Struggling with Consistency? One question that arises frequently is, “Why am I not consistent in how I score on a certain section?” For example, a student may see his or her score in Logical Reasoning move around by a few questions with each practice test. Or, a student with consistent overall scores notices that sometimes she performs well on Reading Comprehension, other times Logical Reasoning, and other times Games. So, she ends up scoring … [Read more...]
A Timing Strategy for Faster Reading Comprehension Performance
Although people don't think that Reading Comprehension and Logic Games have much to do with each other, the truth is that they have something very important in common. The most obvious thing that the sections have in common is their structure. Both the sections have four main units. The Game section has four games and the Reading Comprehension section has four passages. And the number of questions associated with each game or passage is similar … [Read more...]
Assumption and Must Be True Questions: Strange Bedfellows
Must Be True Questions Must Be True (aka “Inference”) questions are foundational to both the Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension sections of the test. Most commonly, their question stem indicates that the information in the stimulus should be taken as true (“if the statements above are true…”). It then asks you to identify an answer choice that is proven or supported by it (“…which one of the following must also be true?”). All Must Be … [Read more...]
Don’t Be Fooled by Feigned Sophistication
There is a widespread misconception among test takers that because your reading level is difficult to improve (taking years to develop), your performance on the Reading Comprehension passages is also unlikely to change. This belief reflects a common misunderstanding about the specific type of difficulty associated with reading comprehension passages. Keep in mind that the test makers generally have about a half of a page to get their points … [Read more...]
Why Skimming Isn’t Advised on the Reading Comprehension Section
Should You Skim the Reading Comp Passage? In theory, it might seem that skimming could add some degree of efficiency. Unfortunately, in practice, this is not the case. In fact, this approach actually reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the Reading Comprehension section.Skimming might be sufficient to absorb lighter materials aimed for simplicity, such as newspapers or magazines. A newspaper editor wants readers to know … [Read more...]