Increase the score the CR

[THAIDUYBINH]

I have prepared for the SAT for a long time and I have a good score at Math and Writing . However, my critical reasoning is so bad ( 570-580) . I find out that whenever I have a general idea of the topic I have the correct answer easily but if not, I get bad score!!! The problem I confront with is that I am not a US student so I don't know much about some subjects (history,philosophy,history of art, music,politics,law .....).
Could you recommend some links to download books or websites contains the text books of some universities in US !!And could you also recommend some crucial books that need to be read to have general knowledge about that subjects.
Thank you so much!!

[walt526]

It's been many, many years since I took the SAT. But probably what helped me out a lot with reading comprehension was reading the New York Times everyday from a pretty young age. I was most interested in US politics and international affairs as a high school student, but my mother encouraged me to read articles on science and arts as well--and then talk about the articles afterward. Although some selections come from academic journals, most are comparable in reading level to the NY Times.

I believe that the entire paper is completely free on the website (at one point the op-ed were subscription, but that is no longer the case), although archives are extra.

Added bonus: now on the NY Times, if you encounter a word that you don't understand, highlight it and click on it and a definition comes up. So you can get more accustomed to reading English publications and possibly build your vocabulary as well.

Good luck!

[THAIDUYBINH]

I am going to get used to reading the New York Times !!!!Thank you very much!

[nanajuice]

well you can get the Grubbers 2009 SAT PREP book. I am going through it right now and it seems like It will really increase my score. It helped me a lot with the writing. You can get many strategies from the book. Hope it helps .

[THAIDUYBINH]

I am actually an international student so critical reasoning is really a burden !!Does " Grubbers 2009 SAT " really help me with the critical reasoning???

[Snxster]

Just remember that the answer is always in the passage. Also, don't add prior knowledge which you have accrued to the subjects of the passage.

[THAIDUYBINH]

Originally Posted by Snxster

Just remember that the answer is always in the passage. Also, don't add prior knowledge which you have accrued to the subjects of the passage.

I know that but all I want is a background knowledge to understand the passage more easily . Sometimes I can't understand what the passage is about because the topic is unfamiliar with me .For example, narrative passages are quite easy but passages about science are difficult because of scientific terms