(VR) Help with reading passages actively and effectively?

[nOchemallday]

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To start off, I've read a few of the very in-depth heavy post-game review style verbal guides posted and proven. I've been working on creating a list of types of problems to anticipate and types of problems that I do poorly on. I also think I have an effective technique for reviewing passages in such a way to improve from wrong answers and guarantee my logic for correct answers.

My initial reactions (and fears):
I scored a 10 (39/45 correct) on the Kaplan diagnostic only to learn that Kaplan is basically useless, so I have entirely disregarded that score.
Since I've started the SN2ed schedule, I've begun with EK101 Passages (and will be moving to TPRH Verbal afterward).
On the Warm-up Passages I only got 8/17 correct (comparable to a 6). And on my first 2 days of using passages from Test 1 I did equally poor: 7/13 on passages 1 and 2 and 7/15 on passages 3, 4, and 5. It was around this time that I started learning how to improve on my passages pulling out a 9/12 on passages 6 and 7 for a combined 23/40 (7 which I think is a good starting place).

When starting test 2 in EK101, I began a new technique that has shown some potential:
I take the test under timed conditions (sub-8min per passage, working toward sub-7min). Then I retake the passages un-timed (usually about 10-15min per passage). This way I have time to refer back to the passage as necessary and confirm my logic or change if necessary (similar to "mark"ing the questions and changing ones I was uncertain about, but without timed constraints). As per SN2ed's method I am reviewing my passages the day after they are taken.

My results so far (will be updated day by day) [T=Timed, U= Un-timed]:
For test 2 passages I and II:____T: 8/12______U: 11/12
Test 2, passages III, IV, and V:__T:14/17_____U: 15/17
Test 2, passages VI and VII:____T:6/11______U:6/11
Test 2 overall:________________T:28/40 (9)
Test 3 overall:________________T:31/40 (10)_U:36/40

This suggests to me that I can generally understand the logic behind determining the correct answer when given time to review the passage, but struggle under timed conditions. (As I do this more, I should hopefully be able to see a trend independent of passage subject-matter). I'm also not sure if this is only because I'm using EK101, which makes use of identifying the key "arguments and support(s)" in the majority of its questions, which is easily improved by referring back to the passage.

To the best of my ability I read very actively and use BloodySurgeon's method of writing down the tone after each paragraph, but I don't know how to resolve the issue of doing better without timed conditions. Any ideas on how to maintain a high level of comprehension while working towards reducing time?

(My reading speed is fine to complete under timed conditions, but I think my comprehension/retention is significantly better when given more time. I'm also a very good test taker, and the timing isn't a matter of anxiety or rushed-ness)

tl;dr: Can do very well under not-timed conditions, but struggle with the clock on. How do I make the right choices faster?

 

[nOchemallday]

Added second entry of passage review under non-timed conditions. I got 3 wrong initially, managed to correct 2 of those 3 on my untimed, but misinterpreted a question I had originally gotten correct on my second read through thereby changing a correct answer into an incorrect one.

For now, I'm going to say this method still shows improvement; but I'm still working toward getting a high number correct when under timed conditions (still reading at an avg of 7min 45sec per passage). Also working out the kinks on why I'm missing those 1-2 questions in a set when I'm not timed.

Confidence boosters:
Got all of passage 3 correct under both timed and untimed conditions.
If I continue to do this well for the last 2 passages in test 2 I might be able to get a 10 =).

Any and all suggestions are welcomed!

 

[Synapsis]

That Kaplan diagnostic is just silly. 45 questions in 50 minutes with a harsh curve? Real deal is less questions in more time. Pretty sure that's just to give you a low score so that if you took the course, you'd have to do better on the actual and they wouldn't have to give you your money back.

I underline a lot while im reading these passages. Gives me a lot of underlined stuff at the end which might sound silly, but the purpose of underlining for me isn't to come back and locate stuff, it's to ensure that I'm actually absorbing things.

I also skim the questions first and circle keywords. When I come across these in the passage, I can actually feel myself naturally reading more intently, without sacrificing speed. Also have you tried super fast annotations? For example, if a passage says, "Generally we find that x gives us y", some people might write "x = y". I think that's a poor decision because it opens you up for traps and generalizations that'll likely be distractors. Instead, I would write something to the effect of "x & y". That's purely objective, so when I get to the question about the relationship between x and y, I can find it super fast.

 

[Jepstein30]

That Kaplan diagnostic is just silly. 45 questions in 50 minutes with a harsh curve? Real deal is less questions in more time. Pretty sure that's just to give you a low score so that if you took the course, you'd have to do better on the actual and they wouldn't have to give you your money back.

I underline a lot while im reading these passages. Gives me a lot of underlined stuff at the end which might sound silly, but the purpose of underlining for me isn't to come back and locate stuff, it's to ensure that I'm actually absorbing things.

I also skim the questions first and circle keywords. When I come across these in the passage, I can actually feel myself naturally reading more intently, without sacrificing speed. Also have you tried super fast annotations? For example, if a passage says, "Generally we find that x gives us y", some people might write "x = y". I think that's a poor decision because it opens you up for traps and generalizations that'll likely be distractors. Instead, I would write something to the effect of "x & y". That's purely objective, so when I get to the question about the relationship between x and y, I can find it super fast.

simply put, pen in hand (even without actively underlining anything) = better comprehension of passage

active reading is a great thing

 

[nOchemallday]

So I've updated the next set (passages 6 and 7) for test 2 as well as the overall for test 2.

I'm incredibly disappointed by this final set of passages. I feel as though passage 6 was incredibly detail oriented and my abysmal 2/5 correct is the result of not having the capacity to remember each of the camera angles/lenses and shots and other definitions introduced in the passage under the time stress. Unfortunately this doesn't account for the fact that I still got all 5 of the same questions wrong when not timed.

The only redeeming note is that I recognized that 4 of my 5 wrong answers were in fact wrong and then changed them...to 4 different wrong answers.

This may be the result of a different mindset than when taking the last 2 sets of passages. Was a lot less focused when doing these 2 passages, even when not timed, just lacked the motivation and attention-span to read actively. I think this is the biggest factor in my failure on these passages.

"Generally we find that x gives us y", some people might write "x = y". I think that's a poor decision because it opens you up for traps and generalizations that'll likely be distractors. Instead, I would write something to the effect of "x & y".

I've made a mental note of this "quick annotations" tidbit for relationships explicitly stated in the passage.

simply put, pen in hand (even without actively underlining anything) = better comprehension of passage

active reading is a great thing

I think my biggest problem of underlining is knowing what to underline. Which bring me to a new question:

Would it be advantageous to read the questions before I read the passage? since 1) I have enough time to read the entirety of the passage with reasonable comprehension, and moreso 2) since I almost always have to go back to the passage after reading the question anyway (unless it's a "tone" type question).

 

[Jepstein30]

Would it be advantageous to read the questions before I read the passage? since 1) I have enough time to read the entirety of the passage with reasonable comprehension, and moreso 2) since I almost always have to go back to the passage after reading the question anyway (unless it's a "tone" type question).

More of a personal style question than anything else but I personally don't like this strategy for any verbal test.

Read the passage for the main idea. Referring back for detail-orientated questions is fine and is actually beneficial since you are more likely to get it wrong if you just rely on your memory.

 

[nOchemallday]

Was falling a little behind on verbal passages because of the amount of time required for review days for the sciences so I decided to take the entire EK101 Test3 (Timed @ 60min). Still using my timed/un-timed method. The results have been updated in OP.

For passage breakdown Timed(Untimed):
I - 5/6 (6/6)
II - 7/7
III - 3/6 (5/6)
IV - 3/5 (4/5)
V - 4/5 (4/5)
VI - 5/6 (5/6)
VII - 4/5 (5/5)
Total: Timed=31/40 (10), Untimed=36/40

More of a personal style question than anything else but I personally don't like this strategy for any verbal test.

Read the passage for the main idea. Referring back for detail-orientated questions is fine and is actually beneficial since you are more likely to get it wrong if you just rely on your memory.

I decided against trying a new method going into the full length practice test. However I think I my take 2 days of passages (4-5 total passages) to try this out and see if that can help narrow down my problems.


I've also started to pay extra attention to which types of questions I get wrong most (especially when not timed):
Under non-timed conditions - Questions phrased something like: "Which of the following statements most challenges/supports or strengthens/weakens the passage argument/author's main point?" ; however, I am still getting a question wrong here and there about detail based questions. I was still able to identify 2 questions of the 4 wrong un-timed questions as wrong on the initial (timed) answers, but I think my lack of understanding/interest in the passage topic may be interfering with my ability to answer those detail-oriented questions.

[Under timed conditions - Detail based questions which depend on understanding the information presented in the passage rather than the author's opinion/tone/central thesis/hypothesis/primary argument.]