Search and destroy, is it enough to give me 18?

[joonkimdds]

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My goal is to get at least 18 on RC.

I heard that search and destroy method doesn't work all the time because of questions asking for tones but would S&D still be enough to give me 18~20?

If not, my back up plan is to read 1 paragraph, read 16~17 questions, and see if I can answer at least 1 problem after reading 1 paragraph and repeat with next paragraph.

 

[tdkyun]

It really depends how good of a reader you are. If you can retain information while using that technique (search & destroy) by all means use it. Personally I thought search & destroy method was a waste of time, instead I quickly read through the whole thing and answered questions (except for the piano passage, thought it was difficult and boring to read). I ended up with a 20 and I was proud of it (English is my second language, woot!).

 

[nze82]

I thought I was a horrible reader. I practiced with search and destroy for 2 months, and ended up with a 23.
But let me remind you that it's not the technique that's magically resulting in a higher score; it's really how much time you've put into practicing with that technique.
Also, setting your goal for an 18 is somewhat low, because you'll end up getting 18-19 on your practice exams, and all the sudden you feel like you no longer need to practice, and that's when you're set for failure.

 

[razblo]

I thought I was a horrible reader. I practiced with search and destroy for 2 months, and ended up with a 23.
But let me remind you that it's not the technique that's magically resulting in a higher score; it's really how much time you've put into practicing with that technique.
Also, setting your goal for an 18 is somewhat low, because you'll end up getting 18-19 on your practice exams, and all the sudden you feel like you no longer need to practice, and that's when you're set for failure.

What did you use for S&D practice?

 

[nze82]

What did you use for S&D practice?

I used KAPLAN Practice Exams, TopScore RC, and the passages from KAPLAN full-length exams. I used each passage multiple times. I also read a book for 1 hour/day just to improve my reading speed.

 

[BiomajorPreDent]

Yes it is, I took it 3 times and got a 23, 20, and 19 in reading. I got frapped the first DAT, pianoed on the other and the 3rd time was the worst.. a complicated passage about neurotransmitters

 

[Emmie]

It really depends how good of a reader you are. If you can retain information while using that technique (search & destroy) by all means use it. Personally I thought search & destroy method was a waste of time, instead I quickly read through the whole thing and answered questions (except for the piano passage, thought it was difficult and boring to read). I ended up with a 20 and I was proud of it (English is my second language, woot!).

esl doesn't mean **** nowadays, "how many years have you been speaking the language?" or "is english the primary language you use among friends?" can give you a better idea.

 

[needa20]

i would shoot for a little higher than 18...

I was getting 20's on practice tests and ended up with an 18 on the real thing. I was very disappointed. the funny thing is, I did not get frapped or pianoed, I thought i was going to get 21-22 when taking it; it did not feel any harder than practice tests.

One thing I think is important to note: on Topscore practice tests, when you go from one question to the next, the passage stays on the same place where you left it. When i got to the real test, every time you go from one question to the next, the passage goes back to the beginning and you have to find where you left off.
this would not have been terribly difficult, it just threw me off as i was not expecting it

good luck