Reading Comprehension

Jason7son

Hey guys,
So, I'm scoring around 164 range. I got down to -4 on LR and I constantly score -0 or sometimes -1 on LG sections. But, RC is literally a score killer. I just took a PT 37 today and scored -13. My average RC is -8. I'm glad that my LR is improving, but I don't know what to do with RC. It't not that I'm discouraged, but I just cannot find "techniques" to use for RC. I do low-res and high-res, but I just cannot understand the passages enough to solve the problems in time. Is there any RC experts who can share the methods they use during PTs?

noonawoon

Try doing some RC where you don't do any "techniques", don't write down summaries or anything, and just focus on reading and understanding the passage. I know that sounds so basic lol but I think techniques can slow people down and it's worth trying both ways to see what works. Just really focus on reading and understanding what you read, understanding how one paragraph relates to the one before it, and so on.

noonawoon

And unrelated to the passages, it may be worth setting aside uninterrupted time each day to just read to build stamina and reading comp skills. Articles, books, etc

emmorens

I feel like what helps me is talking myself through the passage the way that JY does. That was my biggest takeaway. So I'll be reading something and I'll literally translate each sentence in my head and asking myself at the end of the paragraph: "okay, what the fuck was the point in that paragraph" and I recite things back.

I find it both really helpful and encouraging because I feel like I'm in control of the passage when I can dumb it down for myself if that makes sense? So I'll say something like: "okay so, those guys founded a method and implemented it into society... sweet" and then I move on.

Idk maybe this is dumb but I find it SO helpful haha

Jason7son

Ahahaha bet imma start doing that. I mean even if it's dumb, as long as I get the core of it, i'll do better.

And regarding the "techniques" I don't write down stuff because I feel like that's extra time for me to reiterate the passage which I won't get during the exam. I do try to think about how the passages connect and stuff, but sometimes it's just like "what is this passage talking about..." But, I'll keep trying. Thanks both.

madi2639

What has helped me is pretending I'm fascinated by every reading comprehension I come across, and reading it that way. In my head, I'm like "Oh, the Internet and privacy laws in the 80s? Interesting!!"

I swear it helps!

legallytired

i agree with madi, i also try to be interested in every passage and it helps keep me focused, so its def worth a shot! and i also just try to spend more time on the passage like 3-3.5 mins and that helps the questions go faster. try to understand every word and sentence even if its a basic sentence that you understand just take a second to digest it

Jason7son

Interesting! I never read the passage that way, it was more like "this might be on the question, so I better memorize it" attitude. But I'll try that for sure! Thanks!

sammychews

If you have time, listen to Episode 41- "Reading Comprehension Skill Tests" of The PowerScore LSAT PodCast (fast forward through like the first 20 minutes to get to the helpful stuff lol). But I've found that listening to that podcast offers some helpful tips and tricks with my weaker areas like RC!

I was also against note-taking at first, but then I gave it shot because my RC score was trash. Instead of rewriting long notes, I jot down only 2-5 words that accurately sums up the entire paragraph and I number each set of notes corresponding to the number of the paragraph (obvi). I agree with earlier comments that slowing down reallyyyy helps. Take more time to understand the passage and questions will literally fly by.

Jason7son

@otter2s
When you say slow down, how long is slowing down? Because usually, I take 3minutes or 4 minutes depending on the difficulty of the passage, and that's not necessarily slowing down. So, how long would you say I should spend time?

Dan The Man

@tjdals2338 I can't speak for @otter2s, but it is my understanding that slowing down is subjective, and by slowing down he/she really means you need to slow down to ensure you UNDERSTAND the passage as a whole (main point), and what the purpose of each paragraph is and how they connect, and the authors opinion or tone. Understanding is your primary goal in reading the passage, and it will allow you to take less time on the questions.

Truth is, each of us have a particular struggle section on this test, and I believe if you have more exposure with RC sections, and try different strategies, you will find one that works for you. Some people like writing down the main idea of each paragraph, some people like reading the passage twice quickly each time looking for different things. You got this

Jason7son

Hehe thanks! I will try to understand the passages thoroughly every time, and hopefully that'll somewhat make it easier for me to solve the problems. Thanks for the encouragement!

sammychews

@tjdals2338 Exactly what Dan The Man said! Slowing down is definitely subjective, so to phrase it another way, slow down to the point where you could remember enough of the passage's structure, author's stance, tone, etc. to give someone a quick summary!

Also, I hate to admit it because I honestly just didn't want to do it, but drilling RC passages has really helped me improve. Utilize the RC problem sets in the CC and the timing feature. Each RC problem set contains 2 passages and you can either take it timed or untimed (per usual CC drills). If you do well with the easy intro ones, move on to the harder ones and see how you do!