suggestions for difficult science passages?

vanessa fisher

So one of my biggest areas of weakness is hard science passages in RC.
I've been trying to read Scientific America a bit more, and I realize some of it is just repetition of these kinds of passages, but I wonder if there are any other tips/tricks anyone would suggest in tackling these passages?

Reading comp is a strong area for me otherwise, but I can sometimes tank 5 or 6 questions if I get a really difficult science passage (I usually do fine on easier science passages, but some are really f-ing hard). I try to just focus on the structure of the argument, but I still feel it isn't enough and I always miss connections between details. I can't help but feel if I had the science background I wouldn't be so tripped up on these passages.

vanessa fisher

This is the one I just did that tanked my confidence
At least J.Y admitted it is a super hard one
https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-63-section-4-passage-3-passage/

tringo335

science and economics passage are the worst!

goingfor99th

I tend to focus a lot less on the specific details of a passage when faced with science passages, and instead focus on the ideas/arguments presented. I think for this reason, science passages are almost always my strongest passage type. The other types tend to bore me, which leads to compensatory hyperfocus, which leads to slow reading speed, which leads to less time for questions and worse performance.

I'm not sure if this is helpful but this is my experience with RC/science passages.

vanessa fisher

@goingfor99th
It's funny cause I feel the opposite with science passages I feel like with the other passages I can focus a lot more on broad strokes and structure of arguments (my undergrad major was religion, literature and the arts so I'm much more comfortable with those types of passages), but with the biology passages, particularly the really difficult ones, I find the details are actually where the questions trip me up, as there is focus on these minute details in the passage. Maybe I'm just not approaching it properly, but I feel like it's the subtle details in these passages that throw me. I may also just be freezing in the face of a discipline I don't feel in mastery of. Maybe I just need to read endless biology passages and get used to it and there are no shortcuts

@tringo335 totally feel you! I actually feel better with the economics passages than the biology ones even. I think just personal familiarity plays a lot in how nervous we get around certain passages

goingfor99th

@"vanessa fisher" said:
@goingfor99th
It's funny cause I feel the opposite with science passages I feel like with the other passages I can focus a lot more on broad strokes and structure of arguments (my undergrad major was religion, literature and the arts so I'm much more comfortable with those types of passages), but with the biology passages, particularly the really difficult ones, I find the details are actually where the questions trip me up, as there is focus on these minute details in the passage. Maybe I'm just not approaching it properly, but I feel like it's the subtle details in these passages that throw me. I may also just be freezing in the face of a discipline I don't feel in mastery of. Maybe I just need to read endless biology passages and get used to it and there are no shortcuts

@tringo335 totally feel you! I actually feel better with the economics passages than the biology ones even. I think just personal familiarity plays a lot in how nervous we get around certain passages

I tend to be able to more easily go back to the passage to find the details despite not tracking them as closely as I tend to in other passage types.

It's curious because I was a humanities major, too (philosophy and English). I think it may be that the novelty of the science passages piques my interest and helps me to focus better. Maybe it's the philosophy major that makes me more comfortable with scientific writing, though.

vanessa fisher

@goingfor99th
Possibly. I also think it might depend on the type of passage. You should check out that passage I posted. It's insane

Also just curious if people ever skip whole passages to come back to at the end? I think this may be useful for me with science passages so I can use my time at the end to go over it more slowly and not waste time upfront

goingfor99th

Which passage is it? I don't have access to 7sage materials.

I skip passages on RC. Generally I leave the comparative for last, and I tend to skip passages that have a ton of text on its two pages. I didn't practice RC enough during my preparation, though, so my advice on this section should be taken with a grain of salt.

OlamHafuch

That passage and the riddled basins of attraction are probably from the hardest science passages. But you can still understand the logical relationship between all the things being spoken about, even without really understanding what they are. It's eminently possible if you just convince yourself that you don't really need to understand all the concepts being discussed to crush the questions.
That being said, if you see a passage that you think will give you more problems than the others, it is a valid strategy to skip it, and then come back at the end.

goingfor99th

Is it embryo polarity?

Alex

@"vanessa fisher" said:
So one of my biggest areas of weakness is hard science passages in RC.
I've been trying to read Scientific America a bit more, and I realize some of it is just repetition of these kinds of passages, but I wonder if there are any other tips/tricks anyone would suggest in tackling these passages?

Reading comp is a strong area for me otherwise, but I can sometimes tank 5 or 6 questions if I get a really difficult science passage (I usually do fine on easier science passages, but some are really f-ing hard). I try to just focus on the structure of the argument, but I still feel it isn't enough and I always miss connections between details. I can't help but feel if I had the science background I wouldn't be so tripped up on these passages.

This may sound over obvious, but just treat them like any other passage. They more likely then not are going to follow the same form. Scientist A believes one thing presents evidence. Researchers disagree because XYZ. But in the end, the scientist is right/wrong because the author mentions something that reconciles the argument blah blah. In short, really, really focus on structure with hard science passages. Another big tip is not getting caught up subvocalizing words that are hard to pronounce. For example, we will subconsciously sit there for 30 seconds trying to subvocalize a word like ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid when we can just refer to it as EA and move on.

Try to work on actively reading more so with these passages than others. Every detail and paragraph they mention is certainly for some future reason. Try to link and anticipate where the paragraph/passage is going. Easier said than done I know, but it's helped me a lot on Science passages. And lots of practice helps a bunch!
Good luck!

vanessa fisher

@"Alex Divine" the tip on subvocalization is a good one! thanks
I agree with what you and @uhinberg are saying in general. In fact, even with most science passages I can get most questions even if I don't know everything going on in the passage. This particular passage is about geology and magma and polarity and I actually found the basin of attraction passage easier than this one. Partly because the structure just isn't normal (as J.Y notes in the video) and it is really unnecessarily convoluted. I found it hard to track at all. That said, I partly also panicked half way through cause I realized I had no idea what was going on

Once and a while I get these types of passages and I can sink 5 or 6 questions at worst. Not common, but the fact that it can happen scares me. But yeah lots of practice with the harder passages is probably the key

Alex

@"vanessa fisher" said:
@"Alex Divine" the tip on subvocalization is a good one! thanks
I agree with what you and @uhinberg are saying in general. In fact, even with most science passages I can get most questions even if I don't know everything going on in the passage. This particular passage is about geology and magma and polarity and I actually found the basin of attraction passage easier than this one. Partly because the structure just isn't normal (as J.Y notes in the video) and it is really unnecessarily convoluted. I found it hard to track at all. That said, I partly also panicked half way through cause I realized I had no idea what was going on

Once and a while I get these types of passages and I can sink 5 or 6 questions at worst. Not common, but the fact that it can happen scares me. But yeah lots of practice with the harder passages is probably the key

Something else I do that has helped me, a tip the LSAT God JY told me, was to google things after RC passages. It just helps to know more things and expands your knowledge and then can help with future passages!

vanessa fisher

good idea, thanks

Alex

@"vanessa fisher" said:
good idea, thanks

Of course! I always try to pass the gospel of the LSAT god JY