Bootcamp RC struggles w/ a week to go.

[Punished Angeleno]

Currently in panic mode. I've got about 9 days to go and I just started working on RC. I took two Bootcamp exams and scored less than 15 on the first and 18 on the second. I'm letting the first go because I forced myself to take it at midnight when I was absolutely exhausted, but I'm not exactly thrilled with an 18 either.

That said, do I have enough time to bring RC up to the 20s or should I postpone? I'm feeling okay with my other scores but what's the point of taking the exam if RC is going to destroy my AA?

Other Bootcamp Averages So Far (subject tests 6-9):
BIO: 21 (highest: 23)
GC: 20.5 (highest: 22)
OC: 20.75 (highest: 22)
PAT: 19.75 (highest: 20)
QR: 17.5 (highest: 18)*

*Only two tests taken. The reason why QR is low is because of the QC questions (I keep getting almost all of them wrong). Working on it, though. I'm sure I can raise this to 20 in a week.

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[artist2022]

I would say don't worry so much about RC/QR, they're kind of the least important (but still important).
First: your science scores are pretty close to my averages! PAT too. I think you will do fine on the real thing No need to postpone, just keep practicing these, shining them up so that they bring your AA up (and give you a teeny bit of a buffer).
Now: RC: I honestly do not have any advice for this section, I left it for last too (sorta) and took only 1 practice test. Just take the rest and see how you do, see why you're getting them wrong and focus on those weakness vs. the scores you're getting.
QR: Continue to work on the QC questions, but also work through Math Destroyer so that even if you miss all the QC problems on the real thing but get everything else right, you could/should still end up with at least a 20.
Hope this helps!

 

[DDSDCMUU]

My method for RC was to focus and read half of the passage. Try your best to understand it all. Then, use S&D on the rest of the passage to answer the remaining questions. This should also allow you to answer any tone questions. I scored above a 20 on all my RC practice exams with BC and a 21 on the real thing. Also, just warning you, don't discard QR. This section was a shocker to me. Good luck! You can do it!

 

[Punished Angeleno]

I would say don't worry so much about RC/QR, they're kind of the least important (but still important).
First: your science scores are pretty close to my averages! PAT too. I think you will do fine on the real thing No need to postpone, just keep practicing these, shining them up so that they bring your AA up (and give you a teeny bit of a buffer).
Now: RC: I honestly do not have any advice for this section, I left it for last too (sorta) and took only 1 practice test. Just take the rest and see how you do, see why you're getting them wrong and focus on those weakness vs. the scores you're getting.
QR: Continue to work on the QC questions, but also work through Math Destroyer so that even if you miss all the QC problems on the real thing but get everything else right, you could/should still end up with at least a 20.
Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for responding! Eased my mind quite a bit. I'll just continue practicing and hope for the best. Awesome breakdown, by the way, and fantastic scores. Congratulations!

 

[Punished Angeleno]

My method for RC was to focus and read half of the passage. Try your best to understand it all. Then, use S&D on the rest of the passage to answer the remaining questions. This should also allow you to answer any tone questions. I scored above a 20 on all my RC practice exams with BC and a 21 on the real thing. Also, just warning you, don't discard QR. This section was a shocker to me. Good luck! You can do it!

Thank you for sharing! I'll try using these techniques to see if it'll increase my score. So far I've only started answering questions AFTER I read the entire passage. Guess it's not the best way to do it. And I sure hope I don't end up with a QR section as difficult as yours!

 

[FeralisExtremum]

I would say don't worry so much about RC/QR, they're kind of the least important (but still important).

QR is not very important, but RC is generally considered very important.

Improving RC in 9 days is pretty difficult, but if you've only just started it's possible you just haven't quite adapted to the style of questions yet. The rest of your scores seem solid, but you don't want QR and RC dragging your AA down unnecessarily. I would take another practice test or two to see if the upward trend on RC and QR scores continues, then consider the possibility of postponing if they don't.

 

[DAT Destroyer]

Currently in panic mode. I've got about 9 days to go and I just started working on RC. I took two Bootcamp exams and scored less than 15 on the first and 18 on the second. I'm letting the first go because I forced myself to take it at midnight when I was absolutely exhausted, but I'm not exactly thrilled with an 18 either.

That said, do I have enough time to bring RC up to the 20s or should I postpone? I'm feeling okay with my other scores but what's the point of taking the exam if RC is going to destroy my AA?

Other Bootcamp Averages So Far (subject tests 6-9):
BIO: 21 (highest: 23)
GC: 20.5 (highest: 22)
OC: 20.75 (highest: 22)
PAT: 19.75 (highest: 20)
QR: 17.5 (highest: 18)*

*Only two tests taken. The reason why QR is low is because of the QC questions (I keep getting almost all of them wrong). Working on it, though. I'm sure I can raise this to 20 in a week.

Please feel free to contact me and I can offer some advice, your reading score is important, QR not as important but nevertheless, you can't bomb that section.

Dr. Romano

 

[Punished Angeleno]

QR is not very important, but RC is generally considered very important.

Improving RC in 9 days is pretty difficult, but if you've only just started it's possible you just haven't quite adapted to the style of questions yet. The rest of your scores seem solid, but you don't want QR and RC dragging your AA down unnecessarily. I would take another practice test or two to see if the upward trend on RC and QR scores continues, then consider the possibility of postponing if they don't.

I just took QR + RC subject tests on Bootcamp and scored 18 again on both.

I'm still struggling with QC and making a few asinine mistakes here and there. With regard to RC, I'm unable to retain the information, especially if the topic is uninteresting or too detailed/all over the place (which has been the case for 2/3 passages for all 3 exams). Is Bootcamp's RC slightly more difficult than the real thing or is it just me?

I'll consider postponing, but it's difficult to do since I've been working hard to improve my science/PAT scores for 2 months now. Also, my upper division biochemistry/microbiology courses start in 2 weeks and I feel like it'll take away all the time I'd personally need to increase these scores.

 

[Punished Angeleno]

Please feel free to contact me and I can offer some advice, your reading score is important, QR not as important but nevertheless, you can't bomb that section.

Dr. Romano

Thanks for reaching out, Dr. Romano. I'd love to contact you, just don't know how. Is it the "start a conversation" option? Sorry, I'm still kind of new here, lol.

 

[schmoob]

OP, for RC try reading the first few questions, then read the first few paragraphs. You will know what to look for and will be able to answer some of them. Then read the next few questions. You'll already be able to answer some of them from the first few paragraphs you read, or will know where to find the answers. Then Read the next few paragraphs. You'll be able to recognize what they are talking about from the questions you pre-read. Continue these steps for the whole passage.
I couldn't do S&D or reading the whole passage first, it didn't work for me and my scores were low. This method got me a good RC score.

For QR it's all about strategy. Think of it like being hustled in poker. They give you a few easy questions in the beginning to suck you in, kind of like winning a few hands in cards. Then the questions in the middle turn into serious time-wasters. You get hustled for your chips (in this case, it's the clock). For these questions, the second you realize that it's a time waster, take a guess, MARK, move on. Repeat this. You may have like 10-15 marked questions and that's ok, but you will notice towards the end, the questions become easier. But if you get stuck in the middle, you lose the easy points at the end. With this method, you should have plenty of time to figure out the answers for most of your marked questions. Don't get sucked into the mindset of thinking that you MUST get the correct answer before moving onto the next question, you will lose easy points.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[DAT Destroyer]

OP, for RC try reading the first few questions, then read the first few paragraphs. You will know what to look for and will be able to answer some of them. Then read the next few questions. You'll already be able to answer some of them from the first few paragraphs you read, or will know where to find the answers. Then Read the next few paragraphs. You'll be able to recognize what they are talking about from the questions you pre-read. Continue these steps for the whole passage.
I couldn't do S&D or reading the whole passage first, it didn't work for me and my scores were low. This method got me a good RC score.

For QR it's all about strategy. Think of it like being hustled in poker. They give you a few easy questions in the beginning to suck you in, kind of like winning a few hands in cards. Then the questions in the middle turn into serious time-wasters. You get hustled for your chips (in this case, it's the clock). For these questions, the second you realize that it's a time waster, take a guess, MARK, move on. Repeat this. You may have like 10-15 marked questions and that's ok, but you will notice towards the end, the questions become easier. But if you get stuck in the middle, you lose the easy points at the end. With this method, you should have plenty of time to figure out the answers for most of your marked questions. Don't get sucked into the mindset of thinking that you MUST get the correct answer before moving onto the next question, you will lose easy points.

Let us know how it goes!

Excellent advice!

 

[Punished Angeleno]

OP, for RC try reading the first few questions, then read the first few paragraphs. You will know what to look for and will be able to answer some of them. Then read the next few questions. You'll already be able to answer some of them from the first few paragraphs you read, or will know where to find the answers. Then Read the next few paragraphs. You'll be able to recognize what they are talking about from the questions you pre-read. Continue these steps for the whole passage.
I couldn't do S&D or reading the whole passage first, it didn't work for me and my scores were low. This method got me a good RC score.

For QR it's all about strategy. Think of it like being hustled in poker. They give you a few easy questions in the beginning to suck you in, kind of like winning a few hands in cards. Then the questions in the middle turn into serious time-wasters. You get hustled for your chips (in this case, it's the clock). For these questions, the second you realize that it's a time waster, take a guess, MARK, move on. Repeat this. You may have like 10-15 marked questions and that's ok, but you will notice towards the end, the questions become easier. But if you get stuck in the middle, you lose the easy points at the end. With this method, you should have plenty of time to figure out the answers for most of your marked questions. Don't get sucked into the mindset of thinking that you MUST get the correct answer before moving onto the next question, you will lose easy points.

Let us know how it goes!

Awesome, I'll try it out tonight. Thanks a ton!

 

[Faefly]

Don't try anything at night.
Try them in the morning or at noon.

 

[artist2022]

Don't try anything at night.
Try them in the morning or at noon.

Contrary to this, most of my effective studying occurred from 8pm-2am lol. Night owls vs early birds. So, each to their own. OP do what works best for you!

 

[Faefly]

Contrary to this, most of my effective studying occurred from 8pm-2am lol. Night owls vs early birds. So, each to their own. OP do what works best for you!

I am sorry! But I am a night owl as well, you might have missed his statement when he said he scored lower than 15 but that might have been
because " forced myself to take it at midnight when I was absolutely exhausted, but I'm not exactly thrilled with an 18 either."

 

[Nottaway]

In my own experience, I found that RC was much more doable on the real DAT than BC exams. I was rarely getting higher than a 20 on the BC exams because the articles and questions were very detailed and difficult (especially statement/reason questions). I felt least ready/confident for RC coming into the DAT. Somehow I ended up with a 26 in RC.

I think it ultimately comes down to how well you can keep your nerves in order and really convincing yourself that the articles are interesting so that you don't lose focus (all my articles on my DAT were pretty easy to read and interesting). Find a strategy that makes you most comfortable in absorbing information in an efficient manner. For some it may be SnD, for others, it may just be skimming the whole article and then going to the questions. You could even blend/modify other strategies to make your own. Everyone reads differently and at their own pace. Find what works for you.

 

[Punished Angeleno]

Here's the update:

Took one QR and one RC test from Bootcamp today and I scored 20 on both (34/40 and 31/50).

I felt pretty good about QR, but I'm still too slow for RC. I had to rush through the last 7-8 questions because I was running low on time. Got about half of those right. Given that Bootcamp RC is more difficult than the real thing, I kind of feel better about breaking 20, but I'm still not thrilled. Guess it's all about practice from here on out! I have ~6 more days to pull off a miracle, lol.

 

[artist2022]

Here's the update:

Took one QR and one RC test from Bootcamp today and I scored 20 on both (34/40 and 31/50).

I felt pretty good about QR, but I'm still too slow for RC. I had to rush through the last 7-8 questions because I was running low on time. Got about half of those right. Given that Bootcamp RC is more difficult than the real thing, I kind of feel better about breaking 20, but I'm still not thrilled. Guess it's all about practice from here on out! I have ~6 more days to pull off a miracle, lol.

Progress! Wooohoo! 6 days should be plenty of time I'd say, any more and you might burn out. Good job though! Put the effort in this last week and then relax all day everyday when it's all done Best of luck!

 

[Punished Angeleno]

Progress! Wooohoo! 6 days should be plenty of time I'd say, any more and you might burn out. Good job though! Put the effort in this last week and then relax all day everyday when it's all done Best of luck!

Yup! I honestly can't wait. Thanks for all the support! I really do appreciate it

 

[Faefly]

Here's the update:

Took one QR and one RC test from Bootcamp today and I scored 20 on both (34/40 and 31/50).

I felt pretty good about QR, but I'm still too slow for RC. I had to rush through the last 7-8 questions because I was running low on time. Got about half of those right. Given that Bootcamp RC is more difficult than the real thing, I kind of feel better about breaking 20, but I'm still not thrilled. Guess it's all about practice from here on out! I have ~6 more days to pull off a miracle, lol.

You can do this!
Best of luck!

 

[Punished Angeleno]

You can do this!
Best of luck!

Thank you! I'll do my best!