- Wed Sep 30, 2020 10:04 am
#79497
5 minutes to do an RC passage is pretty tight,gab1234, but it's still more than enough time to read the passage at your normal pace (avoiding re-reading, looking primarily for structure and tone rather than details) and answer at least two questions, especially if the first question is the Main Point. My advice in those trying circumstances is to remain calm and do just that. Don't try to read faster or take any shortcuts, but just do all the things you would normally do and accept that you will probably have to guess on several questions just before time runs out. Better to be accurate than to be fast, and rushing is never a good idea!
Another option, if you have even less time, is risky but can sometimes pay off, and that is to read the first and last paragraphs only and see if that gives you enough information to answer a question or two. That's not ideal, but if you are looking at under 3 minutes on the clock when you get to that passage it is worth a try. Better to know the answer to one question than to have to guess on all of them!
More important than these strategies, though, is to analyze how you performed earlier in the section to figure out why you found yourself short on time. Were you re-reading a lot? Did you sort answers into losers and contenders quickly, or get caught up analyzing them and researching them before you were done sorting? Did you prephrase as much as you possibly could throughout the section? If you encountered an especially challenging question, did you guess, flag it, and move on, or did you let yourself get bogged down? These are all things that can waste precious time, and they are all things that can be managed with consistent good habits throughout the section. Pay attention to how you are reacting throughout the section, and figure out what is holding you back from being more efficient, and soon you won't need to worry about being short on time at the last passage.
Adam M. Tyson
PowerScore LSAT, GRE, ACT and SAT Instructor
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