amy2525

Hi guys,

I am an international student. My average current score in CR is 600.
I did all the released tests from 2005 until now, the online course, and the official sat study guide tests.
I memorized vocab lists: barrons(800 words), direct hits, and another one that has 1000 words.
Should I do the released old SAT tests (before 2005), or should I use other practice books?

What else should I do to raise my score to 700+?

any advice is appreciated

amy2525

help please

Reckie

I'm not an international student, but it sounds like you've put a lot of effort into studying. Don't forget other companies make practice tests and questions, even if they are made up. Do you know what area you're having trouble with? Vocabulary? Sentence structure?

If I were you I would read a lot of newspaper articles or other solid readings to train your ear, and do as many practice questions as possible.

amy2525

^^ thanks!
my main problem is that I can't completely understand the passages in the given time,
but what are the best books for CR?

amy2525

any suggestions?

Reckie

I've heard Rocket Review & Grammatix are both very good.

If you aren't understanding the passages, the easiest way to fix that is to just read... boring reading. Looking up "translations" to your first language might help.

LOTS of reading.

amy2525

^^ thanks for help!

Mystery101926

I second the just read recommendation because it sounds like you are already doing everything else you need to. And make sure you read things you enjoy reading, like look up the English version of one of your favorite books because if you like what you're reading you are more likely to keep doing it and less likely to give up.
I also did the worst on the passages and after a summer of medium intensity reading (fantasy and science fiction books for fun and a few school books) I went up to my goal CR score

amy2525

^thanks!
what is your current score and by how many points did your score increase by reading?

jennyblue

practice reading as much as you can, read books, learn at least a 1,000 new words, take as many practice tests as you can. the most important is vocabulary..

Divy1234

I increased from a 48 Sophomore PSAT (abysmal still questioning how it happened) to a 750+ (what I believe I scored on October test)and a 700+ with little effort. The key is READ READ READ. I can't tell you how valuable that is. I did no other practice aside from reading, and looking up words I didn't know in articles/books.

SATACT95

I recommend you find additional aids to study. I consistently get 720-770 critical reading now because my tutor gave me one of the best books to study. It had 109 Passages and he wrote out paragraphs for every question. I improved by reading those paragraphs and understanding the system of questions. He probably has an electronic copy of it so you should contact him: timshones@**********

I started off at around 510 critical reading so I understand how hard it is to get it up!

Mystery101926

I went from a 750 CR to a 800 CR with reading over the summer, but I have been a big reader my whole life (I used to read 3 books a week during the school year and 5 or 6 a week in the summer) and I think that's why I did so well.
Reading a lot helps you gain fluency in reading just through repetition.

When I took the PSAT and SAT the only questions I got wrong were the passage comprehension questions so I made sure I was a bit more conscious of why everything was happening in what I read and thought about the types of questions the test might ask about a chapter I read maybe once a week.

amy2525

Thank you guys for help!

hellogloria

I heard the key to the succeed for that part is to read.
I don't quite like books myself so..