Starting to get nervous about RC!!...DAT is near!

[MowgliR]

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I have my DAT in a few days and I'm still not scoring as good as I'd like in RC.

Here are my scores:


CDR: 15, 15, 17, 18, 18, 16, 16, 16

Topscore 1: 17 (time killed me)

Achiever: 14, 15, 12


I've tried just reading and then answering. Tried vicvipers strategy, but I felt that I was all over the place and didn't really like it. I felt good about skimming, then S&D questions. I believe that's what I used when I got those 18s on CDR, but idk if that was just luck or if those passages on CDR were easier. Maybe I just used certain methods on wrong practice materials. If I were to take the test tomorrow, I would probably skim, then S&D, and do the tones last.

This is probably my weakest section.

What do you guys think? Am I really that terrible of a reader or are these test harder than the real thing?

 

[chitah831]

Just be calm and always be aware of the time. I did try to limit myself to 20 minutes per passage. I too am a terrible reader (or rather hate reading haha). I didn't do a single practice test so you're even ahead of me. I took my test on Thursday and scored an 18 in reading using S&D. For the factual questions there's always a keyword you need to pinpoint. Once you see the keyword in the question then start your scanning of the passage quickly. Ensure that keyword sticks out. I got through the first passage/questions and then I see "The Piano." Talk about FREAK OUT! I skipped all of the piano passage and went straight to the 3rd passage. Finished all of those and returned to the dreaded piano. It was a ridiculous passage that asked quite a few obscure questions. I took my 18 and ran...

Stay focused and you'll do fine! Good luck 👍

I have my DAT in a few days and I'm still not scoring as good as I'd like in RC.

Here are my scores:


CDR: 15, 15, 17, 18, 18, 16, 16, 16

Topscore 1: 17 (time killed me)

Achiever: 14, 15, 12


I've tried just reading and then answering. Tried vicvipers strategy, but I felt that I was all over the place and didn't really like it. I felt good about skimming, then S&D questions. I believe that's what I used when I got those 18s on CDR, but idk if that was just luck or if those passages on CDR were easier. Maybe I just used certain methods on wrong practice materials. If I were to take the test tomorrow, I would probably skim, then S&D, and do the tones last.

This is probably my weakest section.

What do you guys think? Am I really that terrible of a reader or are these test harder than the real thing?

 

[chippy]

I have been most comfortable with the Kaplan strategy. You carefully read the passage and as you're reading, make a list (1, 2, 3,...) of all the paragraphs and write down any big words, statistics, figures, people, or just any word you have never seen before next to the appropriate paragraph. Then you go answer the questions...and instead of SnD-ing the whole passage, most of the time you can just skim through your notes and find what you are looking for. I can usually finish a passage and its questions in about 18 minutes and I have been getting 20-22 on practice tests.

I tried the strategy of just reading the questions and jotting down important words from the questions...but I felt like I had no idea what I was reading about and I went waaayyyyyy over on the time limit every time.


Good luck

 

[nyr201]

try to get into the topic of each passage yeah theyre all boring but if u can pretend to be into it ull be able to read quicker and retain more then answer the questions...don't think that u have an x amount of questions that need to be answered without the info in that passage ur not gonna be able to answer jack..

 

[drpoppapump]

i tried vicvipers method and i couldn't focus at all. Doing kaplan method outlining the paragraphs help give me a visual blue print of the paragraphs. Then i started attacking the passages. It gives me a consistant 18-20 so i can't complain.