TPR verbal advice on killing a passage???

[kishanb87]

The idea of skipping a whole passage and focusing on the rest seems kinda risky to me. Has anyone found success using this tactic? I'll try it on my next parctice test but I thought I'd ask for some feedback.

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[piojita63]

I WAS doing that, since I was using TPR for pretty much everything. However, I found that my verbal score was NOT improving like my science scores were. So, since the definition of insanity (according to Einstein) is doing the same thing and expecting different results, I decided not to be insane and actually DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I tried the EK strategy of taking a 5 second break between passages and reading very intently for the main point. They also advise against going back to the passage for inference/main idea, tone, etc...questions since you can easily select a wrong answer (their logic is that the wrong answers are often written using info from the passage). So basically, read for understanding the main idea and go with your instinct on the questions without going back. Only go back if it is a direct retrieval question and/or if you have time after doing ALL of the passages (don't skip). I also realized that I REALLY benefited from the 5 second break. Their logic is that no human can concentrate that much for that amount of time, so if you don't give yourself a break, then your mind will do it for you (and it will likely be while you are reading a passage). THAT was precisely what was happening to me. So once this was fixed, my verbal scores starting shooting up. This is what worked for me, but obviously, the skipping an entire passage technique might work wonders for somebody else. The best piece of advice I can give you is to NOT be insane. If it isn't working, try something else. Good luck!

 

[kishanb87]

I tried doing the whole skipping a passage today and it didn't really do anything for me. Instead, I became so much more worried about each of the passages that I had to answer. I ended up scoring two points less. It was an epic failure....

I like the idea of taking 5 second breaks. I also notice myself reading with out comprehending. Also, not having to highlight passages would be nice. It makes more sense to me to just read it once and answer the question.

 

[Medical Muse]

I've heard of a few people with scores that improved trying this technique, but most students I've talked to didn't see any change. The problem with this technique is that a few extra minutes does not usually help you get the main idea. It also assumes you won't make any careless mistakes on the passages you do focus on. If your main issue is rushing which leads to silly mistakes, then it might help. Otherwise, I would try looking to the questions first to see if that helps you focus on what is important. Always read for the main idea and don't pay much attention to the details.