<p>Any way to improve critical reading score? I always miss around 10-15 for a 650 CR.</p>
<p>I tried memorizing some vocab lists via Direct Hits Core Edition but when I took a practice test, I still missed all the hard ones (1-2 per section). Any advice?</p>
<p>Also for the critical reading, is there a way to improve comprehension? I usually finish early and try to check my answers but it’s really hard to spot out the wrong assumptions I make (Ex: I mark a choice that is right and is the author’s main idea, but it wasn’t the main idea of the passage in the question).</p>
<p>Is there a way to improve this kind of comprehension? </p>
<p>Practice is the key for such tests. You should just keep practising and try to improve your score with every new attempt. Also, are you taking help from some coaching centre or teachers. If yes, then probably they can answer this query better as they have seen your growth. However, if you are not taking help from any coaching centre then you should. Such tests are very competitive and professional guidance is very important. Where do you stay? Let me know, I think I can help you out with the professional coaching. </p>
<p>It’s normal that the main idea is not the same in the questions. In this case, you may look for the best answer, not necessary the most accurate. For specific questions, choose the option which is the most similar to what the passage states. If the text says “Jack drives fast” and the one of the choices is “Jack drives dangerously”, you must realize that it’s totally incorrect. You may know that high speed is dangerous, but if it’s not stated in the excerpt, then it’s WRONG</p>
<p>Let me share some strategies that really helped me with comprehension. Whenever I read the passage, I try to make annotations. These help me pay attention to the passage and notice important details/words. These are not the detailed annotations you do in English class. My annotations are usually a bit of underlining, and writing down the main idea for each paragraph. When I read the questions, I would jot down my personal answer in the margins (but I now have enough practice to be able to do it in my head). It is important to actually write them down. This way you do not get swayed or biased once you read the answer choices. Just pick what fits best. A lot of times, you may come down to two choices and will not know which one to pick. Read both choices very carefully; scrutinize and analyze every difference between the choices in terms of wording, ideas, etc. Sometimes a choice may be mostly correct and sounds the best, but will have just one word that makes less correct. You have to be careful to notice each and every word. Using these techniques helped me raise my scores from the 600s to 700s, and with LOTS of practice I was able to get an 800 on my last SAT. Practice is also a key, as you get better at noticing key words and understanding how the section works. For vocab, all you can do is memorize, memorize, and memorize.</p>