Really frustrated with Reading Comp. some help please.

goalis180

I am struggling with reading comp. It is not the sort of struggle with not understanding the material either, rather I am having to read the passage at such a pace that it makes me miss some important details, and then when I am asked a question about the details, I recall where it is, and some of its purpose, but not enough to get the question right. I guess I am having trouble prioritizing some details, as well as having timing issues. Is this normal when starting to do RC? and for individuals who are good, or improved their RC drastically, what are some tips you can give me. I am literally dedicating every single day to this test, I do nothing but study all day, I cut my job hours, I barley communicate with the outside world at this point lollol. I need a 173+ score, I have to get a 173+ (I have to for me not for anyone, or anything else) So please every single tip even if you think it is insignificant, it isn't. W.E. time I must dedicate to get better I will, I just want/need to get over this frustration already LMAO. I majored in Philosophy, so all I did was read, and write. I didn't even think RC was going to annoy me this much. Also I am taking my LSAT in December.

Dr. Yamata

High five brother.. Philosophy M.A. here.

I am becoming more of an advocate of marking the passage. On test day, there's just no way you're going to be as calm as you are during practice, so even if you retain a lot of it by reading a certain way in practice, there is no guarantee it will carry over to test day.

So yeah.. kind of "what not to do advice" here. What should you do to improve? I don't know. I totally blew it on test day.

harrismegan

I literally write this on every post about RC. I used to struggle hard with RC. Like -12 + a section. My last prep test -4, which is still not perfect, but it's getting a lot better.

Pick up The Trainer by Mike.. something. It teaches you how to read for structure. It's weird to grasp at first because you're not used to it, but it literally changed how I look at the passages and now my mind breaks it down that way all of the time.
You don't need to remember details. Just mark the passage for:
1. Main point/main conclusion
2. Author's opinion and note where other people's opinions are
3. How the paragraphs relate to one another.
The first paragraph... what is it doing? introducing a topic. great. The second paragraph.... a whole paragraph of an individual criticing the topic. note it.

When a question asks for a detail you'll know where to go back. "the critic says this...." "it can be inferred that the critic thinks this..." go back to the paragraph, quickly read, and answer.

Even if you just buy The Trainer to read the reading comp section it's worth it.

goalis180

I have the trainer luckily, and I am attempting to use the stated method. As you have stated, the method is foreign to me and I am not grasping it fully, however I have only studied, and applied the method today, so maybe I should give it time to sink in. Also, looking back takes time, I actually have decent memory where I already know where everything is without marking it, but it takes so much time. If you do not mind me asking, did you struggle with small details in the beginning of your studies when using the trainer's method? and what are some things I should do to allow the trainer's method to sink in? @harrismegan

@"Dr. Yamata" when did you take your LSAT? Unless you have your score, do not doubt yourself just yet. If you truly studied, and dedicated time to understanding, you could not have done so badly.

harrismegan

I did. I used the memory method on here and didn't take to it well. The point is to let the details go. Why? Because you can always go back and read them. The point is to take as much "big stuff" from the passage as possible. Ie) the general sense (main point) of the passage and how things relate, as the questions touch on those aspects more.
I would take it slow. Reading for speed is fine, but not when you're implementing a new way of looking at things. I have all the cambridge packages for RC and I go through 2 passages a day. Take it slow, start marking up the passages specifically looking for the things The Trainer teaches, and eventually you'll pick up speed and accuracy.

7sagelsatstudent180

Read for structure not necessarily content and utilize the memory method in prep.

littlesnickers

I also started with the Trainer, which was a solid start, but after about 20 PTs I was still least improved in RC. Here's what helped me:
-- Read the explanations for all the questions you have trouble with on lsathacks.com. They do a good job of pointing out patterns and common traps.
-- Check out an article also on lsathacks.com called "Reading speed and the LSAT" and try out the techniques.
-- Go through a copy of Manhattan RC (Kindle version is just $10). Reading their strategies (skipped the drills) took me just a few hours but helped me get a grip on the section.
-- Allow yourself to skim the passage quickly after reading it once or during the questions. It's better to lose a few seconds doing this than to lose minutes trying to choose an answer based on an incomplete understanding/memory of the passage.
-- Just do a lot of sections. The more you do, the better you'll become at noticing things that will likely appear in questions.
-- Practice doing sections at a time, not single passages. Because knowing that you have to get to three more passages will force you to push the pace on any one passage you're working on.
-- And I actually wrote this to myself on a note card about RC that I kept with me right before I checked in on test day: The right answer will never require a big leap in logic. It will never be a stretch. Answer choices are either supported by the passage or not.

hrjones44

Everyone is diffferent u will be calm on test day if you focus on being calm test day...

goalis180

Thank you guys for all your responses. @sockstcat I bought the MP RC for $20 used, will be going through it once I receive it, hopefully it helps. @harrismegan I will be practicing using the trainer's method, I like i, and believe it is one of the best I have heard of so far. @7sagelsatstudent180 I have not grasped 100% how to do that yet, but I guess that just really entails more practice. @hrjones44 easier said than done haha, but I understand exactly where you are coming from.

Anymore responses and tips are welcome. I need all the help I can get.

gstar2015

Cambridge packet time

goalis180

lol yea im gonna buy them once im finished with the 7sage course, and I start drilling on my own.