're lost, go back a few sentences and get back on track. But don't worry if the details are confusing or arcane - what's most important is that you understand what purpose they serve in the context of the argument. Another useful tip: take a few seconds after you finish reading each paragraph to do a quick mental review of how that paragraph contributed to the argument. This will help break the passage down into more manageable chunks, and give you a better understanding of its larger structure.

If you practice breaking each passage down into these concepts, you'll find yourself getting the answers to MP, AA, opinion, and structure-related questions much faster, since you won't have to spend nearly as much time jumping back in and frantically scanning the passage. Other than these, you mainly just have detail-oriented questions to deal with, which shouldn't take long if you understand the passage's structure and know where to look to find the relevant info.

An experienced RC taker sees a passage not as a chunk of information on a random subject, but as a layered argument or series of interconnected arguments. Don't rush through the passage - many students who struggle with the time limit think that leaving more time for the questions will result in a better score. This isn't necessarily the case: the best thing you can do is read + analyze the passage effectively, and be as prepared as possible for the questions. The more you practice this method, the more efficient it becomes.

Hope that helps!

[SunDevil14]

Thanks I appreciate the advice, I tend to already do as suggested(i.e identify Main Point, Author view points, others' viewpoint , but will make a more focused effort to have those down precisely. Typically the passages that give me the most trouble are the one's that do not have arguments but rather an objective block of facts describing x y or z.

[ltowns1]

I am interested in different approaches, strategies, and review processes that strong RC performers use (consistently -2 or less), and why they found them beneficial.

I've found myself writing about RC strategies on TLS pretty frequently. Here's a writeup a did a while back for someone who was struggling to complete RC on time with reliable accuracy. It's pretty long, but outlines my whole approach to the section pretty comprehensively.

I think it comes down to being less about how much time you split between reading the passage vs. doing questions, and more about how effectively you're actively reading, i.e. analyzing the passage as you read it for the first time.

As you read the passage, you should be trying to do two things at once. First off, obviously enough, you should be able to follow the essay and understand the issue(s) presented. Don't get lost - if you do, go back a sentence or two and get back on track. If a minor detail confuses you, as it may likely do, especially in a dense science or law passage, it's usually not important as long you understand the general idea. Reading at a brisk pace can be helpful in terms of time, but it's important not to rush.

While you're reading, you have a second job - to actively look out for certain elements that you're likely to be asked about. These include: the main point of the passage, the opinions of any major POVs on the issue, and the author's attitude. Before you start doing the questions, take a moment and see if you can describe those three things.

While this step may seem unnecessary and overlong at first, it's incredibly useful, especially you've practiced it and it becomes an instinct. Certain questions will become much easier. You'll find that you won't have to go back and re-read chunks of the passage to figure these "big-picture" concepts out. And the more passages you exercise this technique on, the more you'll start to see how similar RC passages are.

Another piece of advice is to wean yourself off of underlining/circling/writing summarizing notes in the margin. While these techniques are useful when you're starting out practicing Reading Comp, they can add up and take a sizable chunk of your time. It's fine to do them to an extent, of course, especially if you find it helpful. However, RC passages aren't very long, and you should be able to hold most of big picture ideas in your head. As for the detail-oriented questions, as long as you have an understanding of the passage's structure, and know where to look to find your answer, then you'll be fine.

These are some excellent tips. Active reading is really the key to doing well on the RC section. If you read the passage passively, you're going to end up spending a lot of time returning to the text when you're trying to answer the questions. Given the 35-minute time limit, you want to limit this back-and-forth time as much as possible.

There are several RC question types that you can save time on by actively looking for those concepts during your first reading of the passage. In particular, I'm referring to the "big-picture" ideas, the central concepts which exist in every passage: the main point, the author's attitude, the opinions of any major perspectives on the issue, and the structure of the argument.

If you're willing to experiment with a new approach, try this one - it's akin to what we teach Blueprint students. As you read the passage for the first time, keep an eye out for those four concepts. Each passage is full of cues, and the more you practice looking for the same ideas, the better you'll get at noticing them. When you finish reading the passage, before even looking at the questions, you should attempt to define the main point, define the author's attitude (whether it was neutral or opinionated), define all the major sides to the argument, and loosely describe the structure/flow of the argument. At this stage, it's not a bad idea to actually write this info down, though as you continue to prep, you should try to do this mentally, to save time.

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't also be reading for content. If you find that you're lost, go back a few sentences and get back on track. But don't worry if the details are confusing or arcane - what's most important is that you understand what purpose they serve in the context of the argument. Another useful tip: take a few seconds after you finish reading each paragraph to do a quick mental review of how that paragraph contributed to the argument. This will help break the passage down into more manageable chunks, and give you a better understanding of its larger structure.

If you practice breaking each passage down into these concepts, you'll find yourself getting the answers to MP, AA, opinion, and structure-related questions much faster, since you won't have to spend nearly as much time jumping back in and frantically scanning the passage. Other than these, you mainly just have detail-oriented questions to deal with, which shouldn't take long if you understand the passage's structure and know where to look to find the relevant info.

An experienced RC taker sees a passage not as a chunk of information on a random subject, but as a layered argument or series of interconnected arguments. Don't rush through the passage - many students who struggle with the time limit think that leaving more time for the questions will result in a better score. This isn't necessarily the case: the best thing you can do is read + analyze the passage effectively, and be as prepared as possible for the questions. The more you practice this method, the more efficient it becomes.

Hope that helps!

"Other than these, you mainly just have detail-oriented questions to deal with, which shouldn't take long if you understand the passage's structure and know where to look to find the relevant info."


This is the part I do not understand. Structural questions are not that hard for me, I just can't figure out how to effectively use what I know through summary of the paragraphs to figure out where I should look for the detailed questions If someone could show an example of how you do it, that would be great

[SunDevil14]

I am interested in different approaches, strategies, and review processes that strong RC performers use (consistently -2 or less), and why they found them beneficial.

I've found myself writing about RC strategies on TLS pretty frequently. Here's a writeup a did a while back for someone who was struggling to complete RC on time with reliable accuracy. It's pretty long, but outlines my whole approach to the section pretty comprehensively.

I think it comes down to being less about how much time you split between reading the passage vs. doing questions, and more about how effectively you're actively reading, i.e. analyzing the passage as you read it for the first time.

As you read the passage, you should be trying to do two things at once. First off, obviously enough, you should be able to follow the essay and understand the issue(s) presented. Don't get lost - if you do, go back a sentence or two and get back on track. If a minor detail confuses you, as it may likely do, especially in a dense science or law passage, it's usually not important as long you understand the general idea. Reading at a brisk pace can be helpful in terms of time, but it's important not to rush.

While you're reading, you have a second job - to actively look out for certain elements that you're likely to be asked about. These include: the main point of the passage, the opinions of any major POVs on the issue, and the author's attitude. Before you start doing the questions, take a moment and see if you can describe those three things.

While this step may seem unnecessary and overlong at first, it's incredibly useful, especially you've practiced it and it becomes an instinct. Certain questions will become much easier. You'll find that you won't have to go back and re-read chunks of the passage to figure these "big-picture" concepts out. And the more passages you exercise this technique on, the more you'll start to see how similar RC passages are.

Another piece of advice is to wean yourself off of underlining/circling/writing summarizing notes in the margin. While these techniques are useful when you're starting out practicing Reading Comp, they can add up and take a sizable chunk of your time. It's fine to do them to an extent, of course, especially if you find it helpful. However, RC passages aren't very long, and you should be able to hold most of big picture ideas in your head. As for the detail-oriented questions, as long as you have an understanding of the passage's structure, and know where to look to find your answer, then you'll be fine.

These are some excellent tips. Active reading is really the key to doing well on the RC section. If you read the passage passively, you're going to end up spending a lot of time returning to the text when you're trying to answer the questions. Given the 35-minute time limit, you want to limit this back-and-forth time as much as possible.

There are several RC question types that you can save time on by actively looking for those concepts during your first reading of the passage. In particular, I'm referring to the "big-picture" ideas, the central concepts which exist in every passage: the main point, the author's attitude, the opinions of any major perspectives on the issue, and the structure of the argument.

If you're willing to experiment with a new approach, try this one - it's akin to what we teach Blueprint students. As you read the passage for the first time, keep an eye out for those four concepts. Each passage is full of cues, and the more you practice looking for the same ideas, the better you'll get at noticing them. When you finish reading the passage, before even looking at the questions, you should attempt to define the main point, define the author's attitude (whether it was neutral or opinionated), define all the major sides to the argument, and loosely describe the structure/flow of the argument. At this stage, it's not a bad idea to actually write this info down, though as you continue to prep, you should try to do this mentally, to save time.

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't also be reading for content. If you find that you're lost, go back a few sentences and get back on track. But don't worry if the details are confusing or arcane - what's most important is that you understand what purpose they serve in the context of the argument. Another useful tip: take a few seconds after you finish reading each paragraph to do a quick mental review of how that paragraph contributed to the argument. This will help break the passage down into more manageable chunks, and give you a better understanding of its larger structure.

If you practice breaking each passage down into these concepts, you'll find yourself getting the answers to MP, AA, opinion, and structure-related questions much faster, since you won't have to spend nearly as much time jumping back in and frantically scanning the passage. Other than these, you mainly just have detail-oriented questions to deal with, which shouldn't take long if you understand the passage's structure and know where to look to find the relevant info.

An experienced RC taker sees a passage not as a chunk of information on a random subject, but as a layered argument or series of interconnected arguments. Don't rush through the passage - many students who struggle with the time limit think that leaving more time for the questions will result in a better score. This isn't necessarily the case: the best thing you can do is read + analyze the passage effectively, and be as prepared as possible for the questions. The more you practice this method, the more efficient it becomes.

Hope that helps!

"Other than these, you mainly just have detail-oriented questions to deal with, which shouldn't take long if you understand the passage's structure and know where to look to find the relevant info."


This is the part I do not understand. Structural questions are not that hard for me, I just can't figure out how to effectively use what I know through summary of the paragraphs to figure out where I should look for the detailed questions If someone could show an example of how you do it, that would be great

I am slowly improving through a lot of review and exposure, two 4 passage sections a day. As for your question, what I have been doing is really marking up the passage when reviewing, (I do not use notations or mark the passage when attempting the section). When reviewing I bracket each paragraph and write down the general idea/relation to the passage. I also underline where exactly in the passage I am drawing support for each question. Lastly, I really analyze each question stem and try to understand how the stem points to a specific portion of the passage and why the stem points to that particular sections. Alternatively, I attempt to understand why a particular stem directs uses the passage as a whole rather than a particular section.

At least for me, there really is not a quick-easy answer, just a lot of brute force and repetition.

[ltowns1]

thanks

[Blueprint Mithun]

I am interested in different approaches, strategies, and review processes that strong RC performers use (consistently -2 or less), and why they found them beneficial.

I've found myself writing about RC strategies on TLS pretty frequently. Here's a writeup a did a while back for someone who was struggling to complete RC on time with reliable accuracy. It's pretty long, but outlines my whole approach to the section pretty comprehensively.

I think it comes down to being less about how much time you split between reading the passage vs. doing questions, and more about how effectively you're actively reading, i.e. analyzing the passage as you read it for the first time.

As you read the passage, you should be trying to do two things at once. First off, obviously enough, you should be able to follow the essay and understand the issue(s) presented. Don't get lost - if you do, go back a sentence or two and get back on track. If a minor detail confuses you, as it may likely do, especially in a dense science or law passage, it's usually not important as long you understand the general idea. Reading at a brisk pace can be helpful in terms of time, but it's important not to rush.

While you're reading, you have a second job - to actively look out for certain elements that you're likely to be asked about. These include: the main point of the passage, the opinions of any major POVs on the issue, and the author's attitude. Before you start doing the questions, take a moment and see if you can describe those three things.

While this step may seem unnecessary and overlong at first, it's incredibly useful, especially you've practiced it and it becomes an instinct. Certain questions will become much easier. You'll find that you won't have to go back and re-read chunks of the passage to figure these "big-picture" concepts out. And the more passages you exercise this technique on, the more you'll start to see how similar RC passages are.

Another piece of advice is to wean yourself off of underlining/circling/writing summarizing notes in the margin. While these techniques are useful when you're starting out practicing Reading Comp, they can add up and take a sizable chunk of your time. It's fine to do them to an extent, of course, especially if you find it helpful. However, RC passages aren't very long, and you should be able to hold most of big picture ideas in your head. As for the detail-oriented questions, as long as you have an understanding of the passage's structure, and know where to look to find your answer, then you'll be fine.

These are some excellent tips. Active reading is really the key to doing well on the RC section. If you read the passage passively, you're going to end up spending a lot of time returning to the text when you're trying to answer the questions. Given the 35-minute time limit, you want to limit this back-and-forth time as much as possible.

There are several RC question types that you can save time on by actively looking for those concepts during your first reading of the passage. In particular, I'm referring to the "big-picture" ideas, the central concepts which exist in every passage: the main point, the author's attitude, the opinions of any major perspectives on the issue, and the structure of the argument.

If you're willing to experiment with a new approach, try this one - it's akin to what we teach Blueprint students. As you read the passage for the first time, keep an eye out for those four concepts. Each passage is full of cues, and the more you practice looking for the same ideas, the better you'll get at noticing them. When you finish reading the passage, before even looking at the questions, you should attempt to define the main point, define the author's attitude (whether it was neutral or opinionated), define all the major sides to the argument, and loosely describe the structure/flow of the argument. At this stage, it's not a bad idea to actually write this info down, though as you continue to prep, you should try to do this mentally, to save time.

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't also be reading for content. If you find that you're lost, go back a few sentences and get back on track. But don't worry if the details are confusing or arcane - what's most important is that you understand what purpose they serve in the context of the argument. Another useful tip: take a few seconds after you finish reading each paragraph to do a quick mental review of how that paragraph contributed to the argument. This will help break the passage down into more manageable chunks, and give you a better understanding of its larger structure.

If you practice breaking each passage down into these concepts, you'll find yourself getting the answers to MP, AA, opinion, and structure-related questions much faster, since you won't have to spend nearly as much time jumping back in and frantically scanning the passage. Other than these, you mainly just have detail-oriented questions to deal with, which shouldn't take long if you understand the passage's structure and know where to look to find the relevant info.

An experienced RC taker sees a passage not as a chunk of information on a random subject, but as a layered argument or series of interconnected arguments. Don't rush through the passage - many students who struggle with the time limit think that leaving more time for the questions will result in a better score. This isn't necessarily the case: the best thing you can do is read + analyze the passage effectively, and be as prepared as possible for the questions. The more you practice this method, the more efficient it becomes.

Hope that helps!

"Other than these, you mainly just have detail-oriented questions to deal with, which shouldn't take long if you understand the passage's structure and know where to look to find the relevant info."


This is the part I do not understand. Structural questions are not that hard for me, I just can't figure out how to effectively use what I know through summary of the paragraphs to figure out where I should look for the detailed questions If someone could show an example of how you do it, that would be great

So the idea is that understanding the structure of the passage should make it easier for you to figure out where different bits of information can be found. I like to think of those little summaries of what each paragraph is about as pieces of a roadmap. If I know that paragraph 2, for example is where scientist A defended the existence of climate change, then any time I need to find evidence or support for that argument, I know the best place to start looking.

[ltowns1]

Yeah, but that's an easy example lol. I'm talking about when a question gives you a name or something in the question, and you don't remember where it is. Something along the lines of PT 63 #18 passage 3. I already know it's an unusually hard identification question, but this is a perfect illustration of what I'm referring to. How was I suppose to remember that magnetite grain was cited in the first paragraph of a very complex passage? My summary of the first paragraph was basically that the ocean has changed, and scienteist did not believe that at first, but here is why. Again, I don't wan't to make it too much about that particular question, but it does represent what I mean across RC passages

[SunDevil14]

Yeah, but that's an easy example lol. I'm talking about when a question gives you a name or something in the question, and you don't remember where it is. Something along the lines of PT 63 #18 passage 3. I already know it's an unusually hard identification question, but this is a perfect illustration of what I'm referring to. How was I suppose to remember that magnetite grain was cited in the first paragraph of a very complex passage? My summary of the first paragraph was basically that the ocean has changed, and scienteist did not believe that at first, but here it is why. Again, I don't wan't to make it too much about that particular question, but it does represent what I mean across RC passages

Not really a solution, but one tip would be to save that question until you have answer all the other ones from the given passage. I am not sure about PT 63, but occasionally I will find an answer to a hard question when searching for the support to a more moderate question.

[ltowns1]

Yeah, but that's an easy example lol. I'm talking about when a question gives you a name or something in the question, and you don't remember where it is. Something along the lines of PT 63 #18 passage 3. I already know it's an unusually hard identification question, but this is a perfect illustration of what I'm referring to. How was I suppose to remember that magnetite grain was cited in the first paragraph of a very complex passage? My summary of the first paragraph was basically that the ocean has changed, and scientist did not believe that at first, but here it is why. Again, I don't wan't to make it too much about that particular question, but it does represent what I mean across RC passages

Not really a solution, but one tip would be to save that question until you have answer all the other ones from the given passage. I am not sure about PT 63, but occasionally I will find an answer to a hard question when searching for the support to a more moderate question.

Yeah, that's what I try to do more of now.

[SunDevil14]

Yeah, but that's an easy example lol. I'm talking about when a question gives you a name or something in the question, and you don't remember where it is. Something along the lines of PT 63 #18 passage 3. I already know it's an unusually hard identification question, but this is a perfect illustration of what I'm referring to. How was I suppose to remember that magnetite grain was cited in the first paragraph of a very complex passage? My summary of the first paragraph was basically that the ocean has changed, and scientist did not believe that at first, but here it is why. Again, I don't wan't to make it too much about that particular question, but it does represent what I mean across RC passages

Not really a solution, but one tip would be to save that question until you have answer all the other ones from the given passage. I am not sure about PT 63, but occasionally I will find an answer to a hard question when searching for the support to a more moderate question.

Yeah, that's what I try to do more of now.

It's not a cure all, but occasionally it could help. Sometimes really focusing in on the question stem could help. In general sometime like, "The author makes x assumption..." would lead you to the portion of the text where arguments are being made. Where as something like "the passage states x" tend to be located more so in the portions that include background information (which tend to be closer to the beginning than the end). Usually the questions claiming that "all these are included in the passage except" tend to be found by locating lists or enumerations in the passage. Lastly, paragraphs that do not seem to fit well into the passage can be ripe with support and answers to questions, so do not overlook those, all portions of the passage are in their for a reason.

Take the above with a grain of salt, they are just some generalities I picked up on.