RC Help / Doing worse than when I started

WouldRatherBeEating

I've been prepping since March using 7sage while working various jobs. When I started 7sage, I scored a 169 on a diagnostic PT (I had already studied LG quite a bit). I've been taking PTs and seeing myself slowly improve (scoring around 171-174) but the problem is my RC sections fluctuate SO much anywhere from -1 to -7. Recently, this has gotten even worse and I just scored my worst on a preptest , doing awful on RC in addition to lower on LR & LG than normal. I take the October LSAT and I can't believe after all of this time, work, and money, I've had minimal improvement. I honestly do not know what to do at this point to improve, and this is the most discouraged I've felt during my time studying and I guess I just needed to vent that. If anyone has any RC or general help for someone with only a couple of weeks left, let me know because I certainly need it.

Jahn.Snow

Hey, I'm so sorry you're feeling this way, I can imagine how frustrating that must be. But we should never let our worst PTs/ lower PTs define us. They just show us something is wrong, that needs to be addressed. If you were scoring in the 170s (which is amazing) that means you are totally capable of achieving that on test day.

RC issues are a bit harder to diagnose than the other sections, but still totally possible. If your scores are fluctuating like that, then it sounds like you haven't found your footing with the section just yet. I'll share a bit on what I've done with RC that has helped a ton in the last 2-3 weeks:

I was doing terribly on RC, I started out with -10 average on every section and I always guessed on the 4th passage because I run out of time. After avoiding RC for months, I spent around 2 weeks doing an RC section almost every day untimed, and I tried to implement different strategies. After each passage I read, I would write 1) the MP 2) Reasoning structure 3) author's stance 4) what I thought of the material (this actually helped me focus on engaging with the material more, which helps with my memory). I believe i'm in the habit of doing that subconsciously now.

I read about this strategy where you take PTs in the 40s/50s starting with higher times, then lower it over time. The first time I tried that last week, I gave myself 50 minutes for RC. I used all 50 minutes, but i only got 2 wrong- which is huge for me. I then took another PT yesterday, and I gave myself 45 minutes but only ended up using 37 or 38, and I got -2 again. During this test, where I was focusing on accuracy with time in the backseat, I realized that what works for me is reading the passage super well- doing that helps me fly through the easy passages and then gives me a solid foundation for going into the tougher ones. It also has helped me develop an instinct for what the right answer is, and what the wrong ones definitely are. For me, focusing on accuracy has absolutely helped with time too. Knowing that I had 50 minutes made me feel less anxious, I focused on my skills and less on the clock.

I hope this was useful! I'm definitely still working on RC myself, but i've seen tremendous improvement in the last 2-3 weeks from doing the above. My advice would be to try something like that- focus more on accuracy than timing on a few sections, just so you can get your footing and take the pressure off so you can focus totally on developing consistent skills.

Best of luck, you've got this!

rmoxley86

I know this feeling so well...with all sections, actually. One of the strategies I used to improve actually have nothing to do with test-specific skills, as much as with balance and energy. I noticed that the more that I doubled down on study time, it was often out of fear. I also noticed that the more that I doubled down on study time, the more I neglected my friendships, hobbies, family, and the other elements in my life that bring joy and balance. Once I began to restore some of those, my scores have begun to raise. I'm not suggesting to do this at the exclusion of studying, simply in addition to it. All of this comes from a fellow-test taker who is working her hardest to overcome anxiety to conquer this test. Peace, prosperity, joy, and balance.