Need some help

[yonihassin]

Hi,

I am working hard on the Reading Comprehension section and it seems to be the main thorn in my side right now. I initially started getting 3-4 questions wrong in the section, but have regressed and as of my last 3 tests got 7,8, and 7 wrong. This really needs to be fixed. There is no real specific issue I can pinpoint, but timing is a serious issue. I often find myself rushing through the final passage and ending a couple of minutes over. I am really at a loss here. The questions I get wrong vary. I think it is because I don't have a good strategy when reading through the passages. I tend to underline too much. I circle "argument words" such as "however" "since" "instead" etc... I box names. I sometime underline key points. I tend to finish the passage with way too many markups and because I was so focused on the mapping I do not really get what I just read. On some of the more technical passages I also see me missing the main point. This wasn't a problem before. I do not know where it came from.

Any advice is appreciated.

[tommywallach]

Hey Yoni,

So I can make some definite recommendations here in terms of note taking, but I can't promise that as a total fix for the problem. Basically, I'll say the obvious. You're writing too much. I don't recommend any of that single word/phrase underlining or anything. In fact, if you have this problem, I might recommend you do all your note-taking after you've read the whole passage.

You should only be writing down two things:

1) The scale (what is the main point of the argument and the two sides presented) along with where the author stands on it.

2) (And this one is more optional) Write down what each paragraph is doing structurally (why is it there, not what is the content in terms of facts).

Beyond that, I wouldn't take any notes at all. This should save you time, and help keep you focused as you're reading. Underlining little things is helpful for some people, but not others (I never do it myself, because I prefer to stay really focused as I read). Remember, even the notes I told you to take should be taken after you've finished the whole passage.

Let me know if that helps!

-t