What is your strategy to attack PS/VR/BS Sections - Timing & order?

[Hands4Surgery]

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So.... It's been said everywhere that 2min/passage and 1 min/question tends to be the general rule for all of the sections. But is there a way to improve scores by just using an intelligent approach to each section by using a combination of optimum timing and answering sequence, irrespective of test content?

a) Does anybody have an approach that they've noticed to work? could you share?
b) Is nailing all discretes before doing the passages good or bad?
c) Has anybody found the last passage of the VR section to be the easiest? (I have not checked. Please share if you've found this to be the case)
d) Has anybody come up with a good way to monitor timing for PS and BS? perhaps something like the 52/44... thing (see below)? - Please share. These sections are harder to time because of the variability of difficulty between passages and because of the embeded discretes.
e) Does anybody see anything bad with my approach?


Approach: This is what I do, in the stated order:
PS:
1. Flip to the end of the section and answer the last set of discretes (they are typically the easiest)
2. skip around section and answer all discretes.
3. Do all Physics passages (physics is easier than gen chem for me so i nail those first)
4. Do all gen chem passages.

VR:
1. Write down 52/44/36/28/20/12 on my scratch paper and try to monitor my timing using that (at end of first passage i should be at 52 min, at end of 2nd I should be at 44 etc)
2. Skip any 7-question passages (they are typically the longest and feel they tide me up)
3. Nail every passage that is easy to understand in order of appearance in the section.

3a. Answer all main idea/tone-type questions first, and leave all roman numeral questions last.
​

** I don't usually look explicitely for a killer passage. Is this bad?

Bio:
1. Flip to end of section and answer the last set of discretes.
2. Do all discretes
3. Do all passages that deal with biology first
4. Do all orgo passages last.


Thanks!

 

[rkmauria]

i dont understand why you flip through the test and do all that. If anything, you are wasting time looking and flipping through. For me, I go through the test in order. It seems to work for me since i've been averaging around a 13 for the sciences.

 

[NinjaMed]

I used my own style for the Verbal. It involved a mix of EK, TPR, and something from LSAT preparation. You have a bit of it covered in what you propose.

For the sciences, skip passages and go to discretes first. That is a smart idea. I thought about it, but failed to do so. If I could do it again, I would hit the discretes first in PS and BS. Definitely a good move, you've got a good head on your shoulders OP.

For the WS, if you still care, do up a skeletal outline of your essay, then go at it. A 43 looks better as a 43S rather than a 43O or 43N to the ad coms.

 

[Hands4Surgery]

I used my own style for the Verbal. It involved a mix of EK, TPR, and something from LSAT preparation. You have a bit of it covered in what you propose.

For the sciences, skip passages and go to discretes first. That is a smart idea. I thought about it, but failed to do so. If I could do it again, I would hit the discretes first in PS and BS. Definitely a good move, you've got a good head on your shoulders OP.

For the WS, if you still care, do up a skeletal outline of your essay, then go at it. A 43 looks better as a 43S rather than a 43O or 43N to the ad coms.

43S... nice.

 

[Hands4Surgery]

i dont understand why you flip through the test and do all that. If anything, you are wasting time looking and flipping through. For me, I go through the test in order. It seems to work for me since i've been averaging around a 13 for the sciences.

Ok... If you are at 13's in the sciences that means that you have done a lot of tests. It does take a bit of time to find all the discretes first but not much. Definitely the last set of discretes for every section seem the easiest (to me at least).

so, in summary, with all your practice you have never just preferentially tried to answer a specific part of the test first? How do you do your timing? are physics and chem equally dificult for you?

Thanks!

 

[rkmauria]

Ok... If you are at 13's in the sciences that means that you have done a lot of tests. It does take a bit of time to find all the discretes first but not much. Definitely the last set of discretes for every section seem the easiest (to me at least).

so, in summary, with all your practice you have never just preferentially tried to answer a specific part of the test first? How do you do your timing? are physics and chem equally dificult for you?

Thanks!

I tried it once and found it didn't help me. The reason is that sometimes it just messed with my mindset skipping around so much. Also, what works for me is since the discretes are normally pretty easy, I look forward to doing them. So say I'm on passage 2, I'd prob think 'ok, lets get through this next passage so I can do those discretes'. For me, the discretes are kind of like a break from those passages.

But hey, if your method works for you, great. I'm just saying that it didn't work for me. Timing wise, I normally finish with about 10 minutes left, so I have some time to review ones I wasn't sure on.

Chem and physics i would say are equally as difficult for me, though i normally finish physics questions faster just because my intuition is a little better for them. I would at least try just going through the test in order once and see how you feel.