<p>So I took the March SAT yesterday and I was doing amazing until I got to the last section with a really hard double passage(the music one). Does anyone have any kind of tips or methods of tackling these kind of passages so in the future I won’t have a problem with them?</p>
<p>I had the same issue as you. If anyone has tips please share.</p>
<p>Bump
10char</p>
<p>Bump
10char</p>
<p>For the double passages, do you read Passage 1 and then answer the questions about Passage 1 before reading Passage 2? </p>
<p>Also, pinpoint your weakness (Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, or Humanities) and then read articles from magazines in that field. For example, Humanities is my weakness. I’d rather put a sharp stick in my eye than read passages on art or architecture or classical music. So before a test, I spend a month reading articles out of the Smithsonian Magazine, Archipelago, and Art Forum. It helps me get used to the style and tone, as well as allows me to practice maintaining focus while I read.</p>
<p>Yea that’s my method but its the passage itself that gets me.</p>
<p>That’s a great idea that I would have never thought of. Humanities is also my weakest and I ALWAYS have a problem with it so I might try that.</p>
<p>Isn’t there 4 kind of reading passages though?</p>
<p>MedicalBoy…I am an SAT tutor…I have long surfed the CC forum, and have recently decided that I would really like to find the time to contribute, so here goes (this is my first post): Another suggestion is getting a college reader. They can be expensive, but you can buy one used very cheap. For example, The McGraw Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines is a good collection of short writings, all at about the level of SAT passages, many of which are in the humanities. And the passages are grouped together so that you have many authors chiming in with different perspectives on the same general topic, much like in the paired passages. If you get an older edition of the book used, it can probably be had for like $5.</p>
<p>Like others have said practice reading articles that are written on a high level and on topics that are unfamiliar and in some cases downright uninteresting. I started reading the Economist for this very reason. If you can bear to read about the latest in Turkish politics or the housing market in China in the Economist then the Critical Reading section will be a breeze. My score jumped from 690 to 800 by doing this, studying vocab, and practice tests. Additionally, you may end up really liking what you’re reading once you get familiar with the material, that’s what happened to me!</p>
<p>The economist is good too. Essentially, its beneficial to read passages in which the author has an agenda or opinion that he or she is trying to convince the reader of. Another good thing to read (although probably a bit easier and more interesting than SAT passages) are opinion pieces in a good newspaper like the New York Times. You can even sign up for a daily email from most major papers and read one or two opinion pieces per day. Again, they are a bit more engaging and readable than SAT passages, but because the authors’ always have an agenda, its good practice.</p>
<p>What magazine/website/etc. would you guys recommend for good practice for all types of reading passages, Humanitarianism and others included?</p>
<p>Do you know any specific newspapers that offer the service of emailing you a couple of articles to read?</p>
<p>Sure. The NY Times does it. You can sign up for a daily email with the days headlines and you can have it include the opinion pieces. It won’t have the whole story, but you can click on the links and read the opinion pieces that interest you.</p>
<p>Sorry, here is a link:</p>
<p><a href=“The New York Times”>The New York Times;
<p>Depending on your local library, your membership allows you access to e-reading of a large variety of national newspapers and periodicals.
The Wall Street Journal, New York Times especially the Sunday New York Times Magazine and Atlantic Monthly are good places to start because they provide a mixture of heavy hitting and lighter reading.
Comprehending complex passages takes patience, concentration and practice-you can’t cut corners.</p>