Just wondering, what books did you guys use for the reading comprehension section? I'm thinking about just buying a subject book for that, but I don't know what kind of RC questions they ask...are they the same kind that appear on the SAT or are they based more on how to interpret experimental results as in the MCAT? I have not taken any practice exams yet. If anyone has taken the computer version of the exam, has it been more difficult now that you can't highlight the passages?
OAT - Reading Comprehension
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It's kind of hard to study for the RC section. You pretty much just have to go into the test, read the articles, and do your best. To me it wasn't as hard as most people make it out to be. I just read through the article once, and then looked back at certain parts (that I remembered from reading the first time) to help me answer the questions. If you're a good reader, this section shouldn't be a problem for you.
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Yes. You have the passage available while answering the questions. I tend to be a pretty fast reader, so I read the entire passage, read the questions, and then looked back through the passage if needed to answer the question. I had about 15 minutes left over, and reading comprehension was my best score (390). I think I owe it to Nancy Drew and all of my other favorite book characters for making me love to read when I was little!
Just a side note... I know people who read the questions and then just hunted through the passage to find the answers. They did just as well as I did, so don't think that if you aren't a fast reader you have no chance to do well. Make sure you are using practice tests to guage what strategy will work best for you.
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Practice practice practice. And practice under time constraints, which is really the most difficult part of the reading comprehension session (the lack of time). I scored 400 on RC and I attribute that mostly to the fact that I practiced well for this session.
Get your hands on topscore, oat achiever, whatever to get more practice on RC.
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I know RC will be my hardest part. Do they offer any sort of "highlighting" option on the computer?
That is the best way I can quickly get through a passage and pick up main points, but I will feel crippled if that option is not there.
That is the best way I can quickly get through a passage and pick up main points, but I will feel crippled if that option is not there.
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There is no option for highlighting. Just read the article once through, then go back for more info if you need help to answer the question. Pay attention to the first sentence of each paragraph as it usually introduces the topics in it.
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keep in mind the paragraphs aren't numbered on the oat, so that's kind of annoying.
i used kaplan's strategy of making a quick road map as i skimmed the passage- writing down important words, dates, names, etc that stood out for each paragraph, without actually reading for meaning. except for reading the first sentence or two of each paragraph, to get the main idea. this really sped up my RC time because i wasn't wasting time searching for where something was, i already had written it down on my road map and knew around which paragraph it was in. and i always had leftover time at the end. i got a 370 on it.
i used kaplan's strategy of making a quick road map as i skimmed the passage- writing down important words, dates, names, etc that stood out for each paragraph, without actually reading for meaning. except for reading the first sentence or two of each paragraph, to get the main idea. this really sped up my RC time because i wasn't wasting time searching for where something was, i already had written it down on my road map and knew around which paragraph it was in. and i always had leftover time at the end. i got a 370 on it.
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Have you taken the test and know for sure that it's not numbered?? I've been practicing from Kaplan and Topscore...Kaplan isn't numbered but Topscore is so I just want to make sure so I"m not caught off guard with the actual format.
