Advice on going over RC sections

rogersalexandra7

I got -9 on one section and I was wondering what advice or steps anyone has to reduce that number? I am keeping the main point in mind in each passage and relating the passages to each other but I still got 9 wrong. Thank you so much in advance!

Alex

Hi there,

So there are tons of ways to improve on RC.

What helped me the most were the following.

Going through the 7Sage CC and doing all the lessons on RC. JY's "Memory Method for RC" is what I first used to learn RC and it helped me eventually get to -3/-4 on older exams.

The LSAT Trainer and Manhattan RC book also helped me a bit too. Although both kind of use a similar approach to 7Sage.

Finally, Nicole Hopkin's webinar on RC:

Let me ask you this though. What do you think is your biggest issue with why you are missing questions? How do you do on RC during blind review or during untimed practice? RC is the one section that I only practiced untimed until I got much better.

rogersalexandra7

I feel as if Im trying to compensate for the lack of time so Im reading quickly but then Im having to read certain parts again so Im definitely getting nervous from the time constraint. and what do you mean exactly with blind review and I haven't done any of the RC untimed but Ill try that! Thank you so much!!!!!!

Alex

@rogersalexandra7 said:
I feel as if Im trying to compensate for the lack of time so Im reading quickly but then Im having to read certain parts again so Im definitely getting nervous from the time constraint. and what do you mean exactly with blind review and I haven't done any of the RC untimed but Ill try that! Thank you so much!!!!!!

Here is JY's explanation of how to properly blind review: https://7sage.com/the-blind-review-how-to-correctly-prep-for-lsat-part-1/

Essentially, after taking a PT/timed section, one goes over any questions that they had trouble with or ran out of time for.

Yes, timing can be rough during RC, lol.

Lots of practice long with adopting a notation strategy that worked for me eventually helped most. When I first began RC, I was spending too much time looking back into the passage for answers or to find 100% confirmation that the answer choice I had chosen was correct. I learned that I would need to trust my shadow memories in order to finish on time. I began to spend more time upfront (~4 minutes) reading the passage and memorizing where certain ideas from the passage were located. This way if I needed to look back, I knew exactly where to look, in turn, saving time.

Definitely check out the 7Sage lessons on RC. Seeing how JY approached passages in real time helped me adopt a similar mindset and approach.

Remember, it isn't about reading for details so much as it is reading for structure . You can always look back for specific dates, names, cetera, if you can't remember. However, if you know the relationship between the evidence and main point/conclusion in each paragraph in the passage, you'll have a much easier time answering questions because you'll know where to look.

Lastly, you have to read actively. The LSAT tries to give us the most boring passages. So I'm always asking myself subconsciously how each piece of the passage is linked together. On the real boring ones I have to force myself to be engaged. As funny as it sounds, I think of it as a game between me and the LSAT writers. If I get bored and zone out, they win. So I always stay interested. Besides, I learn something new with every passage I read so I try to cherish that, lol.

Again, improvement on RC takes most people the longest. I'm still always working to get down to a -2 or better. The struggle is real...

rogersalexandra7

yes the struggle is very real lol thank you soooo much!!! I just used JYs memory method on two passages and I got all of the questions right for the two passages I worked on! So thank you so much again!!!!

Alex

@rogersalexandra7 said:
yes the struggle is very real lol thank you soooo much!!! I just used JYs memory method on two passages and I got all of the questions right for the two passages I worked on! So thank you so much again!!!!

No problem! JY's memory method and strategies he presents in his lessons were game changers for me as well. I'm happy to hear they are working for you too!

rogersalexandra7

I do have one more question, for the logic games, after I print out the 10 copies of the game, do I watch the explanation before I do the game? or do I attempt the game and then watch the explanation? Thank you again!

Alex

@rogersalexandra7 said:
I do have one more question, for the logic games, after I print out the 10 copies of the game, do I watch the explanation before I do the game? or do I attempt the game and then watch the explanation? Thank you again!

Don't mention it!

When fool proofing logic games you want to do the game first and then blind review it. Once you do that, watch the video. Try to figure out as much of the game as you can before watching the video.