Self-paced
Hi! This is my second time taking the LSAT; I've been studying for about 6 months total now, and I have progressed well with LR, but I feel like my RC has been stagnant.
I find that my biggest issue is even if I spend 5-6 minutes reading the passage, I don't understand the full meaning (especially with the added timed pressure) and have to rush through the questions. Many say that taking notes on the author's opinions, tone, structure, etc. takes up too much time.
Any advice on what I should do to have better understanding of the passage? Not sure how to truly make myself be more of an "active" reader, as I see with other suggestions.
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!!
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5 comments
Hi! I also struggle with RC compared to LR, but I have been able to improve a bit. Something that has helped me (especially on more difficult passages with technical terms, complicated syntax etc.) is to not get too bogged down in the details and to focus on the overarching argument. Don't try to comprehend every word of every sentence, because this will definitely take too much time. Focus on key words that indicate a shift ("however," but," "the problem," "the critics," etc.) and try to create a mental map of the structure. Take notes if you really need to, but focus more on committing the "bare-bones" structure to your memory so that it is easy to recall when you get a detail-oriented question. Hope this helps!!
Hey!
Taking notes does tend to suck up time. But taking a moment after each paragraph to capture it in 3-6 words (or symbols) can be incredibly helpful as it forces you to process the information and distill it into a couple key terms. While it may feel burdensome in the beginning, as you develop a shorthand with yourself it becomes much, much faster.
Another thing that helps is constantly putting new information in conversation with what you've read earlier in the passage. How does this piece fit with the last piece? Does it support it? A counterargument? A passage is essentially a paint-by-numbers, as you fill stuff in, you start to see the picture taking place.
I hope that helps, and happy studying!
The way I helped myself become an active reader was to act like I was teaching the information to someone else. So I would read it and use hand movements or expressions. Kind of weird, but it definitely helped me begin to understand reading the passage on first try
@BlueeTulip Ooo okay, I'll give that a try! Thanks! Did you find that with practice you were able to do that implicitly during timed conditions as well?
@MichelleGukhman Yes I have only tried it so far under timed conditions! My RC score and understanding of passages improved when I started doing it that way. Hopefully it can also help you as well!!