Reading Comp struggles PT 60+

nyc2dc2ca

In the PT 50s I was solid -4/-5 on RC. On LR I was missing more than 6 per section.

I am wrapping up the 60s and I am now solid -2 to -4 on LR.

BUT NOW I AM -7/-8 on RC!!!

LG is stable ranging from -3 to -5.

If I can get my RC back to -4/-5, I will be able to score in the 166-168 range which is my goal.
Right now I've dropped to 163-165 Very Very Very down and disappointed...

Any suggestions on how to improve RC in the final stretch before the June LSAT?

Also, 7sage and LSAT Trainer strategies actually made me a worse RC test taker. I do much better when I stop over-thinking/analyzing and just read slowly and carefully while visualizing the passages. This can take 3-4 minutes for the passage but I do much better. Annotating via 7sage and LSAT Trainer suggestions just slows me down and ruins my flow. I am going to try the rest of the tests with my original strategy and ditch what I have learned. Anyone else have experience with this?

Thank you in advance!

Alex

The reading comprehension in the 60s + are overall more difficult. At least that's largely the consensus. So that explains some of the score drop in RC.

What is your process for blind reviewing reading comp?

Sami

@nyc2dc2ca said:

Also, 7sage and LSAT Trainer strategies actually made me a worse RC test taker. I do much better when I stop over-thinking/analyzing and just read slowly and carefully while visualizing the passages. This can take 3-4 minutes for the passage but I do much better.

If you look at JY's reading time, he definitely takes this long to read most passages so it's never recommended to read really fast or over analyze. The low-high resolution summaries are basically about keeping things simple and organized in your head.

As far as the notation strategy goes, I agree with you. It takes too long. But It's not part of the curriculum either (probably for this reason). JY barely notates. High scorers in RC typically either notate a lot or don't notate that much or its personal for them. So there is no right or wrong answer. It's just about what works for you.

I think if you are talking about writing the MP for each paragraph after you are done reading that's only for practice, so you train your mind to think like that. The goal is to not need to write it down after a while.

I think visualizing is a great technique. If that helps you, you should keep practicing that. Your timing to get through the passage is on point as well. Speed from RC comes from slowing down on passages, going faster on questions, and skipping questions that take long - a lot like LR.

LSAT Is Coming

I think your best bet is to focus on LR and LG, particularly the latter. Moving from -3/-5 is very doable, even in just the few weeks we have left. After drilling a lot of logic games for about two weeks, I moved from -3/-5 to -0/-1 consistently. Barring some crazy, never-before-seen game on test day, mastery of LG virtually guarantees free points that are essential to breaking the curve -- not so for RC.

On RC post PT 60, I dropped from -2/-3 to -6/-7 on average. The questions are WAY HARDER on the more recent tests. I think the biggest improvement on the section can come from familiarizing yourself with patterns. The specific topics of the passages will be different every time (for the most part), but the types of questions and the details of passages the questions emphasize are pretty predictable. Small example -- when you see a huge list in the middle of a passage, you can almost be sure that there is going to be a recognition question asking for one of those components explicitly mentioned by the author (or an 'except' question of the same type).

As far as annotation goes, you're right that it definitely differs person to person. Underlining helps me focus, so I end up underlining entire passages, but I only annotate major words or turning points. If a counterargument introduces a new term or concept, for example, I'll circle it and then write it out next to the passage. That way, when a question asks about it, I can find it immediately.

The other quick tip I have is to feel comfortable skipping questions. I find that if I can manage to get through the section with 5 minutes to spare, my accuracy shoots up because I can go back and attempt tougher questions with a fresh perspective. The only way this is possible for me is by skipping questions that would otherwise take me 3 minutes to answer up front (and likely incorrectly).

nyc2dc2ca

@btmccartney @Sami thanks for the pointers. I took PT 69 today and scored a -4 on RC with the new strategy (no annotations, only marks on important words/author opinion & a quick skim after finishing to look for structure). Back to the score I got on my first PT so happy to see that.

Another quick question on LG. Do you two spend a few seconds looking at a setup for inferences automatically after completing it? I am finding that this is the critical difference in harder games I do well on vs those that I don't. I have to resist the urge to just push out the game with the questions...

dennisgerrard

Yes. Big pause for inference/cool down is worthy. CBT can takes time if you don't have a clear understanding and confidence on your set-up(with inference or not).

Check PT23 Game 3if you got time.

nyc2dc2ca

@Sami , @dennisgerrard , @"Alex Divine" , @btmccartney another quick question. I checked my analytics and RC InferAuthorPerspective are the ones I get wrong the most often. Any specific advice there?

@dennisgerrard I will check out PT 23 Game 3 later today.

Cant Get Right

Yeah, I agree that annotation is highly personal. Definitely not a part of the 7Sage curriculum though. Personally, I really like annotating. I've been annotating for years before lsat and it's very natural for me and it really helps me keep important details straight without having to pay too much attention to them while I focus on the big picture. JY hardly annotates at all. His sections just look terrifying to me because the passages are almost entirely unmarked. And we both are really good at RC. So I'm glad you've just committed to doing what works for you.

As far as the new difficulty, the challenge in more recent tests is that the questions become more difficult and the wrong answer choices are much more subtle in many instances. In review, make sure you're identifying exactly what makes each AC wrong. I found that doing repeats on RC was a really helpful exercise for developing this. Having read the passage before, I am able to really shift my focus onto the questions and onto making those differentiations. A second read also leaves me with a deeper understanding of the passage which contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the questions and answer choices. Once you learn to spot the subtleties in the wrong ACs, they start becoming really conspicuous, even on fresh sections.

extramedium

@nyc2dc2ca I just made a new post about not notating. It definitely doesn't work for me.