RC - Who actually reads???!

[Taihenkoichi]

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People talk a lot about 'search and destroy' for reading comprehension, but it is really possible to do well on this section without reading the passages and just going straight to the question stems??

 

[Dmitry Malayev]

It really all depends on the passage and your capabilities as a Reader.

For example, i'm not a quick reader, i read on pace, but not quick. I also need to re-read certain passages or sentences if i don't understand what they are talking about. This is because the material is boring for me.

So no matter what i had to do Search & Destroy. I was one of the lucky ones to get the easier passages where Search & Destroy worked. I pulled off a 20 on RC and i was actually surprised, i didn't think i would get anywhere near 18.

Some passages will have to be read, especially with those that have ethics questions referred to them. A lot of the exam bases your knowledge on what you know but another portion of the exam involves and little luck and timing.

 

[polarmolar]

People talk a lot about 'search and destroy' for reading comprehension, but it is really possible to do well on this section without reading the passages and just going straight to the question stems??

RC is best handled by trying the approaches you mentioned to see which works best for you. I use to read until I tried search and destroy, which I found to be much more effective since I am a slow reader.

 

[Neuro178]

I always did the "skim-read/take quick notes/answer questions last" method. It worked really well for me. I got a 21 on the actual DAT, and in the 20s in all of my practice tests.

I am by no means a fast reader - you are not meant to comprehend everything in these passages! I just wrote down key words and inevitably, they popped up in my questions.

Do what you're comfortable with. Practice that method before you take the DAT. DON'T change your method on the day of the DAT.. that would probably be a mess.

 

[Taihenkoichi]

What exactly is search and destroy? Is there more to it than just looking at questions and finding them? In a lengthy passage this seem more time consuming.

 

[prsuser]

I read the entire passage, and made brief notes on every paragraph. Using this method I ended up with a 23.😀

 

[glk2101]

so for the piano passage or ethics, for people that had a lot of trouble with it, did you do search and destroy??
im guessing that this should make the really hard passages much more doable provided you have the time??

 

[yakuza]

man..I don't even read the questions

 

[pbure9]

What exactly is search and destroy? Is there more to it than just looking at questions and finding them? In a lengthy passage this seem more time consuming.

yea, i'd like to know how that works too.

😀

 

[Andre3k]

Read the passage first at a quick pace, don't try and remember every little detail that would take way too long. When you're done reading you should remember where all the general ideas are in the passage. Then when you read the questions you know where in the passage the answer to the question is and you just go straight to that paragraph and read it till you find the answer.👍

Reading a question first and then blindly going into the passage for the answer will take way too much time. You basically would have to skim over the entire passage for every answer.

 

[Andrew324]

I read the entire passage before I did anything

 

[mddang]

That's a negative on the reading... When I walked out of the testing center, I couldn't even remember what the passages were about (seriously.. but maybe I'm just a little slow in the head haha). It took about a week for it to all come back to me.


Try different things, and see which works best for you.

 

[alanan84]

I read the entire passage before I did anything

Me too. Just read it quickly, you don't have to remember everything, you just need to vaguely remember where it is.

 

[ZenoVT]

I have tried reading/answering and search and destroy. They both work for me, but I believe is the combination of the two that would give you the best results. It helps to read like 2 of the questions before you start reading the passage, to help u focus. I personally used the search and destroy method on my exam because of the passages i got.