Studying for the N2 exam. I took a practice test a couple weeks ago and scored an 83. My lowest section was reading at 24 points which honestly was higher than I thought it would be. That said, it was definitely a struggle and I was only on question 65 by the time I had only 22 minutes left on the clock. I rushed the latter 10 questions which obviously didn’t help at all.
I am properly going through Shinkanzen Master Series books this time though and it’s taken me a bit, but I feel like I’m finally starting to get the hang of it. I just went through an entire section and got every question right, even on long passages!
I’ve been taking it slower than I would on the test and really understanding the process of inferring what an author is trying to convey. This book does a fantastic job at laying out guidelines and ways to pick out keywords, metaphors, etc… here’s what I’ve learned from it:
– You don’t have to know every single word in a passage to figure out what the author is saying.
– If you’re stuck or find a passage difficult, I find reading the four possible answers to be very helpful in figuring out what to expect, etc. I’ve actually been able to better understand a passage after reading the multiple-choice answers and going back through the text.
– Though not always, keywords from the text will appear in the correct answer. If you find yourself stuck between two possible answers, I’ve more often than not been correct when choosing the one that has the same keywords/concepts in it as the text.
– Don’t overthink it. I think I’ve placed too much emphasis on how important/difficult this test is and end up second guessing myself on answers and getting it wrong despite being correct in the first place. Yes, sometimes the answer really is that simple.
Anyways, those are some key points I’ve taken away from going through this book. Now I just intend to get through all of it and hopefully by the end my reading comprehension will be stronger and I’ll be able to get through the questions more accurately and faster when I take my next practice exam in about a month!
