Tips for Reading Comp

[FutureNSXDent]

Does anyone have any good pointers as to efficiently attack the reading comp? Personally, I found the Kaplan method to be time-consuming and somehow useless, at least for me. I know it it all depends on the individual, since everyone has their own habit that best suits them. Just curious what are some method people used that worked best for them. I am still trying out the different method, but haven't found one that works best for me.

Also, for those of you who have taken the test, how was the reading comp questions in the 2002 booklet compare to the actual? Did the questions contain a lot of "all of the following are true, except or A only, A and B only" type of questions on the actual test?

Can someone donate some change? Thanks!!

My test is coming up in 3 days...yikes!

NSXDent.

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[DesiDentist]

Hey Future,

Yes, kaplan's strategy is extremely time consuming. I remember the only reading test I took thus far (on computer) on Top score the first passage I used kaplans strategy and it took me 27 minutes to complete the first passage. I was shocked. The next two I just skimmed and finished two passages in 23 minutes. So for me (everyone is different) I would just hunt and pick out words and find the info quickly. Think about it (you have 20 minutes per passage) its a lot of time if you are a average english reader. Plus you aren't reading you are finding key words for the most part, if you are unfortunate to come across some "what do you think about this ...or that" question I would just pick an answer and answer the easiest questions.

It's all about strategy my friend, strategy. Not what you recall from the passage. Good luck, let us know how it goes. I'm taking it in one week. Yikes.

Also note, I have heard that on the real DAT there are between 15-17 paragraphs per passage, Kaplan and topscore have between 12-15. So that is about 300-600 more words and for an average reader that is 3 minutes x 3 passages = 9 minutes of extra time you need to shell out. that is if you read, or you can hunt and cut that time in half.

DesiDentist

 

[smile_doctor]

The passages are simply too long for the average reader to read, comprehend, and retain the amount of information required to answer the questions in such a short time period. I would just skim the passages, paying close attention to key words presented in the questions, and try to understand only those sections of the passages. I really think that this concept is what the test really measures anyway. If you think about it, when we are all in dental school and are expected to cover 100's of pages of text per night for multiple medical science courses, we will not have time to cover every word. Instead, we'll use our notes as an outline for information that we need to focus on and learn that information thoroughly.

Good luck on your test!!

 

[Beagle]

I did not read the passage. Instead, I read the question given and searched for the answer. I did well with this method. I also had about 5 mins to spare so I checked over the answers I was unsure about. There is no time to read the passage so just search for the answer! I was asked several times, "What does the author imply from.....blah blah" or "what can be concluded from the passage." I made an educated guess and I think it turned out ok?
When I did practice tests with Kaplan and Barrons, I use to take notes and then find the answer. I always got 17s this way. However, on the real thing, I decided to just read the ? and find the answer. I scored much higher on the real DAT with this method.
Goodluck

 

[ItsGavinC]

I read the first sentence of each paragraph, and then answered the questions in order. That got me a score of 24. The questions were very simple, and I had plenty of time left at the end (20+ minutes).

 

[FutureNSXDent]

Thanks for everyone who replied!! I tried to search the answer in the passage today w/o reading the passage 1st, score an 18, i'm satisfied. I am really counting on the math section to pull my overall academic up. I got an 24 on the math. Btw, does anyone who have taken Kaplan and the actual DAT comment on the difficulty of math questions in the subject test A and B on Kaplan's computer test? Are they very similar to the actual math, or different? Any input would be awesome!

2 more days to go....yikey!!

NSXDent

 

[juan7677]

I found kaplan's computer math tests to be harder than the actual one. I was getting 21 and 22 on Kaplan but got 25 on the real DAT.

 

[ItsGavinC]

FutureNSX...,

If you do a search on the board for "math" and "DAT", you can find the comments I've posted about my actual math section on the DAT.

To be short, my math section on the DAT was NOTHING like anything I had seen. I had NO trig problems at all, and most of the problems were very remedial. If you are good at math, you could have gotten a 28 or 29 on my math section and finished with 5-10 minutes to spare. Do a search to find what I've previously posted.

 

[FutureNSXDent]

Hey Juan,

So I take it that you took Kaplan prep? To Juan and everyone else who took Kaplan, is the practice reading on the computer similar to the actual DAT? I mean, the width of the window set for each passage with questions on the bottom? Or is the window for passage more narrower?

Thanks,

NSXDent