Self-study
Hey guys, I've been studying for a couple of weeks now and it feels like I am missing most of my answers because I've developed a poor habit of not actively reading and missing some words on LR questions. Has anyone experienced this before? If so, what were some remedies?
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4 comments
Hello!
On top of all the great advice from others, I want to add my own strategy in case it helps!
I used to get LR MSS and Resolution questions wrong because I missed a piece of information in the stimulus. To fix this, I started treating each LR stimulus like a treasure hunt. It sounds simple, but it shifts your mentality into something fun and exciting that requires your full attention to every single word and phrase. Treating it like a game set my mind to: 'Okay, I am going to discover every hidden clue in here, let's go!'
It is totally understandable that you are glazing through the text; the LSAT drains a massive amount of stamina. But it is actually a great thing that you have already identified your bad pattern! Now that you know exactly what is eating your score, you can consciously catch yourself and reset your focus. I believe in you; you can absolutely fix this habit!
I hope this helps, and good luck!
The other commenters have provided some great tips! One additional thing I would try for many LR question types is reading in a skeptical mood. For flaw, strengthen, weaken, PSA, necessary assumption, and sufficient assumption questions, your job is often to spot some kind of gap between the premise and conclusion. So active reading is going to mean being on the lookout for those kinds of gaps and not letting them get away from you. Keep asking yourself, does this sound legit? Do I buy this argument? This mode of reading can make the LSAT more engaging and help you avoid fatigue!
Hi there! This is actually a really common experience, so you're not alone. When we're working through questions quickly, it's easy to focus on the general idea and miss the details in each sentence. But on the LSAT, even a single word like "some," "most," "unless," or "only" can completely change what an argument means.
One strategy I recommend is to slow down just a bit and try to figure out what each sentence is doing as you read. For example, you can ask yourself questions like: "Is this evidence?" "Is this the conclusion?" or "How does this sentence connect to the one before it?" This approach helps you stay engaged and makes it less likely you'll miss those important details.
Also, try not to worry if this has only been happening for a short time. Active reading is a skill that gets better with practice, and just noticing the issue is already a great first step toward improving.
This may seem very simple, but it helped me a lot when I started physically moving my finger through sentences. For some reason, actually pointing to each word at some point made me more likely to process the entire stimulus, as well as maintain a quick pace.
Other than that, I would just say that this is a really tough test to stay focused on. It takes practice to develop the ability to read actively for extended periods. Pretty much everyone struggles with mental fatigue, but you will get better at it over time.