Reading Comprehension HELP!

[Meas]

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For RC section, I thought I have a pretty good understanding of the passage, but when I actually grade my answer, I get only 28 questions correct out of 50 questions! I read through many threads on this forum about RC techniques and people overall have different views. Some say it's best to look through all the questions first so that you know what to look for when you first read the passage. I tried this method but b/c I don't have that great of a memory, I found myself forgetting what key words I should look for when I read the passage.

The second method that I tried is spend ~5mins skimming through the passage and circling and underlining key words & ideas. Then, spend about ~10 mins working through the questions, referring back to the passage. I like this method b/c I DO finish all the questions in time without much guessing.

The fact that I am getting wrong ans is not really b/c I have horrible eng. skill. I can get perfect scores if I actually spend 1/2 hour reading the passage and answering the questions. I believe that I can improve my RC score with more practice. But I REALLY DON"T KNOW WHERE TO START!

I worked through the 6 passages in Barron's DAT Book, 6 passages in Kaplan Book, 6 passages in Topscore, and 9 passages in IQ Publications. I am not planning to get DAT Achiever but I found that I prefer paper-format when studying so I am now using AP books. I am also reading 1-2 dental-related articles, but the problem is there are practice questions.

I thought about using MCAT, SAT, or GRE reading comprehension section for more practice questions but they have a lot of inferences questions. I have not taken the real DAT before, but from sample questions, I found that they are mostly answers that you can get directly from the passage.

I have already spent 1 months studying and my DAT is in 3 weeks. Any suggestions will be highly appreciated!!

PS: Thanks for reading my long message!

 

[Meas]

Oops..a bit of typo! I meant that there are 'no practice questions' for the dental-related articles that I am reading.
Looking forward to your responses!

 

[Onix]

Skimming did not work as well as I though it would for me. So I don't know what to suggest, you should find the technique that works best for you. P.S I wouldn't write anything down, it just takes a long time, instead search for keywords.

 

[dentaldude8]

If you want more reading comprehension practice tests, try the Godfrey testprep software (dentaladmissiontestprep.com). The software comes with 10 practice tests and they are all very challenging. I would say at least half of the questions are understanding based and make you think, the passages are challenging as well. I definetly recommend it if you are struggling in reading.

 

[ashlander]

Even though I did not do so good in RC, I strongly recommend using computerized practice tests. It feels very different imo. Unlike the science section, not much can be done for the RC section..you just have to have it. Try different methods and find out what works best for you since everyone is different when it comes to recalling..etc.

 

[Meas]

Thanks for all your replies!

 

[dentalWorks]

Look, my test is in 9 days, and I hate the RC section THE MOST since I've never scored higher than 17 on any practice test (including those nightmarish godfrey RC tests...I wouldn't recommend them for the RC purpose because they do NOT represent the real DAT, since godfrey passages are between 1800 words and go allllll the way to close to 3000 words PER ARTICLE)

But I'm staying calm about it since RC section is one of these "luck of the draws", u either get lucky with easy passages or not...if u do happen to get unlucky and say score less that 17, just retake 🙂

I know no body likes to hear those words (retake), but that's the reality of this game, if u want dentistry REAL bad, they've given all of us 3 shots at the DAT, I'm sure u'll get lucky with one

My biggest suggestion to u is to read stuff from the computer screen, since ur eyes (like most people) read slower from a screen than on paper, one more thing, if u do decide to get the godfrey program, don't worry too much about timing ur self, instead use the programs articles to teach ur eyes to read from a computer screen

Good luck

 

[gpisotti]

what I did was read through the passage as quick as I can and on my eraseable sheet I put numbers corrisponding to each paragraph and summarized each paragraph in one or two words (the main theme) this made it much faster to go back and find the answers if I knew exactly where to look in the passage. Worked for me (23 RC) perhaps you'll find some luck too.

 

[FutureDent020]

I swear RC involves a little luck. Its really just how quick you can find the answer. Numbering the paragraphs does work, but be careful because there are passages out there that have 15+ paragraphs. Markers are dull and sheet is tough to write on. I numbered the first passage, but it took me way too long so I skimmed the rest. Got a 19 RC, which is not good, but not bad...

 

[siba]

I'd recommend not to waste time on looking for dental-related articles now because RC essays are topics on everything! Just focus on developing one technique that works best for you and keep practicing!! I agree with the previous post -- it depends on your luck which version of the DAT you'll have. so GOOD luck!!!

 

[Meas]

Thank you soooo much for all your replies!

 

[The Anhedonia]

I swear RC involves a little luck. Its really just how quick you can find the answer. Numbering the paragraphs does work, but be careful because there are passages out there that have 15+ paragraphs. Markers are dull and sheet is tough to write on. I numbered the first passage, but it took me way too long so I skimmed the rest. Got a 19 RC, which is not good, but not bad...

this can be the case with long passages, but i do not necessarily agree that there is any luck involved. it' all about practice practice practice. 🙂

what I did was read through the passage as quick as I can and on my eraseable sheet I put numbers corrisponding to each paragraph and summarized each paragraph in one or two words (the main theme) this made it much faster to go back and find the answers if I knew exactly where to look in the passage. Worked for me (23 RC) perhaps you'll find some luck too.

this is what i did as well, and even with my kaplan diagnostic, i was consistently scoring 22+'s

 

[allstardentist]

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[AF11]

Look, my test is in 9 days, and I hate the RC section THE MOST since I've never scored higher than 17 on any practice test (including those nightmarish godfrey RC tests...I wouldn't recommend them for the RC purpose because they do NOT represent the real DAT, since godfrey passages are between 1800 words and go allllll the way to close to 3000 words PER ARTICLE)

But I'm staying calm about it since RC section is one of these "luck of the draws", u either get lucky with easy passages or not...if u do happen to get unlucky and say score less that 17, just retake 🙂

I know no body likes to hear those words (retake), but that's the reality of this game, if u want dentistry REAL bad, they've given all of us 3 shots at the DAT, I'm sure u'll get lucky with one

My biggest suggestion to u is to read stuff from the computer screen, since ur eyes (like most people) read slower from a screen than on paper, one more thing, if u do decide to get the godfrey program, don't worry too much about timing ur self, instead use the programs articles to teach ur eyes to read from a computer screen

Good luck

Ditto. Don't waste your money on Godfrey. The passages are more like novellas than DAT passages.