Anybody Use This Method For RC?

[NonTradHopeful]

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Hey everyone,

So, I've read what the typical methods are for tackling RC:

1. Search and destroy: read question, find answer in the passage without reading the passage itself.
2. Traditional: read entire passage, answer questions.

But, I just ran across a site that listed a third method:

3. Breaking the passage down: Read 1-3 paragraphs, then go through questions and answer all the questions that you can. Read next 3 paragraphs, and again answer all questions you can. Continue doing this until you've finished the whole passage and answered all the questions.

^This is supposedly good b/c it allows you to retain more relevant information by breaking the passage up into shorter bits, thus increasing your accuracy when answering the questions.

Has anybody ever actually tried this method? If so, has it proven to be worth it?

I'm thinking about giving it a shot on my next practice test.

 

[dmdluffy]

Hey everyone,

So, I've read what the typical methods are for tackling RC:

1. Search and destroy: read question, find answer in the passage without reading the passage itself.
2. Traditional: read entire passage, answer questions.

But, I just ran across a site that listed a third method:

3. Breaking the passage down: Read 1-3 paragraphs, then go through questions and answer all the questions that you can. Read next 3 paragraphs, and again answer all questions you can. Continue doing this until you've finished the whole passage and answered all the questions.

^This is supposedly good b/c it allows you to retain more relevant information by breaking the passage up into shorter bits, thus increasing your accuracy when answering the questions.

Has anybody ever actually tried this method? If so, has it proven to be worth it?

I'm thinking about giving it a shot on my next practice test.

I personally liked and used both 1 and 2. I did a complete read through first (only takes a few minutes up front). If the first or second question had an answer I could answer as I went along, great. After the read through, I would S&D any questions I wasn't sure about from my initial read through. Scored me a 24 on RC. GL!

 

[DrRoyal Pains]

I recently tried search and destroy and my score went up 1-2 points. The strategy about breaking the passage down actually does sound somewhat promising. I'll have to give it a shot.

 

[crax]

I would not recommend the third method. skipping through questions is a time consuming process, and also you will have some questions referencing multiple sections, all of the following are true, repeating themes, and tone based questions. stick to one of the first two methods.

 

[Dusk]

I think a lot of people over think their strategies for the RC. My best method was to actually reaaaad the passage, then answer the questions. reading only takes 5-8 min depending on the passage. once you read, search and destroy will be more efficient.

 

[dmdluffy]

I think a lot of people over think their strategies for the RC. My best method was to actually reaaaad the passage, then answer the questions. reading only takes 5-8 min depending on the passage. once you read, search and destroy will be more efficient.

👍

Can't agree enough! I feel like people put too much emphasis on RC strategies and try to reinvent reading.

 

[BWG]

Read the passage, #2.

Practice so you begin to notice what details you'll likely see questions on.

Get the first one done in 15min so you know you have a 5min buffer, it helps a TON with the mental game when you feel comfortable spending a bit longer on a tough question. If you're tight on time, you may just give a hasty answer and move on.

 

[journeybegins]

I think it really depends on you and practicing a technique that actually works for YOU. After you find a technique that works for you, keep practicing with it.


I actually did the third method. Not exactly breaking up the passage because I don't READ all the questions after reading only 1-2 paragraphs. But I read and answer questions simultaneously. I read the first question, then read the first 1-2 paragraphs. If the question topic doesn't come up, I skip to the next question and keep reading. I skip questions and keep reading. Until some question shows up about something that I've already read. I do this until I've finished reading the passage and then I go back to questions that I haven't answered.

I practiced with CDR and Topscore with this technique and it has worked the best for me. However, CDR's questions are in order of the passage, making it easier. The DAT questions are not in order of the passage. AND every time you click to the next page, the passage goes back to paragraph #1 so you lose your spot. I was fully aware of this, so I planned accordingly as Topscore and CDR did not simulate this, but because I've been practicing reading and moving around questions, I was used to it on the DAT. It was a little risky, but it felt natural since I had been practicing it.


I find that with Search and Destroy I'm not really READING the material. If I read the passage first and then go straight to the questions, I find I have less retention because I've read 14 paragraphs already. When I first started studying for Reading Comprehension, I even cracked up an old ACT test prep book. They mentioned that reading the passage isn't necessarily important. It doesn't matter if you've read the passage. It only matters if you've answered the questions. So, it's more important that you invest more time in answering the questions rather than reading the passage and being able to deduce if you need to.

Just practice, practice, practice with a technique that works for you, and it should be okay. Good luck!

 

[HoangDMDorDDS]

I got a 22 in this section. I just skimmed through the text to get a grasp of what was going on and from there, I just answered the questions looking in the passage. What worked for me was getting a general knowledge of where to look for each question, that way you can quickly, not waste time, find keywords with in seconds of reading the question.

 

[thejamespark]

its really what works best for you imo...
also time consuming from the looks of it...