Staying Focused

treyowen

What are your recommendations for staying focused and engaged throughout the RC section. Especially when taking a PT. Thanks!

JDream2025

You have to make it fun for yourself. I read each line, and make a comment to myself about what is said or what I think about it. I learned this from an online class I attended with John Aldy. So if you read a line that says that, "some critics say... xyz..." Depending on how much you have been studying for the LSAT, you would know that when author is talking about some critics, he will refute it... so when I read about some critics, I say to myself, "yeah, don't care..." And then you go on to read the next sentence. I hope this makes sense? I just talk to myself throughout the entire passage. Or if I see that the author did not agree with what is being stated, I usually say, "hmm...author isn't happy about this, or, this is our author finally telling me what he doesn't like..." I went from -16 to -4. It really works!

TL:DR - After each sentence make a comment on the sentence you read and make it fun for yourself and try to anticipate where the author is going.

markmywords

Visualizations are key for me. You know the youtube videos that explain a concept using illustrations and sound effects? I visualize images, video, and sounds. I think sounds are especially important because it incorporates another layer of senses--which data shows is helpful for comprehension. Or I think of a vintage newscaster reading the passage with big, thick glasses and I visualize what the accompanying b-roll would look like. I also imagine my favorite Youtuber reading the passage and imagine a video about the content in their style.

Ultra_Instinct_LSAT

I agree with both comments above, it comes down to engaging with the passage and knowing where to slow down and where not to spend too much time. Slow down in important areas, for instance, where you see the author's opinion. By not spending too much time I mean not stressing out about the details. They're still important and you should know where they're at, but don't go too far into the weeds trying to understand them. I'm thinking of science passages when they're trying to explain some sort of complex chemical process or something like that.