Hello I just took the PSAT 10 and I received 1200/1520. I am very heartbroken over these scores. The problem is the reading section, can anyone please give tips on how to improve on the reading section. Thanks.
The reading section evaluates how quickly you can read, comprehend and process/locate information in a variety of texts. Rather than just trying to improve you score on a test, improve your reading skills. Read everything you can put your hands on, look up and learn unfamiliar vocabulary, question yourself about the content such as theme, plot, characters, actions, etc. Could you provide a meaningful summary .
Reading is like riding a bike==you need to practice reading to read proficiently. It doesn’t matter if the text is boring (Silas Marner), over-complicated and long (Russian novels), old English (Chaucer and Shakespeare), historical (Gettysburg Address, Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Declaration of Independence…), novels, whatever. If you fall asleep or aren’t paying attention, read while standing ad/or read aloud.
Some love reading and always carry a book with them; others know how to find the information they need and comprehend it, but having a favorite book isn’t on their bucket list. It’s very nice earning desired and desirable scores. That isn’t the point. Read because it is a life skill you will need in college and as a professional. Read because good reading speed allows you to read and comprehend quickly and apply that information.
If you find you are a slow reader, fix it. If you don’t like the book, finish it and move on with your life . For example, I hated Heidi as a child, but reread it again as an adult. Every bit as tedious and silly as I remembered, But now I have more than a Shirley Temple understanding of Heidi. It didn’t kill me, but I would choose to re-
read ole Silas Marner or the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin sooner…
It’s only a test! It is designed to measure your academic skills that are going to be important early in college. Reading itself will stand you in good stead for a lifetime. Read! Great way to spend a summer!