Bootcamp RC/QR and CDR versus real? AH

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WutzUpDoc

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So, I've lately taken Bootcamp practice tests that leave me worried for both RC and QR.
TS and PAT were all above the 20's but... RC and QR were a STRUGGLE.

RC:
My only prep for RC prior had been Crack DAT Reading. I've taken 5 practice tests and averaged around 18-21. I got use to the structure of those tests; seems like they efficiently ordered questions with the succession of the passage . It was pretty nice! :p The questions basically guided me through the passage. After going through the detail-specific questions, I would gain an idea of the passage as a whole. Then, I save the big-picture questions for last.

Bootcamp, on the other hand, seemed to present questions more out of order. On top of being a weak reader, I was not prepared for that structure. I quickly switched to the search-and-destroy method, but that just left me way lost. I scored a 17 on my 1st Bootcamp RC test.

My question: Is the test structure similar to CDR or Bootcamp, in regards to how they number questions in accordance with the passage?


QR:
Also my weakest... by a lot. I've already went through a little over half of Math Destroyer. Math Destroyer was definitely difficult. I used it mostly untimed/as a "learning tool" to get a hang of the questions asked. After a while, I thought I was getting the hang of it all. I've planned on going back through the book a second time, under timed conditions for every test.

However, Bootcamp's QR was ROUGH for me. Seemed to present things never touched on by MD. Did not finish the section, and scored a "<15". UGH.

My question: Uhhmm, what should I make of this? Haha. Obviously need to work on this big time, but how did you guys think Bootcamp compared to real?

& anybody else suck at math??? :p

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The real DAT is going to present the RC questions out of order too unfortunately. My first couple of questions were answered at the end of the entire passage. Just keep calm and scan through the passage. There are a variety of techniques you can use to beat the RC section and you'll find one that works great for you. Maybe try looking at the first 2-3 questions, identify the buzzwords, then scan through the passage if you like the search and destroy method? Personally, I found just reading the entire passage thoroughly one time worked best.

The DAT Bootcamp QR is pretty tough. Try to recognize which questions to skip if they're gonna take too long, just guess, mark and move on. All the questions are worth the same amount of points, so get all the easy ones you can then work on the harder problems.
 
Thanks for the help, Ari.

Yeah, I'll hone in on my weaknesses from here on out and modify my strategies.

I'll try reading the passage first and see how it goes knowing what I know now. Search and destroy didn't seem to work too well for me
 
So, I've lately taken Bootcamp practice tests that leave me worried for both RC and QR.
TS and PAT were all above the 20's but... RC and QR were a STRUGGLE.

RC:
My only prep for RC prior had been Crack DAT Reading. I've taken 5 practice tests and averaged around 18-21. I got use to the structure of those tests; seems like they efficiently ordered questions with the succession of the passage . It was pretty nice! :p The questions basically guided me through the passage. After going through the detail-specific questions, I would gain an idea of the passage as a whole. Then, I save the big-picture questions for last.

Bootcamp, on the other hand, seemed to present questions more out of order. On top of being a weak reader, I was not prepared for that structure. I quickly switched to the search-and-destroy method, but that just left me way lost. I scored a 17 on my 1st Bootcamp RC test.

My question: Is the test structure similar to CDR or Bootcamp, in regards to how they number questions in accordance with the passage?


QR:
Also my weakest... by a lot. I've already went through a little over half of Math Destroyer. Math Destroyer was definitely difficult. I used it mostly untimed/as a "learning tool" to get a hang of the questions asked. After a while, I thought I was getting the hang of it all. I've planned on going back through the book a second time, under timed conditions for every test.

However, Bootcamp's QR was ROUGH for me. Seemed to present things never touched on by MD. Did not finish the section, and scored a "<15". UGH.

My question: Uhhmm, what should I make of this? Haha. Obviously need to work on this big time, but how did you guys think Bootcamp compared to real?

& anybody else suck at math??? :p


No worries, for the reading comprehension. It is actually easier than expected. Usually about 80% straight from the passage, 10% tone, and 10% others. By others, it can be straight from passage, tone, main idea, etc.

As for bootcamp, I remember scoring a 17 on the first exam. I was very discouraged, however I just used QVAULT reading comp to pick up my speed. Then I would do bootcamp readings again. This boost my reading to 18 or so, on the real exam I made a 20.

For the math section, I did not practice math at all. I put math on the last day of my studies. Bootcamp nearly nailed every question. I made sure I did 4 QR math sections for bootcamp, and that was sufficient to get me a 19 on the math section.
 
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