RC Help!

Nastassia

Hi everybody,

I am in desperate need of help with the RC section. The interesting thing about my progress is that it is getting continuously worse. Back when I first started reading comprehension passages, I didn't follow a specific method. I just read through the passage, underlined some important things, and moved straight to the questions. I would get between 2 and 3 wrong. I have subsequently tried the Memory Method and another methodology, similar to the Memory Method, but I would add the extra step of quickly skimming over the passage one more time before moving on to the questions. Unfortunately, both methods have not worked so well for me. On RC sections, I can get anywhere from 5 to 9 wrong.

I am not sure what is wrong, perhaps it is burnout or simply a loss of confidence, but no matter which of these three methods I try now, I end up doing poorly. Time is also an issue for me; I am a rather slow reader and it takes some time for me to process the ideas, especially in the times when my mind is not focusing optimally.

If anybody has been in a similar situation and has found a way out, or if you can offer any specific advice, I would really really appreciate it. The October LSAT is coming so fast, and I am in great need of finding the best method for me, even if it doesn't guarantee a perfect score on the RC section.

Thanks!

-Nastassia

logicfiend

On which PTs you were doing better and which PTs you are doing worse on? What types of questions are you getting wrong? Is there a pattern?

I think RC has become progressively more difficult on the more recent tests. The passages are sometimes more difficult to parse through and the answer choices are trickier. Of course, that isn't true for every recent test and the difficulty is also subjective. Universally for RC it's a matter of really understanding the passage. The LSAT Trainer's method of reading RC is very good—read for the bigger picture, don't get stuck on details. Try to understand how each part is functioning in the passage.

When you finish a passage, do you have a good grasp of what's going on? What are the various view points? What's the author's opinion, if any? If not, that's where I would start. If you're taking the October test, it's late to start a new strategy. But maybe if you heavily drill reading passages untimed with the Trainer method that will be helpful.

sharine.xuan

I read a section today in RC 3 times and just had absolutely no clue what it was saying. Hang in there!! You are not the only one.