How much improvement did you see on RC?

kmarie7

I am getting a little discouraged. I am seeing major improvements in my other sections, but am still doing incredibly bad on RC. Just looking for some inspiration.

LSAT Student

I diagnosed a -6 on RC and have moved it down to -2/3 just by practicing timed passages. I think it comes down to just looking for the big picture of the articles. Also, I find that if you learn the LR section of the test well, the RC comes more naturally. Furthermore, just trying to fake interest in the passages has helped me. I am struggling with my LG, maybe you can offer me some tips on that lol! Anyways, best of luck. Keep practicing and analyzing your mistakes and you will see improvement. Long time till September if that is the test you are preparing for.

Daniel.Sieradzki

While progress in RC may be slow, big progress can certainly be made. I went from a -8 RC on my diagnostic to my current -2 average. It is still something I am always working on getting more consistent, but it has gotten a lot better.

@"LSAT Student" made some great points. You want to read for structure. You can always return to the passage for the details, but you want to figure out the purpose of each paragraph and the passage as a whole as you read. This will help you answer the high-level questions (main point, purpose of a paragraph, author's opinion, etc.).

There are some RC techniques out there that you should try:

1. J.Y. has a great memory technique that is available here on 7sage.
2. @"Nicole Hopkins" has an awesome RC notation strategy that she shares in her webinar.
3. There is also a technique where you pause after each paragraph and take a few seconds to review what you have learned. I think this strategy is from Manhattan Prep. [Admin note: this strategy is in the Memory Method lesson here.]

I find that when it comes to RC, each person has to find a particular strategy that works for them. You should give these a shot and see what works.

Don't be discouraged. As @"LSAT Student" mentioned, by doing more RC passages and reviewing them effectively, you will see improvements. You will be able to identify what is important in a passage and be able to better spot trap answers. Good luck!

Cant Get Right

Progress is slower on RC than LR, and much much slower than on Games. But it will come if you keep at it. Like on Games, it is good to try and spend a little extra time on the front end of a passage before moving on to the questions. @Daniel.Sieradzki mentioned pausing at the end of each paragraph, and I find this very simple technique to be highly effective. Just take a moment to turn over what you’ve just read before moving on, and try to project forward as well and think about where the passage might go next. It doesn’t seem like something with much potential of having a major effect, but it does really.

Also, read outside the LSAT. It can’t take the place of LSAT study time at all, but readers will outperform non readers with high consistency. Read before going to bed, read with your morning coffee, read whenever it is you can carve out a little time. Read serious literature, read academic journals, read books you remember liking from elementary school, read trashy romance novels, read anything, but read.

kmarie7

Are there any journals/newspapers you suggest subscribing to? Preferably daily? I just subscribed to The New Yorker on the advice of JY in his RC lessons.

Cant Get Right

Not sure about dailies, I try to just read Associated Press as far as that goes. A lot of people say the Economist is really good. Personally, I like books more than periodicals. I’m currently reading a compilation of legal philosophies, a history of mathematics, and when I don’t feel like anything dense, Harry Potter. I think a good mix is healthy. I wish I could just burn through “World of Mathematics,” but I just can’t maintain the energy for it indefinitely, lol. When I’m tired, I go to HP, and it at least keeps me reading.

LSATKingsman

Started missing about 5 or 6. Now I miss 11-13 .... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

stepharizona

I've gotten down to -3ave on fresh tests and 0 on retakes by just relentless drilling (From a -8 ave). Going back and finding the answer by line number, I've also been drilling speed reading techniques for about 12 weeks while I was taking a break from the LSAT and I think that has really helped. Its not necessarily that I read faster, its the drills for word recognition.

I am so much faster at finding words I need now, regardless of the underlining and passage marking. I think I actually notate much less now than I used to. So I read the passage faster, because well, I can now. I go faster because I notate a lot less and that gives me about 60 second more per passage+questions. Plus I am sure I save time knowing what to read for.

I had drilled out 1-38 for LR and LG, but it seemed I didnt do many of them, so its great to see the improvement happening. I really hoping to get this to -0/2 by test day. If I have LG at 0 RC at 0 it makes my 170 goal more than possible.

I think more and more RC can be drilled out just like LG.

AurBoreal

Are all RC sections good for drilling? @stepharizona - did you drill RC from PT's 1-16?

stepharizona

Yep, I am making my way through every LSAT passage ever produced that I can get my hands on, including the ones from the India tests. Mind you the earlier tests dont have a comparative passage, but everything else is the same. The RC bundle was the last thing I got from Cambridge the day before it went away... happy I did.

stepharizona

@"CUNY_2017" said:
Are all RC sections good for drilling? @stepharizona - did you drill RC from PT's 1-16?

Also, all REAL LSAC LSAT material is good for drilling. Knowing how to approach and old question or type only deepens your knowledge of the test. You are going for Mastery... so read it all, do it all