How do I stop plateauing in the reading section?

Question

I’ve taken countless reading sections in hopes of getting a higher score, but I’ve been noticing that I always or most of the time get -6 wrong on a single passage. How do I fix this? I am taking the test in March, and I am freaking out.

Answer 1

Here's a few tips from my experience with the SAT reading section:

1. Start with the questions and then go back to the passage. By first reading a question (or multiple) and then diving into the passage, your reading is much more focused and purposeful.
2. Save the "What is the main point of this passage?" question for last as you answer a passage's questions. By reading the passage for the other questions you will have a much clearer idea of the passage's main point, and you won't have to read the entire passage with only this question in mind.
3. Anytime you take a practice test, take the time to go over what you miss and to understand why you missed it. This is the most helpful thing you can do to improve your score- in every section.

Answer 2

Hey Deven,

If it's this month, we should schedule some time and go over the sections ASAP, there's no one easy fix, it depends on why you're getting the questions wrong/which specific questions you're getting wrong.

That being said, try to calm down when doing the passages, feeling you're going to do poorly is highly stressful, but it's counterproductive to get questions wrong because you're scared of getting them wrong.

Let me know if you'd like some help,

-Michael