Weakness in One Section

pstroud97

Hi 7sagers - I am looking for advice today. I can consistently score about -5 to -7 on the 2 sections of LR and LG combined. My RC section is always what is throwing me into the 160s range. I have worked on the Memory Method from the CC and tend to do a decent bit better on BR. Does anyone have any tricks/methods they've used to help improve speed for RC? I take my first real test next month and really don't want this one section to bring me down.

gabes900-1

Hi @pstroud97 , RC has been the bane of my existence in terms of speed as well. But I have seen some improvement after implementing some strategies. First, if you are in the PT section of your prep, post-PT I would recommend BR-ing of course. After you have BR'd the passages you didn't get 100% correct, under time and with 100% confidence, I would honestly just foolproof some passages from the PT 1-35 bundle maybe 2-3 passages timed. This helped me just get the groove of RC down in terms of skipping and knowing what the LSAT writers are looking for. As a result, I have been able to speed up my processes/approach on RC to have time remaining, which lends itself to being able to go back to tough problems. By doing this, I have seen improvements in overall process to RC, in terms of speed and control when hitting the questions. Another benefit I have seen from implementing this strategy is more exposure to the type of subject matter RC tends to talk about. So, when on a newer PT, I have a better grasp of what they are talking about if I had not done so.

The second strategy I have tried with RC is typing up explanations of the reasoning structure of the different passages I have done in the past. This is almost a somewhat cookie-cutter exercise of the type of reasoning structures the writers tend to play with. It is not too set and stone but there are some similarities across passages. This has helped me follow complex weird reasoning structures on PTs faster, making the passage a little easier to read with the 3 or so mins you have to read one.

Lastly, I would also recommend just reading books, articles and newspapers on the side of the LSAT. I am reading the Republic of Plato as well as The Economist on a daily basis. In my opinion, this helps keep one in a state active reading on a daily basis and just makes reading on the RC section a little less arduous when confronted with a difficult passage.

I hope this helps.

gabes900-1

To add to my post above, by implementing these strategies, I have seen improvements in my RC process in terms of control, comfort and speed. Best of luck studying and hope it goes well!