I will be taking the upcoming February Exam. Currently, I've been scoring in the 164-167. Ideally, I would like to score a 170 on test day. What do you recommend I do to help me make that final jump? I find that sometimes I'll get an extra difficult logic game or reading comp section that causes me to lose more points than usual. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
-Laura
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- ldagosti
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- ohthatpatrick
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Atticus Finch
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Re: My Current Situation
In part I think you need to visualize where the extra points are going to come from. To go from 164-167 to 170, you probably need about 6-10 more correct answers. Start by figuring out where those points are going to come from.
How many more points are you currently leaving on the table for Games / LR / RC? What would you have to do or concentrate on to get an extra 1 or 2 out of each section?
For the most part, I would be focusing on the easiest and hardest parts of every section.
For the easy Games, the easiest RC passage, the first ten or so LR questions, you need to push the pace and see if you can get away with moving more briskly than you usually would.
That's the only way to get ourselves the cushion of time we need in case there's a really hard game / passage that becomes a huge time-sucker.
For easier Games, such as Basic Ordering, you should be trying to finish them in 4-6 minutes.
For RC passages you think you understand very well on your first read, you're going to have to try to pick up the pace a little bit in terms of how answer questions. If you haven't already figured out the logic of the different RC question types, be very thoughtful (when you review RC sections) about finding the "proof sentence" in the passage for every correct answer choice.
For example, "According to the passage" / "the author asserts" / "___ refers to " type question stems are typically testing you on the sentence in the passage that has the keywords from the question stem.
"author mentions ___ in line XX in order to" / "author's reference to ___ serves to" / "author uses the phrase ____ primarily to" type question stems are typically testing you on the bigger idea sentence in the passage immediately before or immediately after the sentence that the question stem is asking about.
On the flipside, make sure you're identifying the patterns in the wrong answer choices:
-extreme language
- out of scope language
- contradicts the passage
- makes a "fake" comparison
The more you can predict which sentence a given question is testing and the better you are at sniffing out the trap answer patterns, the quicker you'll be at RC.
For LR, you need to get off to a good start. Try to do the first 10Qs in 10mins. If you can do that without sacrificing accuracy, try to do the first 15Qs in 15mins.
When you're doing easier LR questions, you can trust your instincts, anticipate answers, and dispense with thoroughly reading every answer choice.
At the same time, you need to practice the hardest stuff (without really caring about timing) to make sure you fully understand the mechanics of how to work through it properly. If you remember particularly hard/low-scoring sections, try to assemble a hellish Frankenstein test consisting of one of the hardest Games sections you remember, one of the hardest RC, two of the hardest LR. Working your way through a "worst case scenario" practice test will give you some confidence that you can handle the worst the test can throw at you.
Good luck!
How many more points are you currently leaving on the table for Games / LR / RC? What would you have to do or concentrate on to get an extra 1 or 2 out of each section?
For the most part, I would be focusing on the easiest and hardest parts of every section.
For the easy Games, the easiest RC passage, the first ten or so LR questions, you need to push the pace and see if you can get away with moving more briskly than you usually would.
That's the only way to get ourselves the cushion of time we need in case there's a really hard game / passage that becomes a huge time-sucker.
For easier Games, such as Basic Ordering, you should be trying to finish them in 4-6 minutes.
For RC passages you think you understand very well on your first read, you're going to have to try to pick up the pace a little bit in terms of how answer questions. If you haven't already figured out the logic of the different RC question types, be very thoughtful (when you review RC sections) about finding the "proof sentence" in the passage for every correct answer choice.
For example, "According to the passage" / "the author asserts" / "___ refers to " type question stems are typically testing you on the sentence in the passage that has the keywords from the question stem.
"author mentions ___ in line XX in order to" / "author's reference to ___ serves to" / "author uses the phrase ____ primarily to" type question stems are typically testing you on the bigger idea sentence in the passage immediately before or immediately after the sentence that the question stem is asking about.
On the flipside, make sure you're identifying the patterns in the wrong answer choices:
-extreme language
- out of scope language
- contradicts the passage
- makes a "fake" comparison
The more you can predict which sentence a given question is testing and the better you are at sniffing out the trap answer patterns, the quicker you'll be at RC.
For LR, you need to get off to a good start. Try to do the first 10Qs in 10mins. If you can do that without sacrificing accuracy, try to do the first 15Qs in 15mins.
When you're doing easier LR questions, you can trust your instincts, anticipate answers, and dispense with thoroughly reading every answer choice.
At the same time, you need to practice the hardest stuff (without really caring about timing) to make sure you fully understand the mechanics of how to work through it properly. If you remember particularly hard/low-scoring sections, try to assemble a hellish Frankenstein test consisting of one of the hardest Games sections you remember, one of the hardest RC, two of the hardest LR. Working your way through a "worst case scenario" practice test will give you some confidence that you can handle the worst the test can throw at you.
Good luck!
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- ldagosti
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Re: My Current Situation
Thank you!
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- jacoblukis
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Re: My Current Situation
1. Find your own deep and compelling reason to successfully learn your subject and pass your exams.
2. Plan your time to include study, revision and social commitments - a balance of having fun, taking breaks and studying is vital.
3. Use multi-coloured Mind Maps® for your notes.
4. Review your notes regularly to reinforce your new-found knowledge.
5. Swiftly skim through your text books and course material before you read them in depth to give you an overview of your subject.
2. Plan your time to include study, revision and social commitments - a balance of having fun, taking breaks and studying is vital.
3. Use multi-coloured Mind Maps® for your notes.
4. Review your notes regularly to reinforce your new-found knowledge.
5. Swiftly skim through your text books and course material before you read them in depth to give you an overview of your subject.
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