Hi,
I am facing difficulty answering 3 blank text completion questions correctly. Moreover, I see that I am spending on an average around 2-3 min for a 3 blank question and as a result I am not able to complete the tests on time.
1. What is the best way to improve in 3 blank questions?
2. If I still face difficulty with 3 blanks will the following strategy likely work for me?
"Since I am taking a lot of time answering 3 blank questions and that there will be at a maximum of 2 questions of this type, I am planning to just guess the answer (which I know will be wrong since I have very less chance of getting it right through guessing) and move on to other questions where I might score correct answers in less time."
Thanks in advance.
Best Regards,
Nischal
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- rao.nischal
- Students
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2012 4:25 am
- tommywallach
- Manhattan Prep Staff
- Posts: 1917
- Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:18 am
Re: Strategy for 3 blank text completion
Hey Rao,
This is difficult for me to answer, but I'm going to be as straight with you as possible. Three-blanks should not be significantly harder than other questions. Yes, they are often slightly longer (or even significantly longer), but they give you so much more context that many people find them easier than single blanks.
What your question implies to me is that your understanding/facility with English is still dangerously weak, in terms of doing well on Reading Comprehension. If you struggle for 2-3 minutes with a TC (Which ought to take about 1 minute), I can't see you doing well with RC, where the sentences are often just as complex and difficult, but there are more than a dozen of them.
Indeed, I've taken a look at your practice tests. And RC is by far (30 percentile points) your weakest area. So as painful as this may sound, the only answer for you is to fundamentally improve your reading skills. This will pay the biggest dividend in RC, but it will also remove the difficulty you're having in 3-blank TC questions.
Good luck!
-t
P.S. I also see that you took two tests within 4 days. I don't recommend this. Focus on improving your skills. Don't take practice tests more than once a week until you think you're coming to the end of your general improvement phase.
This is difficult for me to answer, but I'm going to be as straight with you as possible. Three-blanks should not be significantly harder than other questions. Yes, they are often slightly longer (or even significantly longer), but they give you so much more context that many people find them easier than single blanks.
What your question implies to me is that your understanding/facility with English is still dangerously weak, in terms of doing well on Reading Comprehension. If you struggle for 2-3 minutes with a TC (Which ought to take about 1 minute), I can't see you doing well with RC, where the sentences are often just as complex and difficult, but there are more than a dozen of them.
Indeed, I've taken a look at your practice tests. And RC is by far (30 percentile points) your weakest area. So as painful as this may sound, the only answer for you is to fundamentally improve your reading skills. This will pay the biggest dividend in RC, but it will also remove the difficulty you're having in 3-blank TC questions.
Good luck!
-t
P.S. I also see that you took two tests within 4 days. I don't recommend this. Focus on improving your skills. Don't take practice tests more than once a week until you think you're coming to the end of your general improvement phase.
- eee062010
- Students
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2014 6:27 pm
Re: Strategy for 3 blank text completion
Many people suggest to read newspapers to enhance reading skill. But If I read all of the passage and sentence completion from Official and manhattan prep for GRE throughly then will it be helpful to enhance reading skill?tommywallach Wrote:the only answer for you is to fundamentally improve your reading skills. This will pay the biggest dividend in RC, but it will also remove the difficulty you're having in 3-blank TC questions.
- tommywallach
- Manhattan Prep Staff
- Posts: 1917
- Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:18 am
Re: Strategy for 3 blank text completion
Hey eee,
It absolutely will, but that's still not that much material, in the long run. A single book would be a lot more than probably 30-40 hours of doing Reading Comp questions! So it might be more efficient to read stuff outside of the GRE (if only because there's enough studying to do just for the GRE!).
-t
It absolutely will, but that's still not that much material, in the long run. A single book would be a lot more than probably 30-40 hours of doing Reading Comp questions! So it might be more efficient to read stuff outside of the GRE (if only because there's enough studying to do just for the GRE!).
-t
4 posts Page 1 of 1