Agreed that time management is rarely the main source for low scores, especially on CR. Its usually much more fundamental than that. Though it sounds like in the original poster’s situation he or she would be able to break through into the 700’s if not for the time constraints. Unfortunately I think some people are just generally slow readers (I am, actually), but there are definitely things that one can do to try to minimize the negative effects of the time constraints and be better and more strategic about time management. This may not have a huge effect and especially on CR I think its more limited, but for some people it is a significant factor that sooner or later needs to be addressed.
Even though this is not related to CR, it always amazes me how even people who have done lots and lots and lots of Math sections can spend undue time on questions 7 and 8 on the Grid-In section because they didn’t realize that they were on the Grid-In section and that those questions are among the most difficult on that section.
xiggi said : This said, there are times that a reading question APPEARS to have more than one plausible answer when the reader relies on outside knowledge or overthinks the context of the passages.
By the way, English is my worst subject. About 75% of homework studying is on English, and it is my only non-AP class.
By the way, I am not going for a 2400. Even a 2130 (710, 710, 710) would be better than 2250 (690, 800, 760) as all three of your scores have to fall into the college threshold. But, a 2250 (750, 750, 750) is more admired than 2250 (690, 800, 760).
I think you are under-valuing your accomplishments. Especially if you are applying as a STEM major, the 800 in math is a nice chip. Remember that it raises the possibility that your math ability far exceeds what the SAT measures! And in that case, your 690 reading really raises no red flags at all. Outside of CC, it is viewed quite favorably. Certainly go ahead and see if you can’t get that 20 point bump, but really don’t worry so much.
Also, now that I read the other posts, I think that they are agreeing with what I have heard. You get into trouble when you base your answer on your assumptions rather than on what the passage actually says. Honestly, the same thing can happen in math – if you go to fast, you may answer what you THINK the question was asking rather than what it actually asked. On both sections, there is no need to read beneath the surface. You just have to read what’s right there on the surface with a tremendously focused and disciplined accuracy. And as Xiggi says (and me and many other people, many times…): practice with authentic material.
@pckeller You give me great advice. Maybe I shouldn’t sweat at it. And true, I was a big part of the December 2014 SAT forum, and everybody had SAT reading above 700.
Yeah, I should have said this in my original reply, but you are definitely under-valuing your achievements. Those scores are already excellent scores…borderline amazing I would day. 800 Math is a real achievement, as is 760W. Even 690 CR is an excellent, excellent score. As @pckeller says, outside the context of CC those scores would be viewed as pretty spectacular…its just that on this forum so many of the posters are high achievers.
I don’t have any expertise with the admissions process itself, so what follows is really just based on my sense, but I actually think it might be better to have 1 or 2 section scores really high and the other not as high (so I don’t think the 710, 710, 710 would be better at all…in fact, I don’t think there is any way that is better than what you have right now). As @pckeller says if you are applying as a STEM major the 800 Math will really help you. And I could imagine that if someone had insanely high CR and W scores but a pretty low Math score but was applying as an intended English or Philosophy major, an admissions committee may look at that and say something like, “this student has amazing verbal ability and is clearly going to study something in the humanities or social sciences, so that slightly lower Math score is really not that important or relevant.”