JexteLox

Anyone use this method to higher their score? in a nutshell, it is:

1) do a quick "topic search", reading only what you need- to get the main point, author's tone. [don't memorize details at this point. its irrelevant.]

2) look at the Questions....usually by order, as the questions will be arranged by chronological order- answer all "specific" questions pertaining to context, before you answer main idea/ general/tone ones, first.

3) Eliminate all "common sense" answers, obvious answers or "extreme answers"....go back to the passage and only read what you need to.


this method is quacky when it was in the PR... coming from the PR, it was like "Ok I'll try this method, since its the PR method." but if someone else were to tell me this (like a friend) i would NOT use this method...simply because it would take a long time looking for the Tone/Inference Q/A; and on dual passages, the questions where they ask you to compare what One Author may think of another author's phrase, or tone, or main point.

Advice?

akahmed

I agree with 2 only.

What I found with 'reading only what you need' although its suggesting it for the main idea or topic, I would read everything. Others may feel comfortable with skimming or reading only parts of it, but when you have three choices eliminated and there are two really similar ones left, you will wish you had read the whole thing so its a clear shot.

Eliminating 'common sense' answers and 'extreme answers' right off the bat is not a good idea. Yes, the CB does not want to offend anybody but, at least read the passage until you decide. 9/10 you will eliminate that answer anyways after reading the passage, but since its not 10/10, its not worth the risk. Eliminating common sense answers does not agree with common sense. There are some, few, very straight forward questions whose answer choice seems common sense, why would you eliminate it? Again, not worth the risk.

All these companies want you to feel safe and comfortable. They want to 'equip you' with an arsenal of tools to raise you score, guaranteed :|. After doing many passages though, you will find these techniques do not cater to the perfect scorer rather to the student with the 500 wanting a 600. You have to develop your own sense of the questions and answers by looking at the right answers, finding why its the best choice, developing CB's mind into yours as to why IT is the right answer and continuing that fine tuning technique. Only then can you begin to feel comforted.