Self-study
I’m such a slow reader and it’s harder for me to absorb the material in such a short amount of time, i overall just can’t seem to get the hang of it, any tips? How do I work on this?
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I’m such a slow reader and it’s harder for me to absorb the material in such a short amount of time, i overall just can’t seem to get the hang of it, any tips? How do I work on this?
3 comments
Hello!
I totally understand what you mean! I used to spend way too much time reading the passage on my first pass, leaving very little time for the questions. I found that despite spending a lot of time on the passage, I still couldn't recall the specific details when answering the questions, forcing me to go back to the text anyway! So, I changed my strategy. I used to spend 4+ minutes on dense passages, but I decided to cap my reading time at 3 to 3.5 minutes maximum before forcing myself to move on to the questions.
When I set that strict timeframe, I noticed that I naturally focused much more on the overall structure and the purpose of the author's arguments rather than getting caught in the details. I got comfortable doing a faster initial read and going back and forth between the text and the questions. This helped me a lot with timing.
Also, I found flag-and-move-on especially helpful with RC. Try not to waste too much time on a single question that is tripping you off. Just flag it and move on. While you work on the next questions, you will often pick up on something relevant for the flagged one. Then you can go back and solve it.
Lastly, reading dense articles like The Economist during your free time can help you with getting familiar with difficult texts or building your reading endurance.
I hope this helps, and good luck!
Hi!
What you're describing is super common, so you're definitely not alone! The LSAT isn't asking you to remember every single detail the first time through. Instead, it's all about getting the author's main point and understanding how the passage is organized.
Something that really helped me was changing my focus from what the passage was saying to why each paragraph was included. After you finish a paragraph, try pausing for a moment and asking yourself: What was the purpose of that paragraph? Was it introducing a theory? Giving evidence? Criticizing an idea? Suggesting a different explanation?
Also, be careful about trying to read faster before you really understand what you're reading. A lot of students think speed is the problem, but usually it's all the rereading that slows them down. If you notice yourself going back over sentences because you're worried you missed something, try to keep moving forward and focus on the big picture. You can always go back for the details when a question asks for them.
And if you find yourself running out of time, don't stress about finishing all four passages right away. Focus on getting accurate first. As you get better at spotting the structure and picking out what's important, your speed will improve on its own.
Personally it started like this for me too, since I like to read things in detail. What helped me was to try and understand the gist of the paragraph as you are reading it. For example, finishing reading a paragraph -> think what it's purpose was (ex. new arg, introduction, opposing previous arg, giving evidence etc.) -> move on to next paragraph. Try to keep it under 3-4 minutes. Additionally I would recommend reading an scientific or new article daily just to practice your comprehension skills. After reading, ask yourself, what was the main point? how did they argue for their stance if its an opinion piece? etc. Good luck!