Reading Comp is owning me. Any Advice? Forum

[Madman]

So I have taken 6 full PT's and have done a crapload of individual section study and am currently averaging around 163 (pt's 29-35). My goal is a 165-170 for Feb, however the thing really holding me back is reading comp, as I usually only get 3 passages completed and have to guess on the fourth. This usually translates to a score somwhere around -5 to -9 on RC. Currently I only underline names and definitions.

Also, I seem to be stagnating at a 163 average. If I do 15 or so more tests (with review) will I most likely increase my score to within my range?

Anyhow any advice on how to improve RC would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[jelizabeth88]

So I have taken 6 full PT's and have done a crapload of individual section study and am currently averaging around 163 (pt's 29-35). My goal is a 165-170 for Feb, however the thing really holding me back is reading comp, as I usually only get 3 passages completed and have to guess on the fourth. This usually translates to a score somwhere around -5 to -9 on RC. Currently I only underline names and definitions.

Also, I seem to be stagnating at a 163 average. If I do 15 or so more tests (with review) will I most likely increase my score to within my range?

Anyhow any advice on how to improve RC would be much appreciated.

Thanks

I have ADHD and RC gave me crazy problems. I'm not sure if that was the cause but for some inexplicable reason I was able to dominate the LG and LR but then get killed (and I mean killed) by RC. I took the test twice with the same result. So I know where you're coming from.

That said, how are you doing on LR? If you are doing better on LR than on RC then you are probably over thinking it. RC is arguably the easiest part of the LSAT and if you're averaging around a 163 while getting up to -9 on RC then I think this could very well be the case.

As far as timing, to speed up your time just do a quick check next to the line where the name, definition, or whatever instead of spending that time underlining.

[Sauer Grapes]

....

[Bgd736j2]

Then attempt to buy your freedom!!!

[bblobber]

Well I think the first thing to do would be a bit of self-diagnostics. You said "I usually only get 3 passages completed and have to guess on the fourth". What would you say is holding you back? How long does it take you to read the passages vs. answering the questions? Do you spend a lot of time re-reading each question, going through all the answer choices multiple times? Do you have trouble finding stuff in the passage to relate to the questions? Do you find yourself basically re-reading the whole passage once you hit the harder questions? Do you have trouble completing the other sections (especially LR) on time?

My biggest piece of advice on RC is to firmly use the process of elimination for the harder questions. There are some questions where the right answer just doesn't sound all that great. But all the other answer choices will have something wrong with them. When you do POE and end up with an answer that you don't really like, it is easy to suck yourself into going over each answer choice multiple times, trying to find stuff in the passage that affirms or negates it, etc. This is a huge time-waster as you end up doing whole questions twice. Don't second-guess yourself. If you know an answer is incorrect, cross it out and never read it again, even if you don't like the answer you end up with.

[GordonCole]

There's no trick to the RC section. You just have to read the passages and answer the questions. Unfortunately, on recent tests questions are increasingly vague and time-consuming. If you're a slow reader, RC on the newer tests is going to be even harder.

I think the best way to improve on RC is to listen to LaVar Burton and good ol' Reading Rainbow and just read more. Try to read more for school/work, read novels instead of watching TV, go to your local library, etc. If you double the amount of reading you do per day, you're definitely going to get faster.

[Kobe_Teeth]

Practice practice practice.

Don't be afraid to re-take sections you've done before (obviously, don't do them back-to-back wait about a week or even longer before you re-do a passage).

[aguyingeorgia]

READ more. Practice on reading faster. Get an idea of questions that might occur, this can help you flag some typical questions/answers in the reading.

Also, keep in mind that reading speed can be increased with practice.

If all else fails, concentrate on improving the other sections.

GL