Exam in 2 weeks, took 2 RC DATbootcamp exams scored 16 and 15. I did 20 min per each article, i spend 10 min reading it and 10 min answering question. I also write down keyword in each paragraph and i try to look at the first couple of question to see if i can answering them as am reading, but it doesn't seem to be helping!!!! Please some advise on how to improve on this section. Thanks
RC is killing me
- Thread starter Badr
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I've been getting good scores on RC using my own strategy.
I first go through each paragraph and make a mental note of it with a few keywords of what it was about. I practiced on getting this done fast and going through the entire passage takes less than 5 minutes.
Afterwards, I go through each question, looking for a keyword in the question that refers back to a specific paragraph. S&D questions become so easy because you don't have to scan the entire thing anymore, just gotta refer back to a single paragraph.
The trick is to master the questions that ask about the entire passage. For me, these questions are actually easier because of the mental map I have made during skimming.
I prefer this strategy because it gives you a good idea of what you're reading while giving you plenty of time to go back and check your answers.
However, I don't see anyone else using this kind of strategy, so I dont know how good it'll be for others. I got through college slacking off and cramming super hard few hours before exams so that might be a skill I've acquired through bad habits.
If you need practice articles I would refer to this website:
http://highwire.stanford.edu/lists/freeart.dtl
And for other strategies that might work better for you:
http://datbootcamp.com/classroom/reading-comprehension/
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=615852
I first go through each paragraph and make a mental note of it with a few keywords of what it was about. I practiced on getting this done fast and going through the entire passage takes less than 5 minutes.
Afterwards, I go through each question, looking for a keyword in the question that refers back to a specific paragraph. S&D questions become so easy because you don't have to scan the entire thing anymore, just gotta refer back to a single paragraph.
The trick is to master the questions that ask about the entire passage. For me, these questions are actually easier because of the mental map I have made during skimming.
I prefer this strategy because it gives you a good idea of what you're reading while giving you plenty of time to go back and check your answers.
However, I don't see anyone else using this kind of strategy, so I dont know how good it'll be for others. I got through college slacking off and cramming super hard few hours before exams so that might be a skill I've acquired through bad habits.
If you need practice articles I would refer to this website:
http://highwire.stanford.edu/lists/freeart.dtl
And for other strategies that might work better for you:
http://datbootcamp.com/classroom/reading-comprehension/
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=615852
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i got a 24 in RC by reading the first 5 questions of the article then search and destroy those and continuing search and destroy the rest of the way. didnt write down any keywords or anything.
+1 with the methods others have suggested here. I tried using search and destroy solely for the first RC exam on datbootcamp, and I got murdered (17).
Then I basically used the method the guys here suggested, and boosted my mark to 20 on the third exam. I just finished my 4th exam on dat bootcamp, and I got a 22!.
So please don't rely solely on search and destroy. It may work for others, but it's just too risky in my opinion.
Then I basically used the method the guys here suggested, and boosted my mark to 20 on the third exam. I just finished my 4th exam on dat bootcamp, and I got a 22!.
So please don't rely solely on search and destroy. It may work for others, but it's just too risky in my opinion.
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RC was one of the few sections for the DAT I did not study for. Honestly, it isn't that tricky, and I think S & D is a huge gamble. You should have time to read the passages. I got a 24 in the RC section and I had a solid 12 minutes to spare when I was done, and I read every passage. I did scan the first 4 or 5 questions before I began reading, and then just answered them as I went along. I had a lot of tone questions on my DAT which involved "completing" an appropriate sentence and judging the author's style.
10 minutes for reading a passage is fine, for you only have 3 passages with which to contend. Another 10 for answering questions is also great, since that will bring you out at exactly 60 minutes.
Post scriptum:
I can't speak for bootcamp, but I tried one RC test on achiever and got around a 17 which was not representative for me at all. I thought the achiever was absolutely dreadful, and the answers given were more than dreadful. Whoever wrote them was very pedantic and rather inconsistent in their logic for what is correct and incorrect. I read some passage about chocolate that was supposed an "objective" piece because it included "facts", when, in truth, it was one of the most biased and incoherent pieces of "science" literature I'd read in awhile...
Don't psyche yourself out on the reading, you can do it as long as you aren't a slow reader and you can remember information from 10 small paragraphs at a time.
10 minutes for reading a passage is fine, for you only have 3 passages with which to contend. Another 10 for answering questions is also great, since that will bring you out at exactly 60 minutes.
Post scriptum:
I can't speak for bootcamp, but I tried one RC test on achiever and got around a 17 which was not representative for me at all. I thought the achiever was absolutely dreadful, and the answers given were more than dreadful. Whoever wrote them was very pedantic and rather inconsistent in their logic for what is correct and incorrect. I read some passage about chocolate that was supposed an "objective" piece because it included "facts", when, in truth, it was one of the most biased and incoherent pieces of "science" literature I'd read in awhile...
Don't psyche yourself out on the reading, you can do it as long as you aren't a slow reader and you can remember information from 10 small paragraphs at a time.
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One of the tricks I use is to read the first paragraph and then mentally in your head in one sentence say what it was about. Move on to the next paragraph and do the same, only this time, also think to yourself how does this paragraph add or simplify to what was said previously. Continue doing this throughout and you will have a fairly decent idea about the essay.
