Anybody have any good tips for hard RC?

Sammie215

I can score anywhere from -1 to -7 (yiiiikes) on RC... sometimes it really just feels like a crapshoot. I usually do really well with reading comp on standardized tests (SAT, subject tests, GRE, APs, etc.) and even tutored for a while. What freaks me out the most about RC is that I often don't catch my mistakes even during BR; I'm making mistakes with confidence haha. Strong and wrong! On my last PT I got 4 questions wrong on a single passage, which would have bumped my overall score from 171 to 174.

I don't usually feel like I'm running out of time, it's more that I can't easily eliminate the wrong answer choices the way I can with LR, for example. So yeah, any tips/advice?

lawschool33

Some say that you should read the questions first as you do on the SAT. The problem with doing this on the LSAT is that you're wasting valuable time. Most of the LSAT RC questions are all the same: author's attitude, purpose of the argument, etc. It is also important to not get caught up in the content of the passage. Focus only on the structure: claims, supporting evidence, tone. It doesn't matter if the topic is about science or history, the structure is usually similar in each passage.

Alex

Practice running through the questions in 2 sweeps: First to eliminate 2-3 of the answer choices, and then second to choose between the remaining ACs. If you're having trouble eliminating you need to become more familiar with the ways that the LSAC makes the incorrect answer choices more appealing. For example, they often employ verbatim language from the passage into the wrong answers or use a quantifier word that makes an otherwise good looking answer choice too strongly worded. So keep your mind on those things as you go to eliminate.

You also need to prephrase where you can on RC. You don't want to be looking back at the passage where you don't absolutely need to. You need to be more flexible with RC when prephrasing than you otherwise would be with LR, but I find that when I have a rough idea of what I'm looking for it helps me with speed and avoiding the pesky trap answer choices.

Make sure you're actively reading...You also want to read the passages with the usual questions in mind. So as I'm reading I'm always searching for the MP, author's view/stance on whatever is being written about, etc.

Experiment with how long you are spending reading vs. answering the questions. Early on I was stuck missing 5 Q's on average on RC. It wasn't until I began spending less time meticulously reading and more time on answers that I eventually was able to improve significantly. I'm not advocating speed reading, but I do think if you're a slower reader that working on your reading speed can be quite helpful.

Lastly, I've found that on BR practicing my skimming speed has been helpful. To do this all I've been doing is practicing quickly locating lines that prove answer choices. Having an internal passage map in your mind will help you to be able to know where to check for an answer. You obviously never want to spend 30 seconds just skimming through the entire passage. In short, aim to cut down your search time.

Other things you can do to help is looking up words you don't know after a passage and Googling any concepts or theories you are unfamiliar with that come up on the RC section.

Good luck!

Sammie215

Cool, thank you both!