Looking for a tutor to go from 167 to 172+ Forum

[dlutfy]

Diagnostic: 132
February 17: 167

My biggest problem is reading comp. LR and LG are fine, but I can kind of shit the bed on logic games on the February test. I normally never do worse than -2 and I had to guess on 3, so that's probably why I had a drop from my PT average (169.)

I would prefer a tutor who was bad at reading comp (and the test in general.)

[34iplaw]

My improvement on RC -4/-5/-6 to -0/-1 [actual -2, 1x super sloppy mistake] came from reading the Manhattan RC guide while doing passages by subject. Particularly those I didn't care for. TBH, I think my improvement largely came down to really forcing myself back to the text for every A/C.

I think a lot of strong readers do poorly on RC by getting lured into answers that seem extremely familiar to the text. You get lured into and convinced of wrong A/C.

[njames1961]

My improvement on RC -4/-5/-6 to -0/-1 [actual -2, 1x super sloppy mistake] came from reading the Manhattan RC guide while doing passages by subject. Particularly those I didn't care for. TBH, I think my improvement largely came down to really forcing myself back to the text for every A/C.

I think a lot of strong readers do poorly on RC by getting lured into answers that seem extremely familiar to the text. You get lured into and convinced of wrong A/C.

So you think the key is to go back to the text as much as possible?

[AJordan]

My improvement on RC -4/-5/-6 to -0/-1 [actual -2, 1x super sloppy mistake] came from reading the Manhattan RC guide while doing passages by subject. Particularly those I didn't care for. TBH, I think my improvement largely came down to really forcing myself back to the text for every A/C.

I think a lot of strong readers do poorly on RC by getting lured into answers that seem extremely familiar to the text. You get lured into and convinced of wrong A/C.

So you think the key is to go back to the text as much as possible?

I do.

[Blueprint Brett]

I too struggled a ton with RC. Every other section was totally fine, but I would miss like half of the RC questions. The major thing that changed it for me was taking more time upfront. I started taking more notes on the passage, I started rereading paragraphs that I didn't understand, and I started taking a few seconds to recap all of my notes and the main point, author's attitude, etc. This allowed me to have a pretty much 100% understanding of the passage before I got into the questions. That meant that certain questions were pretty much totally answerable without much thought, and then I could quickly reference the exact part of the passage where the answer came from to confirm. In total that meant that there were usually only one or two questions that I had to really think on, and for those questions, I would do what others here have suggested and check every choice against the passage. That was much easier to do also because my clear understanding of the twists and turns of the passage allowed me to know exactly what parts of the passage would tell me whether an answer was right or wrong. So, my biggest piece of advice is to take more time upfront, even if it feel counterintuitive. That alone took me from a 14ish/27 on RC to a comfortable 25/27 even on my worst days. It also weirdly allowed me to finish the passages quicker leaving about 5 minutes to double check tougher answers.

[Platopus]

I've seen improvement on RC during my prep by slowing down during the actual passage. I really read at a comfortable pace, and make sure that everything I'm reading makes sense. I underline a hit here and there, and I usually circle any words such as "but", "yet", "although", "however", as these indicate a shift in viewpoint. However, my main purpose is to read at a slow enough pace to get a solid grasp on the mainpoint. Usually since the 1st question is about the mainpoint, I take extra time on this question to ensure that I have an accurate understanding of the passage. Also, remember that all the answers in RC need to mesh. Use previous answers that you're confident in to help answer other, more dicey questions. Slowing down in the passage makes about 1/2 the questions 30 seconds or less, and the others you can feel comfortable going back to the passage to double check.

For drilling, I find it useful to do each passage separately, and note my time up top. I find that I rarely need the 8 1/2 minutes, even for the hardest passages. When you realize that timing isn't as much of a pressure as you probably thought, the section becomes much more comfortable as a whole. Honestly, I find RC actually interesting, and this helps with engagement and understanding. Get thoroughly interested in the material. Read so that you actually learn something from the passage. In my experience, slowing down and engaging with the passage has helped tremendously.

[twiix]

I too struggled a ton with RC. Every other section was totally fine, but I would miss like half of the RC questions. The major thing that changed it for me was taking more time upfront. I started taking more notes on the passage, I started rereading paragraphs that I didn't understand, and I started taking a few seconds to recap all of my notes and the main point, author's attitude, etc. This allowed me to have a pretty much 100% understanding of the passage before I got into the questions. That meant that certain questions were pretty much totally answerable without much thought, and then I could quickly reference the exact part of the passage where the answer came from to confirm. In total that meant that there were usually only one or two questions that I had to really think on, and for those questions, I would do what others here have suggested and check every choice against the passage. That was much easier to do also because my clear understanding of the twists and turns of the passage allowed me to know exactly what parts of the passage would tell me whether an answer was right or wrong. So, my biggest piece of advice is to take more time upfront, even if it feel counterintuitive. That alone took me from a 14ish/27 on RC to a comfortable 25/27 even on my worst days. It also weirdly allowed me to finish the passages quicker leaving about 5 minutes to double check tougher answers.

Which guide did you follow for your notation strategy? Is there a webinar or write up of it? I would love to increase my RC to even -3/4 consistently. I'd go so far as to say I would give my left testicle for a -2 on game day.

[34iplaw]

My improvement on RC -4/-5/-6 to -0/-1 [actual -2, 1x super sloppy mistake] came from reading the Manhattan RC guide while doing passages by subject. Particularly those I didn't care for. TBH, I think my improvement largely came down to really forcing myself back to the text for every A/C.

I think a lot of strong readers do poorly on RC by getting lured into answers that seem extremely familiar to the text. You get lured into and convinced of wrong A/C.

So you think the key is to go back to the text as much as possible?

I do.

Sorry, I went MIA. Either way, I agree with AJordan.

[Blueprint Brett]

I too struggled a ton with RC. Every other section was totally fine, but I would miss like half of the RC questions. The major thing that changed it for me was taking more time upfront. I started taking more notes on the passage, I started rereading paragraphs that I didn't understand, and I started taking a few seconds to recap all of my notes and the main point, author's attitude, etc. This allowed me to have a pretty much 100% understanding of the passage before I got into the questions. That meant that certain questions were pretty much totally answerable without much thought, and then I could quickly reference the exact part of the passage where the answer came from to confirm. In total that meant that there were usually only one or two questions that I had to really think on, and for those questions, I would do what others here have suggested and check every choice against the passage. That was much easier to do also because my clear understanding of the twists and turns of the passage allowed me to know exactly what parts of the passage would tell me whether an answer was right or wrong. So, my biggest piece of advice is to take more time upfront, even if it feel counterintuitive. That alone took me from a 14ish/27 on RC to a comfortable 25/27 even on my worst days. It also weirdly allowed me to finish the passages quicker leaving about 5 minutes to double check tougher answers.

Which guide did you follow for your notation strategy? Is there a webinar or write up of it? I would love to increase my RC to even -3/4 consistently. I'd go so far as to say I would give my left testicle for a -2 on game day.

Just DMed you!